Book Reviews

Book Reviews Emigrants To Pennsylvania, 1641-1819. A Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists From the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Edited by Michael Tepper. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore. 292 p. 1975. $15.00) Dr. Tepper set out to extract from the cited journal all the articles he could locate relative to the settlement of the New World, and has accumulated a mass of material, reproduced from the original text but repaged and indexed. He has included a separate index of ships, and his thirty page index of persons supplies both surnames and given names. In addition there is a table of contents to identify the volume and date of the issue where the original article appeared. While he has done us a real service in assembling all this material in a single well indexed volume, the reader should be warned that two of the reproduced articles, notably items 2 and 3, the books of arrival for Philadelphia and Bucks Counties [1687] contain numerous errors and omissions. These two lists have been retranscribed by Hannah Benner Roach, and appear in complete and corrected form in Passengers and Ships Prior to 1684,1 which is fully indexed. This new work is a valuable addition to the reference shelf. Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr. F.A.S.G., F.G.S.P. Pennsylvania Marriages Prior To 1790. Names of Persons for Whom Marriage Licenses Were Issued in the Province of Pennsylvania Previous to 1790. Compiled under the supervision of John B. Linn and William H. Egle. [Excerpted from Pa. Arch., Ser. 2, Vol. II. Repr. with supplementary material from the Pennsylvania Magazine of History & Biography, and The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine.] (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, 1976. 376 p. $12.50.) 'Welcome Society of Pennsylvania, Petas Colony: Genealogical and Historical Materials Relating to the Settlement of Pennsylvania. Vol. I: Passengers and Ships Prior to 1684. Edited by Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore. Maps and Charts. 245 p. 1970. $14.50.) 294 Book Reviews 295 This work, long considered the most complete compilation of Pennsylvania marriage dates for this period, has been given greater proportions in the new edition which contains the following supplements: "Pennsylvania Marriage Licenses, 1742-1748," excerpted from the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. XXXIX, nos. 2,3,4 (1915) , "Pennsylvania Marriage Licenses, Issued by Governor James Hamilton, 1748-1752," excerpted from the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. XXXII, nos. 1,2,3,4 (1908) and "List of Marriage Licenses Issued in the Secretary's Office from August 1755 through April 1759," excerpted from The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. XXI, no. 4 (1960). The addition of 84 pages augments the number of marriages by 8,500. Research herein is facilitated by the fact that marriages are listed alphabetically under both bride and groom. Marriage licenses were issued from the Office of the Provincial Secretary, according to laws agreed upon by the Proprietary for the Government of Pennsylvania, although not always considered with favour by the Assembly. The date affixed to the marriage license was date of issue rather than date of marriage. The earliest recorded marriages in this volume date from 1742. Some earlier registers are missing, as are those of a later date, but the total of Pennsylvania marriages listed up to 1790 is impressive. This reprint is indeed a valuable addition to the genealogist's library. Doris W. Hollander Who Do You Think You Are? By Suzanne Hilton. (Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pa. 1976. 189 p. Illustrated. Index. $6.95) This is a well-written book on genealogical research. Although designated for "juvenile" readers, it is equally valuable for beginner-researchers since it does not "talk-down to" its readers. Miss Hilton is direct and specific in her approach to genealogy and her prose is good reading. The examples she has chosen to illustrate her points are colorful and, for the most part, entertaining—which makes the point illustrated much easier to remember. The subjects covered are well-structured, commencing with "Going Ahead — Backwards" by questioning relatives and writing letters to distant kin. The new Soundex System of indexing is explained; "secondary research" in a library is handled in a humorous manner; searching for "problem people" among adopted children, divorced ancestors and the many ethnic immigrants is written in a lucid, readable style. The areas of "primary research" are delineated clearly, but one criticism might be that the importance of primary documentation in genealogical research is passed over too lightly—even for juveniles. In her chapter "Should We Bury This One Again?" Suzanne Hilton conveys a warm sympathy for maverick ancestors who may prove to be 296 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine an embarrassment to a snob researcher. Her advice is "Before you bury them again and pretend they are not yours, try to understand something of the conditions under which they lived." Many of our ancestors were unable to cope with some of the unreasonably stringent laws. Consider the English law which made it possible to hang a six-year-old boy for stealing a loaf of bread to ease his hunger. Such laws were more barbaric than the people who broke them. When an ancestor is found on the wrong side of the pillory, or forced to disappear for awhile, descendants are often needlessly (or foolishly) embarrassed by them instead of trying to understand them within the context of their day and age. Like all genealogists — seasoned, amateur and juvenile alike—the necessity for learning the history of the locale or the era in which an ancestor worked out his problems becomes necessary. Then, "history" becomes a joy, when it is peopled with moving figures who belong to us. Miss Hilton has included an appendix on "Where to Write for Official Records" in each of the United States and its protectorates; and a generous bibliography for those who wish to search further in particular areas. One criticism is that, on her illustrated charts, no space is allowed for place of marriage, which, in this reviewer's opinion, is just as vital as place of birth and death which is provided for on the charts. Every library should provide this volume for the young or new genealogical researcher who is too easily scared off by more technical and demanding works on the subject. Dorothee Hughes Carousso, L.H.D., C.G. Editor's note: As a present to grandchildren or nieces and nephews, this book might hatch a clutch of young genealogists. Philadelphia Georgian, The City House of Samuel Powel And Some Of Its Eighteenth-Century Neighbors. By George B. Tatum. Photographs of Philadelphia Architecture by Cortland Van Dyke Hubbard. (Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, Conn. 1976. 187p. Illus. [photogs. and plans]; append., bibliog., notes, index. $17.50) In this well-made and illustrated volume Mr. Tatum gives us all that is known about the Powel House, one of Philadelphia's great eighteenth-century homes as restored after the vicissitudes of nineteenth and twentieth century use and mis-use. His discussion of the house, its history and that of its family, its construction, furnishings and decoration, and the builders and craftsmen who created it, is set in the context of the development of Georgian architecture, especially in Philadelphia, and in relation to other houses anti buildings of that time. The exhaustive, and certainly scholarly, research by eminent contributors has resulted Book Reviews 297 in an honest restoration, documenting the evidence for work done, and acknowledging that which can not be proven, or can only be inferred. The art of architectural restoration has come a long way; the house is there [not removed to a park] and in as near its original state as we can tell. Its furnishings give us a sense of the quality of life in that remote time in that grand [but chilly and inconvenient by our standards] home. There is even a feeling of the neighborhood character in its place among sympathetic buildings. But there are some elements missing, as often in architectural studies: a plot plan showing the conjectural, as well as the actual, back buildings; basement and upper floor plans [they are discussed]; how did the house work, and how did people live in it; how large a staff was needed; where was the wine kept and how was dinner served, and where did visitors leave their hats and coats. We need to know not only what the Powels lived in but how, a knowledge not only of the structural framework of eighteenth-century life, but an understanding of the function, else we we have the Williamsburg picture. Minor criticisms perhaps, and beyond the scope of the study, but matters of important supplementary interest. Mr. Tatum's book is a valuable addition to the growing library on architectural research and restoration techniques. We cannot know too much about our roots, and Philadelphia Georgian feeds this need. James H. Ward, BArch. The Genealogy Department, Source Records From the DAR. Magazine, 1947-1950. Edited by Katie-Prince W. Esker. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore 1975, 690 p. $28.50) This is a facsimile reproduction, repaged, of the Genealogical Department only, taken from the DAR Magazine issues of the title period. The Department was a potpourri of transcribed source material: some census and church records, cemetery inscriptions, deeds, family records, land and marriage records, Revolutionary records, state department and town records, wills and administrations; together with book reviews, family associations and reunion notices, queries and answers, and assorted miscellany. A 17 page 3 column index of "Revolutionary soldiers and patriots" has been provided by Mrs. Esker, along with a six page table of contents to locate the various records mentioned above, but there is no master index to those who were not themselves "DAR eligible ancestors". This is not an easy volume to use but if you have "struck out" in the usual volumes, you just might find something you have looked for here. Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr. F.A.S.G., F.G.S.P. 298 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Pedigrees of Descendants of the Colonial Clergy. Edited by Robert Glenn Thurtle. (Edwards Brothers, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1976. 688 p. Illustrations. $17.50) Each member of the Society of the Colonial Clergy is listed, followed by the qualifying ancestor, and the descent to the member, giving [starting with the second generation, and when known], name of spouse, dates and places of birth, death and marriage. Added are biographical sketches of the colonial clergy. There is a strong emphasis on New England and on ancestors of English origin, typified by the many members descended from such worthies as the Revs. Stephen Bachiller and Peter Bulkeley and Elder William Brewster. Inevitably, some colonial clergy are missing — for example, Rev. John Moore, who has a large qualifying descent. A short introductory history of the Society pays appropriate tribute to its founder, the Reverend Frederick Lewis Weis, known for his many genealogical publications. The preface notes that the 1,850 lineages given here [which fall into three chronological groups of admission] have all been verified and approved by the Society. It is interesting to see how standards have risen through the years, many of the early pedigrees have gaps which could be filled today, but which in their present form could be severely criticized. Strangely, names of wives of the ancestor clergymen are not given. Copies of this excellent Bicentennial contribution can be obtained by writing to Mrs. Harold E. Mayo, 195 Henry Street, Manchester, Conn. 06040, and enclosing a check. Effingham P. Humphrey, Jr. Heraldischer Fiihrer durch Schaffhausen. By Berty Bruckner-Herbstreit. (Lausanne: Verlag der Schweizerischen Heraldischen Gesellschaft, 1958, 83 p. Illustrated, German text. about $2.50) This is Volume II in a series of heraldic guidebooks sponsored by the Swiss Heraldic Society. Anyone interested in the Swiss origins of the Pennsylvania-Germans, particularly the Mennonite families, will find the book very useful in identifying the bourgeois coats of arms for the Baumann [Bowman], Forrer [Feree], Frey, Hoffman, Huber [Hoover], Kinzer, Koch [Cook], Landenberg, Neukomm [Newcomb], Ott, Peyer [Beyer], Schalch, Schmid [Smith], Seigerist, and Ziegler families of Switzerland and Pennsylvania. The author concentrates for the most part on the carved armorial devices displayed under bay windows or over doorways on the historic buildings of Schaffhausen. As the title indicates, the book is meant to be a guide, house-by-house, carving-by-carving, with pertinent dates and Book Reviews 299 personalities, as well as addresses should the reader wish to view the carvings firsthand. A great many of the arms, however, are illustrated or so completely described that a tour is unnecessary. But having used the guide myself, on location, I think it stands up very well against the real thing. It is a very useful tool which should be included in standard reference collections on the Pennsylvania-Germans. William Woys Weaver Thomas McKean, Forgotten Leader of the Revolution. By John M. Coleman. (American Faculty Press, Rockaway, New Jersey. 1975. 822 p. $16.95. American Faculty Press, 44 Lake Shore Drive, Rockaway, N.J. 07866.) Thomas McKean is perhaps not quite as forgotten as the title would suggest. He is commemorated by having a Pennsylvania county named for him, yet this is the first full-blown biography devoted to his career. Overshadowed by the truly great of the Revolutionary period, he was no Franklin or Jefferson, no Adams or Hamilton, yet his contributions to the Revolution were vigorous and extended and concentrated very largely in the Philadelewarean region. It was possible in the 18th century for one man to hold appointment under either Pennsylvania or Delaware, or under both simultaneously in a form of pluralism more noble than practiced in England, for if he held more than one office simultaneously, it was not to his own advancement but to make possible the progress of the cause lie served at moments of crisis. McKean's activity was always intense, nearly all of it in the legislative and political fields and when on the bench, as he was for many years, he pursued an activist program, the Supreme Court in his time being not only judicial but also executive. He had a brief military career at Perth Amboy after the Declaration was signed, coming under fire in one skirmish. He was not successful in winning his enlisted men's admiration, and he added to the burdens borne by General Washington by asking to be instructed as to military precedence of senior officers and senior regiments. The author is hampered by the fact that since McKean was usually close to the center of his world there was no need for him to amass huge piles of correspondence, the helpful sources of those who would write of a Franklin, a Jefferson or an Adams. The book explores all the available resources; documents every statement fully, but we are sorry to say that the hero does not really come alive, a failure often to be found in works on 18th century worthies. In this book Peggy Shippen Arnold is not absolved of blame for her husband's treason. Professor Colman rather naively lectures his reader as to the 18th century use of "ye" for "the." He would have profited by reading the article on the letter Y in the 300 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Oxford Dictionary, and the entry "ye" in 1Vebster's Collegiate where he would have learned that "y" is a derivative of the runic letter "thorn" and has nothing whatever to do with the Greek letter gamma. George E. McCracken, F.A.S.G. From Meetinghouse to Statehouse 1683-1783. By Norma Adams Price. With Descendants of George Gray, Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly. By Mary Stanley Field Liddell. (Historic Delaware County, Inc. 1976. 216 p. Illustrations, appendix, indexes. $12.00.) This is a narrative extension of the book The Hon. George Gray, 4th of Philadelphia: His Ancestors and Descendants, written by Mary S. F. Liddell in 1940. From Meetinghouse to Statehouse, by Norma Adams Price is Part I. of this recent publication. Mrs. Adams begins the story with a young Quaker girl who came to Philadelphia with her parents in 1683. "For Mary Beardsley life in the New World would be a brief sixteen years; for her descendants it would be a century-long journey from the spiritual power of the Quaker meeting house to the temporal power of the Pennsylvania State House where her grandson would preside as Speaker in 1783." She married George Gray, a merchant from the Barbados in 1692. They had three sons; George, Joseph and Samuel before Mary's death in 1699. All three boys received handsome legacies from their Beardsley grandparents. George and Joseph Gray were apprenticed as coopers and Samuel Gray as a saddler. Their father George Gray, known as the "Ancient Friend," died in Barbados in 1718. George Gray, the eldest son, was married soon after reaching his maturity in 1715/16 to Mary Ewen, the widow of Joseph Ewen of Germantown. By 1723 he was operating a ferry over the Schuylkill river, soon known as Gray's Ferry. He and his brother Joseph ran the Lower and Middle ferries for a number of years. At the time of his death in 1748/49 George Gray was the owner of considerable property. His heirs were his widow Mary; George Gray, born in 1725; Mary, the wife of Daniel Syng; and a step-daughter Mary Ewen who married James Coultas. Joseph, the second son of George and Mary Beardsley Gray served an apprenticeship as a cooper, and was successively, a miller in Whitemarsh, keeper of the Middle Ferry and an innkeeper. In 1717 he married Mary Hastings; they were the parents of two daughters and four sons. In 1730 Joseph Gray was living at and operating the Middle Ferry, by 1742 he was at his "House at the Sign of the Conestogoe Stage Wagon, in Market Street," which was later owned by his daughter Mary and her husband Charles Jenkins. The eldest son George, called "the Brewer," to distinguish him from his first cousin, George Gray of Gray's Ferry, married Mercy Warner in 1741. Book Reviews 301 Samuel, the third son of George and Mary Beardsley Gray, married Lydia Coeburn in 1724. In 1728 he sold a property, later known as the Black Bear Inn in Chester; in 1731 he petitioned for a license for the Blew Ball Tavern. Samuel and Lydia Coeburn Gray had three daughters and two sons, one of whom was another George Gray. This second generation of Grays is particularly interesting because of their penchant for innkeeping, and their identification as ferry owners. George Gray of Gray's Ferry, the son of the second generation George, had a 50-year career as ferryman and innkeeper; becoming the Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1783. It was his son, the fourth George Grap who developed Gray's Gardens, at Gray's Ferry, a botanical marvel of its day. Dealing with five generations of George Grays is difficult, and this reviewer's preamble may have developed from the need to sort them out. Unfortunately the chapters in the book jump forward, then backward, through the five Georges and then on to other Grays without a helpful bridge between them. The research is excellent and the results are intresting, but the book needs to be organized. Part I. is lavishly illustrated with facsimiles of documents and family portraits. The Descendants of George Gray, by Mrs. Liddell is Part II. of the book. She begins with the grandson of the first George Gray; George Gray of Gray's Ferry, who married Martha Ibbetson in 1752. The lines of seven of their children are traced to the eighth generation, ending in the 1930s. The Gray name is carried for only one generation before it disappears, but female lines continue with the families of Leiper, Grubb, Knowles, Thomas and Morton. These are 'family records' without documentation. There are separate indices for Parts I. and II. The book is available through Historic Delaware County, Inc. Helen Hutchison Woodroofe Tracing Your Ancestry. By F. Wilbur Helmbold. (Oxmoor House, Birmingham, Ala. 1976. 210 p. Index, illustrated $9.95.) Tracing Your Ancestry Logbook. By F. Wilbur Helmbold. (Oxmoor House, Birmingham, Ala. 1976. 128 p. $3.95.) At first glance this appears to be yet another genealogical handbook, but is soon apparent that it has its own distinct approach. Mr. Helmbold is the head librarian at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and has been Director of Genealogy and Historical Research at that institution since 1965. His personal notes and examples of some problems in genealogical search add new interest to the text. 302 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine The chapter "The Library as a Research Center and a Trap," is extremely helpful to the novice researcher and a good reminder to the more experienced. In the discussion of census records he gives a very clear explanation of the Soundex system which is not found in the older handbooks. He is most instructive on the making of abstracts of legal records, and in this field he spells out the rules of the Campbell, Russell and Cott index systems used in courthouses. More titan the usual amount of information on, as examples, Confederate military records and Indian records is included. There are 32 pages of photographs of documents, maps, and a series of pictures showing how to thread and operate a microfilm reader. An exciting addition to this work is the Logbook, a novel and apparently useful tool. Bound as loose-leaf notebook sheets are the forms for: Ancestor charts, Family Group records, History sheets, Research check lists, Research control records, and U.S. Census forms for 1800/10, 1820, 1830/40, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900. The History sheet provides space for the details of one ancestor's life which is often crowded out of the Family Group sheet. The Research check list is a good way to doublecheck a search using the printed list of the type of sources for each individual researched. The Search control record helps keep track of a number of different searches. The Census forms follow exactly the form of the records for each particular census, a time-saver in the copying of these returns. This reviewer can't wait to start a new project of research with the Logbook in hand. Helen Hutchison Woodroofe The Forefathers and Families of Certain Settlers in Western Pennsylvania. By Wm. Boyd Duff. (pvt. ptd., Pittsburg. 1976. $5.75. $4.25 paperb.) Thirty-four families are covered in this rambling genealogical work. There is a great deal of material on the families but unfortunately it is without footnotes or bibliography. The form is cluttered and sources when given are hard to find in the text. For those interested in Westmoreland or Allegheny County names there are sketches of the Duff, Patterson, Wallace, Boyd, Bryson, Niblock, McKee, Miller, Thomas, Markle, Rothermel Siegfried and Newlon families. Copies may be obtained from James Duff Moore, 6964 Thomas Blvd., Pittsburgh, Penna. 15208. Abstracts (Mainly Deaths) From The Pennsylvania Gazette, 1775-1783. Compiled by Kenneth Scott. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baldmore. 1976. 58 p. Index. paperb. $5.00.) Book Reviews 303 "The Gazette" was published in Philadelphia during the Revolution. The abstracts include some births, twenty-three marriages, six hundred deaths and notices of missing heirs, etc. Although the majority are from Philadelphia and nearby counties, there are some from New Jersey and Delaware. There is an excellent index listing close to 1,200 names. Follmers in Pennsylvania, Descendants of Hans Jakob Vollmar, 1698-1762. By Sarah E. Wilson. (Gateway Press, Inc., Baltimore, 1976. 222 p. Illustrated, index.) The book according to the introduction was written for the author's nieces and nephews. As such it is a very good family history, with a welldesigned genealogical layout of nine generations and many interesting photographs. As a reference source it is sadly lacking in documentation, drawing heavily on various histories of Lycoming and Northumberland counties and family records. The second generation of Vollmar/Follmers is represented by three sons of the progenitor. Philadelphia —The Federalist City, A Study of Urban Politics, 1789.1801. By Richard G. Miller. (Kennikat Press, Port Washington, N. Y. 1976. 192 p. Index. $12.95.) Professor Miller's study of Philadelphia's social structure and political leadership should be of interest to students of eighteenth-century families. His analysis of various wards and occupations in the city provide a 'fleshing-out of genealogical bones' in relation to a man's economic status and his choice of a political party. The merchant-gentry constituted a large proportion of the leadership of the Federalist party, while the middle-class artisans found greater opportunities in the Republican party. Familiar Philadelphia names abound in the book, making one believe that the political picture could add another dimension to genealogical research. Index to the 1850 Census of Pennsylvania: Berks County. By Elizabeth Petty Bentley. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore. 1976. 106 p. paperb. $7.50.) A surname index of almost 7,000 entries with code numbers keyed to the borough or township and to house numbers within these divisions. This is the fifth of Mrs. Bentley's helpful indexes to the 1850 census on microfilm. A Guide to the Microfilm Publication of The Papers of The Pennsylvania Abolition Society at The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Prepared by Jeffrey Nordlinger Bumbrey. (Historical Society of Pennsylvania Publication. 1976. 68 p. paperb. $3.00.) 304 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine This is a collection of minutes, correspondence, financial papers, manumissions, indentures and miscellaneous material of The Pennsylvania Abolition Society whirls have been placed on microfilm. The Guide lists the contents of 32 reels of film available at $3.00 each. Examples of interest to genealogists might include: Manumissions, Indentures, etc. — Stephen Hammond v. David McCan (kidnapping of Hammond's slaves, Hannah and Fanny), Cecil Co., Md. 1801. — a Subscription list for "the purpose of redeeming a Coloured man named John Stanley, alias Joseph Wilson, his wife and their three children from slavery." — Miscellaneous materials relating to slave ships, 1786-99. One suspects there is a wealth of material here, and it is most timely with the publication of Alex Haley's Roots, an important book which traces the family of an African slave so successfully that it is sure to generate new interest in the subject. Both Societies are to be congratulated for this valuable contribution. History of Ephrata. By Milton H. Heinicke. Arranged for publication by Ralph M. Hartranft. (The Historical Society of Cocalico Valley. 1975. 12 booklets. $1.25 each.) The twelve booklets in this series of history and reminiscences of Ephrata, Pennsylvania offer a wide variety of historical information. A brief description of each follows: I. Land grants; the beginnings of The Cloister. II. Life at The Cloister; the Eckerlin family; mills in the area. III. The work of the Solitary Brothers and Sisters. IV. Holidays and traditions in Ephrata. V. Life among the Pennsylvania Germans. VI. The Cloister Mills. VII. A list of deaths of the Seventh Day Baptist, ranging from ca. 1729 to ca. 1926, showing some family relationships and listing "Church Names" of some individuals. VII. Suppl. Lists of Seventh Day Baptists at Ephrata. VIII. The Indians in the old and new worlds. IX. Conrad Weiser's part in the French and Indian war; a short list of the Cloister congregation in 1770. X. Way of life of the Pennsylvania Germans in the 19th and 20th centuries. XI. History and reminiscences. Names of Foreigners Who Took The Oath of Allegiance to the Province and State of Pennsylvania, 1725-1775, With Foreign Arrivals, 17861808. Edited by William Henry Egle. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore. 1976. 787 p. Index. $25.00.) This is a reissue of immigrant lists published in the Pennsylvania Archives, 2nd Ser., XVII (1890) . A collection of passenger lists, mostly from Rotterdam, giving the full name of the immigrant, including all males over sixteen years of age. In some cases the names and ages of wives and children. Book Reviews 305 The index contains about 35,000 names, however it is reprinted in the original form listing names alphabetically by the first two letters. It is unfortunate that some time and money were not spent for a properly revised index. Since only surnames are listed and spellings take many forms, the researcher has a difficult time locating desired names. Early Pennsylvania Land Records: Minutes of the Board of Property of the Province of Pennsylvania. Edited by William Henry Egle. With a New Foreword by Dr. George E. McCracken. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore. 1976. 787 p. Index. $25.00.) Soon after William Penn was granted the land now known as Pennsylvania he offered "rights" to purchasers in England who then received warrants proving their right to a specified number of acres. Upon coming to Pennsylvania the purchasers selected land that had not yet been taken up and applied for a survey, and then a patent. All property claims were reviewed by the Board of Property. The Minutes of the Board of Property were originally edited by Dr. Egle in 1893 as Volume XIX of the Second series of the Pennsylvania Archives. They begin with the session of 13/3rd month 1687 and end with the session of 30/3rd month 1732. Thousands of people are named as owners or tenants. As Dr. McCracken has noted, "This is not a work of abstracting, for the whole of the information has been transcribed." The book is invaluable for early Pennsylvania research. Early Pennsylvania Births, 1675.1875. Compiled by Charles A. Fisher. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore. [1947], reprinted 1975. 107 p. paperb. $7.50.) Church records of predominately German families. Specifically in Snyder County: Row's [Rev's] or Salem Lutheran Church, Penn Twsp.; Zion [Mores] Lutheran Church, Freeburg; Grubb's [Botachaft] Lutheran Church, Chapman Twsp.; Graybill Cemetery, West Perry Twsp. Union County: Dreisbach's Lutheran and Reformed Church, Buffalo Valley; St. Elias Lutheran Church, Miffiinburg. Northumberland County: Himmel's Lutheran Church, southern part of the county; Stone Valley Lutheran Church, southern part of the county; Fisher's Ferry Cemetery; Zion [Moselem] Lutheran Church, Richmond Twsp.; Christ [Tulpehocken] Lutheran Church, Stouchsburg. Juniata County: St. Paul's Cemetery, Susquehanna Twsp, Lebanon County: Old Cemetery, Trinity [Tulpehocken] Reformed Church, Millardsville. In addition there are almost 3,000 "Eastern Pennsylvania Births," appearing in family groups and giving the name of the father. Revolutionary Incidents of Queen's County, N.Y. By Henry Onderdonk, Jr. Foreword and new index by Harriet Stryker-Rodda, C.C. (Polyanthos Inc., New Orleans. 1976. 70 p. paperb. $10.00.) 306 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Originally published in 1884 as an addition to Onderdonk's Revolutionary Incidents of Suffolk and Kings County. A collection of newspaper items, town records, journals, letters and legal documents dating from 1775 to 1784. It is well indexed by names and topics. A quick check of names listed reveals many entries for well-known Long Island families of this period. The items are interesting to read and give a picture of the times as well as having genealogical value. Missouri Land Claims. With a new index by Patricia Chadwell, and an introduction by Anton Pregaldin. (Polyanthos, Inc., New Orleans, 1976. 421 p. paperb. $17.50.) Originally printed by the Government Printing Office in 1835. A board of commissions was appointed by the government to consider claims under Spanish grants to the ownership of Missouri land; the board sat from 1808 to 1812, and issued 1,342 confirmation certificates. There is a great deal of genealogical information here giving family relationships, occupations, details of property, often indications of age, death etc. Some Early Records of Morris County, New Jersey 1740-1799. Edited by Harriet Stryker-Rodda, C.G. (Polyanthos Inc., New Orleans. 1975. 225 p. Index. paperb. $12.50.) To fill the gap in early Morris County records The Morris County Archives Publications Committee is encouraging publication of primary sources for the county. Records cover the period 1740 to 1799, and are from the first three townships set up in the county, Morris, Hanover and Pequanock. Records covered include lists of "ear marks," abstracts from "Poor Record," tavern licenses, lists of strays, tax ratables, poll lists, military commissions, freeholders etc. The book is well printed and the material is introduced by explanatory notes. Ridgway, Lily of the Valley, 1824-1974. A Sesquicentennial History of Ridgway, Pennsylvania. Edited and compiled by Alice L. Wessman and Harriet Faust. (Ridgway Publishing Co. 1974. 273 p. Illustrated. paperb. $7.00.) This publication traces the history of the town of Ridgway in Elk County, Pennsylvania. With articles on pioneers and their descendants this is a typical town history. Six Generation Ancestor Tables. Bicentennial Project, Book I. (Central New York Genealogical Society, Syracuse, New York 1976. 127 p. Index. paperb. $3.00.) There are 96 ancestor tables of members of the Central New York Genealogical Society presented following the Jacobus format. The publication of additional ancestor charts is projected.