(From the Foreword) The purpose of this book is to recognnize and honor an individual's history as well as the history of Edmonson County families. It is felt that this goal was met in the Family History of Edmonson County.

Excerpt from The Resources and Needs of Edmonson County, Kentucky It may be as well to state in the outset that the writer of this brief summary of the advantages and disadvantages of Edmonson County as a home and a place for the profitable investment of capital does not own an acre of the lands he attempts to describe. His only interest in the material advancement and the development of the resources of his native county is that common to all her sons - a desire to see his birth-place take its position by the side of those counties whose mineral resources have already been developed. If we were seeking an influx of immigration, without regard to consequences, we might be induced to give only the bright side of the picture, and to deal mostly in glittering generalities; but while we invite the honest, energetic immigrant to come and make his home among us, this pamphlet will not only call the attention of capitalists and laborers to the many advantages which this county offers for paying investments and pleasant homes, but will also strive to point out the needs of our people in a concise manner. It must be admitted that Kentucky has been left far behind her western sisters in point of immigration. This is not due to a lack of resources, nor to the rigor or intensity of her climate; few States are richer in mineral wealth, or in the value and extent of their forests than Kentucky, and while the people do not bask in "eternal sunshine," our climate is as nearly perfect as may be found elsewhere; and much milder than that of the great Northwest, which makes broad claims to climatic perfection. The cause is partly due to the bad impressions which the people of other States have of our citizens, (a subject that will be noticed further on), but more especially to a lack of information regarding our soil, climate, timber, mineral, and the true character of our society. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The edit and re-issue of this book is dedicated to James H. Simon, a dedicated genealogist. My sincere thanks go to him for the information he compiled before the age of computers. His work was compiled over many years of research using only 3x5 index cards, scribbled notes, and then transferred to paper on a typewriter. I can only imagine how difficult this task was to complete in 1987. Simon's research has been treasured by amateur genealogists, and used as the foundation of many family trees. This edit and re-issue of his book promotes James Simon's original stated goal for developing his book. "I hope I can influence others to get going on their family tree. The longer one puts it off, the harder it will be to find answers. Every day more and more of our past is lost, either through the loss of irreplaceable records or through the deaths of the people who "lived" the information genealogists seek." Thank you James Simon...