Getting Started.

Hi.  I’m John Lore, an aspiring niche-historian with particular interest in Darke County and the surrounding area during the early 18th through mid-19th centuries.  I have, for the last several years, been in pursuit of one story — a unique story — one hinted at but only glimpsed by some, one creatively liberated while incompletely researched by another, the result of all of which left me deeply curious and desirous to get down to the gritty facts, whatever they were and wherever they might be found.  

My goal is a decidedly Darke County story that spans well more than 100 years all in all, and touches on a few figures known and most unknown (but no less deserving of their place in history); a story that takes only the liberties necessary to tell the tale well, sensibly and realistically, and for the rest, hews so close to what we can establish as historical fact that it might well be used as one would a nonfiction title for reference.

It is my hope that the interest in the central figures might be strong enough to ignite interest in the secondary players, all of them just as real, human and variously blessed and plagued as any of us might be with their fair measures of gifts and flaws, happinesses and sorrows, that you might come to appreciate them, perhaps even feel inspired to learn more about them, just as the process of researching the story engaged and inspired me.

I have miles to go yet.  While the research itself is coming to an end, I have never written a novel, and am still finding my footing and my voice — probably both at the same time, resulting in the unfortunate consequence of stepping on one’s voice here and there.

But, onward.

I suppose it is high time I start this blog.  

First, some expectations:  

1.)  It will be irregular.

I mean this both as unusual in content and timing.  I’m still fighting the good fight on my aversion to routine, and insofar as a good blog requires unfailing daily entries, a good blog this will not be.  I will add to it as I can; it may acquire a feature here or there that comes to be weekly or monthly or somewhere in between, and perhaps reliably so, but for the beginning, I will expect (and you should likewise) only an unusual pattern of appearances.

2.)  It will be interesting(?)

I tend to write about things that are interesting to me; here it will be Darke County history.  If this appeals to you, so much the better; if not, I suspect it cannot be helped.  

3.)  It will be accented, where possible, with images of places, maps, documents and photographs.  

I have, over time, amassed a collection of plat books useful to my aims, and a considerable number of copies of documents and newspaper articles from which to draw for information.  Some of these are conducive to being represented here, and others are under agreement to not be used without permission from the source, but I think the things that matter I’ll be able to show you, and perhaps tell a story or two in the process.  I continue to collect assorted photos and documents from the area, and I look forward to being able to share some of those with you as well. 

You will hear from me again shortly.  In fact, I plan a handful of entries over the next couple of days, even as I’m traveling through Darke County for further research.  Maybe I’ll offer a look, too, into modern day Darke as I go.  We’ll see.

I look forward to sharing with you my findings, and hope to hear from you as time goes on.