From time to time, I will hear about or see books related to local history, a;d when I run across an exceptional one, I like to pass the word along. This has recently been the case with two books, one that was done a few years ago that I only recently was able to purchase, and the other is newly released.

Leslie McDonald wrote Echoes of o Yesteryear in 1972, and I had seen a copy of It in the library and was very interested in it because it followed a format very much like this column -each chapter dealing with a separate incident from the past. It would more than likely intrigue anyone who likes o to read about days gone by, but would be especially interesting to those from Livingston County, Kentucky, since that is the setting for most of the anecdotes.

The other book, released after months of anticipation, is the history of o Stewart County, Tennessee. It is a large, hard-bound volume of which only 1500 copies were printed. The format of the book is beautiful, with large, easy to read print and many pictures.

The title, Stewart County Tennessee, Volume 1, 1980 leads me to believe that there may be other later updates, but judging from all the work put into this volume, I believe it may be a few years before such an ambitious project is again undertaken.

The format follows that of Perrin's old-time histories, with descriptions of the various towns, churches, schools and business in Stewart County from its beginning to the present.

There is also a family biography section, which was written by various family members and submitted to the Stewart County Historical Society some ume last year. It would be impractical to try to mention all the families touched upon in this section, but I cannot resist naming some of them:

Acree, Allen, Atkins, Austin, Bailey, Barrow, Bass, Blane, Bogard, Boswell, Boyd, Byrd, Carney, Cherry, Cobb, Crutcher, Dennis, Dill, Dortch, Earhart, Ezell, Fitzhugh, Fox, Gathn, Glasgow, Gray, Hamilton Hargis, Keel, Lancaster, Lewis, Martin, Mathis, Nance, Parker, Phillips, Richardson, Riggins, Rushing, Scarborough, Sexton, Shaw, Sills, Spiceland, Sykes Thomas, Tishel, Vaughan, Vinson, Walker, Wallace, Wofford, Yarbrough.

The family history section is followed by a "picture album" and memorial section which is composed of many old pictures of individuals and pictures from the past.

The only complaint I have - and after seeing all the work which is evident in this volume, I really hesitate to complain about anything - is the lack of an index. I know from experience what a pain it is to compile an index for my book, but I also know how invaluable it is to researchers.

However, this book will be a great addition to any library and wil be of great interest to anyone whose roots are buried in Stewart County. At this time, I am not sure how many books are still unsold, since a majority were sold on a subscription basis, but I'm sure that Mrs. Destine Martin at the Stewart Couny Library, Dover, could answer any inquiries.

Return to the Index of Judy Maupin's Genealogical ancedotes, stories and family notes.