From the Tennessee State Library & Archives Web site:

"Westin A. Goodspeed, Nashville publisher, began selling historical books in the early 1880s. He combined state history with local history and biography, and published books by region (for example, the East Tennessee edition of Goodspeed's history contained histories of thirty counties, with biographical appendages). Most of the biographical sketches are of people living in the 1880s, at the time pf publication, but the sketches often treat several generations within a family. These brief histories and 'vanity biographies' are a good starting place for learning basic facts. They exist for 82 of Tennessee's 95 counties (including Jefferson and its neighbors).

"The sketches are usually about half a page in length."

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