Ohio History Journal

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ROBERT BUTLER

ROBERT BUTLER

 

Book Notes

 

 

The Story of Independence. By Grace Miller, Elizabeth Spellman,

Kathryn Boyer and Robert Boyer. (Independence, Ohio: Independence

Historical Society, 1979. 248p.; drawings, photographs, appendices,

bibliography, index.) This book is an example of local narrative history

at its best. The authors have concentrated on the story of one town in

Ohio's Western Reserve and the record of its changes and growth. While

the book begins with a brief discussion of the geographic surroundings

and the Indians who once lived in the area, most of it concerns the

township of Independence after the settlers arrived. There are dis-

cussions of the kind of medical care available to townsmen, the cost in

money and lives to build the Erie Canal (over 100 men died in 1827

alone), and the lives of German and Irish immigrants. The book fol-

lows Independence up to the present day, much of it centering on the

post-World War II era. Though not a "learned historical treatise," as

the authors put it, and hence occasionally a bit short on historical back-

ground, the book is nevertheless well written and serves its purpose

admirably.

 

 

Documentation of Collections. Vol. 4 in A Bibliography on Historical

Organization Practices. Compiled by Rosemary S. Reese. Edited by

Frederick L. Rath, Jr. and Merrilyn Rogers O'Connell. (Nashville:

American Association for State and Local History, 1979, 218p.; ap-

pendix, index.) Documentations of Collections is an annotated list of

where to find information on cultural artifacts in America. There are

sections on glass, furniture, sculpture, costume, and poster art, to name

but a few. There is also a series of references for "Fakes, Forgeries

and Reproductions." This book will be useful not only for museums and

archives, but for antique dealers and private collections as well.

 

 

Sylvester Thompson, Ohio Pioneer, and Descendants. Compiled by

Harold and Glenda Thompson. (7685 South Jay Road, West Milton,

Ohio. 341p.; index, appendix, photographs.) This work is a detailed

genealogy of Sylvester Thompson's descendants from 1784 to the

present. The authors keep the family lines straight through an ingeni-

ous numbering system, showing how each member of every generation

is related to the first Thompson. Of greater interest to non-family mem-

bers, however, is the inclusion of the sale bill of Sylvester Thompson's

estate in 1827; the bill includes such items as a Keg of Onions sold for

27 cents.