(Published in THE LAKE TODAY, on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 10:12 AM CD​  

           
Since the first time Princess Anna Comnena of the Byzantine Empire put pen to papyrus to document the Crusaders' invasion of Constantinople in a biography about her father, Emperor Alexius Comnenus, women have embraced the task of chronicling the triumphant and sometimes turbulent details of our collective past.

Considered to be the world's first female historian, Princess Anna's detailed account of the people and events she witnessed during the First Crusade garnered her the title of the world's first female historian.

But one's memoirs need not include world changing events to merit a place in local archives. Through centuries of bedtime stories, baby books, family bibles, birth records, marriage and death certificates; mothers, sisters, aunts and educators dedicated themselves to preserving both the landmark occasions and everyday details that laid the foundation of our culture and our communities.

For some, the scrapbooks and photo albums become little more than creative ways of sharing family lore. But for others, tracing and documenting the history and genealogy that shaped one's environment becomes a passionate pursuit for the people, places and events of our heritage. Much gratitude is owed these avid researchers, who by tracking the course of our yesterdays provide us with a valuable road map to our tomorrows.

Through years of digging through court records, rummaging through attics and visiting county seats, these kitchen historians provide gems of wisdom to their communities and in the process become treasures themselves.

One such treasure has contributed reams of little known facts to local historical societies and brought a depth of understanding about our Lake Area origins to generations of residents and visitors.

With family roots running deep through the Miller county farmland that was homesteaded by her great-great-grandparents, Peggy Smith-Hake came into the world during the chaos of the Great Depression. Both parents were native to the area and her education was earned in the Iberia school system.

As a young woman, Smith-Hake moved to Kansas City where she raised her family and worked her way up to associate vice president of the Indian Springs State Bank. After returning to Miller County in 1979, she became the first woman to serve as county judge and commissioner.

Though Smith-Hake loved the hometown of her youth and was active in the community, she did not start digging through her family roots until the death of her grandfather, Henry Franklin Smith, at the age of 92. Realizing she had lost a valuable source of family lore, Smith-Hake set forth to discover her heritage among the "dusty files of courthouses, archives, libraries and museums." She spent endless hours pouring over microfilm in the Kansas City office of the National Archives where "old newspapers, crumbling with age, were read from cover to cover."

As her family history unfolded, Smith-Hake found herself extending her expedition beyond state borders. She traveled to counties in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, known to be home to her ancestors. With each new tidbit of information, she gained greater insight into her ancestors and deepening desire to record their history.

During a 1990 trip over the old Oregon Trail she re-traced the route her ancestors followed to resettle in the great North West, locating the graves of her great-great-great grandparents on a scenic mountainside in the Willamette Valley.

The passionate search to discover her past inspired Smith-Hake to help others do the same. As a longtime member of the Miller County and Osage County historical societies, she has contributed volumes of information and insight into our local legacy. History buffs and genealogists from across the United States harvested fields of advice through the newsletter, "Seeking 'n Searching Ancestors" that she edited and published over 18 years.

Her genealogical column titled "Window to the Past" appeared in the "Miller County Autogram-Sentinel" for many years. Above and beyond her ongoing archival contributions, three books written by Smith-Hake read like love letters to the land of her youth.

"Iberia Academy and the Town, its History," 1988; "Pioneer Families of Miller County, Missouri: Journey to the Past," 1990; and "They Left a Legacy: Historical Stories of Miller County, Missouri," 1992; are testaments to Smith-Hake's research skills, writing ability and zeal for history.

A devoted Lake Area resident, Smith-Hake is at home among the Osage River bluffs near their Whispering Hills Farm in Miller County. Her family tree continues to grow with four children, four stepchildren, nine grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, three step-grandchildren and four step-great-grandchildren.

Through her hard work, research and writings Peggy Smith-Hake has not only created in-depth accounts of our local history, but she has also given our community a priceless gift to be treasured by generations to come.

Recently retired from the Miller County Historical Society as a charter member and secretary, many of her historical accounts can be found on the group's Web site.

 

"A couple of weeks ago Peggy Hake was featured in the Lake Today online newspaper. The article was written by Debra Wolfe. For those readers who had not seen it I wanted to place the article here (on the MCHS website). Peggy has been our premier Miller County historian for many years. Much of our website is made up of her historical articles. Peggy recently retired from her position as secretary of our Miller County Historical Society board after having served in that position for more than thirty years. We will miss her, for sure. So it is fitting that she should be remembered in this very nice feature article by Debra." (Dr. Joe Pryor, Miller County Historical Society President, 2010)