RESEARCH IN STATE HISTORY: ITS
PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES*
By
DR. ASA EARL MARTIN
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
The purpose of my paper is to discuss
some of the
problems connected with state history.
I assume that
my audience is composed of those who
have more than
a passing interest in this topic and
that they are pri-
marily concerned with the questions
which history teach-
ers, historical writers, and the local
historical societies
face every day. For that reason I have
made no effort
to select dramatic incidents with which
to entertain
you or to upset the conventional
attitude toward im-
portant historical events and
characters.
I shall content myself with an attempt,
first, to dis-
cuss some of the causes of the decline,
in recent years,
of interest in local history and to
suggest some ways
by which this tendency can be
counteracted; second, to
point out a few of the possibilities
for research work
in state and local history; third, to
enumerate some of
the problems with which the research
worker in state
history must contend; and fourth, to
emphasize the
need for a greater degree of
coordination in research
work to prevent duplication and the
loss of time, effort,
and money.
* An address delivered at the annual
meeting of the Ohio State Arch-
aeological and Historical Society, April
30, 1931.
(565)
566
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
I am sure that every one who has delved
in state
history is impressed with the number
and the va-
riety of subjects for research that
suggest themselves to
him. Moreover, he must notice that too
many of our
histories have been written from the
Congressional
records and the Executive papers of the
national gov-
ernment, paying too little attention to
the conditions in
the local communities that have been
dominant factors in
determining the conduct and the
attitude of govern-
mental officials.
That most of my illustrations are drawn
from per-
sonal experiences in the field of
Pennsylvania history is
due not to a desire to emphasize my own
work or any
accomplishments in this field in
Pennsylvania, but to the
fact that I am better acquainted with
conditions there
than elsewhere. My knowledge of research work in
Ohio is so limited that I shall make no
attempt to square
my observations and suggestions with
conditions in your
State. My remarks apply to state
history in general
and not to what has or has not been
done in Ohio. No
doubt Pennsylvania, despite her extreme
age, has much
more to learn from Ohio, in the field
of general historical
activity, than Ohio can glean from
Pennsylvania.
RESEARCH IN STATE HISTORY: ITS
PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES
From the beginning the relationships
between the
various states of our Union have been
closely inter-
woven; and, whether we wish to
recognize it or not,
the history of any one state cannot be
rightly portrayed
as a separate and independent entity.
This is peculiarly
true with reference to Ohio and the
states that lie con-
tiguous to her borders. During the
early years of her
existence, her settlement and her
progress were de-
termined largely by the successive
waves of home seekers
from the older communities to the East.
Especially
noteworthy were the contributions from
my own State
of Pennsylvania. As a matter of fact,
Ohio's first terri-
torial delegate to Congress and her
first judge were
Pennsylvanians by birth, as were three
of her governors
before 1860. At no time during the
first half-century
of her existence as a state was her
Legislature without
a considerable number of Pennsylvanians
in its ranks,
the percentage usually running from 20
to 37. Of the
62 Ohio Representatives in Congress
before 1840, eight-
een came from Pennsylvania as
contrasted with eight
from Virginia and eight from
Connecticut. Further-
more, at the middle of the century
200,000 of her in-
habitants were emigrants from
Pennsylvania. In like
manner New England, New York, and
Virginia, made
their respective contributions to the
progress of Ohio,
which in her turn in due time sent
thousands upon thou-
sands of her native sons into Michigan,
Indiana, Illinois,
(567)
568 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications and the regions beyond. Not essentially different was the history of the other states that were added to the original Union. For the most part, the early settlers, regardless of whether they came from New England, |
|
the Middle States, or the South, belonged to a common racial stock, spoke a common language, and cherished common traditions. Consequently, as they moved into new environments to clear away the forests, to contest the right of ownership of the soil with the hostile |
Research in State History 569
Indians, and to establish permanent
settlements, they
merely transplanted to their new homes
the govern-
mental, economic, social, and cultural
institutions to
which they were accustomed in their
former abodes.
In spite of the fact that the frontier
line as conceived
by the Census Bureau has long since
disappeared, the
population of the country has remained
extremely
mobile. Indeed, approximately one-fifth of the in-
habitants of the nation today live in
states other than
those in which they were born. Over
fifty per cent of
the population of ten western states
were born else-
where. Although the movement has
continued to be
primarily from east to west, there has
been in recent
years a general shifting of population
in all directions.
The experience of my own family is not
dissimilar to
that of hundreds of thousands of other
families, and it
illustrates the present tendency in
population changes.
Of my immediate family only one remains
today in Mis-
souri, our native State, and his
residence is far removed
from the community in which our parents
spent their
lives. Of the other members of the
family one sister
has a home in Kansas, another lives in
Chicago, a brother
has established himself in Cleveland,
and I am located in
Pennsylvania.
Of far greater significance than the
shifting of the
native population from one community to
another has
been the incoming of millions of
immigrants, who today
constitute approximately one-seventh of
the whole popu-
lation, an equal number of whom are
children of foreign-
born parents. In two sections of the
country, New
England and the Middle Atlantic states,
the foreign-born
and those of mixed parentage actually
comprise a ma-
570 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications
jority of the population; and similar
conditions prevail
in practically all the industrial
centers in other parts of
the country. Thus the old racial stock
which con-
stituted the bulk of the population
before the 'eighties
of the last century has come to be
outnumbered in many
sections of the country and its
influence greatly mini-
mized everywhere by the immigration
from eastern and
southern Europe, whose traditions and
interests are
essentially different from those of the
early racial
groups.
From the point of view of my paper the
significance
of these changes lies in the fact that
the inhabitants
of an increasing number of communities
have little or
no contact through family or other
relations with the
people who settled the region and
established the eco-
nomic, political, and cultural
institutions under which
they live today. To them the local
history, rich in tradi-
tions and achievements, is of only
passing interest; and
therefore much of it is being
irrevocably lost.
Closely associated with these changes
in population
and the consequent lack of interest on
the part of the
inhabitants of individual communities
in the historical
heritage with which each is bountifully
endowed, are
many other tendencies which contribute
toward the same
end. Chief among these has been the
economic revolu-
tion and the industrialization of the
country. For one
thing, the comparatively small
manufacturing and busi-
ness establishment, owned and operated
by a single indi-
vidual who lived in the immediate
vicinity and identified
his interests with those of the
community, has been
replaced by the modern corporation with
its hundreds
of thousands of stock-holders or owners
and its numer-
Research in State History 571
ous subsidiary plants located in
different sections of the
country. Both in obtaining raw
materials for these
large companies and in marketing the
finished products
the field of operation has become
national and, in many
instances, international. Thus the
whole atmosphere
of business has been altered, and the
historic significance
of localities in the minds of those who
dominate their
economic life has been minimized almost
to the vanish-
ing point. No less striking has been
the transformation
of the economic and social life of
rural communities and
the small non-industrial towns.
Improved means of
transportation and communication have
obliterated dis-
tance and brought the hitherto isolated
sections into
intimate contact with the larger
centers of population.
At the same time, the automobile, the
development of
mail-order business, the spread of
chain stores, and the
replacement of the small independent
business by the
more efficient industrial corporation
have tended to wipe
out the great middle class, which since
the founding of
the first colonies along the Atlantic
seaboard has been
the outstanding characteristic of
American life.
These transformations in the economic
life of the
country have made necessary radical
alterations in the
scope and the functions of the various
governmental
units. No longer able to cope
satisfactorily with the
problems of the new industrial order
the local and the
state governments have all suffered a
gradual decline
in their powers, while the Federal
government at Wash-
ington has experienced a corresponding
enlargement of
its sphere of activities.
If it is true, as I have indicated,
that there are cer-
tain tendencies in our economic and
political system
572 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications
working toward a loss of interest on
the part of the
majority of our people in state and
local history, then
it is high time for those of us who
pretend to be his-
torically-minded to exert ourselves in
a determined at-
tempt to counteract the movement. Aside
from the
academic interest of the historian in
the question, there
is ample justification for a renewed
effort to preserve
properly our history and to arouse the
public to a full
appreciation of its importance. Daniel
Webster once
remarked, "The man who feels no
sentiment of venera-
tion for the memory of his forefathers,
who has no natu-
ral regard for his ancestors, or his
kindred, is himself
unworthy of kindred regard or
remembrance." Indeed,
what history teaches us before all else
is our own ante-
cedents. The more they know of the
history of a
locality, the more the people will love
it and stand up
for it, not for what it is, but for
what their predecessors
have done and suffered to make it what
it is. Thus,
whatever tends to unravel the true
motives of men and
their deeds clothes the past with
living interest, for a
faithful record of the past will mirror
forth its manners,
customs, and principles and serve to
increase veneration
for the men and women who moulded the
institutions
under which we live. Aside from the
debt which we owe
our heroic forefathers, however, a
knowledge of local
history will inevitably instil into us
all a greater degree
of loyalty to our respective
communities and a more
genuine devotion to their best
interests than can be other-
wise obtained.
Beyond a doubt this can be most
successfully accom-
plished through the public school
system. Indeed, we
must look to the present and future generations
for the
Research in State History 573
preservation of the rich historical
heritage of this and
other states. Hence, its significance
must be impressed
on the minds of the youth of the land.
The task is not
really as difficult as one might
expect, for to the average
child history begins in his immediate
environment.
Therefore, logically and properly his
instruction in his-
tory should commence with those
incidents of immediate
concern to him about which he has some
knowledge. As
his perspective broadens, the
historical data given to him
can gradually include the county, the
state, the nation,
and ultimately the world. As a matter
of fact, regard-
less of the centralizing tendencies of
the present age, it
is with the local interests that most
of us are primarily
concerned. The bulk of the laws under
which we live
and labor are made by the municipality,
the county, and
the state. The church and the school,
those dominant
influences in shaping the character of
the people in every
community, are local in origin, and the
economic well-
being of any section of the country is
inextricably in-
volved in its roads and other means of
communication,
in the markets for surplus produce, and
in the facilities
for purchasing the necessities of life.
Therefore, since it is true that the
history of each
individual community is interwoven with
that of the
state and the nation, the history of
the country as
taught in the elementary and high
schools should take
cognizance of that fact. Even a
superficial examination
of the high school and grade school
text-books most
commonly used in the United States
indicates the scant
attention given to local questions. As
a matter of fact,
the publishing houses often determine
by their texts the
courses of study in our public schools
instead of allow-
574 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
ing the courses of study to determine
the nature of the
books to be printed. Since these
companies are inter-
ested primarily in obtaining books that
will have a uni-
form sale in every state in the Union,
they cannot fea-
ture histories of the states and the
local communities
without a substantial reduction of
their profits.
Moreover, the problem of bringing about
a more
equitable adjustment of the
relationship between state
and national history in our high-school
courses is com-
plicated by the already overcrowded
curriculum. In-
deed, there is no room for additional
courses. Conse-
quently, in those states where the
teaching of state
history is a legal requirement, United
States history is
frequently relegated to the small list
of elective subjects
with the result that large numbers of
students are
graduated woefully deficient in their
knowledge of
American history. There is,
nevertheless, a strong
feeling, and one that is well founded,
that both state
and national history in some form or
other should be
required in all our high schools.
Regardless of the close
interrelation of the subjects, the
accomplishment of this
end requires surmounting the difficulties
not only of
introducing an additional required
course but also of
dividing state and national history
into separate sub-
jects. Where this latter alternative is
resorted to, there
is bound to be considerable duplication
and over-em-
phasis, and too often both subjects are
presented in a
fragmentary and incomplete manner.
Furthermore,
only a small percentage of the high
schools of the coun-
try have creditable text-books in state
history or have
available library facilities to enable
the teacher and the
pupil to do satisfactory work in the
subject.
Research in State History 575
Although I do not feel competent to
recommend a
definite method by which a proper
correlation of state
and national history can be attained in
the teaching of
the subject in our high schools, I wish
to describe briefly
one attempted solution of the problem
which has met
with a commendable degree of success.
In the first
place a source book is written,
designed as a supplemen-
tary text, to be used in connection
with any standard
high school history of the United
States for the definite
purpose of coordinating the history of
that particular
state with that of the country as a
whole. This supple-
mentary work, usually a single volume,
consists of care-
fully selected sources showing the
relation of the state
to all the important national events,
social, economic,
and political. The sources are so
chosen that they not
only illustrate the part the state has
played in all out-
standing national events but also
emphasize the deeds
and the opinions of men of prominence
in the state.
Preceding each selection is an
introductory paragraph
explaining the significance of the
material quoted. Such
a book can be purchased by each member
of the class
and used in connection with his general
text in the
preparation of each lesson, or a
sufficient number of
copies may be placed in the school
library for reference
there. As a concrete example of how a
state's relation-
ship to any important incident in
national history can
be brought out in an interesting
manner, by assignments
in the source book, take for instance
the study of the
conquest of the Northwest by George
Rogers Clark. In
any standard history of the United
States, this expedi-
tion is treated merely as a phase of
the whole revolu-
tionary movement. By reference to such
papers as
576 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications
Clark's commission from the Governor of
Virginia, and
letters from Clark himself describing
the actual condi-
tions which he was forced to meet on
the campaign,
together with similar documents from
Governor Hamil-
ton at Detroit, the pupil can be
brought to see the direct
association of the very region in which
he lives with
the revolutionary program.
Source books of this character can be
compiled easily
for any state in the Union. Although I
do not claim
that the use of such a book in
connection with the high
school course will prove a final
solution of the problem, I
believe that it offers distinct
advantages over the sys-
tems now in use in most of the states.
Not only will it
result in better coordination of state
and national his-
tory, but it will stimulate interest in
the study of history
on the part of the pupil, provoke class
discussion, and
furnish many topics for problem study.
The correlation of state with national
history in
connection with the usual high school
course presents
fewer problems than that of local
history. Not only is
there an abundance of excellent
material on state his-
tory from which to select, but in a
state with a popula-
tion as large as that of Ohio such a
book ought to be of
sufficient interest to justify a
publisher in printing it on
a royalty basis. With the history of
the individual local
communities, however, the situation is
far different.
There the materials are somewhat
limited or not easily
available, and the sale would not be
large. Furthermore,
the histories of separate counties and
cities ought to be
written for specific use in the upper
grades of the ele-
mentary schools and should include
among other things
rather brief but accurate accounts of
such subjects as
Research in State History 577
local geography, the pre-white or
Indian population, the
early white settlements, the
establishment and growth
of the leading industries of the
community, and, in
short, the economic, social, political,
cultural, and edu-
cational life of the region. This
material may then be
presented to the student as a part of
the course either
in a definite period of time allotted
for that purpose or
as supplementary to the usual work in
the general Amer-
ican history course.
The task of preparing such a pamphlet
is so difficult
that it should be undertaken only by
trained historians.
Since the sale of pamphlets of this
character would be
limited, the undertaking could and
should be financed
by the local school boards. It would
not involve a great
sum of money, and the development of an
interest in
and a loyalty to the good of the
community during the
most impressionable age of the young
citizens' lives
would amply justify the small financial
outlay which
the project would require.
In the preparation of booklets of this
sort, the Ameri-
can historians in the colleges and
universities of the
state acting in cooperation with the
historical societies
can be of inestimable service. For
instance, a graduate
student with the proper background and
interest at the
Ohio State University might be
assigned, as a subject
of his dissertation for one of the
advanced degrees,
a history of the city of Columbus.
While his study
should be based on research and should
be properly an-
notated with footnotes and
bibliographies to meet the
standard requirements for the degree,
the study could
be easily condensed and simplified to
make it available
for use in elementary schools. This the
school board of
Vol. XL--37.
578 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications
Columbus could publish and distribute
to the students in
the schools of the city. By the
cooperation of your State
Historical Society and the colleges and
universities
where graduate work is done, studies
like this could be
made, in time, for all the counties and
larger cities of
the State. Again, your historical
societies can be of
great assistance in inducing the
various school boards
to assume the responsibility of meeting
the expense of
publishing these studies.
In passing I want to mention two books
on special
phases of Pennsylvania history that are
used rather
widely as reference works in the
schools of that State.
One, Pennsylvania History Told By
Contemporaries,
prepared by Professor H. H. Shenk and
myself, is
intended for use as a supplementary
text in the general
American history course in the high
school; and the
other, Pennsylvania Place Names, written
by my col-
league, Professor A. H. Espenshade,
gives the origin
of about 2,000 names of places in the
State. Another
of my colleagues, Dr. W. F. Dunaway, is
writing a
single volume History of Pennsylvania
for use as a
text-book in the colleges and fourteen
normal schools
of the State. Professor Dunaway is
writing also a
social and economic history of the
Commonwealth. I
am glad to be able to say that all the
normal schools in
the State and many of the colleges and
universities offer
regular courses in Pennsylvania
history. In my own
institution more than 200 students
elect the subject each
year, and an equal number are enrolled
in extension
courses.
Aside from the advantages which will
accrue
from a general awakening of interest in
the real sig-
Research in State History 579
nificance of state history as it is
related to the lives
of the people and to the history of the
nation as a
whole, the study of state history
offers an exceedingly
attractive opportunity for genuine and
worth while re-
search. Indeed, in most of our states
comparatively
little work of merit has been done. To
be sure, numer-
ous county and state histories have
been written, but in
too many instances the work has been
undertaken by
individuals who were not trained
historians or who
were primarily interested in
perpetuating the memory
of a more or less distinguished
relative. Though con-
siderable work of merit has been
accomplished, speaking
in general terms only the surface has
been scratched.
The life of the people as portrayed in
their social, eco-
nomic, and cultural institutions
remains for the most
part unrecorded. Among the many
specific topics for
research which might be suggested to
you as worthy of
consideration, only a few can be
indicated in the brief
time at my disposal today. Especially
inviting are those
dealing with the manifold changes in
population charac-
teristic of Ohio. By this I mean the
settlement of the
different racial groups within the
State and the ways
by which and the extent to which their
habits, customs,
and social and economic institutions
reacted upon the life
of the people in general. Even today in
passing through
your State one can observe in the types
of houses the
sections that were settled originally
by the Virginians,
the Pennsylvania Germans, the
Scotch-Irish, and the
New Englanders. Equally interesting
would be a series
of studies of the various aspects of
the more recent
immigration from southern and eastern
Europe with
580 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
particular reference to contributions
which each racial
group has made to the life of the
people.
Ohio from its early establishment has
contained such
a variety of denominations and sects
that it presents a
very fruitful field to the student of
religious history.
Although many denominational histories
have been writ-
ten, a published collection of
ecclesiastical records simi-
lar to the one edited by Corwin and
printed in six
sumptuous volumes by the State of New
York is much
needed for other states. Such a series
of records would
throw a flood of light on the economic
and social as well
as the religious history of the State.
In the field of
economics and finance very little has
been done in most
of our states. The subjects of state
lands and their dis-
posal, of internal improvements, of
public corporations,
of banking, of public or state finance,
of the develop-
ment of particular occupations, and of
the growth of
manufactures and of separate industries
such as coal,
iron, petroleum, shipping, and
agriculture remain for
the most part to be explored by the
historian. Among
the topics in political or
constitutional history that are
worthy of study may be mentioned: the
proceedings and
debates of constitutional conventions,
as well as the at-
tempts, both successful and
unsuccessful, to amend the
constitution; the history of the
legislature, the courts,
and the executive; the tariff; the rise
and development
of political parties, including the
third party movements
and the rivalry of party leaders; and
an intensive study
of presidential campaigns. Only a few biographies
have been written of the men who have
been instru-
mental in shaping the political and
economic institutions
of your state.
Research in State History 581
There is a marked inadequacy in our
recorded knowl-
edge of the cultural progress of the
country, the history
of art and literature, scientific
advancement, the theater,
music, architecture, education, and the
growth of in-
terest in recreation and sports. These
topics which I
have listed, although incomplete and
chiefly illustrative,
are evidences of the facts that history
is no longer con-
ceived of as merely a narrative of
legislative acts, poli-
tics, and wars, and that the materials
for writing it
should by no means be confined to these
restricted fields.
With a more enlightened point of view,
its scope has
been extended to embrace the record of
the whole life
of the people.
In spite of the large number of
historical societies
that exist in my own State and of the
numerous indi-
viduals who are engaged in research in
one phase or
another of state history, there has
been comparatively
little cooperation. Consequently, there
has been a large
amount of duplication in time and
effort. For instance,
no single college or university where
graduate work is
done unless by mere chance knows what
research proj-
ects are under way by graduate students
and faculty
members in the other institutions. I am
glad to report,
however, that during the past year, Dr.
Roy F. Nichols
of the University of Pennsylvania, who
is Chairman of
one of the Committees of the State
Federation of His-
torical Societies, has undertaken the
task of compiling
for the Federation a complete list of
all research proj-
ects that are in progress in the
various colleges of the
state and in the historical societies
as well. This list
when completed will be mailed to the
History Depart-
ment in each of the colleges and
universities and to the
582
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
secretaries of the various historical
societies. Doubtless
this will reduce duplication of effort
to a minimum and
will be an important step in the
direction of a greater
degree of cooperation in research work
in general in
the history of the state. It may be of
interest to note
that the Pennsylvania Federation of
Historical Societies
since its establishment in 1905 has
published annually
a list of all the addresses and papers
read before the
individual societies. These now number
between four
and five hundred annually. This
compilation not only
is suggestive of research possibilities
but serves as a
powerful stimulant to the weak local
societies affiliated
with the Federation.
For many years the inauguration of an
annual infor-
mal conference of the American history
teachers within
the State, who are interested directly
or indirectly in
Pennsylvania history, has been
discussed, but regardless
of the acknowledged advantages of the
opportunity
which such a meeting would afford for
the interchange
of ideas no one has taken the
responsibility of issuing
the call for such a meeting. It ought
to be possible for
those institutions where any considerable
amount of
research is being done to divide the
field in the interest
of greater efficiency and cooperation,
basing such a
division on subject matter, the
availability of source ma-
terials, or the geographical location
of the institution.
The opportunities for research in the
field, as a whole,
are so great that no one need worry
about a dearth of
satisfactory subjects.
Among the numerous handicaps under
which the
research worker in state history is
forced to labor, prob-
ably the most troublesome is his
inability to locate with-
Research in State History 583
out great expense the materials needed
for his study.
Not only are sources gathered in
college, university, and
public libraries located in various
sections of the state,
but numerous and valuable collections
are to be found
also in the libraries of historical
societies and in private
hands, often outside the boundaries of
the state. The
problem is further complicated by the
fact that the li-
brarians in charge of these collections
are too often
almost wholly ignorant of their
contents. A few years
ago this situation was brought home to
me forcefully
when I attempted to list and classify
topically all the
collections of sources dealing with
Pennsylvania history
located in the State. Indeed, so
incomplete were the
answers to my questions that the
project had to be aban-
doned. This experience, however,
thoroughly convinced
me that such a task could be
accomplished satisfactorily
only by a trained historian who could
visit each collec-
tion personally and take the time
necessary to make a
thorough investigation of its contents.
Nevertheless, I
regard the preparation of a detailed,
topical bibliography
of all the materials that will throw
any light on the his-
tory of the state as the one
outstanding need of the
research worker. Indeed, so important
is the task and
so great the expense of its preparation
that the Legis-
lature might well be asked to bear the
financial burden
of it. By reference to such a list of
materials the in-
vestigator of any topic could determine
easily and
quickly not only the location but the
character of each
collection and thus avoid much outlay
of time, effort,
and money running from one library to another.
As a
matter of fact, many of the subjects
most worthy of
584 Ohio
Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
investigation are left untouched
because the materials
are either difficult of access or are
unknown.
Intimately associated with the question
of research
in state history is that of the
preservation of those
things which will throw any light on
the progress and
the development of every phase of the
life of the people.
Although a great deal has been
accomplished during the
past two or three decades in particular
in collecting,
classifying, and assembling in
fire-proof buildings his-
torical documents, many have been
destroyed; and un-
less the interest of the public can be
aroused to the value
of these materials much of what remains
will suffer a
similar fate. In a limited way the
recent craze for an-
tique furniture as exemplified in the
fabulous prices
paid for single items has contributed
something toward
the growth of an interest in everything
that is old. Fur-
thermore, of special significance have
been the establish-
ment of historical societies; the
reenactment of histori-
cal events through pageants; the
building up of great
research libraries, many of which are
heavily endowed
by private gifts; and the research
publications of schol-
ars. The competition for old diaries,
letters, and other
manuscripts and printed material of a
historical nature
has become so great that a commercial
value of no mean
size has come to be attached to them.
Signatures of
men of prominence are in demand. In
fact, that of
Button Gwinnett, a signer of the
Declaration of Inde-
pendence, has brought more than
$24,000. Lincoln's
letter to General Hooker informing him
of his appoint-
ment to the commandership of the Army
of the Potomac
sold for $8,000. Hundreds of other
illustrations might
be given to show to what extent the
quest for old and
Research in State History 585
unusual documents has gone. This,
however, does not
necessarily mean that the interest in
history itself has
been appreciably increased, for the
collector of old docu-
ments, like the collector of antique
furniture, is too
often concerned only with the profits
to be obtained in
the business transaction. On the
contrary, this traffic
in historical materials has resulted in
such a wide dis-
persion of them that they are often of
little use to the
scholar.
Despite these tendencies, however, much
good has
been accomplished by the enthusiasm of
the professional
collectors. Not only has a considerable
portion of the
public been educated to the value of
historical materials
but a wide-spread interest has been
aroused in local
history with the result that literally
thousands of his-
torical societies have sprung into
existence, one of the
objectives of which has been the
preservation of such
evidences as they may obtain of the
history of their
respective communities. In many cases
valuable papers
have been reclaimed as a result of
interest thus aroused.
A notable illustration of this was the
purchase, a few
years ago, from a private collector in
New York, of
Penn's Charter, for the sum of
approximately $25,000,
the money for which was obtained
chiefly from small
gifts made by the school children of
the State in a state-
wide campaign for that purpose. This
interesting docu-
ment now reposes in a glass case in the
State Library
at Harrisburg, where annually it is
viewed by thousands
of the citizens of the Commonwealth.
An interesting example of how
historical collections
may be destroyed and at the same time
of how they may
be preserved through the education of
the public as to
586
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
their significance is contained in the
following incident:
A few years ago a prominent citizen
from the vicinity
of Montrose, Pennsylvania, died. When
in the course
of time his belongings were gone over
by his relatives,
such as were of no interest to them
personally were
destroyed or disposed of at public
sale. The old news-
papers and other papers which the
deceased had ac-
cumulated through a long period of
years were thought
to be of no value and accordingly were
given to a junk-
dealer. This man, although of lowly
circumstances and
of limited means and education,
discovered in his odd
assortment of articles a large bundle
of papers carefully
bound together and upon further
examination noted that
some of them bore dates as early as
1755. Although
this meant but little to him, he made
it a point to call the
papers to the attention of the
principal of the High
School, who chanced to be an instructor
of history and
civics. Although not divining their
significance at the
time, the latter expressed an interest
in them. There-
upon the junk-dealer asked him to take
them and make
whatever use of them he desired. The
principal pre-
sented them later to the Historical
Society of the county.
The collection was found to contain
many original docu-
ments relating to the famous
Susquehanna Company,
chartered by the Colony of Connecticut
for the settle-
ment of northern Pennsylvania, which
was claimed by
Connecticut under its own charter from
the King. These
letters, deeds, and official documents
threw much light
on the settlement of the people of
Connecticut under
the auspices of the Susquehanna Company
in northern
Pennsylvania and the consequent
struggle with the Pro-
prietary Government of the Penns for
the sovereignty
Research in State History 587
of that vast region. Later it developed that the de-
ceased collector of these papers had
contemplated writ-
ing a history of the Susquehanna
Company but had been
prevented from carrying out his plans
by his ill-health
and ultimately his death. The
significant feature of this
incident is the fact that it was
through the foresight and
judgment of a junk-dealer that these
valuable papers
have been preserved. It might be of
interest to add
that I examined this collection and
being convinced of
the historical value of the papers,
planned to edit them,
but the pressure of other duties forced
me to surrender
the task to some one else. The
Christmas after begin-
ning this work, while visiting some
relatives in Kansas
City, I took dinner with a lawyer of
Connecticut birth.
In the course of the evening I
discovered that he had
in his attic two or three trunks filled
with old papers
which he had brought west with him more
than forty
years ago, which his New England instinct
had prompted
him to preserve. To my joy and
amazement I found in
the bottom of one of these trunks a
large bundle of
manuscript papers labelled Susquehanna
Papers, in
which were more than 100 separate
items, minutes of
the company for a number of years,
deeds, private let-
ters, etc. These and other documents
obtained from the
libraries in Philadelphia, Harrisburg,
and New England
have been added to the original
collection, and they are
now being prepared for publication in a
series of vol-
umes by the Wyoming Valley Historical
Society under
the direction of a trained historical
scholar.
This experience is not dissimilar to
that of historians
in other sections of the country who
are seeking to record
the history of their own localities.
And it emphasizes
588
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
in a rather striking way the urgent
need for instilling
into the average American citizen an
interest in the
history of his own community, his
state, and the nation
at large. If this can be attained,
fewer historical docu-
ments will find their way to the
bonfire.
In solving the problems which I have
mentioned in
this paper the local historical
societies can be of great
assistance. They can revive and
perpetuate a genuine
interest in the history of the
individual communities and
can be instrumental in obtaining
valuable historical col-
lections and making them available for
the use of the
public and the research worker; and
through contact
with the local public schools they may
aid in stimulating
in the rising generation an abiding
interest in the history
of the communities in which they live
and a consequent
solicitation for their progress and
well-being.
In conclusion, I wish to commend the
people of Ohio
for the excellent work which they have
done looking
toward making the entire population of
the State
historically-minded. I was especially
impressed with the
Sesqui-Centennial celebration of the
Battle of Piqua at
Springfield last fall, particularly
with the historical essay
contest which was held in every high
school in your
State. The task of creating an interest
in the history
of a State with a past rich in deeds of
valor and notable
achievements in all lines of human
endeavor may seem
to be an easy one; but such is not the
case. For that
reason it should not be considered too
lightly. As I
have indicated, with the shifting of
population charac-
teristic of American life throughout
its history; with the
coming into the country of large contingents
of foreign-
ers who had no part in its early
settlement and develop-
Research in State History 589 ment; with the growth of interstate relationships conse- quent to the consolidation of business and the extension of industrial activities of individual business establish- ments to all parts of the country; and with the growth of the power and the influence of the Federal govern- ment at the expense of the state and local governments. the significance of the state and the local community in the life of the present-day citizen is greatly minimized, and his interest in their history is sacrificed. To counter- act this tendency the freest use should be made of the public school system, and every opportunity should be seized to coordinate research work in the general field and to educate the public in the history of the state as well as in that of the nation. |
|
RESEARCH IN STATE HISTORY: ITS
PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES*
By
DR. ASA EARL MARTIN
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
The purpose of my paper is to discuss
some of the
problems connected with state history.
I assume that
my audience is composed of those who
have more than
a passing interest in this topic and
that they are pri-
marily concerned with the questions
which history teach-
ers, historical writers, and the local
historical societies
face every day. For that reason I have
made no effort
to select dramatic incidents with which
to entertain
you or to upset the conventional
attitude toward im-
portant historical events and
characters.
I shall content myself with an attempt,
first, to dis-
cuss some of the causes of the decline,
in recent years,
of interest in local history and to
suggest some ways
by which this tendency can be
counteracted; second, to
point out a few of the possibilities
for research work
in state and local history; third, to
enumerate some of
the problems with which the research
worker in state
history must contend; and fourth, to
emphasize the
need for a greater degree of
coordination in research
work to prevent duplication and the
loss of time, effort,
and money.
* An address delivered at the annual
meeting of the Ohio State Arch-
aeological and Historical Society, April
30, 1931.
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