What began as spirited discussions about the many historical tours we took in Charleston from 2005 to 2007 eventually became this book. We have incurred numerous debts along the way. For encouragement of our project in its early stages, we would like to thank David Blight, Tom Brown, Doug Egerton, Bo Moore, Bernie Powers, and Stephanie Yuhl.
A dedicated and extremely knowledgeable group of archivists and librarians in South Carolina provided assistance both on the ground and from afar. At the University of South Caroliniana Library in Columbia, we’d like to thank Robin Copp and Graham Duncan. In Charleston, we are particularly grateful to Nic Butler and Katie Gray at the Charleston County Public Library; Molly Inabinett and Celeste Wiley at the South Carolina Historical Society; David Goble and Tessa Updike at the Citadel; Karen Emmons at the Historic Charleston Foundation; Jennifer McCormick and Jennifer Scheetz at the Charleston Museum; Susan Welsch at the City of Charleston Records Management Division; Sonya Howard at the Charleston County School District Records and Archives; and Becca Heister at the Gibbes Museum of Art.
At the College of Charleston, we thank Barrye Brown, Georgette Mayo, Sherman Pyatt, Aaron Spelbring, and Deborah Wright of the Avery Research Center; Mary Jo Fairchild and Harlan Greene of Special Collections; and Dean of Libraries John White. Harlan deserves a special thanks. As every historian of Charleston and the Lowcountry knows, Harlan is an invaluable resource. We are so grateful for his expertise and generosity.
We also appreciate the work of the research assistants who tracked down sources, among other tasks, over the years: Christina Butler in Charleston; Neal Polhemus in Columbia; Hana Crawford in New York City; Tony Petersen in Boston; Katie Labor in Washington, D.C.; and graduate students Stephanie Strejan-Hamblen and Harley Hall here at Fresno State. Thanks to the numerous individuals who shared sources and helpful leads: Mary Battle, Edwin Breeden, Lisa Bryant, Nic Butler, Marvin Dulaney, Kevin Eberle, Doug Egerton, Jared Farmer, Curtis Franks, Herb Frazier, Amy Gerald, Harlan Greene, Stephen Hoffius, Joan Marie Johnson, Keith Knapp, Katie Knowles, Simon Lewis, Jeffrey Moosios, Greg O’Malley, Susan Pearson, Katherine Saunders Pemberton, Adam Rothman, Kerry Taylor, Susan Millar Williams, and Stephanie Yuhl.
In Charleston, Kerry Taylor also provided free lodging and good company on many research trips. Mary Jo and Bill Potter graciously allowed us to stay in the home of the late John Zeigler as we tied up loose ends on the manuscript. In Chapel Hill, Hilary Edwards and John Lithgow played host to several research forays. Ben and Ana Solky welcomed Ethan in Boston. In Charlottesville, Bill Van Norman and Esther Poveda housed Ethan for three days during a critical trip to explore the Old Slave Mart Museum Papers, owned by Acacia Historical Arts International. Thank you to Marilyn and the late George Hertel, who safeguarded that collection in their home for many years, for allowing a total stranger to sit in their basement and comb through boxes of unprocessed documents.
Many scholars read and commented on conference papers, chapters, or the whole manuscript: Bruce Baker, Matthew Brown, Tom Brown, Fitz Brundage, Nic Butler, Catherine Clinton, Lori Clune, Peter Coclanis, Karen Cox, Bobby Donaldson, Doug Egerton, Steve Estes, Harlan Greene, Jacquelyn Hall, Brad Jones, Mitch Kachun, Mike Kramer, Jackson Kytle, Anne Marshall, Scott Poole, and Bernie Powers. We appreciate the gift of your time and your criticisms. Our book is much better as a result.
Our colleagues in the history department at Fresno State cheered us on, and Provost Lynnette Zelezny, Dean Michelle DenBeste, and the College of Social Sciences provided the financial support that funded our research. The Interlibrary Loan Department at Madden Library cheerfully fielded our requests for material held elsewhere.
Manisha Sinha introduced us to our agent, Roz Foster. We are grateful to Manisha for this act of generosity. Roz helped us see our manuscript in a new way and demonstrated remarkable patience as we reshaped it. Our editor at The New Press, Marc Favreau, has a sharp eye for what a manuscript needs, and what it can do without. He greatly improved our book. Maury Botton expertly guided us through the production process. Copyeditor April Martinez saved us from many errors, big and small. Bob Schwarz of Shearwater Indexing quickly put together an excellent index of the book.
Finally, our biggest debt is to our family. Josi Kytle, Tari Prinster, and Martha Lou Roberts flew to California to watch our girls while we visited archives, attended conferences, and, on occasion, took a few days for ourselves. Jackson Kytle and Ron Roberts have been a constant source of encouragement and support. We dedicate this book to Hazel and Eloise, who have grown up alongside it.