It has been the author's purpose in this history (1) to give due recognition to all the important phases of Rocking ham life, interests, and enterprises; (2) to emphasize thoseparticular interests and activities that have given the county its distinctive character and in?uence; (3) to find and pre serve some treasures lost, or nearly lost, in the lapse of time and the obscuring din of busy days. Inasmuch as Rockingham is a great county, mine has been a great task. How well it has been performed, the intelligent reader must judge. No one more than the author will realize the lacks and deficiencies in the result, but he hopes and believes that all will at least credit him with a sincere purpose and an earnest effort. No opinion, however adverse, and no criticism, however sharp, can take from him the joy that he has found in the work. To him it has been indeed a labor of love. The splendid achievements and re sources of the county have been appreciated as never before, and things in her history have been found — often by seeming chance or rare good fortune — that were before undreamed of.
