Letter to the Boone County Recorder Dear Editor,
The statement in last week's paper attributing destruction of a house belonging to Vice-President Richard M. Johnson (1780 - 1850) to the Boone County Fiscal Court is incorrect. There were at least two Richard M. Johnsons in Boone County, but none who was ever vice-president. There is no evidence to support the contention that Col. Richard M. Johnson, who was vice-president under Martin Van Buren, had any connection to the Johnson-Buckner house that existed on the site of the present Justice Center; there is plenty of evidence to show he never lived here. No reputable Boone County historian has ever suggested that the vice-president (well-known to have been a life-long resident of Scott County) ever lived in Boone County. To be sure, there is a Richard M. Johnson (born about 1810) mentioned in the Boone County deed books, about the time Col. Johnson died in November of 1850, but he was buying and selling land after the vice-president was dead, good evidence they were not the same person. The Boone County Public Library has always done an excellent job in providing information about local and family history. It is the repository of the Fitzgerald papers, and includes published works, and selected original papers, of all other local historians. So far as people's personal papers are concerned, if they do not designate a repository for them before their death, they are disposed of by their executors, for the benefit of the heirs, according to law. Anyone who wants their collection to benefit the local area should be aware that they will not be automatically preserved. The current Fiscal Court has showed great interest in historic preservation. Several significant examples come to mind. The county created and maintains the office of Historic Preservation-Open Space Planner, which provides research services and information for the public among its other functions. The Court also provided a generous subvention for the Boone County history book, and granted the entire proceeds from the sale of the book to the Historical Society. The restoration of the original county clerk's office, an interesting Greek Revival structure, shows that the court has plenty of interest in the historic aspects of Boone County. Our government can do a lot, but it cannot hand us our history as a gift. When incorrect information appears in the newspaper it is particularly hard to correct, as people "saw it in print". Our history must be based on good evidence and authentic documents, not speculation and hearsay. It is important to be sure that the historical information we convey is true and accurate. Sincerely,
James Duvall, M. A.
Big Bone, KentuckyFor documentation and further information see geocities.com/boonehistory
Link to the Recorder's Published Version Here