I knew that Henry Hait lived his early life in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut, and that he ended up in the village of Coram, Suffolk County, New York. His headstone in Coram reads as much. Yet his headstone does not reveal much else about his journey from Stamford to Coram.

Enter the American County Histories Collection.

Searching for “Henry Hait,” I discovered that he appears in the History of Sullivan County, Embracing an account of its geology, climate, aborigines, early settlement, organization; the formation of its towns, with biographical sketches of prominent residents, Etc., Etc., by James Eldridge Quinlan (W.T. Morgans & Co., 1873).
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Here is a look inside The Mountain People Of Kentucky. An Account Of Present Conditions With The Attitude Of The People Toward Improvement. This is one of the newest volumes in our American County Histories to 1900 Collection. This book is fully searchable and easy to cite when used by students and writers. Author William H. Haney provides some background for this fascinating book in his preface shown here:

Preface

It is the purpose of this book to show existing conditions in the mountains of Kentucky and the attitude of the people of this region toward the improvement of the conditions affecting life and character. It is also hoped that the chapter on “Who They Are” will modify the views of the general public in regard to the origin of the Mountain People and vindicate their good name against the careless charges so often made. The chapter on “Location,” dealing with natural features and the lack of transportation facilities, accounts for the retarded development; that on “Feuds” discusses the causes and magnitude and the present general tendency in feud districts toward conformity to law and order.

The rapid progress of the Mountain People in spite of their disadvantages shows that they are responsive to the spirit of the age. Their future is most hopeful.

If this book is of some importance in stimulating its readers to a higher plane of life, and in vindicating the name of the Mountain People, the aim of the author will have been achieved.

The writer would express his gratitude to Dr. George A. Hubbell, President of Williamsburg Highland College, for encouragement in this work, and acknowledges his indebtedness for suggestions and assistance at many points in the preparation of the manuscript. He also expresses his hearty thanks to Messrs. May, Seale, Shadoin and a number of other friends for encouragement and information.

–Wm. H. Haney

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This title can be found in our American County Histories to 1900: Mid-Atlantic States collection. Chemung County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the ‘Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area’ which encompasses all of Chemung County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 88,830. Its name is derived from the name of a Delaware Indian village (meaning “big horn”). Its county seat is Elmira. Many signs posted along roads in Chemung County refer to the area as “Mark Twain Country” because of the many years the author lived and wrote in Elmira.

Chemung County was created from the partitioning of Tioga County, New York. Chemung County was formed from a partition of 520 square miles of Tioga County in 1836. In 1854, Chemung County was partitioned so that 110 square miles of land could be used to create Schuyler County, reducing Chemung its current size of 410 square miles.

Our County and its People, A History of the Valley and County of Chemung. From the Closing Years of the Eighteenth Century.

Table of Contents

PART I. THE VALLEY AND COUNTY OF CHEMUNG DURING THE CLOSING YEARS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

CHAPTER I. — Why the Valley remained so long Unknown • Some previous Occupants • The Spaniards Joseph Smith • Fort Hill • The “Hogbacks” • The Aborigines of the Valley • Red Jacket “Cornplanter” • The Indian Villages of the Valley • “Canaweola” • Its Legend • Its Location Its Cultivated Fields • The Peculiar and Favorable location of the Valley • Meaning of the name “Chemung” • Its Application to other Matter

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Verily is Easter at the seashore a time when wealth, fashion and culture form the three graces that sway the hearts of the multitude. The surroundings here seem especially designed for a proper celebration of the day. The sublime majesty of the deep teaches a silent lesson of the omnipotence of the Creator and the dependence of frail humanity.

Atlantic City as an appropriate place in which to observe and magnify the day has been recognized for years, and the hotels make it a point to cater particularly to the rush that comes just prior to the great festival. Easter week, as a rule, is devoted to private card parties and dances which are toned down to meet the requirements of the season.

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We are expanding our American County Histories to 1900 Collection. The initial addition, The Southeast, will complement the New England and The Mid-Atlantic regional collections. Included states are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Future plans call for additional coverage of states within the Southwest, Central and West regions.

This entry is from one of our newest additions, Old Saint Augustine, A Story of Three Centuries by Charles B. Reynolds of St. Augustine, Florida, Copyright 1884. (more…)