Explanations given regarding the Cutler History

[genealogynut]

For quite awhile I have wondered just how the biographies were actually obtained from the private citizens of Elk County,and if they had to follow some guidelines on what the biographies contained, so I set out to surf the internet to see what I could find on how the book History of the State of Kansas came about.  I found numerous pages of long eloquent articles, which in my redneck way of thinking, they could have "cut the chase" and said it all in one paragraph.

So rather than to bore you with the lenthy articles, I have chosen to extract just a few paragraphs that hopefully will give you a better understanding of the biographies came about, that have been posted on this board.

"One method devised for financing local history was found in what is sometimes called "Vanity" histories, sometimes called subscription histories.  The latter term is not exact, because it had been announced that the history was sold only on subscription.  By that, it meant only that it, was marketed by agents or canvassers who sold it by  personal house-to-house calls.  ..........The persons included were not selected upon the basis of their importance to the area whose history was being presented but on the test of whether or not they placed an order for the history.  With a few possible exceptions, the only biographical sketches included were those of contracting purchasers.  The principal attraction offered to convince a prospect that he should place his order for the forthcoming history was that the purachaser would see his own biograp
hical sketch in print.  As a further inducement to appeal to his vanity, at an additional price, his portrait might appear also.  On account of this feature, the derisive name "Mug books" was often applied.  So far as the history proper was concerned, the purchaser was contracting only for a promised history, of unknown quality, to be delivered at some future date and to be paid for in full on or before delivery..........."

"The History of the State of Kansas, or "Herd Book" was published by the Western Historical Company, of which Alfred Theodore Andreas (1839-1900) was proprietor."

"The editor in charge in the field and the principal author of the Nebraska enterprise was William B. Cutler.  Upon completion of that work he was assigned to Kansas, arriving in Topeka during the first days of February, 1882 to organize his work."

"Cutler's staff of assistants mostly recruited in Kansas, but including his son, H.  G. Cutler, was put to work under uniform instructions preparing county histories and interviewing subscribers for their biological data.  Cutler and his wife, Mary, with some additional help, worked intesively from February to December 1882, studying, taking notes from manuscripts, newspapers, and public documents assembled there, and in public offices in the State house, and writing the general history of the territory and state of Kansas.............they had virtually started from scratch.  Necessarily, working under such pressure over so short a time, they had little choice but to follow essentially the beaten paths.   Time did not permit original thinking and the investigations essential to its verification even where the source material calling for such revision were met at every turn."

"In relation of the county histories and the biographies to the general history received more specific attention than in the preface to the Nebraska volume".....The County histories are supplementary. They have been written by historians who have visited each county, and are made up more directly from the remembrance of old residents, and less from documentary sources than is the general State history.  They have been written by different authors, each having  his peculiar style, but all working under one general supervision"...........

"The subject of the biographies, was given special attention and theoretical justification, but without any admission that primarily they were limited to subscribers to the history.  The data from which they were written, Andreas insisted, had been gathered from personal interviews with the subjects of the sketches, or from their immediate relatives."   (Kinda reminds me of census takers....no wonder things aren't always accurate!)

I hope these extractions have addressed some issues.

[Wilma]

That does explain why so much emphasis was put on what the person owned and was worth.  If it were going into a book that could be shown to relatives and in-laws you would want it to be as impressive as possible.  Don't you think they did an admirable job of gathering the data under the circumstances?  Today with our means of communication, it wouldn't be a problem.  But back then, when they had to be away from home for weeks at a time, doing everything by handwritten notes, it no wonder that mistakes were made.  Anyway, I think it is interesting to read about how things were then and I still would like to know just where Mr. Hamilton's 160 acres was located.