Incredible in its attention to detail, this history of Tazewell County, Virginia—its people, towns, development, and progress—will prove a valuable addition to the libraries of natives, historians, and genealogists alike. The work delves into the original settling of the region and the discovery of vast coal deposits, especially the Pocahontas Coal Field.

African Americans have had a profound impact on the economy, culture, and social landscape of southern Appalachia but only after a surge of study in the last two decades have their contributions been recognized by white culture. Appalachians and Race brings together 18 essays on the black experience in the mountain South in the nineteenth century. These essays provide a broad and diverse sampling of the best work on race relations in this region. The contributors consider a variety of topics: black migration into and out of the region, educational and religious missions directed at African Americans, the musical influences of interracial contacts, the political activism of blacks during reconstruction and beyond, the racial attitudes of white highlanders, and much more. Drawing from the particulars of southern mountain experiences, this collection brings together important studies of the dynamics of race not only within the region, but throughout the South and the nation over the course of the turbulent nineteenth century.

Richard Bailey was a descendant of James Bailey who lived in Henrico County, Virginia in 1736. Descendants lived in Virginia, California, Kentucky, Nebraska, West Virginia, and elsewhere.