Racial Violence In Kentucky: Lynchings, Mob Rule, and "Legal Lynchings"

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments One of the most enjoyable aspects of writing a book is to thank all of the people who have contributed in some way. My research began during the 1983-1984 school year at HarvardUniversity, where I held an Andrew W. Mellon Faculty Fellowship. The late Nathan I. Huggins, W.E. B. Du Bois Professor of History and at that time director of Afro-American Studies, made office space and supplies available to me. My research, especially the time-consuming but very necessary chore of tabulating the number of lynchings and legal executions, was greatly assisted by the following research assistants: Andrew Drozd, Laura Mayhall, Danalynn Recer, and Victoria Seligman. A number of librarians, especially those at Harvard University, the Manuscript Division of the Libraryof Congress, the Division of Special Collections and Archives at the University of Kentucky, the Kentucky Department for Librariesand Archives, and the office of Interlibrary Loans at the University of Texas, made my task easier. Special mention must be made of James M. Prichard, archivist at the Kentucky Department for Libraries, who brought to my attention a number of important documents. Additionally, Prichard graciously researched several different files for me and mailed numerous photocopies. Several scholars assisted this study by offering their comments and by sharing various sources with me. Marion Lucas, professor of history at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, made me aware of resources at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and shared his note cards on the Reconstruction period with me. Dr. Tames Klotter, general editor of the Kentucky Historical Society and the leading scholar on the history of Kentucky, read the manuscript and made invaluable suggestions. Klotter also sent me numerous arxr 11 x i v Acknowledgments tides and references. My good friend from graduate school, Albert S. Broussard of the Department of History,Texas A & M University, also read the manuscript, making his usual helpful suggestions. Albert is the person I can always turn to for encouragement, reassuring me that what I am doing is significant. On several occasions, Kentucky scholars who heard me lecture on racial violence sent me information about a particular lynching or incident I would not have found on my own. I am extremely thankful to these scholars for sharing their research with me. In many different ways, the completion of this study has been assisted by Terry L. Birdwhistell, university archivist at the University of Kentucky. Every time I traveled to Lexington, Terry made available to me the many resources of the Divison of Special Collections and Archives. Severaltimes he rechecked newspapers and census data and mailed articles and other materials to me. Terry and I have traveled throughout Kentucky in researching this project. He too read the manuscript and made useful suggestions. Furthermore, while in Lexington I could always count on being fed and entertained at Terry's home by his gracious wife, Janice, and their daughter, Jessica. My research project, which required spending considerable time in archives in Atlanta, Washington, and Kentucky, would have been impossible without financial support. Early on, I received a grant from the American Association for the Study of State and Local History, which financed several research trips. Grants from the University of Texas Research Institute, African and Afro-American Research Center , and Department of History's Dora Bonham Fund helped pay for travel and research materials. In addition, Betty Nunley, administrative associate in the AfroAmerican Center, read the manuscript, pointing out any number of errors. Dorothy Motion, senior office assistant, counted the charts dozens of times, made numerous phone calls, and kept me organized. As I discovered several years ago when completing my first book, the people associated with Louisiana State University Press are great to work with. From the very first time I mentioned this proposed book to her, Beverly Jarrett, former associate director and executive editor, gave me encouragement. Also, Catherine Barton, former managing editor, is to be commended for suggesting numerous editorial changes that undoubtedly made this a better book. In dedicating this book to my parents and in-laws, I am making a Acknowledgments xv public acknowledgment to four people who have aided me in more ways than they know. Finally, my family has made it easier for me to devote much of my time and energy to writing this book. Rebecca Ellison Wright, my daughter, has always helped my perspective on things, making me realize the importance of sometimes not working...