Originally published in 1848 by Lewis Collins and bearing the title Historical Sketches of
Kentucky, this majestic history was brought down to the year 1874 by Mr. Collins' son Richard and re-titled
History of Kentucky. Despite its age, the Collinses' History of Kentucky is a veritable goldmine of
information on the Bluegrass State.
Volume I delves into Kentucky's statewide political and social history in great detail. The main
component is 250 pages of annals, that is, a chronology of Kentucky history from 1539 to 1874. Additional
chapters in this volume cover Kentucky in the Revolutionary War,...
Volume II is devoted to Kentucky's 110 counties in existence at the time of the work's original
publication in 1874. Each county receives its own essay, which typically describes the county's topography,
date of formation, principal towns, population, sources of commerce and industry, officials, and, without
exception, detailed biographical sketches of the county's founder(s) or other distinguished citizens (e.g.,
Gen. John Adair of Adair County).
