[From _Historical Sketches of Kentucky_ (Maysville and Cincinnati,
1847)]
The late H. P. Peers, of the city of Maysville, laid the foundation
for the work which is now presented to the reading community. Mr.
Peers designed it to be simply a small _Gazetteer_ of the State; and
had collected, and partially arranged for publication, the major part
of the materials, comprising a description of the towns and counties.
Upon his decease, the materials passed into the hands of the Author,
who determined to remodel them, and make such additions as would give
permanency and increased value to the work. He has devoted much labor
to this object; but circumstances having rendered its publication
necessary at an earlier day than was contemplated, some errors may
have escaped, which more time, and a fuller investigation, would have
enabled him to detect.
Serious obstacles have been encountered in the preparation of the
Biographical Sketches. Many of those which appear in the work, were
prepared from the personal recollections of the Author; while others
have been omitted because he did not know to whom he could apply for
them, or having applied, and in some instances repeatedly, failed in
procuring them. This is his apology for the non-appearance of many
names in that department which are entitled to a distinguished place
in the annals of Kentucky.
In the preparation of the work, one design of the Author has been to
preserve, in a durable form, those rich fragments of local and
personal history, many of which exist, at present, only in the
ephemeral form of oral tradition, or are treasured up among the
recollections of the aged actors in the stirring scenes, the memory of
which is thus perpetuated. These venerable witnesses from a former
age, are rapidly passing away from our midst, and with them will be
buried the knowledge of much that is most interesting in the primitive
history of the commonwealth. It is from sources such as we have
mentioned, that the materials for the future historian are to be
drawn; and, like the scattered leaves of the Sybil, these frail
mementos of the past should be gathered up and preserved with
religious veneration. If the Author shall have succeeded, in thus
redeeming from oblivion any considerable or important portion of the
early history of the State, his design will be fully accomplished, and
his labor amply rewarded.
Of all the members of this great republican confederacy, there is none
whose history is more rich in the variety, quality, and interest of
its materials. The poet, the warrior, and the statesman, can each find
subjects, the contemplation of which will instruct him in his art; and
to the general reader, it would, perhaps, be impossible to present a
field of more varied and attractive interest.