EDITOR'S PREFACE

The present work is the result of consultation and cooperation. Those engaged in its composition have had but one purpose, and that was to give to the people of Kentucky a social and political account of their state, based on contemporaneous history, as nearly as the accomplishment of such an undertaking were possible. It has not been the purpose of those who have labored in concert to follow any line of precedent. While omitting no important event in the history of the state, there has been a decided inclination to rather stress those events that have not hitherto engaged the attention of other writers and historians, than to indulge in a mere repetition of that which is common knowledge. How far they have succeeded in this purpose a critical public must determine.

When its editor consented to join in the undertaking it was expressly stipulated that it was to be a real history of Kentucky, and not a mere chronological citation of events. Between him and the publishers there was an express stipulation that one who could catch the spirit of the Kentucky viewpoint and could bring to the undertaking a sympathetic interest in recording the story of as great a race of home-builders and state-builders as had ever marked Anglo-Saxon progress, should be engaged to write the text. After several months of delay the justly merited historian of experience and established reputation, himself a Kentuckian by birth, Mr. William E. Connelley, of Topeka, Kansas, was introduced to the editor as one capable and willing to join in the undertaking. At a general consultation between them it was discovered that there was perfect harmony in the conception each entertained concerning the character of history that should be written. The contract for writing the present history was thereupon given to Mr. Connelley. It was early discovered that the character of history contemplated could not be prepared within a designated time without other assistance, and thereupon, at the instance of Mr. Connelley, Prof. E. M. Coulter, of the University of Georgia, an author of experience and ability, was added to the staff of Mr. Connelley. From the outset Professor Coulter manifested a desire to enter into the work with energy and will. He spent three months in the Library of Congress at Washington, examining all the manuscripts in that institution bearing on Kentucky history-those which had hitherto attracted attention, as well as those which had not. When he had completed his labors in Washington he went to Kentucky, where he spent many weeks in not only examining all the manuscript material that was available, but examined with care and minuteness early newspaper files, especially those of the Kentucky Gazette, Niles Register and the Observer and Reporter. A like labor was performed in Frankfort. Louisville was also visited, and all the material there available was carefully examined and copious citations made therefrom. Chicago was next visited, and all the deported manuscripts and pamphlets bearing on the early settlement of the state were examined with like care and attention. A meeting was arranged between himself and Mr. Connelley for a joint examination of the vast wealth of material now in the possession of the Historical Society of Wisconsin. Here all the material that had been gathered by Professor Coulter, together with such additions as were made from the Wisconsin archives, were carefully gone over by them and

arranged in the order in which they were to be used, having relation to the subject under treatment. The work of writing the history did not begin until all this preliminary work had been completed. For the information of the public it may be said that the following chapters have been written by Mr. Connelley:

Origin and Meaning of Names.

Early Indian Occupancy of the Ohio Valley.

Discovery and Exploration by the English of the Ohio Country.
Indian Title to Kentucky and Its Extinction.

Explorations of Dr. Thomas Walker.

Explorations of Christopher Gist.

Mrs. Mary Ingles.

The Sandy Creek Voyage.

Swift's Silver Mines.

The Founding of Harman's Station.

The Governors of Kentucky and Their Biographies.

United States Senators from Kentucky and Their Biographies.
The Counties of Kentucky and for Whom Named.

Officers from Kentucky in the Civil War.

Alphabetical List of Battles in Kentucky in the Civil War.

No historian in the United States is better acquainted with Indian. lore and tradition, or has made a more searching examination into the habits and customs of the North American Indian than has Mr. Connelley. His treatise on these subjects, particularly the chapter on names, will give a new and entirely distinct understanding of that subject and serve to dispel many long-existing misconceptions on the subject, particularly the origin and meaning of the word Kentucky as it is now spelled and pronounced.

All other chapters except those of a special character, as indicated, were written and prepared by Professor Coulter.

In the progress of the work, all chapters were first sent to Mr. Connelley at Topeka. There they were carefully revised by him and recopied, one copy of which revision was sent to the editor, who likewise made such revisions, by way of deletions, additions, phrasing and such other changes, as he deemed proper. They were then returned to Mr. Connelley, by whom they were again examined, recopied and sent to the publisher. The purpose of these several examinations and reexaminations was to make the work as nearly historically accurate as care and attention could make it.

This history has been written entirely from original and contemporaneous sources. This is no less an account of the economic development and history of the state than it is of its social and political development. It is in many respects the first work of its kind bearing on Kentucky. All secondary sources were consulted, but they were followed only where supported by available manuscript records and contemporaneous accounts. It was the desire of its authors from the outset to avoid repeating what had been recorded by former analysts, without adding any new facts. The histories of Marshall and Butler furnish the greater portion of the original material records that we have in the form of written histories. Notwithstanding the fact that Marshall could not avoid injecting personal animosities into his writings, his history must be accepted as one of the most valuable of all the early pioneer writers. His work is indispensable by reason of the fact that it is a record of personal knowledge and the recording of events in which he bore no inconspicuous part. Where personal knowledge did not supply material, original documents, most of which have been lost, did. The great service.

he rendered the state should atone for his prejudices and controversial inclinations. Aside from these, his History of Kentucky is a monument that will endure as long as the state to which he made a lasting contribution, and in the early foundation of which he bore no inconspicuous part.

The history of Kentucky by Mann Butler corrected some of the errors into which Marshall had fallen, but at that early day the material for an accurate and comprehensive history was not accessible. But the work of Butler was well done. He was a vigorous thinker and an honest and courageous man. His history will ever remain a valuable contribution to the annals of his people.

The most complete collection of material, especially of secondary sources, gathered by any Kentucky historian was that of Judge Richard H. Collins. His work was based on that of his father, Lewis Collins. He succeeded in gathering together a wealth of pioneer incidents that must have been lost but for his indefatigable efforts, but he showed little or no aptitude for recording the events that determined the various phases that arose in the development of the state, either political or social. Nor can it be said his "Annals" are free from either error or prejudice. An inclination to over-exalt those toward whom he entertained a personal liking is manifest throughout his writings.

The value of the work done by the Filson Club is beyond estimation. But for it priceless manuscripts and documents must have been lost beyond recovery. Its publications are all scholarly and of a character that will rank with those of the great universities of the country. To it the people of Kentucky are indebted more than to any other organization that has been formed for the purpose of preserving its annals. That the state should have suffered its priceless collections to be deported must ever remain a matter of profound regret.

In giving credit to those who have contributed to the work of preserving the history of the state, the romantic production of John Filson cannot be omitted. His was the first effort to portray Kentucky, and right well did he do it. His simple narrative has a value far beyond the meager record of events which it contains. With a quaintness of style, wholly original, it connects the state with the early Colonial days in a way that no other writer has done. Over the early days it has cast a glamour that will forever remain. In its indefinite and quaint statements may be found that material which will enable us to catch a glimpse of those events in the early development of the state which must otherwise have been left to conjecture. These were emphasized in the origin of Kentucky by the isolation caused by the great Appalachian barrier. Cut off from civilization and shut out from former home and friends, those towering mountains, with their pleasing grandeur, took hold on the imagination, and the influence which they exerted on those who must needs pass through or over them remains upon their descendants to this day. To this feature of Kentucky history we are indebted to John Filson solely. To the work done in the Library of Congress especial attention is directed. The Breckinridge Manuscripts, the Innes Manuscripts and other original sources yielded much which puts a new light on many important events that transpired in the early periods of the development of Kentucky and which will serve to correct many misconceptions concerning those events that have been the subject of bitter and acrimonious discussion since the foundation of the state. It is believed that a careful study of these papers has resulted in not only correcting many former errors, but will lend the additional service of allaying some of the embitterments that have been transmitted from generation to generation.

The very careful and painstaking examination that was made of the Draper Collection in the Historical Society of Wisconsin, and the Durrett Manuscript Collection, the richest and most extensive in existence on

Kentucky history, will likewise correct many errors that have been indulged in for more than a century. The invaluable collection of manuscripts belonging to Miss Lucretia Hart Clay, of Lexington, for the first time made accessible to a writer of Kentucky history, has been of incalculable benefit to the writers of this work. Miss Clay is a grand-daughter of Henry Clay and of Lucretia Hart, whose father was a director in the Transylvania Company, and many of the manuscripts bearing upon her distinguished ancestors can be found in none of the accessible sources of Kentucky history. The authors of this work feel especially indebted to Miss Clay for this mark of distinction, the wealth of whose collections will be best appreciated in the various references in the text and the footnotes to this source of information.

No former history of Kentucky has undertaken to deal with the history of the eastern part of the state. While this defect has been remedied on y to a small extent in the present work, because to do so would be of a local rather than a general character, at the same time there are some facts connected with that portion of the state that are treated herein at greater length than in any previous history of the state. Many very important matters, especially those relating to the Civil war, had to be omitted, since only a generalization account of that period of the state's history was undertaken. It is the hope of the authors and the editor that the wealth of material collected on this subject may be utilized by them in the not distant future, since this portion of the state must soon become the wealthiest section of the nation. In wealth, intelligence and political importance it must soon take equal rank with any portion of the state.

Kentuckians may justly be proud of their state. In historical importance, wealth of natural resources, pride of ancestry, love of state, it has no superior. It has been the attempt of those who have labored for two years in the preparation of this work to give the people of Kentucky a record of their history from the first recorded incident in connection with the discovery and settlement of the country to the defeat of the "Evolution" bill by the vote of a mountain representative. It is a record of which all may be proud. While there may be found in her annals much that might be the subject of critical observations, no Kentuckian need blush for his state. "The past, at least, is secure." A better and a fuller knowledge of what her people have done, what they have accomplished, and the position which their state has held in the councils of the nation, must serve to increase the love and reverence which her sons and daughters bear her, under whatsoever sun they may dwell. Pride of state from the beginning has been a characteristic of the Kentuckian. No children ever showed greater parental affection. Among Kentuckians, no matter where found, there exists a fellowship to be found among no other people.

Kentucky has not been a silent member of the sisterhood of states. The Union owes much to this first born of her daughters, she having been formed before the earlier admitted Vermont. George Rogers Clark gave to the Union the entire Northwest Territory. But for the action taken by Kentucky the purchase of the Louisiana Territory must have been doubtful, if not impossible. The so-called Spanish Conspiracies never affected the loyalty of the body of her people, and the individuals were affected far less than has been supposed. It has been the endeavor of those associated with the preparation of this work to give an impartial account of that era in our history and to make any future account unnecessary. As will be seen, political rivalry had the effect of not infrequently putting loyal acts in a disloyal light. A just estimate of the pioneer Kentuckians cannot be given by any historian. Those who would have betrayed the state into an allegiance with a foreign monarchy are