Book Notes – Before Abolition: African-Americans in early Clark County, Kentucky

Before Abolition: African-Americans in early Clark County, Kentucky. By Lyndon Comstock. (2017. Pp. 812. $26.95. Paperback. Lexington: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.) ISBN: 978-1-9740-9411-0.

The rising interest in genealogy can’t be understated. It’s the second most popular hobby in the United States, the second most visited type of website, and is the subject of countless television shows, books, blogs, and web-series. There is a wealth of resources available for both novice and professional aficionados, but African-Americans face unique problems when researching their genealogies, ones which stem from gaps in history, whether hidden from or lost to those who seek to find the answers to their questions.

In his book Before Abolition: African-Americans in early Clark County, Kentucky, Lyndon Comstock brings this history to light through his exploration of probate records, church minutes, Civil War military records, vital records, and censuses, among other sources he has gathered from Clark County about the African-Americans who lived there before abolition, both enslaved and free.

Part one of the book, “Glimpses of Ancestors,” is a short narrative section which include stories of African-Americans who lived in Clark County, pieced together from the information gleaned from the records Comstock examined. These stories can be used as a guide in how to conduct one’s own genealogical research, what steps to take, and how specific documents can tell a story.

Part two of the book is “Recalling Their Names,” in which Comstock identifies over seven thousand black residents who lived in Clark County before the abolition of slavery, adding biographical information when it’s available.

There is an alphabetized index of all the names listed in the back of the book, which is helpful if the researcher is looking for a specific person or family. The author also lists the primary sources used, as well as secondary sources he consulted, which includes books and articles that help to give background information on the era and region which are being examined.

Before Abolition: African-Americans in early Clark County, Kentucky is an amazing resource for those attempting to trace their own family history in Clark County, as well as an informal guide as to what documents to search for and how they can be used to explore family histories even outside of the region or state. It is thoroughly and meticulously researched and does an exceptional job identifying and memorializing people who might otherwise be lost to history.

“The early history of black people in this country is filled with pain,” Comstock writes, “yet, if we keep looking away for that reason, we lose so much. These individuals are the family ancestors of a great many of us who are alive today. They’re the cultural ancestors of us all. We owe it to ourselves, and to them, to know more about them” (8).