A change came over the literary work of Mr. Fittis in the early "seventies." While he did not entirely give up writing fiction, he devoted most of his time and energy to veritable history. In 1872 the Rev. Thomas Morris, a promising young Glasgow student, who became assistant in one of the Edinburgh churches, had started a weekly column in the "Perthshire Constitutional," under the title of the "Antiquarian Repository." He died suddenly in 1873, and Mr. Fittis was then engaged to carry on this column, which had become a feature of the paper. The work was entirely congenial to him. There was ample scope for the use of his vast stores of miscellaneous knowledge of Scottish history, tradition, and literature, and he fully utilised his opportunity. From 1873 till 1881 he continued to produce two weekly columns, republishing the matter in book form at the end of every year. He thus brought together the most complete and varied series of volumes relating to the history, antiquities, and literature of Perthshire ever attempted. The following table gives the titles and dates of these seven remarkable volumes:--
"Illustrations of the History and Antiquities of Perthshire" (455 pages), 1874 "Perthshire Antiquarian Miscellany" (634 pages), 1875 "Historical and Traditionary Gleanings concerning Perthshire" (521 pages), 1876 "Chronicles of Perthshire" (540 pages), 1877 "Sketches of the Olden Times in Perthshire" (560 pages), 1878 "Perthshire Memorabilia" (567 pages), 1879 "Recreations of an Antiquary in Perthshire History and Genealogy" (556 pages), 1881
A mere glance at the list will give an idea of the industry of the writer, while the fact that the books have been accepted as the work of a painstaking and accurate historian proves their value. All these books are at present (1906) out of print, and command good prices when they come into the market.
After he had ceased his regular contributions to the "Perthshire Constitutional," much of the time of Mr. Fittis was taken up in genealogical research, a task for which his long experience peculiarly fitted him. Yet he did not neglect historical writing, though severe illness frequently interrupted his labours. The five last volumes which he published were not issued serially, but made their first appearance in book form. Their titles and dates are as follows:--