HOW AND WHERE TO LOOK IT UP
RESOURCES FOR RESEARCHING THE HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA. ©2001
William D. Theriault, Ph.D.
17434 Virginia Ave.
Hagerstown, MD 21740
WMTheriault@myactv.net
Back To Table Of Contents

12. Materials Related to John Brown
A search of the Bibliography CD will quickly tell you that more has been written about John Brown and his raid on Harpers Ferry than on any other topic related to Jefferson County history. The mountain of information on the man and the event ranges from letters, diaries, and accounts by witnesses, to collections of materials by and about John Brown, to scholarly research, to poorly written and researched propaganda pieces. Scholars trying to come face to face with John Brown may find much of the material irrelevant. The general reader trying to find a good entry point into the material may be intimidated by the sheer bulk of information.

These materials clearly demonstrate that we have always needed to interpret Brown and his actions for our own time. Thus the secondary source materials often say more about the historians and their audiences than about Brown himself. From this perspective, the whole body of information is a valuable resource for studying the evolving perception of John Brown and his cause.

Since October 1859, Jefferson County residents have been exposed to the world's opinions about John Brown, the events at Harpers Ferry, and the trial and execution of Brown and his men. Many of these publications glorify Brown and condemn the local residents who participated in his capture, trial, and execution. (Southern publications have often taken the opposite view.) In general, until recently most Jefferson Countians have been actively hostile or unsympathetic to Brown and his cause.

Perhaps the safest entry point to John Brown materials is through Stephen B. Oates, To Purge This Land With Blood; A Biography of John Brown (1970). This well documented work provides a good foundation on which to base further reading. A useful companion piece is Louis Ruchames' A John Brown Reader (1959), which reprints many of the original sources. Those interested in examining Jefferson County's perception of the events as they occurred should read the Virginia Free Press, Spirit of Jefferson, or Shepherdstown Register from October to December 1859. Some of the newspaper articles and other original sources are available in electronic form on the Explorer Jefferson County Database CD.

The largest collection of materials on John Brown resides in the Boyd Stutler Collection at the West Virginia Archives, Charleston, WV. (Other large collections are located in Kansas, Ohio, and Virginia.) The collection has been microfilmed and may of the items were abstracted by Stutler and collected in an unpublished bibliography. (Note that some of the items Stutler lists as being in his collection were NOT acquired by the West Virginia State Archives.) The West Virginia Division of Culture and History has digitized part of the John Brown collection for access via the internet.

Brown’s invasion of Harpers Ferry, as well as his trial and execution, were described by David Hunter Strother in the following articles: “The Late Invasion at Harpers Ferry. From Our Own Artist Correspondent (Porte Crayon).” Harper's Weekly (New York), 3 (November 5, 1859): 712-714; "The Trial of the Conspirators," Harper's Weekly (November 12, 1859): 728-730; and “John Brown's Death and Last Words.” See also Boyd Stutler, "An Eyewitness Describes the Hanging of John Brown.” American Heritage, 6 (February, 1955): 4-9.

The present Bibliography does not attempt to encompass all materials published about John Brown. Since his activities were reported in hundreds of newspapers and journals throughout the world, many resources continue to be scattered or unknown. The current effort supplements earlier bibliographic efforts with more recent information.

Present day Jefferson County has been frequently mapped from the early 18th century to the present. Many of the early maps simply show the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers and were made before any towns were established. Louis Michel's map of the lands adjacent to the Potomac River, supposedly made on his exploration of the area about 1704, depicts some Indian villages, trails, and landmarks. Many of the points of reference are vague, and Michel's narrative of his travels is not wholly reliable.

NEXT: 13. Maps