From synopsis:
“The Land of Wilkes, a history of the county and its people from pre-Revolutionary days to 1960, was written by Wilkes native and distinguished jurist Johnson J. Hayes, and published in 1962. Long out of print until now, it has been both the unique starting point and the final authority for scholarly research on the county’s history. As Judge Hayes wrote in his brief preface, ‘The County has had a long hard climb to its present position but the way it has been done and by whom constitutes an interesting story.’
To make The Land of Wilkes available to new generations, in the mid 1990s, family and friends started a Hayes History Fund. All the words herein are those of Judge Hayes, without addition or correction, with the exception of a foreword by E. James Moore, Esq., and a list of donors at the end.
Proceeds from the 2010 edition directly support the operating costs of the Wilkes Heritage Museum, Old Wilkes Jail, and the Captain Robert Cleveland Log Home.”