Horn Papers
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The Horn Papers were a genealogical hoax consisting of forged historical records for the northeastern United States for the period from 1765 to 1795. They were published by William F. Horn of Topeka, Kansas from 1933 to 1936, and presented as a transcription of documents of his great-great-great grandfather, Jacob Horn.
The Horn Papers first appeared publicly in 1932 in letters that were sent from Topeka to the editors of the Washington, Pennsylvania Observer and the Waynesburg, Pennsylvania Democrat-Messenger claiming to have important historical documents relative to the area. From 1933 to 1936 the newspapers printed excerpts from Horn's manuscripts and diaries. Horn even moved to Waynesburg and through speeches became well known as a historical expert.
Information in the papers included diaries, Virginia court records, and maps. They were notable for their great level of detail, especially concerning the lives of the common people. Because the papers gave information about famous historical figures and filled gaps in existing historical knowledge, they became popular despite some apparent contradictions.
Although a minority opposed Horn, on August 11, 1936 he appeared to be corroborated when he claimed to dig up two lead plates dated 1795 in a location predicted by the papers.
The apparent find increased the confidence of members of the Greene County, Pennsylvania Historical Society, who supported putting the papers into book form. In 1945 the papers were published as a collection of three volumes entitled The Horn Papers: Early Western Movement on the Monongonhela and Upper Ohio, 1765-1795.
A year later, a report by a committee of representatives of historical societies from the region in The William and Mary Quarterly concluded that the first two volumes were substantially hoaxes.
There is no conclusive explanation why W. F. Horn devoted such a great effort to the forgeries.
[edit] References
- Middleton, Arthur Pierce & Adair, Douglass (Oct., 1947). The Mystery of the Horn Papers. The William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd Ser., Vol. 4, No. 4. pp. 409-445.
