190 Wisconsiji Academy of Sciences^ Aris, and Letters. 



losing hold of the important elements in the social, economic 

 and political life, is a task requiring quite a different calibre 

 of mind from that necessary to produce the average county his- 

 tory in any of our states. 



It is not too much to say that it is time to stop writing Amer- 

 can history in the large until we have more of it in the little. 

 We show our national fault very conspicuously by our haste to 

 erect stately works on foundations too often shaky and unsafe. 

 It is fatally easy to generalize, especially for a popular and suc- 

 cessful lecturer who has been accustomed to play the dictator to 

 a small coterie of devoted followers. Such a habit of facile 

 generalization may result in the production of popular histories, 

 but it has never yet given birth to authoritative ones. Be that 

 as it may, local history as a preparation for general history is 

 coming into favor again. The economists, and especially the 

 newer sociologists, are demanding more facts, at no matter what 

 cost. They have found out the defect in our present historical 

 methods. They know from bitter experience how unsatisfac- 

 tory, superficial, and inaccurate is much of our American his- 

 torv. It is for us historians to face this serious condition of 

 things and bestir ourselves to retrie\^e what we are daily losing. 

 The method here outlined is only one of many that will ulti- 

 mately be worked out, but they all are fundamentally alike in 

 the emphasis laid upon the value of local material, records of 

 the family, of the town, the parish or county. Until there is 

 some systematic, methodical attempt made at unearthing this 

 undiscovered wealth, it will be in vain to expect accurate or 

 scientific histories of our nation or of any part of it. If we 

 historians ever succeed in demonstrating to our friends in po- 

 litical science, economics and sociology that we represent a dis- 

 tinct science, it will be only after we have shown our willing- 

 ness to make intelligent use of that almost unworked stratum 

 of the historical field which is usually termed local records. 



The successive chapters that follow are mainly the results of 

 seminary work during the year 1898-9. The students, under 

 whose names most of this material is published, did the work 

 under my direction as senior theses. 



O. G. LiBBY. 



University of Wisconsin, September 13, 1900. 



