Book Reviews

Book Reviews A Salute To Courage: The American Revolution as Seen Through Wartime Writings of Officers of the Continental Army and Navy. Edited by Dennis P. Ryan from documents provided by The Daughters of the Cincinnati. Foreword by Richard B. Morris. (Columbia University Press, New York 1979) 338 p. Illustrations, index. $16.95. The Daughters of The Cincinnati, the feminine counterpart to The Society of The Cincinnati have worked diligently for the last ten years gathering portraits and original documents concerning their Revolutionary War ancestors. Since all these ancestors were among General Washington's Continental Line Officers, they were men who were in the thick of things and their journals, letters and memoirs are interesting reading. The book has been skillfully divided into four sections; "The Call to Arms: Boston, Canada, New York, New jersey, April 1775-March 1777"; "Victory at Saratoga, Defeat in Pennsylvania, 1777-1778"; "The War in the North: Indians, Battles and Skirmishes, Mutiny, and Conspiracy, 1778-1781"; "The War in the South, the End of the War". Within these sections the personal papers of the men involved, have been printed with careful backgound material to amplify the situation at the time they were written. There are excellent maps and the portraits are well reproduced. An eyewitness account of the battles at Brandywine and Germantown by Colonel Elias Dayton; a most remarkable diary entry made by Surgeon Albigence Waldo at Valley Forge in December 1777; and a delightful Song written by Captain Joshua Barney, celebrating his victory over the Ship General Monk. These are among the fascinating sidelights to history contained in this book. Of particular interest to genealogists is the Roster of Ancestors of The Daughters of the Cincinnati, over 450 officers are listed with dates of birth and death, marriages and geographical locations. Helen Hutchison Woodroofe Vermont Place-Names: Footprints of History. By Esther Munroe Swift. (The Stephen Greene Press, Brattleboro, Vermont, 1977) 701 p. Index. $30,00. This is an in depth study of every city, village and hamlet in Vermont. We learn about the original grants, the origin of the place name, the physical features of the area and the early settlers. 181 182 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Cross-referenced for place-names and surnames, the book is of enormous value in genealogical research for people throughout the country whose roots are in the Northeast. An index with more than 15,000 entries provides easy access to information here. The author was a member of the Vermont state library for many years and had easy access to primary and secondary sources for her original research_ Guide To The Manuscript Collections Of The New jersey Historical Society. Compiled by Don C. Skemer and Robert C. Morris. (The New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, New jersey. 1979) 245 p. Index. $21.00. The collections of the New Jersey Historical Society have increased threefold since the publication of a guide to their collection in 1957. This new guide consists of 1057 entries. These are very clearly presented, as an example, when an entry includes correspondence every correspondent is named! There are family records, diaries, store account books, autograph albums, letters, land record books, journals, militia records, tax ratables, naturalization records, church records, warrants, marriage records: the list goes on and on, we are given a full picture of the holdings of this Society. An interesting feature is a Chronological List of the Manuscript Groups, so that researching a specific period one can be referred to every entry for that decade. Black Genesis. By James Rose & Alice Eicholz. (Gale Research Company, Detroit, Michigan. 1978) 326 p. Index. $22.00. An annotated bibliography and guidebook for black genealogical research. Citing general references, as well as Federal records and an examination of slavery and migratory patterns, the book fills a need for this specific information. A survey of records in the United States, the West Indies and Canada, provides regional sources. The book is well organized, however, it is perhaps not annotated fully as to the location of certain records. However, it does provide in the Appendix several valuable lists: the location of the branch libraries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, Federal Archives and Record Centers, and three indexes for Author, Title and Subject. Genealogical And Personal History of the Upper Monongahela Valley, West Virginia. Under the Editorial Supervision of Bernard L.Butcher. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore 1978) Reprinted in Two Volumes. Index. 1399 p. $38.50. Originally published in 1912 the two volumes contain genealogies of over 400 families commencing with the known ancestors ofthe first settlers. Unfortunately, as is true of most of the books of this period, the family histories do not include any documentation. The books are useful only as guides to the families involved, but cannot be considered valid sources. Book Reviews 183 Families of Nicholas County, West Virginia. By John VV. Babbitt. John W. Bobbin, 2502, Eye Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. 20037. 1979) 38 p. $8.00. This is a very valuable tool for research in this part of West Virginia. At the time of these records Nicholas County encompassed parts ofthe present counties of Braxton, Clay, Fayette and Webster Counties. I t contains a tax list of 1809; the complete Federal census of 1820, 1830 and 1840 with all names indexed, and a name index to W. G. Brown's History of Nicholas County, written in 1940 and published in 1954, which was never indexed. Dissertations On Pennsylvania History, 1886-1976: A Bibliography. Compiled and Edited by Roland M. Baumann. (Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, 1978) 80 ,p. May be ordered from the Commission, Box 1026, Harrisburg 17120. $2.50, The primary object of this research guide is threefold: (1) to indicate systematically the voluminous amount of doctoral work already completed on various topics in or related to Pennsylvania history: (2) to expose those areas neglected by historians and (3) to specify the endless over-working of some topics, especially for the eighteenth century. Pennsylvania Historical Bibliography. L Additions Through 1970. Compiled by John B. B. Trusseli, Jr. (Pennsylvania Historical And Museum Commission, Harrisburg, 1979) 108 p. Index. $3.50. Intended as the first of a series which will bring the published bibliography of writings on Pennsylvania history up to date. The volume lists works published primarily in the years 1966 through 1970, although some materials from as far back as 1953, not previously listed, are included. Interviewing the People of Pennsylvania: A Conceptual Guide To Ora/ History. By Carl °Winger. (Pennsylvania Historical And Museum Commission, Harrisburg, 1978) 84 p, Illustrated. $2.50. Although this is primarily a guide to the procedure of taking the chapter headings do offer something of interest to the oral his genealogist: Black Migrants to Pennsylvania; Immigrants and Ethnic Communities; Working Class Family Life, 1890-1930, and Small-Town Pennsylvania. The Willamette 'Valley: Migration and Settlement on the Oregon Frontier. By William A. Bowen. (University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1979). 134 p. Maps, figures, tables. I ndex. $17_50. "This is an atlas a collection of extremely detailed, accurate maps with text that, for the first time, re-creates the essential geography of a major American frontier in the nineteenth century." Thus the author 184 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine describes his book, a complex study of migrations to Oregon before 1850. With the use ofa computer he has analysed the 1850 Federal census for this area of Oregon. This has made it possible to produce maps that show households containing persons born in various eastern states. Age, sex characteristics, occupations, economic and rural factors are transposed to maps. It is a very interesting use of an old and familiar tool. Those concerned with Oregon families of this period will find a great deal of helpful background material in this book. Genealogical Resources in Pattee Library, The Pennsylvania State University.. With special reference to Pennsylvania. Edited by Leon J, Stout. (Publication of The Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. 1979) 159 p. Available from P.O. Box 403, Boalsburg, Pennsylvania 16827. $7.50. Beginning with an introduction to the Pattee Library and its card catalog, the major area is that of Pennsylvania bibliography. The material is covered by these headings: General Research Materials; Census Materials; Pennsylvania Reference Works; Pennsylvania Ethnic Groups; Pennsylvania Archives; Pennsylvania County Materials. This provides a very helpful guide to the holdings of the Pattee Library. Tombstone Listing of Persons Buried in the Boalsburg Cemetery, Centre County, Pennsylvania, 1830-1960. Edited by Chester M. Smith, jr. (The Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, 1978) 96 p. $5.50. Starting with an early compilation of the cemetery of the Lutheran and German Reformed congregations, made in 1928, students in Computer Science devised a program to print the information in a more accessible manner. The results were checked against the tombstones themselves. The result is a comprehensive listing, in alphabetical order of the tombstones, as well as an indication of family groups which is very helpful. Projects of this sort are of great value to the genealogist. The Kearns Famity of Decatur and Derry Townships, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. By David L. Greene. (Available from the author, P, 0. Box 368, Demorest, Georgia 30535) 111 p. Index. $6,00. A genealogy of some descendants of Abraham Kern of Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, who immigrated from Germany in 1731. The study deals with Thomas Kern or Kerns, one of the sons of Abraham Kern, and follows through this line to the fifth generation. Dr. Greene has apparently done a thorough job of- research for this family. Of particular interest is his reproduction of the complete Family Bible records, and his detailed account of members of the family who were soldiers in the American Revolution. Book Reviews 185 Marriage Records of Squires Isaac and Joseph F. Mayes. Compiled by Helen L. Harris, Elizabeth Wall and Betty Treat Petrich. (available from Betty T. Petrich, 2806 O'Neil! Drive, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania 15102) 258 p. $16.00 (Penna. tax .96). An alphabetical list of marriages performed by Squire Isaac Mayes from 1811 to 1844, and those performed by his son Squire Joseph Finley Mayes 1862 to 1887, in West Alexander, Washington County, Pennsylvania. The compilers have listed over 7,000 names of brides and grooms. What is most interesting is that West Alexander had a reputation as a "Gretna Green", so we find many marriages of persons from Virginia (later West Virginia) and Ohio, as well as Washington County. This record should prove most helpful to those who have looked in vain for marriages during these periods in Ohio and West Virginia. The Joseph Kemmerer Family: A Study of Me Family of Joseph Kemmerer 1817189/, and his Wife, Elizabeth Matilda Johnson, 1818-1873, and their ten daughters and five sons. By Louise Redfern Pelts. (Polyanthus, New Orleans, 1978). (available from the author, Mrs. Harrison W. Pens, 96 Townhouse Lane, Corpus Christi, Texas 78412, price not stated.) 359 p. Index. Joseph Kemmerer was born in Northampton County, Pennsylvania in 1817, early in the 1850's he moved his family to Summit County, Ohio, and fourteen years later they moved again to Christian County, Illinois. The generations of the family are carried down to the present, and there are many extensive genealogies for families other than the Kemmerer family. The book is illustrated with old family photographs. John and Esther Houston Montgomery, 1719-1973. Compiled by Beulah Henry Anderson, Creed Malcolm Montgomery, J. Esther Montgomery, John Montgomery and Margaret Montgomery Vawter. (available from Henry A. Vawter, 217 Mt. View Blvd., Maryville, Tennessee) 512 p. Illustrated, index. $20.00 John Montgomery and Esther Houston were married in Lancaster County in 1738. By 1747, the Montgomery and Houston families had moved to Augusta County, Virginia. Another move in 1788 took the Montgomerys to Blount County, Tennessee. Since the book does not use a numbering system, it is difficult to follow the family lines down to the present, though fortunately there is an adequate index.