I have not found Arthur's "History of Watauga Co." to be a terribly helpful resource, primarily because its focus was on the "town" of Boone and its citizens at a time when Boone was one of the least important areas of the county. My understanding is that the author developed his information from people who were living in or traveling through Boone, where he was staying, rather than actually traveling and researching the county on his own. I certainly am not an authority in this regard however, and would like to hear some more ideas and discussion along these lines. Steve Ward