There is a vast wealth of published county histories available. Nearly every public library and many archives contain one or more books on county history. They are usually written by local people who have an intimate understanding of the area, people, interrelationships between families, and a crisp perspective of the area's history. In "Along Those Lines . . ." this week, let's explore several types of county histories and what you are likely to find in them.

Older Histories
The trend of documenting our nation's history began in earnest around the time of the United States Centennial in 1876. At that time, United States citizens' imaginations were seized with the fever to connect oneself with the pilgrims and with the nation's founding fathers. Genealogy took off with a boom, and many new genealogical, hereditary, and/or lineage societies were formed over the next decade or so. At about the same time, there was a renewed interest in documenting histories of the nation, the states, and the counties. This historical fervor extended to the publication of military histories, particularly of the Civil War.

Many county histories published in the nineteenth century display an anecdotal quality. These early authors sought first to describe the geographical area, its resources, its Native American inhabitants, and the wealth of natural resources. Next, they documented the stories of the founders of the early communities--biographical sketches of the founding families, accounts of hardships faced, and descriptions of achievements and triumphs over adversity. The authors' sources were, in many cases, the result of interviews with the persons whose lives they described or their direct descendants, only one or two generations removed. The stories were fresher, full of the details that come from the telling and retelling of family traditions. As a result, these written accounts often have a more intimate flavor about them.

I discovered one such account of my great-great-grandfather, Dr. Isaac Wilson, MD, in "The History of Mecklenburg County (NC) From 1740-1900" by J. B. Alexander, M.D. Published in 1902 in Charlotte, NC, the book contains historical essays about the geography of the county, descriptions of the political and economic circumstances of the county from pre-Revolutionary times until 1900, biographical sketches of founding families and important personages, details about early churches, accounts of noteworthy news stories, and details about the changes between the end of the Civil War and the turn of the twentieth century. The biographical sketch of Dr. Wilson (1802-1880) tells us he practiced medicine from 1825 to 1875 and was a Justice of the Peace. It describes each of his three wives and their families in detail. Of particular note, however, is the description of Dr. Wilson's love of two sports: hunting beef and turkey, and fox hunting. Never in my wildest imagination would I have imagined my great-great-grandfather astride a horse, along with "half a dozen sportsmen and twenty dogs" chasing a red fox ("as those species are longer winded than the grey")! However, the county histories of the nineteenth century are rich with such details and are well worth researching.

County Histories Published in the 20th Century
The majority of county histories published during this century take on a different tone. The authors are farther removed in time from the actual events and have been dependent on letters, diaries, journals, and the written accounts of their predecessors. There has been a greater emphasis placed on producing a scholarly publication. It is perhaps not only a chronicle, but may be intended for use as a definitive reference or as a textbook. Because of the pressure to produce a scholarly volume, the research and documentation is often excellent. A great deal of importance is placed on 'key' historical figures, milestone dates and places and, as a result, we may gain a great feeling for the historical landscape. Unfortunately there is often a cost: we lose the lifestyle details that can add so much to our understanding of the 'everyman' and 'everywoman' of each era. A truly well-written county history written in the twentieth century will have sought to combine both the milestone events and the everyday-life qualities into what can be an exciting and compelling read. An example of a really good one is "Hornet's Nest." Unfortunately, however, others may contain a great deal of material but may be poorly organized and/or documented, such as an older history of Floyd County, GA, written by George Magruder Battey and published more than half a century ago.

County Commemoration Books
Historical celebrations of anniversaries such as centennials, sesquicentennials, bicentennials have spurred the publication of commemorative books. County histories are often compiled to celebrate these milestone anniversaries and seek to document the history of the area. Some of these books that I've seen are written or compiled by historical and/or genealogical societies and are very well done, providing an important document to the county's written history. I came across one such book published for Newberry County, SC, provided me with information about one ancestral line and leads to another, collateral line. Often the name of the contributor is included and can lead you to an additional information contact. Others, however, are lightweight and cursory souvenir items of little value. They may, however, have value as a timeline or chronicle of events and may provide a bibliography that references other, higher quality published material.

County Heritage Books
In the past several decades, there has been an increased interest in documenting one's own family. County heritage books provide opportunities for individuals and families to document themselves and/or their ancestors and have the material published. I contributed two essays and photographs this year for two family lines to a forthcoming county heritage book for Floyd County, GA. Contributing a standard size essay and a photograph are usually free; more extended contributions may cost you a small amount. The purchase price of such a book ranges from $25 up. However, at least one copy of a county heritage book will be found in the public library. If such a book has been published, it can provide unparalleled information for further follow-up research and confirmation.

Locating What is Available
One way to locate what materials are available is by accessing the Library of Congress (LOC) online catalog at http://catalog.loc.gov/. Even though the LOC doesn't have every book ever published, it still provides one of the most comprehensive online catalogs in the U.S. Enter a simple search for title and use the name of the county. For example, I entered 'rockingham county' and was presented with records for Rockingham County in NC, NH and VA. An entry for Rockingham County (NC) History, for instance, showed five titles, and a click on that entry presented me with the five detailed titles. A click on each one provides a detailed catalog record with publisher, date, and the call number. (This is the LOC number, which most librarians can convert to a Dewey number for you.) Once you have the author and title, go back to the main LOC catalog Web Page at http://catalog.loc.gov and click the button to "Search Other Libraries' Catalogs." You may find a copy of the book at a nearby library, or you may ask your local public librarian for help in locating the book in another online catalog or through Interlibrary Loan.

Putting it all Together
Your historical research into the history of the county in which your ancestors lived can be fun and enlightening. As you can see, it may take you into histories written in the eighteenth, nineteenth or twentieth centuries and perhaps by common people or scholars. The point, however, is to extend your research to expand your understanding of the life and times of the people in the local county in which your ancestors lived. You may be surprised with the bonus of a specific mention of your own ancestor and a new insight you never had before.

Happy hunting!

George

Bibliography: Alexander, J. B., MD. The History of Mecklenburg County (NC) from 1740-1900. Charlotte, NC: The Observer Press, 1902.*

Battey, George Magruder. A History of Rome and Floyd County, State of Georgia, United States of America; including numerous incidents of more than local interest, 1540-1922. Atlanta: Cherokee Publishing Co., 1969. **

Blythe, LeGette and Charles Raven Brockmann. Hornets' Nest; The Story of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Charlotte, NC: McNally of Charlotte, 1961.

-----------. Bicentennial History of Newberry County. Newberry, S.C.: Newberry County Historical Society, 1989.

Copyright 1999 George G. Morgan. All rights reserved. "Along Those Lines . . ." is a weekly feature of the Genealogy Forum on America Online (Keyword: ROOTS). Visit George Morgan's Web page at: http://ahaseminars.com/atl. You may send e-mail to atl@ahaseminars.com. George Morgan would like to hear from you but, because of the volume of e-mail, is unable to personally respond to each letter individually. He also regrets that he cannot assist you with your personal genealogical research. George is also the author of "The Genealogy Forum on America Online," which is available in the Ancestry Online Store at: http://shop.myfamily.com/ancestrycatalog/
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