John Dabney Shane was born in Cincinnati in 1812. He studied theology in Virginia, and returned to the Ohio Valley as a Presbyterian minister. In his spare time, he devoted himself to the study of history. Of particular interest were the disappearing pioneer societies in Kentucky and Ohio. Adopting some of the same methodologies implemented by fellow historian Lyman Copeland Draper, Shane conducted interviews, collected and transcribed documents, and clipped newspapers. Where Draper tended to focus his research on famous individuals and military exploits, Shane's interests were socio-cultural. Shane explored business, religion, education, and many aspects of life on the frontier.
Upon his death in 1864, a portion of Shane's materials was given to the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia. These papers are known as the John Dabney Shane Manuscript Collection.
The History & Genealogy Department holds the collection of microfilm. The finding aid, available on the link below, lists the title of each document, its date of creation, and its section and item number. The items are listed in the order they appear on the film.The finding aid also lists History & Genealogy Department roll numbers and the corresponding Family History Library film numbers.
Finding aid to the John Dabney Shane Manuscript Collection on microfilm (357 kb)