History of Kentucky : Embracing . . . Incidents of Pioneer Life, and Nearly Five Hundred Biographical Sketches of Distinguished Pioneers, Soldiers, Statesmen, Jurists, Lawyers, Surgeons. . .Etc. (2 Volumes)

The Collins' History of Kentucky is a veritable goldmine of information on the Bluegrass State. The main component of Volume I is 250 pages of annals, that is, a chronology of Kentucky history from 1539 to 1874. Volume II is devoted to Kentucky's 110 counties in existence at the time of the work's original publication in 1874. Each county receives its own essay, which typically describes the county's topography, date of formation, principal towns, population, sources of commerce and industry, officials, and, without exception, detailed biographical sketches of the county's founder(s) or other distinguished citizens. The biographical sketches, totaling 500 in all, treat all aspects of the subject's career.