Book Reviews

Book Reviews American & British Genealogy & Heraldry. A selected list of books. Compiled by P. William Filby. Second edition. (American Library Association, Chicago, 1976. 467 p. Index. $25.00) If there is one thing a librarian of genealogical and historical interests needs, it is a good bibliography, and Mr. Filby's work is a valiant effort in this direction. Certainly this is not, nor would it be possible for it to be a complete list of the important works under various headings listed, however the index is not perfect, and to this reviewer the selections pose a few questions. For example we find a listing of Frederick Lewis Weis' useful The Colonial Clergy of the Middle Colonies, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, published in 1957, but no reference to his three earlier and better volumes: The Colonial Clergy and the Colonial Churches of New England, (1936); The Colonial Clergy of Maryland, Delaware and Georgia (1950) and The Colonial Clergy of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina (1955) the first of which is by far his best piece of work. And though his Ancestral Roots of Sixty New England Colonists is listed, the fact that the 4th edition is a compilation of the 1st and 2nd editions, corrigenda separately published, as was the Supplement, this is not noted in the text. The Magna Charta Surities, 1215 (1955) are listed only under the name of the Reverend Dr. Arthur Adams, whose name Weis added as co-author but who did participate in his labors. Mr. Filby's comments on his selections are often puzzling. His one sentence description of The Colonial Genealogist and The Augustin would lead the reader to assume that all descents printed in these publications were "well documented", which is not the case. Not only have some odd and easily noted errors appeared but some of the references cited by contributors have been less than reliable. His notes on Weis' Ancestral Roots, on the other hand, include the sentence "not considered authoritative and must be used with care". When this appraisal appeared in his first edition, on question, Mr. Filby stated that this evaluation had been given him by Donald Lines Jacobus in the 1960s. However, what Mr. Jacobus had said turned out to be that all pedigree compilations are unauthoritative and must be used with care. Therefor why is not this same warning applied to other similar works? Mr. Jacobus and the Fellows of the American Society of Genealogists had actually stated that in fact Dr. Weis' book was by far the best of such works that had appeared 125 Book Reviews 126 up to that time, even though it contained many errors, since the sources for all statements made were given, and the reader could therefor verify and appraise every statement as to filiation and date. Compare for instance, von Redlich (277) which had quite a following but which cites no sources whatever, or the volumes of Wurts which contain imagination, wishful thinking and contradictions happily intermingled with fact, and d'Angerville, whose books contain pedigrees of varying worth supplied by his subjects, some annotated, some without source references. Strangely, Mr. Filby makes no similar warning comment in his entry on Weis' other pedigree volume, The Magna Charta Sureties, 1215, which was hastily assembled toward the end of the author's life, it is of considerable lesser scholarship, largely without evidential citations and is far less reliable. For some reason Charles Briger's Index to Printed Pedigrees is listed in two places, (35) under Records, Guides, Indexes-United States, though it covers only United Kingdom volumes, and under Pedigrees and Family History-England (4177). In the first reference he makes the comment. "Still not superceded. Other works update to a certain extent, but Bridger's details are often better." When reprints of this work came off the press many reviewers noted the new availability of this century-old reference but did not generally concur with Mr. Filby's assessment. The listing of the new edition of The Complete Peerage (4491) fails to advise the uninformed that this series is by far the most authoritative and trustworthy of all peerage works in print, its only drawback being a lack of information regarding cadet lines. Regarding Sims' Index to the Pedigrees and Arms (4184) the reader should be warned that though this volume is extremely useful there are many omissions, and many misprints, so that folio numbers sometimes appear in error. Those using it at the British Museum should supply the whole entry, so that the attendants who have corrected copies can assist in finding the right manuscript. The periodical series listed under this section, and probably under some others, are totally inadequate. The classifications used by Mr. Filby are also obscure. Wurts' Magna Charta volumes appear under Royal, though they deal with the nobility rather than royalty, while Weis' Magna Charta Sureties, which does contain a few royal lines is classified under General. The Welcome Society publication no. I, Passengers and Ships Prior to 1684 is classified under Pennsylvania despite the fact that it covers all British shipping to the Delaware prior to 1684, and prior to 1681 almost all the immigrants listed settled in New Jersey or Delaware rather than Pennsylvania. His last line in the appraisal of this book reads "Supercedes entries in Lancour. Lancour is classified under United States-Immigration, but the Lancour listing does not cite this volume, though Mr. Filby states it supercedes some of its entries. 127 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Despite the unevenness of the subject work, it is a very important, and a one-of-its-kind aid to library work in the title field. With the rapid multiplication of genealogical works, one hopes that a third, and considerably larger edition will appear within the decade containing some reappraisals and more complete listings. Walter Lee Sheppard Passengers To America. A Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists from The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Edited by Michael Tepper. (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1977. 554 p. Index. $17.50) This consolidation of ship passenger lists includes all the lists published by The New England Historical and Genealogical Register as cited in Lancour's Bibliography of Ship Passenger Lists in 1965. The book will be of great value to those who are unable to find the full run of the Register on their library shelves. Twenty-three lists are reprinted, the earliest of the Mayflower, and the rest are mainly of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The largest group of lists is Gerald Fothergill's Emigrants from England, comprising over one hundred pages of the book. In addition there are twelve miscellaneous lists. There is much here to help the genealogical searcher, most frequently the passenger's age is given and family groups are listed. In the Fothergill lists occupation and place of origin and destination are recorded. Most of the immigrants were British or Irish, who sailed from British ports to Boston or New York. There are many 'bound for Virginia", however with seventeenth century lists this may often be taken to mean New England. For the experienced researcher this is a handy source, but for the neophyte there are hazards. The "Passengers of the May Flower" was published in the first volume of the Register in 1847. Of the 103 passengers believed to have been aboard, according to recent research, this list enumerates only 77 of these. Errors which have long since been corrected are reprinted here, creating a pitfall for the inexperienced. As an example, it is stated that John Howland married Elizabeth Carver, the daughter of John Carver; but Elizabeth Tilley, who was in fact his wife, is not even listed. In "Passengers For New England, 1638" there is an error that caused this reviewer to spend many hours of frustrating search a few years ago to find the place Gowsham, Oxfordshire, the home of John Binson (Benson). Finally stumbling on the corrections relating to the article printed three years later, it was found to be Caversham, Oxfordshire. Fortunately, this correction is printed with the original list. There are over 18,000 persons named in this collection of ship passenger lists, and great credit must be given to Elizabeth Petty Bentley for providing an excellent, and much needed, index. Helen Hutchison Woodroofe Book Reviews 128 Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania. Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and many of the Early Settled Families. Originally published in 1893, by J. H. Beers and Co., Chicago. (Reprinted in 1976, under the patronage of The Genealogical Society of Southwestern Pennsylvania, by Polyanthos, Inc., New Orleans. 1486 p. $35.00) As a genealogical stepping-stone volumes such as this are invaluable. They provide the first clues necessary to beginning a family search, for buried here are the places of residence, names of children, dates of birth, occupations, church affiliations and dates of death. Of course there is no documentation of these facts, but from these contemporary records it is possible to find the original vital records. There are over 2,000 biographies giving place of origin and family members. The greatest drawback is the index, which lists only the names of the biographical subjects. This is true of all volumes of this type, and it is hoped that computerization will someday provide complete indices for all county histories. An Every-Name Index To Boucher And Hedley's Old And New WestMoreland County, Pennsylvania. By Von Gail Hamilton. (Hamilton Computer Service, Box 936, Park City, Utah 84060. 75 p. paperb. $25.00) A computerized index of the book published originally by the American Historical Society in 1918 consisting of four volumes. The names of 20,600 persons are given. The type is highly readable. One very helpful feature is the inclusion of maiden name in the listing of married women. Massachusetts Officers in the French and Indian Wars 1748-1763. Edited by Nancy S. Voye. (The New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 1975. 372 p. paperb. $8.95) The combined effort of The Society of Colonial Wars in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Archives Division and The New England Historic Genealogical Society has produced a most valuable abstract of the muster rolls of militia officers who served in the Indian wars of the mid-eighteenth century. The 6,611 names have been arranged alphabetically giving— the rank of officer — residence — military expedition — year of service — length of service — company and regiment. This should be of enormous help to researchers who previously had to wade through rolls in Volumes 91-99 in the Massachusetts Archives for information. Descriptive List of The Map Collection In the Pennsylvania State Archives. A Catalogue of Maps in the Principal Map Collection (MG 11). Compiler: Martha L. Simonetti. Editors: Donald H. Kent, Harry 129 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine E. Whipkey. (Pennsylvania Historical And Museum Commission, Harrisburg 1976. 178 p. checklist $6.00) This is a descriptive list of maps in the Division of Archives and Manuscripts in the Pennsylvania State Archives. There are almost twentyfive hundred Pennsylvania maps from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Some trace railways, roads and canals, others show details of cities, townships and counties. There are maps of geology, topography, rivers and streams, military campaigns and battlefields. Guide to the Manuscript Groups In the Pennsylvania Slate Archives. Compiled and Edited by Harry E. Whipkey. (Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, 1976. 138 p. Index. $6.00) A description of manuscript groups (MG's) in the Pennsylvania State Archives, which span a period of more than three hundred years. Papers relating to prominent Pennsylvania families; political, religious, educational, military activities, commercial and industrial enterprises. There are county records, diaries and journals, minute books, autograph collections, letters, account books, etc. The entries appear to give a detailed description of the items in each collection. Guide to the Published Archives Of Pennsylvania. By Henry Howard Eddy and Martha L. Simonetti. (Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, 1976. 91 p. paperb. $2.00) The second printing of the book published in 1949 covering the 138 volumes of Colonial Records and Pennsylvania Archives, Series I-IX. This contains a brief outline of the nine series of the archives; an alphabetical finding list; an index of maps and portraits; an index to diaries and journals, and a history of the publication of the series. The three volumes published by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission may be ordered from the Commission, Box 1026, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120. A Guide To Foreign Genealogical Research. A Selected Bibliography of Printed Material with Addresses. Compiled by Maralyn A. Wellauer. Can be ordered from the author at 3239 North 58th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53216. $10.50. The book attempts to cover genealogical sources in 64 foreign countries, from Africa to Yugoslavia, citing printed directories, guides, surname information, biographies, archives, vital statistics registration, societies and general information. In some cases records of a country have minimal listings, in others quite extensive information is provided. Germany, for example, stretches to 40 pages covering East and West Germany with extensive coverage of church records, archives, military records and a long list of genealogical societies. An interesting addition are the tables of commonly used genealogical terms in several languages, namely: Danish and Norwegian; Dutch; German; Swiss and Austrian; and French.