Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1917-02-02
COUNTY HISTORY
TOBEPRESERVED
Society Organized Here We'd
nesday to Prosecute the Work.
Colonel PendletOn Will Pre-
pare Copy for the Book.

An organization of unusual interest
was formed Wednesday when Il num-
Der of our citizens met by agreement
in the library in the court house and
organized "The Tazewell Historical
Society" Responding to an insist
ent demand this society will at once
proceed to meet this demand. Mr..
Alexander St. Clair was elected Pres
ident and Jno. S. Bottimore, Secreta-
ry and Treasurer.
The executive committee is COM
posed of the following gentlemen.
A. st: Clair, j. S. Bottimorc, S. M.
Graham, H. P. Britain, r. o. Crock
cit, A. S. Higginbotham, Henry S.
Bowen, G. r. Brown, K. d. r. Har-
man, E. L. Greever. w. T. Gillespie,
w. E. Pecry, Jno. G. st. Clair, H. E.
Harman and VIM. G. Pendleton. Some
additions may be made to this COM
;nittee as circumstances demand The
membership in this society shall be
composed of all persons, who may
feel sufficient interest in this work to
wish to become members and who APP
ply to the Secretary in person or by
letter From the citizens of the coun-
ty number will be selected from each
neighborhood who will be asked tc
gather up any past events with which
they may be familiar and to rams
nit this information to our Histor-
ian, also to ascertain how many cop
les of the history their communities
will require. There will be neither
fees nor dues for membership. The
work will be done by those who feel
4 deep interest in rescuing from OBJ
livion the names and events connect
ed with our past and of tracing the
causes of the development of our
county.
Col VIM. C. Pendleton has been
elected historian of the society. He
is we'll known as a graceful and ready
writer, and will describe in his usual
vivid manner the scenes of frontier
life as lived by those who firts set
uD their homes in the bunting grounds
of the Cherokee and Mohawks.
Colonel Pendleton has issued an
announcement outlining his work,
which is as follows:
About year ago / was requested
by several of it's prominent citizens
to write history of Tazewell coun-
ty, Virginia. They proposed that, if
would write the book, they would fl
nance its publication as soon as the
manuscript is completed. These gen
tlemen are all descendants of the
pioneer settlers Of the Clinch Valley
in Tazewell county, and are anxious
to preserve in the shape of written
history many interesting events and
traditions connected with their ances-
tors. that have been handed down
through successive generations of
TaZewell's devoted sons. After ma
ture consideration of the very lib
eral proposal of my friends and kins-
men, and with a full realization of
the magnitude of the undertaking, 7
have decided to perform the task to
the best of my ability, and have made
n contract with John S. Bottimore, II.
p. Britain, Henry S. Bowen and 9TH
Ell citizens of the county to begin
Immediate work on the book.
Buckle in his splendid History of
Civilization, in the opening sentence
of his book declares: "Of all the
great branches of human knowledge,
history is that upon which most has
been written, and which has always
been most popular" No matter of the
material used by a historian are world
wide in their scope, or are gathered
from the life and performances of a
particular race or nation, they are
measurably of no more interest and
Importance to those concerned than
are the annals which relate to the
creation and DEVELOPMENT of COM
munity like that WHICH exists in Taze-
we'll to its citizens.
It is my desire and intention to
have the book, as nearly as possible,
purely and exclusively a history of
Tazewell county; but as a preliminary
TO the execution of this design, it
will be necessary to make use of
some incidents and events that oc-
CURED before any white men made
their permanent homes within the
bounds of the territory which in the
year eighteen hundred was formed
and organized at Tazewell county,
Virginia. This will be done as con-
cisely as possible. Then the chief
aim and purpose of my work will fol-
Iowa full and accurate recital of
incidents associated with the pioneer
settlers, and an ample discussion of
the means and conditions that have
contributed during the past century
and half to make Tazewell county
as It is at the present time. / will
try to trace it's steady progress along
social, educational, economic and nor
NAL lines. This will require diligent
study Of existing records of the coun-
ty and the archives of the State in
the Capitol at Richmond; and also de-
mand careful analysis of the civil
military, religious and industrial con-
ditions that have prevailed in the
county from the time the revered
pioneers began their work of trans
forming uninhabited widls into land
of refined civilization. With such a
considerable wealth of materials ac-
cessible, / am sanguine of producing
n volume that will be eagerly read
by all persons who have an effection.
ate regard for Tazewell county or
account of birth, descent, residence
or association; and that will be
sought by many from interest excit