Book Reviews

Book Reviews Finding Our Fathers: A Guidebook to Jewish Genealogy. By Dan Rottenberg. (Random House, New York, 1977. 401 p. Illust. Maps. Alphabetical list of family names [not an index to the text]. $12.95). Of all the peoples in our American culture, one group that is strikingly family-oriented is the Jewish family. Always respectful and interested in their living elders and some of their earlier departed American sires, they do, nonetheless, tend to draw a dark blind down over their family's foreign anchorages. The tendency is to skip ancestry from great-grandfather to one of the Old Testament tribes. Mr. Rottenberg helps Jewish families to lift that dark blind upon the centuries of Jewish family life from Genesis to the atomic century. Himself a Jew, Dan Rottenberg has invested much of himself his vital curiosity and dynamic talent—into this excellent study on how to locate Jewish family origins "across the pond." Educated scholars with a broad background of experience know that the time has passed when 'genealogy' was the province of "dim little old ladies in tennis shoes." Rottenberg's background includes being a reporter for the Wall Street Journal; managing editor of the Chicago Journalism Review and an executive editor of the Philadelphia Magazine. The University of Pennsylvania is his alma mater and, although a native New Yorker, he now lives in Philadelphia. This work is expertly structured from "Starting Out," through chapters on public records in the United States; a "quick course" in Judaica for those long-strayed from Jewish religious and family customs, traditions and history; a survey of Jewish records in America and "across the ocean," including not only Europe and Africa, but Australia, Brazil and Argentina. The Caribbean was a favorite spot for those Jews engaged in shipping trades, and was often a stepping-stone from Europe, Africa or the Middle-East to the American continent. The chapter, "Back to Israel," is concerned, primarily, with present sources of research in Israel. These sources, divided among some thirty-five major and minor archives, occupy twenty-eight miles of shelf space, with more records being added constantly. Of special interest, Mr. Rottenberg includes some 225 pages of an "Alphabetical List of Family Names," from Aaron to Zydowsky. The list contains abbreviated references to sources holding full articles, books or documents pertaining to a particular name. Also included is an interesting bibliography separated into categories for those who seek more detailed accounts of a specialized category. 275 276 Book Reviews Jewish genealogy is a field which begs for more documented evidence than the average Jewish researcher realizes. Even Dan Rottenberg appears satisfied that Jewish documents may be as often wrong as right. This confounds present American standards of genealogy which demand that a document must—with or without supportive evidence—be able to stand firm in a court of law. Many inheritances have been won or lost by this standard of proof of bloodline. In this area, no sloppy record-keeping, such as Mr. Rottenberg found in Eastern European countries, would be admissible in a court of law. The endless 'grail' of today's genealogist is to find another door when one door is forever locked by a major disaster. Finding Our Fathers is both readable and highly informative. Jewish families will find it a motivating book, they will find themselves caught up in the exciting challenge which Dan Rottenberg presents, to go a few generations further back than great-grandfather Jacob, or Saul, or Isaac, who now rest in American-Jewish cemeteries. Dorothee Hughes Carousso, L.H.D., F.G.S.P., C.G. Laws of the Royal Colony of New Jersey, 1703-1745. Compiled by Bernard Bush, with an introduction. First of a four volume series. (New Jersey Archives, Trenton, 1977, 603 p., $25.00). The editor notes that this is the first compilation of laws enacted by the Provincial Legislature of New Jersey since 1800. Many were never printed, and existed only in manuscript. Sources cited appear to be welldocumented, and care has been taken to preserve the construction of the original papers. The introduction graphically describes the historical and political background of the period; also the royal prerogatives exercised by the Crown through the Privy Council, the Board of Trade and the Royal Governors. Subtitles include: "The Governor and his Instructions; Other Agencies of Government; Subjects of Legislation, and Effect of Provincial Laws After Independence." A "Bibliography of Session Laws Cited" is also included. The laws are subdivided according to the reigning monarch and by the Sessions of Assemblies of New Jersey, ranging from "An Act Regulating the Purchase of Land from the Indians" (13 Decenrber 1703) to "An Act applying Two Thousand Pounds of Interest, now in the Treasury, arising from the Loans of the Bills of Credit, for His Majesty's Service". One of the later enactments had been "An ACT to encourage the destruction of Crows, Blackbirds, Squirrels and Woodpeckers in the Counties of Gloucester, Salem and Cape May." The laws enacted during this period furnish a picture of the Colonial period: the treatment of bonded servants and slaves; attitudes toward Quakers and Catholics; preservation of natural resources; immorality The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 277 and corruption; relief of the poor; construction of highways and bridges, and the registration for military duty. There were laws regulating coinage and Bills of Credit; the treatment of county boundaries, and the erection of new counties. The division line between East and West Jersey, and between New Jersey and New York is documented. The forthcoming volumes will provide the student, as does this one, with the historical background of specific laws and customs that were carried over or re-enacted after statehood was achieved. Some genealogical gleanings may be found in the lists of assemblymen; the appointment of tax collectors; naturalization lists, and the names of owners of mills and ferries, listed for assessment purposes. It is unfortunate that one must wait for the fourth volume of this series for the index. Winfield Scott Weer Profile Of A Hero. By John A. Baird, Jr. (Philadelphia 1977) 234 p. Illustrated. Bibliography. Chart. Index of persons. Dorrance & Company. $7.95. Rather than a conventional genealogy, John A. Baird, Jr. has portrayed in his latest book, Profile of a Hero, the interesting biographies of some seven generations of his own blood line to John Baird, who came to America from Scotland about 1750. There is some difference in family legends about John Baird's early arrival here, but the more reliable is that he was an Ensign with troops under General Braddock, and survived Braddock's defeat at Fort Duquesne in 1755. He settled in the Philadelphia area and, later, in 1755, married Catherine McLean, who was born 19 July 1733 at Chester County, Pennsylvania. They had one son, Absalom Baird, who was born in 1756. John Baird died sometime between 1758 and 1760, at which time his son Absalom was but a tot. The following generations all served their country with loyalty and distinction. Young Absalom Baird became a doctor, and served as such during the American Revolution until 1781. On 15 October 1783, he married Susannah Brown at Wilmington, Delaware. She was of Kennett, a daughter of George Brown and his wife, nee Harlan. Two children were born to Absalom and Susannah Baird at Kennett: John Baird, born 26 July 1784 and George Baird, born 28 October 1785. In the fall of 1786, the small family moved to Washington, Pennsylvania. There, the other four children were born: Thomas Baird in 1787; William Baird in 1789; Sarah Baird in 1793; and Susan Baird in 1796. This Baird line was a military family and served the country with resolute loyalty through its many wars since 1750. One of the more noted family members was General Absalom Baird of Civil War fame. 278 Book Reviews Mr. Baird's well-written narrative is interspersed with quotes from many letters and other family records researched for this work. The book is illustrated, and contains a bibliography, a partial family chart, and an index of persons. Dorothee Hughes Carousso Birthplace of an Army: A Study of the Valley Forge Encampment. By John B. B. Trussell, Jr. Illustrated. Bibliography. Index. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. (Harrisburg, 1976) 145 p. $4.50 cloth; $3.00 paper. In American history, Valley Forge long has been synonymous with suffering — reminding us of a long, cold winter of deep snow, near starvation, epidemic disease, and bare bleeding feet. In truth, Valley Forge was all of these things. But is was something else as well—the caldron in which was distilled the staunch, stoic Continental Army. General Washington chose the site for winter quarters because it was naturally defensible, close enough to Philadelphia to monitor the movements of the British, and surrounded by rich farmlands that could provide food for men and forage for horses — or so it was hoped. But the soldiers were poorly housed, miserably rationed, and suffered from shortages of clothing, shoes and blankets. At one point, about a third of the encampment was down with smallpox and there was a critical lack of medicine. Since every effort was made to conceal the plight of the American army from the British, there was in consequence little awareness by the country at large of the misery at Valley Forge. But somehow the rag, tag and bobtail that had straggled into Valley Forge in mid-December 1777, broke camp the following June as a disciplined force. It had been drilled to a fare-ye-well by Inspector General Friedrich von Steuben — the result was a dependable, cohesive body of men, with a dedicated officers' corps. Trussell tells how all this came about in concise but fascinating detail, including indexes that detail the organization involved, rosters of officers and rates of pay at Valley Forge. These are of much interest. Valley Forge and the winter of 1777-78 come alive. Ruth Hutchison The Pennsylvania Line: Regimental Organization and Operations, 17761783. By John B. B. Trussell, Jr. (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1977) Preface, appendices, notes, bibliography, maps, illustrations, index. 368 p. $8.50. Colonel Trussell has done an amazing study of the complex structure of the Pennsylvania Continental Line during the Revolution. After a chapter surveying the evolution and combat operations of the Line, he The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 279 examines each of the Pennsylvania Continental regiments, company by company, with outlines of their operations. The book is concerned with Pennsylvania organizations which were or became part of the Continental Army. It should be noted that the Pennsylvania militia is not included in the study. In tracing the history of each military organization from its beginnings we learn the names of the commanding officers; the company officers; where the individual companies were recruited, and a description of their uniforms. The operations in which each regiment took part are given in great detail. Much information has been compiled on the Individual Soldier, through statistics we have a composite picture of his age at the time of enlistment; his place of birth; height, and pre-war occupation. The records reveal that four boys as young as ten, and one man as old as seventythree enlisted in the Pennsylvania Line. The majority of the men were of British or German origin, and over a third of them were farmers. Colonel Trussell has furnished a great service to those interested in military societies by enabling them to trace the records of the various regiments, and by matching their own research with his, to form a reasonably clear picture of the military activity of an ancestor. The Pennsylvania Line is available from the Division of History, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Box 1026, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120. The same applies to Trussells' Birthplace of an Army, reviewed above. Pennsylvania residents should add sales tax. Helen Hutchison Woodroofe Early American Almanacs: The Colonial Weekday Bible. By Marion Barber Stowell. An Artemis Paperback, Burt Franklin & Co., Inc. (New York, 1977) 331 p. $7.95. While the first newspaper did not appear in this country until 1704, the almanac preceded it by about sixty-five years. Thus, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it was the only source of secular information in the land. The first colonial almanac is thought to have been started in Cambridge in 1639 by a group of Harvard dons; it was published by Stephen Day. The earliest extant almanac was Danforth's, which is memorable because in 1648 it began its calendar year with January. When the Gregorian calendar became official in England in 1752, many American almanacs stubbornly continued to begin their calendar years with March in accordance with the Julian calendar. "Anti-popery," the author suspects. The almanac functioned as clock and calendar, preacher and doctor, navigational and agricultural guide, among other things. The average 280 Book Reviews New England library of the early years consisted of the Bible, almanac, a collection of sermons, and perhaps Pilgrim's Progress. This fat paperback is crammed with early American lore and generously illustrated. The appendixes, chronological and regional, pinpoint almanac history. Ruth Hutchison A List of Immigrants Who Applied For Naturalization Papers in the District Courts of Allegheny County,Pa. 1798-1840. Compiled by members of The Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, (Pittsburgh, 1978) Volume 1. 109 p. Indexed. $13.00. The four District Courts covered in this volume include those of The Western District; Common Pleas No. 1; Common Pleas No. 2; and the Quarter Sessions. A great deal of information is included, in the listing of names, native country and date of declaration of those who had applied to the courts. In many cases the date of arrival in this country is given, as well as the name of a sponsor. Many of the entries also list dates of birth; wives and children; occupation, and dates of death. This is a valuable reference source for Allegheny County, and should also be considered as being a possible help in tracing those who moved further west, since Pittsburgh was the "Gateway to the West." Copies may be obtained from the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, 4338 Bigelow Boulevard, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213. Add 50 cents postage and Pennsylvania residents 78 cents tax. Johan Jacob Eichholtz 1712-7760: A Pioneer Settler of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and his Descendants. By Janice Eichholtz Rodriguez. Gateway Press, Inc. (Baltimore, 1978) Illustrated. Bibliography. Index. 345 p. John Jacob Eichholtz was born in Bischoffsheim in the Upper Palatinate region of Europe. At the age of twenty-five he sailed on the ship Samuel, from Rotterdam, to Philadelphia, arriving 30 August 1737. By 1738 he had found his way to Lancaster County, and married Anna Catharine Reichert. Johan Jacob and Anna Catharine Eichholtz were the parents of nine children. The lines of five of them are traced in this genealogy: Jacob Eichholtz Jr.; Maria Elizabeth (Eichholtz) Glaser (second marriage to Frederick Anspach): Johannes Eichholtz; Catharine (Eichholtz) Cooper; and Leonard Eichholtz. Mrs. Rodriguez has provided many excellent references to document the descendants of Eichholtz, as well as including a full bibliography. In addition, she has included a great deal of historical material related to Lancaster County.