Boynton Merrill Jr., author of a widely acclaimed book on early Livingston County, Kentucky, died recently in Florida at the age of 86. His obituary appeared this morning in the Evansville Courier.
Mr. Merrill's book, Jefferson's Nephews A Frontier Tragedy, details the 1811 Livingston County murder of a slave by Lilburne and Isham Lewis, nephews of Thomas Jefferson. More importantly, the book portrays life in western Kentucky with fully documented sources. Many early residents are mentioned and the book tells of their role in the settlement of the area and the murder of the slave.
Jefferson's Nephews was first published in 1976 and has been reprinted at least twice. It belongs on the reference shelf of every western Kentucky researcher.
Thank you, Mr. Merrill. Rest in peace.
1 comment:
Sad news. Thank you for sharing this information, Brenda. You are right about Jefferson's Nephews. It's an excellent, well-researched work that can be studied from many different angles.
My condolences to Mr. Merrill and his family.
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