Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1921-09-16
TAzEWELL COUNTY HISTORY
ONE OF BEST EVER COMPLIED.
By E. G. Sven.
Librarian College of William and
Mary.
(Richmond Times Dispatch.)

of each county in the State. Excel
lent and standard volumes have beenl
written of some of the counties, butt
the number is not large. In some
instances the destruction of county
records has prevented any ono from
undertaking n county history. For
tunately the "history factories" of
New York and Chicago have had lit
tie encouragement from Virginia. In
fact, so far as the present writer
knows, there is not one county his
tory that has been prepared by the
factory method. When the citizens
of Tazewell County planned to have
Il history written, they adopted al
sensible method by organizing a To-
cal association to finance the writing
and publication. Then when they Sc
lected to undertake the work u local
man of literary ability, of wide read
ing in United States history and Of
careful observation of local affairs,
they had all the clements of SUCCESS.
In naming William C. Pendleton,
they could not have made q more ex-
celent choice.
Mr.. Pendleton is n native of Taze-
well County, student for many
years of its county records, Il travel
Ter over every part of the county,
familiar from boyhood with every
spot, verscd in all its traditional lore,
and above all, an enthusiastic lover
and admirer of his county
Covers Wide Field.
The title of the volume is ellis
tory, OF Tazewell County and South
west Virginia, 1748-1920," but the
author has covered much larger
field than this. lie gives in his early
chapters n resume of our knowledge
OF the Indians and of Colonial Unit
ed States history, with special en-
phasis upon Virginia. AS one pur
pose of the book is it's use in the
present and future schools of Tazt-
well County, this general sketch of
history, in the first $50 pages is II
valuable feature.
In the chapters entitled "Pionccr
period, embracing discovery and SET
Element of the Shenandoah, Roanoke.
New River, IIolston and Clnch Val
leys and Kentucky" the author is
entirely ut home, and writes with
authority, basing his statement upon
the records of the different counties
upon the archives Of the State Lii
Drary and upon the important print
ell works upon the subject. Through
out the book, Mr.. Pendleton not
only writes with accuracy, but with
elegance. The work is by no means
mere throwing together Of sue
cessive unrelated facts Of the chron-
icle type SO familiar in many of the
county histories of the United States
The style is df distinct literary
merit, and is worthy of imitation Nv
other local historians. The author
knows his subject and therefore can
write LUMINOSITY and elegantly about
it.
PERSONAL Touch Adds Charm.
throughout the book there is the
personal touch, due to familiarity
win the county from boyhood, that
adds a conspicuous charm to the mar
ratlve. A noticeable feature is the
balance of the book. 1t is Il tenn.
tatlon to every historian to stress n
certain event, or period, or some
family. Mr.. Pcndleton has been fair
IN his estimate of the relative i'm
portance of individual families. and
particular Incidents. A good instance
is the account of the Draper's Mead
ows Massacre and the captivity and
escape OF Mrs. Ingle, faithfully
arawn, and yet not given more than
lts proper share of attention The
captivity of Mrs. Ingles is one of the
most heroic incidents of frontier life,
Wen worthy to be the subject OF an
epic; Mr.. Pendleton has placed due
Emphasis upon social customs, and I
oeiieve ne has interpreted the early
pioneer LIE successfully. He does
not accept Or: Doddridge's descrip-
ton of II wedding in pioneer DAYS ~
n fair sample of pioneer customs "a
so frequently has been done onI
most readers will agree that his ipdn-
ment IS correct In this connection
Mr.. Pendleton's words are well ,vorti
quoting. "o''n
I'm a social way all tho first set.
1 Tiers stood upon the same plane.
uhey had come here seeking homes
and freedom, and they, each. had
precisely the same occupation. that
OF home-makers. Their duties "a.
members of the community wore
identical, to build cabins for thnir
families; clear fields from the forest,
ana from the fertile soil win nm
abundant subsistence for their dn.
pendents. They all alike had onotb.
er important common duty to ner-
form, that was to help defend the
settlements against the savage on.
envy. II idlers or criminals tried TO
hasten themselves upon the commun.
IVY tney were forced to move on IN
10 the remote wilderness, or TO 70.
turn to the place from whence thew
came. '"ey
=, There were no aristocrats among
the pioneer pioneer, settlers; but they we're
iot niterate Doors, as some his
torians would have us believe. Thcv
were intelligent and fairly we'll eiu.
Gated Gated farmers and artisans, and in
many instances tan combined both occu
pauons. The common purposes. in
terests and duties of the pioneers in
x!oked amongst them state of SOC
i nan equality gu as nearly perfect as it
society. Thus were thew and tha;'
sons prepared to receive, accent. as
simulate, and uphold the great social
Of efut R;nh written ,. into the Virginia Bill
~ man ni ann by the fathers: "That all
men are by nature equally free and
independent, and have certain in.
herent rights. of which, when thew lev
enter INTO state of society, they
cannot. lU onu oOpo~..A