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Family Genealogy > Documents
Resources in the Draper Manuscripts
DRAPER
MANUSCRIPTS
What are they ? Why are they so important ?
The Draper Manuscripts
(often referred to as the Draper Papers) were compiled
by Lyman Copeland Draper (1815-1891). He had planned to do a book which
he had named "Sketches of the Lives of the Pioneers". The
book was never realized. But, his collection of interviews does exist.
The collection is a series of interviews which he conducted, many in
person, some in letters, about the old pioneers. The time frame is
expansive - from the 1740's through the War of 1812. The territory
covered is just as impressive if not incredible due the means of transportation
was foot and horseback - 21 states east of the Mississippi River, Iowa,
Missouri and parts of Canada! The papers also include documents, 575
early maps and manuscripts. His interviews ranged from the heroes of
the time to the unknown little settler. And, bless his historical heart,
he sensed that we in later years needed more than a list of their names.
He included their names, parents and grandparents; sometimes more.
The
collection as a whole covers primarily the period between the French
and Indian War and the War of 1812 (ca. 1755-1815). The geographic
concentration is on what Draper and his contemporaries called the "Trans-Allegheny
West," which included the western Carolinas and Virginia, some
portions of Georgia and Alabama, the entire Ohio River Valley, and
parts of the Mississippi River Valley.
These papers are of particular
interest to historians and genealogists of Washington County, Pennsylvania.
These are valuable for before 1781 the southwestern portion of present-day
Washington County was considered a part of Ohio County, Virginia. indexed
under Washington County. There are references to six notebooks, under
Colonel David Williamson (1) and under Absalom Baird (5). The papers
are of more general interest for a variety of reasons, including military
uniforms, Indian lore relating to the area, pioneer living, and cartographic
information from the period.
When Draper died in 1819, he had been
working on the manuscripts for over 50 years. Draper himself, a New
York man, was so intent on his research that he caught the attention
of his cousin's husband, Peter Remen, who offered financial support
for Draper’s quest.
Another source of interest is Allan Eckert’s
historical narrative series entitled The Winning of America (six volumes).
The series draws heavily on material in the Draper Manuscripts and
has extensive references and footnotes.
