Book Reviews

Book Reviews Compiled Index to the 1850 Census of Pennsylvania: Lucerne and Wyoming Counties. by Elizabeth Petty Bentley. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1974. 128 p. $10.00.) No state censuses of Pennsylvania having been made, the index is to the Federal Census of Pennsylvania, the first in which the individual members of each household were listed separately, and, though the title does not so reveal, it is an index to surnames only. The references are keyed into a list of sections under which one learns the number of the household, not the page number of the folio volumes. Thus, the index is nearly useless unless one has access either to the original manuscript or a photograph thereof. With such access, one can find an entry with a minimum of drudgery. Nor does the Idle make clear that this really is an index to the 1850 population of three, not two, present counties, since in 1879 Lackawanna County was erected out of the northeast part of Lucerne. The Luzerne part of the book contains 101 pages. the Wyoming 17 pages, which is probably about the ratio which would be found if Ibis were an index to the 1970 Census. This index Is of particular interest to the reviewer, since he was born in the Lackawanna part of the 1850 county, grew up in the Luzerne part, and spent memorable summers in Wyoming County. Not having access to the original or even to a microfilm of it, the reviewer cannot test the accuracy of the indexing, but two households ancestral to him should be in this index and are listed, in exactly the right places. Moreover, he can recognize many surnames of which he knew representatives a half century and more ago. Luzerne County was first settled from Connecticut, beginning in 1770, but not until 1786 was the present organization of the county set up with a name that commemorates, not the city of Lucerne in Switzerland, as many outlanders fondly suppose, but the Chevalier de la Luzerne, first French minister to the United States. Wyoming County was taken from Luzcrne in 1842, and Lackawanna in 1879, Susquehanna and Bradford, originally in Luzerne, also having been taken off much earlier. By 1850 there was still a large proportion of the Yankee population of the 181h century. but with many new arrivals from other states and foreign countries, as by this time the need for cheap labor in the mines had begun to attract many new Immigrants. mostly Irish, the migration from eastern and southern Europe not yet having begun. This was never a typical Pennsylvania-Dutch county, though there was a pocket of that culture in the southern part of the county. The compiler appears not to have Included the so-called "Mortality Schedules," i.e., lists of persons who died in the year ending 50 June 1850. Microfilms of these lists may be seen at the State Library in Harrisburg and doubtless also in the National Archives, and frequently more information is given about the decedent than would have been in the census proper, had he survived until the enumerator called, date of death, cause of death, etc , The reader should not suppose that the enumerators found every resident in the township or borough. That they did not will be easily apparent if one compares the census with the tax lists for the same area which will be found in the Prothonotary's office in the several court houses. The assessors were often more successfu: in ferretting out everybody than the census enumerators, though they were often the same people. 216 Book Reviews 277 Further indexes of similar type are projected for Northampton and Lancaster Counties. Let it be hoped that Mrs. Bentley may turn her attention to the five counties which represegted the original three (Bucks, Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester and Delaware), though the bulk of each would be greater than this entire volume. GEORGE E. MCCRACKEN A Biographical History of Lancaster County, Being a History of Early Settlers and Eminent Men of The County as Also Much Other Unpublished Historical Information Chiefly of Local Character. By Alexander Harris.. (Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1974. [Facsimile reprint of 1872 edition.] v, 636 p• $16.50.) An Index to the Will Books and Intestate Records of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. 1729-1850. with an Historical Sketch and Clas.sified Bibliography.. By Eleanore Jane Fulton and Barbara Kendig Myrin.(Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1974. [Facsimile reprint of 1936 edition.] ix, 136 p. $10.00.) The first of these works is an alphabetical listing by surname, with biographical notes, of an apparently random selection of Lancaster County persons. The absence of any stated basis of selection makes the value of the work somewhat questionable. A six page "addenda" at the rear of the volume, and a single page of errata, should not be overlooked. There is no index. The second work, the index of probates, opens with a foreword and a six page condensation of political history necessary to the genealogist working in this county. Pages 1 to 110 list alphabetically by surname and given name, with year of probate, book, volume and page, all estates that are recorded within the indicated time frame. This does not include Orphans Court records, which should be examined separately. The remaining 26 pages are devoted to a valuable bibliography of books relating to Lancaster County, published before 1936. Out-of-towners can use this index to order photocopies of the cited original documents, which will be run off from the microfilm. Though the index does not indicate which of the many estates may contain additional information, it will greatly reduce search time by getting the reader directly to the desired estate. The index belongs in every reference library with material on Lancaster County. WALTER LEE SHEPPARD, JR. Edited by Mary Carson Darlington. (New York, Arno Press and New York Times, 1971. [Facsimile reprint of the 1892 edition.] 312 p. Illustrations. Index. $14 ■.00.) Fort Pitt and Letter7. front the Frontier. History of Colonel Henry Bouquet and the Western Frontiers of Pennsylvania 17471764. Edited by Mary Carson Darlington. (New York, Arno Press and New York Times, 1971. [Facsimile reprint of the 1920 edition.] 224 p. Illustrations. Index. $11.00.) These two hooks are part of the First American Frontier series edited by Dale Van Every. Both are handsome editions identical in printing and illustration to the original works. Each book is of similar format consisting mainly of letters and journals with several biographical sketches and some miscellaneous historical material. 278 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine In Fort Pitt and Letters from the Frontier, Mrs- Darlington records the journal of Captain Celeron, the French officer who took possession of the area in 1749 for the King of France. Letters follow, first those of Major James Grant, Colonel Henry Bouquet, and General John Forbes of the British Army, relating to Grant's defeat by the French in 1758 just prior to the capture of Fort Duquesne (renamed Fort Pitt when rebuilt) by the British and Colonial Americans. Then, letters from Captain Simeon Ecuyer, Commandant at Fort Pitt during the Indian siege of 1763. Included is the Orderly Book of Fort Pitt recorded day by day Finally, letters from officers of the Continental Army stationed at Fort Pitt and elsewhere from 1776 to 1799. A short sketch is given of the life of General James O'Hara of Pittsburgh , American officer during the Revolution and the years immediately after. The flavor of the frontier IS caught in such passages as "Continued firing on the fort, the whole day, from the Ohio bank • - ." and "I long for others and for news, for the months at Fort Pitt are eternal." Half of the History of Colonel Henry Bouquet is devoted to copies of letters to and from him written in 1763 during his expedition from Philadelphia to rescue Fort Pitt from the Indians, concluding victoriously in the Battle of Bushy Rum These letters are in the British Museum and are not included in the Papers of Henry Bouquet edited by Sylvester K. Stevens, Donald H. Kent, and Autumn L. Leonard (1951-72), who described Colonel Bouquet as "the first great military figure in the history of Pennsylvania." They are found, however, in the earlier Papers of Col. Henry Bouquet by Stevens and Kent (1940-43), among numerous other letters not cited by Mrs. Darlington and where it will be seen that the spelling in some of the originals has been corrected and modernized by Mrs. Darlington. Besides a biography of Henry Bouquet, who was born in Switzerland of a noble French Huguenot family and was second in command to General Forbes in the campaign against Fort Duquesne in 1758, one is given of George Croghan, who played a leading role in dealing with the Indians of what is now Western Pennsylvania. Of special interest are two lists of officers in the First and Second Battalions of the Pennsylvania Regiment, Fort Pitt, November 1758(?) and June 1760, respectively. Extremely valuable is a list of Loyalists who lived near Fort Pitt, served in the British Highland and Sixtieth Regiment during the campaign of 1758, did not take up arms against the British during the American Revolution, and now wished to settle M Canada under British government. Although intended primarily for the general reader and history student, these volumes have much to offer everyone interested in western Pennsylvania genealogy. ROBERT K. MATLACK The Life of Esther De Berdt- Afterwards Esther Reed,. of Pennsylvania. (New York: Arno Press and New York Times, 1971. [Eyewitness Accounts of the American Revolution, Series III. Reprint of 1853 edition.' 338 p. $13.00.) Although the title implies that this is a biography of Esther De Berth, wife of Joseph Reed, the content of the book is a collection of published letters, interspersed with editorial comment. This compilation was made by a grandson of the Reeds, one of the sons of Joseph, Jr. Joseph Reed's own story has been well documented in many other volumes. Born in 1741, in Trenton, N.J., he was graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton) in 1757. He furthered his studies in law at Middle Temple. London. where 279 Book Reviews he first net Esther De Berdt. During the Revolution, he rose to Brigadier General and was a close friend of General Washington. He was president of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, 1778-81. Esther De Berdt was born 11 October 1747 in or near London. Her father, Dennis De Berdt, was a colonial agent in London for both the Massachusetts and Delaware Colonies, and was highly regarded by them, especially for his successful efforts to repeal the Stamp Act. His daughter was well-educated, as her letters attest. Unfortunately, her grandson-compiler has included only those letters which he considered appropriate. In addition, he has interjected a most biased, stilted narrative of his own. One wishes he had simply published the letters and let the reader construct his own image of Esther. The earlier letters are numerous "love letters" between the engaged couple — whose engagement was to stretch out for five long years, 1765 to 1770, with the Atlantic Ocean between them. After many delays, caused principally by ailing parents, they were finally married in London in St. Luke's Church in May, and shortly thereafter left for America on the Pennsylvania Packet, arriving in Philadelphia 26 October 1770. The subsequent letters are mostly Esther's letters to her brother Dennis, Jr., in London. They are typical of a homesick young woman dreaming of home. Some of her comments on Philadelphia and its people are quite interesting, though not favorable. Her conversion to being an American woman came slowly, accelerating only as the prospect of rebellion and independence for the colonies became more evident. Once the American Revolution became a reality, she became completely American, inspired by the bravery and conviction with which she was surrounded. In the spring of 1780, the ladies of Philadelphia solicited a subscription of money to buy supplies for the ragged American army. They received a surprising subscription of $300,000 M paper currency and about $7,500 in specie. The book includes correspondence between Esther Reed and General Washington regarding the manner in which the money was to be spent, as well as a letter from Lafayette commending Mrs. Reed for this effort. Esther Reed did not survive the Revolution. To quote her grandson: "Her constitution, enfeebled by her recent confinement, sank under an attack of acute disease, and she breathed her last, her husband, her aged mother, and children, the eldest being eight years of age, watching around her, at Philadelphia, on the 18th of September 1780." She was buried M the Arch Street Presbyterian Ground, at the age of 34. Although not qualifying as an eyewitness account of the Revolution, in the sense of witnessing action, the book is an interesting study of the prose style in that era. DOROTHEE HUGHES CAROUSSO Diary of Grace Growden Galloway. With an introduction and notes by Raymond C. Werner. (New York: Arno Press and New York Times, 1971. [Eyewitness Accounts of the American Revolution, Series III. Reprinted from a copy.] 158 p. Illustration. $6.00.) Grace Growden Galloway was the daughter of Lawrence Growden, who occupied a prominent position in the social and economic life of the colony of Pennsylvania. A spirited young woman of engaging charm and some talent, her poetry, though sentimental, shows as does her diary that she was of a thoughtful and serious mind. In 1747, while visiting her sister in Dorset, England, she fell violently in love with the son of a Receiver of Customs. Her father, who did not approve of the affair, sent for her, and in 1753 she was married to Joseph Galloway. who had been born in 280 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Maryland and had come to Philadelphia in the 1740's. A thriving law practice and careful marriage quickly transformed him into one of the colony's most affluent and important citizens. This alliance of wealth, coupled with the political success to be later attained by her husband, was to give Grace social preeminence in Philadelphia. The Galloways possessed imperious domineering natures, and consequently their married life was not the best. Owing to their Loyalist interests, Joseph Galloway was compelled to seek refuge in England, accompanied by their remaining child, a daughter. Grace Galloway never saw them again. She kept the diary while living in Philadelphia, 17 June 1778 to I July 1779. Many entries indicate the distraught condition of a gentlewoman well past middle age, unable to cope with her circumstances and longing for the love of her husband and daughter. The entries are enlivened by her frank comments on the many persons she saw — Israel Pemberton, Sidney Howell, Betty Morris, Nancy Ernlin and Polly Wharton — to mention a few familiar names. From 1778 until her death in 1789, Mrs. Galloway was not normal. She had lost her property, her husband's estate was confiscated, and the inheritance from her father was impounded for the lifetime of her husband. During the War years she was sustained by the hope of an eventual success of the British, only to have those hopes crushed by the Surrender at Yorktown. Poor health, the unexpected change from riches to poverty and the separation from her husband and daughter made her cynical and despondent. Most of the time she showed unusual bravery and fortitude in the face of adversity. The Diary indicates that no great enmity existed between the Whigs and the Tories. A social change was definitely in progress. The old land owners were losing their dominant position, and a new ruling class was emerging out of the middle class. The social change was accompanied by an economic one, such as the confiscation and sale of the great estates. It was a propitious time for the mercurial rise to prominence of relatively obscure individuals. LEONARD ROSSITER DENIS The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution 1770-1800. By Sidney Kaplan. (Greenwich, Conn.: New York Graphic Society, 1973. xii, 259 p. 8 color pls., 100 b & w illus., catalog of exhibition. $15.00.) As the nation prepares to commemorate that period of audacious innovation which was the American Revolution, it is well to keep in mind one of the grossest shortcomings of an otherwise brilliant generation — the failure to terminate human slavery and to bring the Negro into American society on a basis of equality. At the same time, however, one should not look upon the black Americans of this period front the negative context of what their white countrymen failed to give them; for the Negro did more than complain about his status or rebel against it. In a quite positive way, there emerged black poets and men of science, town founders and sea captains, soldiers and revolutionaries (of various sorts). All of this is brought into a brilliantly clear perspective by the work at hand. Gracefully written and superbly illustrated with about one-half of the items included in an exhibition on "The Black Presence in the Era of the American Revolution 17701800," presented by the National Portrait Gallery, the book traces what might be said to have been on the whole a story of rising expectation and subsequent disillusionment. In the course of a broadly chronological focus, prominent leaders, obscure but meritorious individuals, and groups are treated in chapters devoted exclusively to them- 281 Book Reviews It becomes quite clear in this account that black people were fully aware of the implications of that "liberty" they frequently heard proclaimed and that this freedom, uppermost in their minds, would be welcomed whether it came from an English or an American source. Hence. sable soldiers enlisted in both the British and American armies, though His Majesty's forces and government also proved adept enunciators of weasel words when called upon to keep their promises. As white former colonists pondered the implications of thei r Arnericanness and as the movement for cultural as well as political nationalism got underway, black men too displayed "an organized independence" and a capacity for self expression, manifested most notably perhaps in the formation of black religious denominatio ns. Aside from the value that this book will have as a reference work, one appreciates the insightful and frank analysis that Professor Kaplan displays in treating the personalities and views of the figu res presented. Thus, a young Phyllis Wheatley "rejects her heritage . accepts the myth of Cain, land] expects her soul to be whitewashed in heave n ;" later, however, she comes to affirm her blackness. Direct and frequent quotation from sources (many of them reproduced in full) aids significantly in giving the reader a sense of place and of individual qualities: in the case of some persons, indeed, there `A such a paucity of informatio n that to cite one document about them is to exhaust the data. This is a fine work for pleasurable if sometimes depressing reading. It should open the eyes of white and black Americans, giving them a sharp vision of a people whose presence and contributions to American history are only now beginning to receive the attention and appreciatio n they deserve, JEROME H. WOOD, JR. Thomas Knight of Pennsylvania and Some of his Descendants (including the Jonathan Knight line of Gloucester County, New Jersey). By William Beckett Brown III. (Camden, N.J. Camden County Historical Society, 1973- 78 p. Illustrations, index. $5.00.) This genealogy, compiled by a tenth generation descendant of the immigrant, appears to be well documented, and is enlivened by reproductions of photographs, and a map showing locations of several Friends Meetings. Thomas Knight (c. 1662-1748) of Gloucestershire, is first mentioned here in 1682, was active in Bucks County, and was living in Cheltenham Township,. now Montgomery County, when he wrote his will 7 February 1746/7. The rimier., is primarily on the Jonathan' , Knight family, with approximately 42 of the 65 pages of genealogical data devoted to his descendants. While,,there may be merit in numbering each descendant, this reviewer finds it requires studious examination to determine if there is subsequent material on a particular person. For example, on page 25, Number 30 i Thomas Knight is listed, but it requires careful search to determine that there is nothing further about him, while his brother, half-brother and half-sister have subsequent data. The use of a symbol would have indicated that additional information would follow. Also, as will be seen on page 31, the second listing of a family number is indented the same five spaces as the first listing of a child in another tastily, separated only by an extra space. Had the first listing of the children been doubly indented, this would have been clearer. This compilation should be of much interest and a great aid to the Thomas Knight family and allied families, especially the descendants of Jonathan Knight. WINFIELD SCOTT WEIR 282 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Compiled by Kenneth Scott. (Balt'more: Genealogical Publishing Co', 1974' iii, 180 p. Illustrations, index. $10.00.) Genealogical Abstracts from The American Weekly Mercury, 1719'1746. The genealogical items from this first newspaper published in Pennsylvania are found largely m entries concerning runaway indentured servants, apprentices and slaves, escaped prisoners, and, in later years, deaths, estate settlements and the like. In all, some 3,400 persons are listed, and the thorough index makes this a most useful ref' erence. EFFINGHAM P. HUMPHREY, JR. Edited by Sacvan Bercovitch. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1974. ',JUL 265 p. Bibliography, index. $10.951 paper, $3.954) The American Puritan Imagination. Essays in Revaluation. This is a collection of essays the subjects of wIfich can be loosely grouped as studies, of the Puritan ethic and its successor ,continuities in colonial New England. These include samplings of the writings of William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor, Cotton Mather, Jonathan Edwards, and Benjamin Franklin. Although there is no genealogy in this book, it may assist the researcher better to understand contemporary thought and action in this formative period of our history. WALTER LEE SHEPPARD, JR. Compiled and edited by Peter Wilson Coldham. (Cottonport, La.: Polya.nthos, 1974. xx, 329 p. Illustrations, map. $20.00.) English Convicts in Colonial America, Volume!, Middlesex7 1617-1775. It has often been casually said by British genealogists that America was peopled by convicts. Certainly this valuable series which Mr. Coldham has undertaken, of which this is the first volume, will give some credence to this unfortunate generalization. It has been estimated that in the time period of the title some 30,000 convicts were transported to the Americas, and that of these, 12.000 were from Middlesex (and thus from the city of London). However, as the author makes clear in his introduction, the crimes of most of these persons would today net the culprit fines and/or minor jail sentences. Most hardened criminals would probably have been executed. The prim cipal faults of those transported appear to be that they were poor, had no source of livelihood, and probably no funds for a legal defense. The records used in making this list are clearly described, and samples of both testimony and records are cited. The data on each immigrant are abstracted in a standard manner, and the abstracts alphabetized by surname to make the volume easy to use. Though a large portion went to Virginia, most colonies are represented. The last 8 pages contain a tabulation in chronological order of all vessels that are identified as having transported these unfortunates. This series is a must for all reference libraries dealing with the title period. WALTER LEE SHEPPARD. JR. Book Reviews 283 Federal Land Series: A Calendar of Archival Materials on the Land Patents Issued by By Clifford the United States Government. with Subject* Tract and Name Indexes. Neal Smith. (Chicago: American Library Association, 1972, 19734 Vol. 1, 17881810 xxvii, 338 P. 3 maps, $20.00; Vol. 2, 1799-1835: xxiii, 391 P. 2 maps. $20.00.) The National Archives possesses a vast quantity of material relating to early grants of land within the United States, most of which has been little understood or used by historians and genealogists. .Mr. Smith has undertaken the prodigious task of calendaring and indexing this material, much of which is in loose documents (correspondence, copies of warrants and patents), and some is in bound volumes, located in a variety of series and collections, with no master index. The first volume deals with lands primarily in Ohio, but specifically omits federal bounty land warrants and state grants. The following sources are used: Records of the Bureau of Land Management (two sets of records). General Records of the Department of the Treasury. Records of the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. Register of the Pittsburgh land sale of 24 October through 3 December 1796 (Papers of General John Nevill, Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh). A Compilation of Laws, Treaties, Resolutions, and Ordinances of the General and State Government which Relate to Lands in the State of Ohio (Columbus, 1825). Illinois Historical Survey, Richard Clough Anderson Collection, University of Illinois, Urbana. Laws, Treaties and Other Documents Having Operation and Respect to the Public Lands. Collected and Arranged Pursuant to an Act of Congress Passed April 27, 1810 (Washington, 1811). The first section of this volume provides abstracts of the items, numbered serially from 1 to 2643, all taken from the sources cited. The second section is a name index to these abstracts. A subject index follows as the third section, and the fourth and last is a tract index with three maps tipped in, so that the exact location of each holding may be determined. The Introduction tells in detail how to use these last two sections, and the reader will be particularly interested in the following _paragraph: "Genealogical researchers will almost certainly find the Federal Land Series useful, because it offers a means of locating persons before the first decennial federal censuses were taken in sparsely settled areas. Even when such persons can be found in the censuses, the areas covered by the original counties frequently comprised half a state and places of residence were often ambiguously described in the cenguses. The series LJ:s.ually locates these early settlers precisely, making it possible to identify the modern county of settlemert and, consequently, to enter the many county records of interest to genealogists." All abstracts are keyed to the original document entries, and all the original material has been microfilmed. Prints of these films are available from the National Archives, and from this index it is possible to order the exact film of interest to the researcher and to use it at home or in the library without having to go to Washington to consult the original documents. Beginning with volume 2, the author deals with warrants issued for land patents arising front grants for military service during the Revolution, within the United States Military District of Ohio, located in the central part of that state. These warrants antedate as proof of service the better known pension files. The records include both 284 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine federal bounty-land warrants used for patenting lands and warrants later exchanged for script, but do not include transactions arising from state grants. Omitted also are transactions arising from exchanges of federal warrants for lands purchased from the Ohio Company or from John Cleves Symmes. The Introduction explains the history of these warrants and their allocation, as compared to state allocations, and it is strongly urged. that this be read carefully. Material indexed in this volume is from the following three sources, keyed by the index letter in the calendar: A. Records of the Bureau of Land Management. B. Register of Military Land Warrants Presented to the Treasury for Locating and Patenting, 1804-1835. C. Benj. 1-tough's Book, Richard Clough Anderson Collection, University of Illinois, Urbana. There follows, in section 1, a calendar of the materials, numbered consecutively from 1 (in source A) to 1792 (in source .C). Next is a name index, and lastly a tract index, including a map within which it is possible to locate each grant. Mr. Smith and the American Library Association can not be too highly commended for the creation of this, one of the most valuable and useful tools to be published in recent years. Every library and historical society should have a set. WALTER LEE SHEPPARD, Sit. Comp. by Aileen Lewers Langston and J. Orton Buck, Jr. With a Foreward by Timothy Field Beard. Including a Chapter, "Charlemagne and His Children," by James Allen Cabaniss. (Cottonport, La.: Polyanthos, Inc., 1974. cvi, 408 p. Illustration, index to pedigrees, index to Foreword. $20.00.) Pedigrees of Some of the Emperor Charlemagne's Descendants. Volume II. This second volume of the pedigrees of members of the Order of the Crown of Charlemagne in the United States appears some thirty years after the publication of Volume I in 1941. In addition to the lineages, it contains two items of considerable importance. The first is an 8 page article entitled "Charlemagne and His Children," by James Allen Cabaniss, Ph.D., which very succinctly outlines what is known of Charlemagne's ten spouses and their eighteen children. The second, and probably of greater interest than the 78 lineages, is the remarkable Foreword prepared by Timothy Field Beard, Genealogist General of the Order and Librarian at the New York Public Library. These 84 pages contain what is without question one of the most comprehensive listings of genealogical source material compiled in recent memory. A generous listing of publications and periodicals is given for every one of the 48 states (Hawaii and Alaska omitted), plus nearly a dozen pages of British material and items of interest on the British royal family. Four pages are devoted to specific families of royal descent with a listing of volumes to check for articles helpful in tracing a lineage to Charlemagne. The Order would do a great service by having reprints of this Foreword made available at modest cost, in order to give this extremely valuable compilation of source material wider exposure throughout the country. GRAHAME THOMAS SMALLWOOD. JR. Book Reviews 285 The Nine Capitals of the United Slates. By Robert Fortenbaugh. Illustrated by Fritz Kredel. Introduction by Senator Hugh Scott. (York, Pa.: Maple Press, 1973. ix, 104 p. $5.95.) Two hundred years ago, on Monday, 5 September 1774, the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia, at Carpenters' Hall, and thus began, at least in the governinental sense, what was probably the greatest political drama in human history. This handsome publication, published by the York County Bicentennial Commission, does honor to these events, and to the men who charted the first uncertain and difficult steps of what was to become the United States of America. The movements of the embryonic government are carefully recounted, as its assembly changed locations — often fleeing under duress of foreign as well as domestic threats. A new appreciation of the difficulties faced is gained by the realization that, for example, York, where the Second Continental Congress met from 30 September 1777 to 27 June 1778. had a population of only about 1800 persons, and that the town had 286 houses. It was at York that on 15 November 1777 the Articles of Confederation were adopted, thus giving rise to York's claim as the birth place of the nation and the nation's first capital. Professor Fortenbaugh relates the details of the ignominious withdrawal of Congress from Philadelphia in June 1783, and shows the frequent indifference or inability of the colonies to be represented at sessions, with consequent lack of quorum and impossibility of conducting business. The wonder is that somehow this nation was born. The York County Bicentennial Commission is to be congratulated for publishing this fascinating account of our nation's painful beginnings: we hope that similar organizations throughout the country will do like honor to our Bicentennial. EFFINGHAM P. HUMPHREY, JR. By Clifford Neal Smith. [German-American Genealogical Research Monographs: Number 1.] (Thomson, III.: Heritage House, 1973. 55 p. $6.00.) Br nswick Deserter-Immigrants of the American Revolution. Of the 5,723 Brunswick troops sent to America during the Revolutionary War, only 2,708, or less than half, returned to Germany in the autumn of 1783. Mr. Smith here lists more than 1,700 soldiers (of the total of 3,015) who failed to return, as taken front an article by Hans Helmuth Rimpau, in recent issues of Archiv für Sippenforschting, published in Lirnburg/Lahn, Germany. Each name gives birthplace, age, and, where known, how, where and when the person left military service. Of this entire group, about 30% deserted, 10% were in the service of the "enemy," and about 20% were taken prisoner. The compiler speculates that many of the latter escaped, especially in the German-speaking areas of the Mohawk Valley in New York, and in Pennsylvania. Persons interested in research in the Hessians here during (and often after) the Revolutionary War are referred to the basic work. Max von Eelking, The German. Allied Troops its the North American War of Independence, 1776-83 (Albany, 1893), and Ernest Kipping, The Hessian View of America (Monmouth Beach, N.J., 1971), reviewed in PMHB, 96 (1972), 397-9. The latter, termed "a treatise of precise information concerning Hessian troops in the American Revolution," gives many lists of names, including a list of 495 Hessian prisoners who went out to work, and names and addresses of their employers, mainly in Lancaster, Lebanon, Berks and Dauphin Counties, Pa. The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 286 Towering above all publications on this subject is Dr- Kurt Duffer's Hessiche Truppen im Amerikanischen Unabliiingigkeitskrieg (Hetrina), hides noel: Familiennamen, Bd. 1 [VeriVentlichungen der Archivschule Marburg, Institut fiir Archiywissenschallt, :Ir. 10], Marburg, 1972. This mammoth work lists some 8,600 names, with keyed Information as in the title under review, and at a price of $7.00 must be considered a "Best value." /■ EFFINGHAM P. HUMPHREY, JR. 7 .11e Walking Purchase Hoax of 1737. By Ray Thompson. (Fort Washington, Pa.: Bicentennial Press, 1973. 112 p. Illustrations, maps, genealogical chart, bibliography. $3.75-) Walkathons are not indigenous to the 20th century, but they have become more numerous and popular in recent years. They have aiderfgreatly_in providing additional funds for a variety of good causes. Recently, 1300 Philadelphia school students took part in a 20 mile walk for the March of Dimes. Such walkathons are commendable, but there was another one which adversely affected the lives of many Pennsylvanians during the 18th century. An infamous walkathon occurred in 1737. which has been called the Walking Purchase, or the Indian Walk. The entire scheme was devised by Thomas Penn, son of William Penn, who had founded Pennsylvania and had established a friendly relationship with the natives of the Commonwealth. The plan was to swindle the Indians out of a large section of rich land, which had been occupied by them for countless centuries. To accomplish this- the Proprietors selected the fastest and most durable runners to make the walk, charted the course in advance, and utilized every conceivable means to defraud the Indians of their birthright. As a consequence of this walkathon, the Indians lost their land, the friendly relationship which had existed between the natives and the white men for over fifty years was Irrevocably disrupted, and many innocent lives were lost during the ensuing Indian War. Thomas Penn is remembered as a despicable character, and Ed Marshall, who covered the most mileage, rarely knew a peaceful day for the rest of his life. The author has portrayed these characters and events in a vivid and well documented account. GEORGE E. BURGER Clinton County Ohio Newspapers Death and Obituary Abstracts, 1838-1867. D. Mart. (Lima, Ohio: 1973. 68 p. Index. $5.00.) By Larry These abstracts, taken from four newspapers in Wilmington, Ohio. during the periods May-September 1838 and March 104610 May 1867, contain useful genealogical information, since many mention states of origin (including Pennsylvania) and relatives of the deceased. There are approximately six hundred abstracts, a number of them flawed by typographical errors. Copies obtainable from the compiler at 621 Fairfield Drive, Lima, OH 45805. EFFINGHAM P. HUMPHREY■ JR. 287 Book Reviews By Bertram H. Greene. (Winston-Salem, N.C.: John F. Blair, 1973. xii, 124 p. Illustrations, appendices, bibliography, index. $5.95.) Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor. This book is an excellent guide to the genealogical researcher working in the Civil War period. With such a mass of records survivmg from the War, the genealogist often will riot know where it is best to begin his or her search. This work answers such questions as where to begin, to whom to write, and what inquiries should be made of various institutions and organizations. Specific examples are provided which show the types of materials available on the local, state, and federal level, and how to tap these sources. Dr. Greene is a professional historian and an avid collector of Civil War arms and accoutrements. His interest in genealogical research comes from the need to ascertain the authenticity of various documents and artifacts. The numerous appendices of this work provide a vast wealth of source information to the genealogist and historian alike. Dr. Groene's work Makes a strong case for the importance of genealogical research as an integral part of historiography./ Taken as a whole, Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor should not long be a stranger to the bookshelves of numerous historians, Civil War enthusiasts, and military collectors, as well as all serious genealogists who must work in this exciting period of American History. GARY CHRISTOPHER Edited by Lucy Hall Greenlaw- (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1974. [Facsimile reproduction, in one volume, of the four original issues, 1898-1901.] 677 p. Indexes. $21.50.) The Genealogical Advertiser, A Quarterly Magazine of Family History. The title of this quarterly, which ran for only four volumes, is typical of other publications of the period when "advertiser" simply meant "information." Like so many comparable genealogical periodicals, this one contains some nuggets that are hard to unearth elsewhere. The subject matter is primarily source material, and the area covered is almost exclusively Maine and eastern Massachusetts. The energetic editor appears to have herself supplied the lion's share of the town and church abstracts and the transcriptions of gravestones. She is to be commended for her efforts to adhere as closely as possible to the wording and spelling of the originals, and for her efforts at accuracy. She is not to be commended for alphabetizing the transcripts, since by so doing she has obliterated the interment groupings. Beginning with the second volume contributions from others start to outnumber the editor's own work, and in the first issue of the final volume the lead article is by Col. Banks, identifying the English ancestry of Gov- Thomas Mayhew- Researchers working the Boston area may find it useful to check the indexes of this volume before giving up on a tough problem. I say indexes since there are four, one for each volume. It is a pity that no master index was prepared, or that at the least a colored paper insert placed between each volume to make it easier to find the proper index. WALTER LEE SHEPPARD, JR. 288 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Irish Kings and High Kings. By Francis John Byrne. (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1973. viii, 341 p. Illustrations, maps, appendices, bibliography, index. $15.95.) Irish dark age history has been the subject of many volumes, yet until the publication of this important work no adequate study of Irish kingship and of the pedigrees of the principal Irish dynasties had appeared. The first chapter is devoted to a valuable explanation of "The Irish Concept of Kingship," a far different concept from the picture most of us have. In a country with a population of under half a million there were probably as many as 150 kings at the same time, each with his own kingdom. The author discusses the nature of these kingdoms, their relation to each other, and the selection of kings (succession did not as a rule pass from father to son). The kingship of Tara, now often associated with the high kingship, was originally probably no greater than that of the other major kingdoms of the island. Yet its importance certainly extended far back into the mists of prehistory. As a separate kingdom it fades away in the sixth century, only to reappear associated with the high kingship in the seventh or eighth. The mixture of legend and history finally firms up as fact with Niall of the Nine Hostages, who was an historical person, and an important warrior king of the Ulster fifth or Ireland, credited with being the "High King," though it is doubtful if such a title and rank then existed. The Sons of Niall consolidated rule over several portions of the north, establishing what was to become the most important of Ireland's royal dynasties. Many high kings claimed descent from them. Prof. Byrne also sketches the history of the kingdoms of Leinster, Munster and Connacht, following the descent of the royal families of each. The appendices include king lists, 21 genealogical tables (males only are given, no wives shown), and an explanation of the pronunciation of old Irish names. There is an especially valuable bibliography of nine pages which includes data on many unpublished pedigrees, and an index which unfortunately does not include the genealogical tables. The genealogical data supplied by this work correct many lineages that have been accepted and published in the past, most notably that of Brian Boru (or Brian Boruma), showing that the published material has no contemporary foundation, and was most likely a flattering invention for a parvenu. This book is indispensable to anyone interested in early Irish history and genealogy. WALTER LEE SHEPPARD, JR, Identifying People in the Part. Edited by E. A. Wrigley. (New York Pitman Publishing Co., 1973.) 159 p. $12.50.) This is a compilation of six lectures offered in May, 1970, at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, at a conference sponsored by the Mathematical Social Sciences Board on the subject of Nominal Record Linkage in History. The arcane language makes this a difficult study for the average genealogist, but it certainly has an interest for the serious worker. It is fascinating to learn that some specialists of the mathematical sciences have turned to the analysis of genealogical problems by the use of their highly developed techniques. All competent genealogists know that reliability depends on the quality of the source material, the distance in time and space between act and record, the difference in viewpoint and bias between several chroniclers, and the correctness of the interpretation of the record. The lecturers here speak as if they have just discovered these profound truths, but rather than subjecting the analysis 289 Book Reviews of the problem to fallible human judgment, they have developed formulae for a resolution by computers. The formulae and the language will be clear ; valuable and intriguing to those fortunate students who have attended classes in this new science. To the rest of us this book may have value in stimulation of thought, and in the development of the powers of concentration. WALTER LEE SHEPPARD, JR. Comp. by A. Campbell Cline. (Charlotte, N.C.! Devcendants of Michael Klein. Crabtree Press, 1973. 265 p. Illustrations, map, coat of arms, index. $25.00.) Michael Klein was born in Germany in 1716, arrived in Philadelphia aboard the Charming Nancy in 1738, married Catherine Schuffert in 1750 at the Christ Lutheran Church, Dryville, Berks County, Pa., and later moved with his family (eventually numbering 14 children) to North CaroIlna, settling m what was to become in 1792 Cabarrus County. The compiler, a descendant who spent forty years accumulating the information here presented, has done an exemplary job of research in church records, wills and land grants, and his results are clearly set forth, with biographical Information when known. The most numerous of the allied families included are Blackwelder, Braswell, Cochran, Dayvault, McEachern, Misenheimer and Winecoff. The excellent index contains some 2750 names. EFFINGHAM P. HUMPHREY, J. A List of References for the History of the Farmer and the Revolution, 1763-1790. Comp. and ed. by Douglas Bowers. (Agricultural History Center, University of California, Davis, California, 1971- iv, 25 P. Author index. Free from the Center.) This bibliography, with many entries annotated, brings together the major secondary sources on the Revolutionary era and American agriculture, and is a continuation of the comprehensive Bibliography of tile History of Agriculture in the United States (U.S. Department of Agriculture Miscellaneous Publication Na, 84, 1930a 307 p.) and subsequent revisions and supplements. Since about 90% of Americans in the 18th century were farmers or lived on farms, this key to information is most helpful in understanding their way of life. The bibliography includes a general section, lists for each of the thirteen colonies plus Maine and Vermont, and an especially useful section on "Land and the Westward Movement," with titles referring to military bounty lands, land grants , land office business, and land policy and speculation. ,The eon-miler/editor is to be commended for tracking down a wide variety of publications, including articles in out of the way periodicals, as well as doctoral dissertations. Highly recommended. EFFINGHAM 1, HUMPHREY* JR. 290 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales: Comprising a Registry of Armorial Bearings from the Earliest to the Present Time. By Sir John Bernard Burke, Ulster King of Arms. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1974. [Re-issue of 1969 edition, reprinting facsimile of 1884 edition.] cxxx, 1185 p. $32.50.) General Armory Two, Alfred Morant's Additions and Corrections to Burke's General Edited and augmented by Cecil R. Humphery-Smith. (Baltimore: Armory. Genealogical Publishing Co., 1974. viii, 230 p. $21.50.) Though there are many works on heraldry, and many compilations of heraldic blazon, the first volume to check in locating the arms of an armigerous British family has since the nineteenth century been Burke s. It is the "Bible" that most be in every library. Though long out of print and containing no material more recent than 1884 (hence no twentieth century grants), Burke's is always in demand and commands a rapid turnover with used booksellers. It was first reprinted by facsimile in London in 1961, and being quickly sold out was reissued the following year. The first United States impression, by the Genealogical Publishing Co., appeared in 1969, and the volume continues to enjoy a brisk sale. It opens with an essay on heraldry, followed by illustrated glossaries, a dictionary of heraldic terms, sections on the Royal Arms, Welsh tribes, and British Orders of Knighthood. A supplement to the General Armory, running 50 pages, and added in the last edition, concludes this introduction. The main body of the work, the General Armory itself, occupies the following 1153 pages, and concludes with 24 pages of mottoes, arranged alphabetically. The Armory and its supplement supply alphabetically by surname the blazon as accepted for most armigerous persons of Great Britain in 1884. Alfred Morant, a younger contemporary of Burke, completed the "Ordinary" of John Woody Papworth (also available from this publisher). He kept a copy of Burke interleaved with plain paper, and bound in two volumes, in which he entered corrections and extra material as he unearthed it, data on nearly every page, and derived from over sixty sources not mined by Burke. After Morant's death these volumes were acquired by Father Wallace Clare, who subsequently loaned them to Mr. HumpherySmith, whose father made a typescript copy of Morant's notes. To these, Mr. Humphery-Smith added further material from more sources as they became available. "General Armory Two" incorporates all this material: Morant's notes, and the material collected by the editor, all arranged as in Burke, alphabetically by surname, in 172 pages. To this he has added an appendix of 55 pages which indexes arms appearing in some 13 more collections or indexes. The blazon for those arms listed in the appendix are not given, and to obtain copies, recourse must be made to the cited collection. Strangely, "General Armory Two" is not bound in the same manner as its predecessor. However, these two volumes belong together, and as a pair make the most complete surname reference for the blazon of British arms to be found anywhere. The set belongs in every library, and in the home of every student of heraldryWALTER LEE SHEPPARD, JR.