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THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, JIMS*Human InterestSldcbgbta and Comments on Happening*Out ot the OrdinaryHorn Papers Described As Greatest Historical Hoax••The Horn Papers,'* once huiled its one of the most important contributions to early Western Pennsylvania history, now have been branded as the “greatest hoax in American historical records,*’ by Deli' Morons, Mouodxvillo, W, Vc., a leading American historian.The historical papers were alleged to have been written from the diaries of Jacob and Christopher Horn, They supposedly were written between 1735 and 179S,Norona, president of the Upper Ohio Valley Historical Socity, on a visit to the Darlington Memorial- Library at the University of Pittsburgh, described the three volumes as one of the cleverest and most elaborate historical forgeries of all limes, adding:If the contents of the book were true the entire history of Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky would have to be rewritten. Historical markers would even have to be relocated,’'The Daughters of Die American devolution has been warned to take precautions against accepting any data based on The Horn Papers’* as application for membership,A committee of the Institution of Early American History and Culture, llnanced by the Hockerfellcr Foundation, of which Norona was a member, spcnl almost a year to unravel the Horn saga.Dr. Solon .1. Buck, now anhivist of the United States and a former Pitt professor and director of the Western Pennsylvania Historical Society, was chairman of the committee. He was assisted by top experts on colonial history.When the committee made its report, it was published an the William Mary College Quarterly, and covered 38 pages that read somewhat like a Sherlock Holmes detective story.A more-or-less scientific leelnutjue was employed by the historical scholars. They enlisted the aid of metallurgists, lapidaries, experts in the analysis of ink and paper, typographical experts and a specialist in 18th Century French, After intense study of the papers, the committee said it failed to find a shred of evidence o£ authenticity. Norona reported that he even found new evidence to prove the Horn Papers are counterfeit.The history books were written by W. F, Horn who, now nearly 80 years old, lives in retirement and seclusion,'’ at Topeka,The histories” were published by a committee of the Greene County Historical Society, Waynesburg, Pa„ at a cost of 820,000, and have fooled thousands of persons, including libarians and historical teachers.Ancestor worship, rather than financial gain, motivated Horn to write of his great-great-great-grand father, Jacob Horn, and his son Christopher Horn, Norona said.The books were said to contain histories of more than 500 families to give it originality, and hod titles such as Early Foils,” Indian Wars and Massacres,” The First Court House,” and Forgotten Towns.
Newspaper Details
Connellsville Daily Courier
Connellsville, Pennsylvania, US
Thu, Jan 15, 1948
Page 16
Full Page
Clipped by
Library O.
DC, USA 22 Dec 2020
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