Book Reviews

REVIEWS Acta Germanopolis: Records of the Corporation of Germantown, Pennsylvania, 1691—1707. By J. M. Duffin. Colonial Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 2008. xxviii+671 pages, maps, photograph, index, hardbound. $75.00, plus $5.00 postage and handling. Order from Diane Publishing, PO Box 617, Darby, PA 19023-0617, www.dianepublishing.net (currently shipping is free if ordered from website). This long-awaited publication of all records of the Germantown corporation is a great boon to researchers. The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania contributed to the book’s publication. The Publisher’s Foreword states (page xxvii) that the project was sponsored in part by a grant of $5,000 from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and by sales and distribution services provided by the Genealogical Society. This is incorrect. The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania gave substantial financial support and has nothing to do with sales and distribution. The Foreword by Don Yoder reviews the historiography concerning Germantown. However, it does not mention the seminal–and very readable–work by Hannah Benner Roach, “The Back Part of Germantown: A Reconstruction,” originally published in volume 20 of the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine in 1956, and reproduced by the Society in 2001 as part of its monograph series, with additional notes and comments by Jefferson M. Moak. Nor does it mention the 1999 publication, familiar to genealogists, also edited by Moak, of the 1909 translation by Marion Dexter Learned of the Grund- und Lager- Buch, although this is mentioned in a footnote in the General Background section (page 46). Researchers should read carefully the General Background section to understand the settlement of Germantown and the founding and demise of the corporation. Oddly, Duffin indicates that among the early immigrants were “several New World Dutch families” (whatever those are), then names in the footnote a number of French Huguenot families (page 12). Genealogists will note that some of the citations are to older, undocumented genealogies that need to be treated with caution. The bulk of the book is the text of the records, usually given first in their entirety as transcripts, followed by a translation (which does not include a translation of the Latin; a glossary of common Latin terms is found on page 62). The records include the Charter (English); Gesetzbuch [Law Book] (German; translation); Raths Buch [General Court Book] (German; translation); Court of Record Book (English); Grund382 Final copy (28 October, 2008) Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 45 (2008) 2008 Reviews 383 und Lager- Buch [Terrier] (German; translation). There are also many useful lists and supplemental documents in the introduction and appendices. There are two caveats to using the index: Dutch patronymics are misunderstood (for example, Lamber Gerrits, son of Gerrit Hendrix [page 296], is incorrectly identified as Lambert Hendricks de Wees instead of Lambert Gerrits de Wees), and women are identified with their maiden names, although no information about the maiden name is in the volume (in at least one instance, the identification is likely incorrect). For any researcher with an interest in early Germantown, this volume is a must. Fraziers of Roney’s Point, West Virginia: Ten Generations on the National Road. By Mark Frazier Lloyd. Frazier Family, Philadelphia, 2008. xxi+659 pages, photographs, index, hardbound. $50.00, postage and handling included. Order from the author, 6835 Gorsten Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119-1431. The preface to this beautifully published volume tells a story familiar to many genealogists. The author’s research began by tracing his own ancestry back to the immigrant. He benefited from his grandfather’s interest in genealogy (and his grandmother’s wisdom in keeping his family papers after his death). Along the way, he met other Frazier researchers in other branches of the family, and the project became one of Frazier descendants of the immigrant. (No attempt is made to trace the families of three daughters of the immigrant, but daughters in later generations are sometimes followed.) It is interesting to see how family reunions greatly shaped the scope of this book. The immigrant, David Frazer, settled first in what is now Adams County, Pennsylvania, by 1750 (possibly as early as 1738); moving to Washington County in 1779, where he died two years later. Only one of his sons, Samuel, married and had descendants. Samuel moved to Roney’s Point about 1785. The author’s line later settled in Frazeysburg, Muskingum County, Ohio. The family was generally prosperous, and several times sketches in “mug book” county histories proved helpful in providing information about migrations and family connections. Each of the twenty-five chapters identifies the family covered with their places of residence. Although a nonstandard numbering system and organization is used, it is easy to move up or down the lineage via the excellent index, which includes birth and death years for individuals, as well as references to places and publications. Another feature of this genealogy that researchers will greatly appreciate is the 150 pages of appendices with full transcripts of numerous documents. Final copy (28 October, 2008) 384 Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 45 “Beyond the Blue Mountains”: Bartholomew Pastoral Records; Baptisms, Births, Marriages, Funerals; Carbon County, Lehigh County, Schuylkill County, and Northampton County, Pennsylvania. By Carolyn Zimmerman Johns. Heritage Books, Westminster, Md., 2008. xi+206 pages, index, paper. $29.00, $7.00 postage and handling. Order from the publisher, 100 Railroad Ave., Suite 104, Westminster, MD 21157. 800-876-6103; fax: 800588-6574; www.HeritageBooks.com.; tax: 5% for Maryland residents Ministerial records are a valuable resource that are too infrequently published. The Rev. Abraham Bartholomew was born in 1833 in Northampton County. He received his first church charge in 1861, eventually serving a total of nine congregations in four counties. Ill health forced him to resign in 1894, at which time he was simultaneously serving six churches. Until his death in 1903, he continued to perform baptisms, marriages, and funerals, a total in his lifetime of 1,968 baptisms, 1,191 marriages, and 1,360 funerals. He kept his records in tabular format, none of which indicate the congregation. Almost all baptisms include date of birth and maiden name of the mother; some baptisms include the name of sponsors. Marriages include residence of the bride and groom. Almost all deaths include precise age at death. The author has given each entry a line number, which is used in the index for easy reference. These records are available on Family History Library microfilm, #940,437. Originally published in 2001, this book did not receive broad distribution. This recent reprint makes it more accessible. ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS 44:308. (“The Henninger Family of Berks, Northampton, and Lehigh Counties, including Christian1 Henninger of Nova Scotia”). Add child of Johann Jacob Henninger, mother uncertain: Catherine Henninger, named in her father’s will as his daughter and mother of illegitimate daughter, Elizabeth Swander[?]. 44:20. (“Connections between Bischweiler, Alsace, and America in the 1700s”). To the passengers from Bischweiler on the Phoenix, arriving 22 November 1752, add Bernhard Zendmeyer, who settled in Warwick Township, Lancaster County. Final copy (28 October, 2008)