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Archiver > TNSCOTT > 2005-10 > 1129387081


From: "WILLIAM GREEN" <>
Subject: Re: [TNSCOTT] scott county books
Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 10:38:01 -0400
References: <018001c5d0ee$50ac7340$5aaf62d8@mvtel.net> <435002DE.000001.00544@HOME> <018901c5d102$786ee340$5aaf62d8@mvtel.net> <43505D56.2050809@cox.net>


Tim, how about "County Scott and its Mountain Folk"? I have Dusty Bits and agree that is more of a history of the county than a genealogy tool. I would love to have County Scoot and its Mountain Folk if it so much as mentions my ancestors-Wilson, Trammell, Duncan , Taylor and Chitwood. Am I right that this book in not for sale except places like ebay and Amazon?
----- Original Message -----
From: Timothy N. West<mailto:>
To: <mailto:>
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2005 9:37 PM
Subject: Re: [TNSCOTT] scott county books


All,

A couple of points about /"Dusty Bits of the Forgotten Past: A History
of Scott County" /that may not be obvious from the recent discussions.
First, a couple of facts.

* Authored by Henry Clay Smith,
* Published 1985; Scott County Historical Society,
* Hardcover version is 602 pages with a separate index;
* Softcover version is more than 602 pages because it includes the index
* Dusty Bits covers 200 years in the growth and development of the
mountainous area which has become Scott County. It was compiled by
the author over a 40-year period, completed in 1963. Due to a
lingering illness, which culminated in Smith's death in 1971, his
manuscript never went to press, as it, too, was to become one of
the Dusty Bits of the Forgotten Past. ... publication of this
book, not only because of the storehouse of material contained
herein, but also as a tribute to the man who wrote it: H. CLAY
SMITH, Scott County's first county historian.

The hardcover version is out of print, the owner of the plates refuses
to sell the plates to the SCHS, and refuses to republish the book. If
you want the original hardcover version, then $89 for a rare, out of
print book is probably a good deal -- IMHO.

The softcover version is a "Xerox" of the hardcover version, bound using
a comb binding, and is sold by the SCHS through the Independent Herald.
See the Scott Co website, click on "books", and click on "book price
list" to see the current costs and to download an order form.

While the book does talk about a lot of different Scott Co folks over
the years, it is light in talking about who begat who and who is related
to who. The book has less value as a genealogy tool (focused on
ancestry and descendants) but more value as a tool that discusses the
history and culture of Scott Co. It is a fascinating read not only in
content but in the style the author used in relaying information.

The book contains little source referencing; that is, the reader is left
to wonder where Mr. Smith got his information. The book also seems to
contain some hear say information -- that is, not based in fact and is
easily disproven. It also contains information that can't be found
anywhere else. While the book would not pass academic standards for
being thoroughly researched and documented; it is, none-the-less, a very
interesting read and will likely tell you something about your ancestors
and how they lived their lives.

...tim west...
Scott Co, TN Coordinator for the TNGenWeb Project


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