PREFATORY NOTE

The following history is the result of the joint labor of its two editors, for about ten months; together with that of several assistants in certain departments of the work. With two exceptions, the editors hold themselves responsible for every thing herein contained, for which no other authority is expressly given. The first exception is that of Township Histories. All of these but two were. prepared by a gentleman of indefatigable industry and undoubted truthfulness, who spent several weeks in visiting the different townships, and collecting from all accessible sources, but mostly from the lips of old settlers, the material for his sketches. That these are as reliable as anything based upon human memory can be, we have no doubt. The gentleman referred to has had considerable literary experience; but in these Township Histories he has aimed rather at brevity and clearness of statement, than at anything like literary ornamentation. The other exception is that of the Township Biographical Sketches. These were prepared by the subscription canvassers, and were of course written under great inconveniences and difficulties. They came into our hands for revision. A few redundancies were pruned away; some grammatical errors, incident to hasty composition, were corrected; and all the revision which, under the circumstances found practicable. We trust, however, any, important errors have gone into and that those specially interested in these will find them, on the whole, satisfactory.

The sources from which our information has been the preparation of this work have been sufficiently acknowledged in those portions in which the various items of information are embodied. But we desire here to make more especial acknowledgment to the publishers of the Conservative and the Bulletin for their kindness in granting us free access to the files of their papers; to the clergymen who so cheerfully furnished us with historical sketches of their several churches; to all the county officers, not only for the unobstructed use of their records, but frequently for their valuable assistance in examining them; to Mr. Charles H. Little for the use of the entire file of the Buchanan Guardian of which he is the fortunate owner; and to the Hon. Stephen W. V. Tabor for admission, at all times cordially granted, to his magnificent private library. If, through inadvertence, we have failed to mention, either here or in the body of the work, any kind helpers to whom we are specially indebted, let them be assured that the omission is not due to any lack of a grateful appreciation of their kindness.

Of the fidelity (or the want of it) with which we have performed our work, our readers must be the judges. Of one thing only are we at all inclined to boast: we think we may safely say that no county, whose history has as yet been written, can point to so. full and complete a record of the doings and sayings of its heroes in the war for the suppression of the Rebellion, as that contained in the present volume. That no other county could furnish the materials for such a record, we would not presume to say; but certainly we know of no county among whose soldiers there were so many Xenophons, equally capableof wielding the pen and sword, as among the soldiers of "Old Buchanan."

C. S. PERCIVAL,

ELIZABETH PERCIVAL, Editors.

Mardos Memorial Library

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