Historian, Author. A 1920 graduate of the University of Kentucky with a B.S. degree he received an M.A. from U.K. in 1929. A Lexington businessman he was a noted collector, historian and author. "Squire" Coleman as he was known authored more than 150 pamphlets and articles, mostly on historical topics, and more than twenty books. Some of the better known of the latter are, "Stage-Coach Days In The Bluegrass," "Slavery Times In Kentucky," and "Kentucky, A Pictorial History."∼Herald-Leader staff writer
There were no public eulogies but many private ones at the funeral of J. Winston Coleman Jr. yesterday.
A simple service, with Scripture readings and familiar hymns on the organ, marked the passing of one of the state's outstanding historians.
Nearly 150 friends and relatives gathered for the service at W.R. Milward Mortuary -- Broadway, followed by burial in the Lexington Cemetery.
The 84-year-old Coleman died at his home on Blairmore Road on Wednesday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Fayette County Chief Deputy Coroner Gary Ginn said.
Burton Milward, one of the pallbearers and a friend of Coleman 's for 50 years, called him the source" for Kentucky history in Lexington.
He was so generous with his knowledge and so willing to help others with historical research," said Milward, a former assistant editor of The Lexington Leader.
A college professor once referred to Coleman , who lived from 1936 to 1966 on Winburn Farm on Russell Cave Road, as the Squire of Winburn Farm." The nickname stuck.
It just fit him somehow," said Milward.
Milward said he would like to remember the Squire the way he was before becoming ill. Friends say the affable historian's health, which had been declining for some time, had grown worse over the past six months.
Jack Oldham, who worked with Coleman on the book Kentucky Lives in the Bluegrass, said he saw Coleman a few nights before his death. The two chatted briefly about a home in Lexington that was built by the wife of an officer in the Civil War.
He was rattling off information like he was looking it up in a book," Oldham recalled. He had a fantastic memory. Unfortunately, his hearing wasn't too good, so he missed a lot. But if he understood the question, he would answer it."
Dr. Thomas D. Clark, author and retired University of Kentucky history professor, met Coleman in 1929 when his friend's interest in history was just beginning to develop.
Although he wasn't trained as a historian, Coleman wrote more than a dozen books and other works on Kentucky history. For 12 years he was a partner in Coleman & Davis, contractors and homebuilders.
Back there, I never dreamed he would become such a productive author or get together such a library," Clark said. But if something caught his interest, he focused on it and never let go to the very end."
Coleman 's private collection of 3,500 Kentuckiana books, pamphlets, scrapbooks and photographs was donated to Transylvania University in the late 1960s.
Because of collections such as this, young historians have a 1,000 percent better chance than we did," Clark said.
The facilities are so much better. We started with almost nothing," he added.
Clark said he is now the last surviving member of the Book Thieves" -a club of book collectors he and Coleman started.
Coleman was one of the few people I've ever known who lived exactly like he wanted to," Clark said. He knew what he wanted and how to get to it. I'll miss him."
Index terms: STORYRecord: 8301230124Copyright: Copyright (c) 1983 Lexington Herald-Leader
There were no public eulogies but many private ones at the funeral of J. Winston Coleman Jr. yesterday.
A simple service, with Scripture readings and familiar hymns on the organ, marked the passing of one of the state's outstanding historians.
Nearly 150 friends and relatives gathered for the service at W.R. Milward Mortuary -- Broadway, followed by burial in the Lexington Cemetery.
The 84-year-old Coleman died at his home on Blairmore Road on Wednesday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Fayette County Chief Deputy Coroner Gary Ginn said.
Burton Milward, one of the pallbearers and a friend of Coleman 's for 50 years, called him the source" for Kentucky history in Lexington.
He was so generous with his knowledge and so willing to help others with historical research," said Milward, a former assistant editor of The Lexington Leader.
A college professor once referred to Coleman , who lived from 1936 to 1966 on Winburn Farm on Russell Cave Road, as the Squire of Winburn Farm." The nickname stuck.
It just fit him somehow," said Milward.
Milward said he would like to remember the Squire the way he was before becoming ill. Friends say the affable historian's health, which had been declining for some time, had grown worse over the past six months.
Jack Oldham, who worked with Coleman on the book Kentucky Lives in the Bluegrass, said he saw Coleman a few nights before his death. The two chatted briefly about a home in Lexington that was built by the wife of an officer in the Civil War.
He was rattling off information like he was looking it up in a book," Oldham recalled. He had a fantastic memory. Unfortunately, his hearing wasn't too good, so he missed a lot. But if he understood the question, he would answer it."
Dr. Thomas D. Clark, author and retired University of Kentucky history professor, met Coleman in 1929 when his friend's interest in history was just beginning to develop.
Although he wasn't trained as a historian, Coleman wrote more than a dozen books and other works on Kentucky history. For 12 years he was a partner in Coleman & Davis, contractors and homebuilders.
Back there, I never dreamed he would become such a productive author or get together such a library," Clark said. But if something caught his interest, he focused on it and never let go to the very end."
Coleman 's private collection of 3,500 Kentuckiana books, pamphlets, scrapbooks and photographs was donated to Transylvania University in the late 1960s.
Because of collections such as this, young historians have a 1,000 percent better chance than we did," Clark said.
The facilities are so much better. We started with almost nothing," he added.
Clark said he is now the last surviving member of the Book Thieves" -a club of book collectors he and Coleman started.
Coleman was one of the few people I've ever known who lived exactly like he wanted to," Clark said. He knew what he wanted and how to get to it. I'll miss him."
Index terms: STORYRecord: 8301230124Copyright: Copyright (c) 1983 Lexington Herald-Leader
Historian, Author. A 1920 graduate of the University of Kentucky with a B.S. degree he received an M.A. from U.K. in 1929. A Lexington businessman he was a noted collector, historian and author. "Squire" Coleman as he was known authored more than 150 pamphlets and articles, mostly on historical topics, and more than twenty books. Some of the better known of the latter are, "Stage-Coach Days In The Bluegrass," "Slavery Times In Kentucky," and "Kentucky, A Pictorial History."∼Herald-Leader staff writer
There were no public eulogies but many private ones at the funeral of J. Winston Coleman Jr. yesterday.
A simple service, with Scripture readings and familiar hymns on the organ, marked the passing of one of the state's outstanding historians.
Nearly 150 friends and relatives gathered for the service at W.R. Milward Mortuary -- Broadway, followed by burial in the Lexington Cemetery.
The 84-year-old Coleman died at his home on Blairmore Road on Wednesday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Fayette County Chief Deputy Coroner Gary Ginn said.
Burton Milward, one of the pallbearers and a friend of Coleman 's for 50 years, called him the source" for Kentucky history in Lexington.
He was so generous with his knowledge and so willing to help others with historical research," said Milward, a former assistant editor of The Lexington Leader.
A college professor once referred to Coleman , who lived from 1936 to 1966 on Winburn Farm on Russell Cave Road, as the Squire of Winburn Farm." The nickname stuck.
It just fit him somehow," said Milward.
Milward said he would like to remember the Squire the way he was before becoming ill. Friends say the affable historian's health, which had been declining for some time, had grown worse over the past six months.
Jack Oldham, who worked with Coleman on the book Kentucky Lives in the Bluegrass, said he saw Coleman a few nights before his death. The two chatted briefly about a home in Lexington that was built by the wife of an officer in the Civil War.
He was rattling off information like he was looking it up in a book," Oldham recalled. He had a fantastic memory. Unfortunately, his hearing wasn't too good, so he missed a lot. But if he understood the question, he would answer it."
Dr. Thomas D. Clark, author and retired University of Kentucky history professor, met Coleman in 1929 when his friend's interest in history was just beginning to develop.
Although he wasn't trained as a historian, Coleman wrote more than a dozen books and other works on Kentucky history. For 12 years he was a partner in Coleman & Davis, contractors and homebuilders.
Back there, I never dreamed he would become such a productive author or get together such a library," Clark said. But if something caught his interest, he focused on it and never let go to the very end."
Coleman 's private collection of 3,500 Kentuckiana books, pamphlets, scrapbooks and photographs was donated to Transylvania University in the late 1960s.
Because of collections such as this, young historians have a 1,000 percent better chance than we did," Clark said.
The facilities are so much better. We started with almost nothing," he added.
Clark said he is now the last surviving member of the Book Thieves" -a club of book collectors he and Coleman started.
Coleman was one of the few people I've ever known who lived exactly like he wanted to," Clark said. He knew what he wanted and how to get to it. I'll miss him."
Index terms: STORYRecord: 8301230124Copyright: Copyright (c) 1983 Lexington Herald-Leader
There were no public eulogies but many private ones at the funeral of J. Winston Coleman Jr. yesterday.
A simple service, with Scripture readings and familiar hymns on the organ, marked the passing of one of the state's outstanding historians.
Nearly 150 friends and relatives gathered for the service at W.R. Milward Mortuary -- Broadway, followed by burial in the Lexington Cemetery.
The 84-year-old Coleman died at his home on Blairmore Road on Wednesday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Fayette County Chief Deputy Coroner Gary Ginn said.
Burton Milward, one of the pallbearers and a friend of Coleman 's for 50 years, called him the source" for Kentucky history in Lexington.
He was so generous with his knowledge and so willing to help others with historical research," said Milward, a former assistant editor of The Lexington Leader.
A college professor once referred to Coleman , who lived from 1936 to 1966 on Winburn Farm on Russell Cave Road, as the Squire of Winburn Farm." The nickname stuck.
It just fit him somehow," said Milward.
Milward said he would like to remember the Squire the way he was before becoming ill. Friends say the affable historian's health, which had been declining for some time, had grown worse over the past six months.
Jack Oldham, who worked with Coleman on the book Kentucky Lives in the Bluegrass, said he saw Coleman a few nights before his death. The two chatted briefly about a home in Lexington that was built by the wife of an officer in the Civil War.
He was rattling off information like he was looking it up in a book," Oldham recalled. He had a fantastic memory. Unfortunately, his hearing wasn't too good, so he missed a lot. But if he understood the question, he would answer it."
Dr. Thomas D. Clark, author and retired University of Kentucky history professor, met Coleman in 1929 when his friend's interest in history was just beginning to develop.
Although he wasn't trained as a historian, Coleman wrote more than a dozen books and other works on Kentucky history. For 12 years he was a partner in Coleman & Davis, contractors and homebuilders.
Back there, I never dreamed he would become such a productive author or get together such a library," Clark said. But if something caught his interest, he focused on it and never let go to the very end."
Coleman 's private collection of 3,500 Kentuckiana books, pamphlets, scrapbooks and photographs was donated to Transylvania University in the late 1960s.
Because of collections such as this, young historians have a 1,000 percent better chance than we did," Clark said.
The facilities are so much better. We started with almost nothing," he added.
Clark said he is now the last surviving member of the Book Thieves" -a club of book collectors he and Coleman started.
Coleman was one of the few people I've ever known who lived exactly like he wanted to," Clark said. He knew what he wanted and how to get to it. I'll miss him."
Index terms: STORYRecord: 8301230124Copyright: Copyright (c) 1983 Lexington Herald-Leader
Bio by: Steve Dunn
Family Members
Siblings
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
