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Acknowledgments This project first germinated in my mind during a graduate research seminar I took with Carol Sheriff at the College of William and Mary. It was with her guidance and encouragement that I developed the idea of examining the intersection between daily life and agrarian unrest—a concept that has guided this project ever since. When I selected the Wyoming controversy for the topic of my doctoral dissertation, I was ably supported in my endeavors by James Whittenburg , Leisa Meyer, James Axtell, the late John Selby, and Alan Taylor. Jim Whittenburg is everything anyone could want in a dissertation committee chair, and Leisa Meyer pointed me in the direction of examining the relationship between agrarian unrest and the frontier process. Alan Taylor, besides offering insightful comments on my dissertation, put it all into perspective by reminding me that it was only one of many drafts I would turn out on the way to publishing a book. I have also had the good fortune to land among a very supportive group of scholars here at SUNY Brockport. In particular, two of my colleagues stand out for the help they gave me in transforming my dissertation into a book. Steve Ireland read and commented on each of my chapter drafts and greatly assisted me in clarifying my arguments. Lynn Parsons provided invaluable assistance in helping me to hone my prose. Thanks also to Alison Kalett and the rest of the staff at Cornell University Press for all of their help in making this book a reality. I should also mention that I greatly appreciate the effort the press’s anonymous readers so obviously put into evaluating my manuscript. A number of institutions also contributed to the completion of this project. xi I would like to thank the staffs of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Connecticut Historical Society, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society, the Tioga Point Museum, the New York Historical Society, the Swem Library at the College of William and Mary, and SUNY Brockport’s Drake Library for their assistance. A special word of appreciation needs to go to Bob Gillam of Drake Library’s interlibrary loan division for the speed with which he obtained research materials . I would also like to express my gratitude toward The College of William and Mary and SUNY Brockport for the research grants they awarded to me. Last but not least, there are a number of individuals who I need to thank for their support. My parents, Robert and Linda, have encouraged my love of history and my choice of it as a profession in so many ways. I would also like to thank my wife, Christine, and my children, Bridget and Ethan, for putting up with me for all the years I took time away from them to devote to this project. Chrissy, the good news is that this book is almost done. The bad news is that I already have a second one in mind. Finally, I would like to extend my gratitude to the employees and patrons of Brockport’s Java Junction. Much of the thinking and editing that went into this book was accomplished there with cup of coffee in hand. xii Acknowledgments ...

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