Local historians deserve more recognition than they get. Because they write about a specific area, they often find it difficult to get published by a University Press or a commercial press, because what they write does not attract a broad national readership.

But their work is important. Years from now, I suspect that a new generation of historians, armed with computers that we cannot even imagine, will synthesize the American experience by drawing heavily on the works of state and local historians.

When that day comes, men and women who have labored in relative obscurity will become respected footnotes in our nation’s history books.

These local historians are all around us. Ashland’s George Wolfford is one of the best, but he is not unique. Most counties have one or more persons who have devoted much time and energy to preserving local history. In our area, some names that come to mind are Jim Powers, Jack D. Ellis, Dorothy Griffith, Ed Hazelette, Charlie Wells, Danny Fulks, Clyde Pack, and James E. Vaughan.

And there are many more. Charles E. Montague, Jr., the late Arnold Hanners, David Spencer, Bill Martin, Jim Armstrong, Bob Kennedy, Jr., Jim Patrick, Evelyn Scyphers Jackson, the late John Kitchen, and the late Wallace Williamson, III also contributed much toward understanding and preserving our local history.

The men and women I have mentioned represent hundreds of others in Eastern Kentucky alone. Their good work merits praise and respect.

Recently the Jesse Stuart Foundation added three local history books by Johnson County author and genealogist Billie Edyth Ward. Two are genealogies: "The Mollet Family in Big Sandy, Kentucky" and "A Genealogical Record of the Wards of Big Sandy." Both books would be very helpful to residents of the Big Sandy Valley who are tracing their family tree.

"Time and Chance" also written by Ms. Ward, is a collection of some of her articles that appeared in "The Mountain Chronicle." These include excellent articles on a wide variety of local history subjects including log cabins, transportation in early Eastern Kentucky, early regional marriage customs and practices, legal punishments, the old brick church, the Stone House Inn, and much more. "Time and Chance" is a treasure trove of Big Sandy history and memories.

The Jesse Stuart Foundation Bookstore contains a number of books that focus on the Johnson County area. "Muddy Branch" by Clyde R. Pack and "Bankmules," a history of Van Lear by James E. Vaughan, paint a positive picture of coal town life. Linda Scott DeRosier’s excellent memoirs, "Creeker" and "Songs of Life and Grace" have attracted national attention because of their honesty and literary excellence.

Ken Slone’s poetry, "At Home In The Mountains" and "Kentucky’s Last Frontier" by Henry P. "Buck" Scalf are other titles that comment on Johnson County.

These books are among thousands available at the Jesse Stuart Foundation Bookstore, 1645 Winchester Avenue in downtown Ashland. Our store hours are 9-5, Monday - Friday. For more information, call (606)326-1667 or visit our website: JSFBOOKS.COM.