Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-11-24

Annals Of augusta county, Virginia, aOith
"reminiscences illustrative of the vicissi-
tudes Of its pioneer settlers-Biogra-
phical Sketches Of citizens locally proni-
nent, and Of those ,cho hare founded
families in the Southern and Western
States-A Diary Of the aUar, 1875, and
chapter on Reconstruction, by JOS. Il.
WADDELL,member Of the Virginia HIS
torical Society. Richmond, ". Ellis Jones,
1es6-pp. 374, $3.50.
1t was recently announced that the Hon.
Jos. A. Waddell was preparing a volume
which would be history of Augusta
county. In good time the work has made
it's appearance bearing the above title.--
Following the prefacs, are 2S chapters and
an appendix. The frontispiece is map of
the county when it was formed. Its East.
ern boundary was the Blue Ridge, and it's
territory extended West to the Mississippi
river, and from the great lakes on the North
to the present State of Tennessee on the
South. In the closing pages, is map Of
the county as it is to-day. The maps are
by Major Jed Hotchkiss, Typographical
Engineer. 1t is printed on tinted
paper in clear type.
The author and his attachments are SO
we'll known to the public as to preclude the
necessity of reference to them. For the
reader who may not have examined the
book, and by way of indicating the scope
of it, the following extracts are made from
the preface =
''The basis of these Annals was prepared
as contribution to the Historical and
Geographical Atlas of Augusta county is
sued by Iessrs. Waterman, Watkins & Co.,
of Chicago. That sketch was executed
very hurriedly, and the space allotted to it
in the Atlas was limited. Therefore some
errors appear in the work, and much mat
ter then on hand was necessarily omitted
Moreover, the work was hardly in press
be fore found new matter not known or
not accessible to me previously. My inter
est in the subject having been quickened,
Information in regard to the history of the
county came to me almost unsought and
often from unexpected sources. This aug
mented result is intended as we'll to correct
former errors as to relate the history more
fully from the first settlement of the county
in 1882 to the year 1871.
81 have not attempted to write a stately
history, but merely to relate interesting
facts concerning the county in a lucid style
and chronological order. Hence the title
"Annals'' has been adopted deliberately"
'sThe present work was undertaken with
no expectation of pecuniary reward. Il
has been to me labor Of love. From my
early childhood, I have cherished a warm
affection for my native eounty-her people,
and her very soil. have sought to rescue
from oblivion and hand down to posterity
at least the names Of many citizens, who,
although not great in the ordinary sense,
lived well in their day and ere worthy Of
conmemoration."
In the reference now made to this work
the home reader is net IS much in view as
the distant, for the first will be sure te
place the book in his library as source fol
obtaining correct history which but for il
would have persisted, but to the latter
whose home is in the far-away South OF
West it will have an attraction which moth
ing else of tho kind can equal. Annals o.
the county from the dawn of civilization tC
the present, which takes the scope the It'll.
indicates, is volume Of rare interest, anC
it is reasonable to suppose that the children
of Augusta and Augusta parents wherever
they are will desire to read it's richly
laded pages.
Mr.. Geo. W. May is the agent who viii
forward it Icy mail, postage paid, on receipt
of the price-S2. so. His address is Lock
box 100, Staunton, Va.