Book Reviews

Book Reviews The Pennsylvania German Fraktur of The Free Library of Philadelphia: An Illustrated Catalogue. Compiled by Frederick S. Weiser & Howell J. Heaney: (The Pennsylvania German Society, Breinigsville, Pennsylvania & The Free Library of Philadelphia, 1976, n.p., 1021 numbered items, $50.00.) This superb study of Fraktur, Pennsylvania German manuscript art, the product of several years of fruitful cooperation between Philadelphia's Free Library and the Pennsylvania German Society, is essentially a picture book, with well reproduced plates, in color in the first volume and black and white in the second, of over one thousand individual pieces of Fraktur. What makes this treatment of Fraktur different from its predecessors is the complete translation of the texts, which enables the modern American, without knowledge of German, to understand at last the clouds of German script in which most of these documents center. For genealogists the volumes furnish an exciting new source of genealogical data, since most Fraktur pieces relate to the individuals for whom they were made. The Vorschrift, for example, was often given as a gift by the country school-master who penned it to a schoolchild, who is frequently named. Most valuable is the Taufscheine or baptismal certificate, which often furnishes the name of the child, complete names of parents, including the mother's maiden name, date of birth, place of birth, date of baptism, name of officiating minister, and names of godparents, as well as the sign of the zodiac under which the child was born. For Pennsylvania genealogists searching for missing data about their families, or illustrative material for their printed genealogies, the carefully prepared indexes become an important new place to search. These include a General Index of Personal and Place Names; an Index of Artists and Scriveners; and Index of Printers, Engravers, Lithographers and Publishers; and an Index of Watermarks. The twenty-one page, double-column Introduction in the first volume by Frederick S. Weiser, sets Fraktur in its historical and cultural setting concisely and attractively, focusing upon the Pennsylvania German folkculture as matrix. The Foreword by Millard E. Gladfelter, Chancellor of Temple University, emphasizes the work's contribution to the American Bicentennial. Both the Philadelphia Free Library and the Pennsylvania German Society deserve high praise for making these unique materials available to Pennsylvania historians and genealogists. Don Yoder 200 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 201 Famous and Curious Cemeteries: A Pictorial, Historical, and Anecdotal View of American and European Cemeteries and the Famous and Infamous People Who Are Buried There. By John Francis Marion. (Crown Publishers Inc. New York, 1977. 268 p. 256 Photographs, index. $12.95.) A fascinating and most unique study of cemeteries throughout the world. It is so packed with information, history, and anecdotes, that one scarcely knows where to begin reading, the temptation is to keep flipping the pages as one after another intriguing fact or photograph catches the eye. The first section of the book covers cemeteries in Europe and the West Indies. Beginning with Pere-Lachaise in Paris, which was established in 1804, coinciding with Napoleon's decree banning burials in, or just outside of places of worship. Hundred and hundreds of noted persons are buried here; some of the Bonapartes, Sarah Bernhart, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, as well as many of France's great artists and writers. The romantic Highgate Cemetery in London, planned in 1839, with "Parks, Walks, Avenues, Roads, Trees, Shrubs, and Plantations as may be thought necessary." Here are buried the Rossetti's, as well as Karl Marx. The ancient burial place of kings, Reilig Odhrain on the "sacred isle" of Iona, a remote and historic spot. It is said that there are more kings buried here than in Westminster Abbey. Many Italian cemeteries are included, of these the Protestant Cemetery in Rome, famous for the graves of Keats and Shelly; and the Cimitero di Staglieno in Genoa, where there are many realistic sculptures of the dead. In sharp contrast to these graveyards is the Novo-Devichy Cemetery near Red Square in Moscow. The seventeenth century Jew's Burial Ground on the island of Nevis, has recently been rededicated. The American section of the book covers in great detail the three famous nineteenth century cemeteries, Mount Auburn in Cambridge; Greenwood in Brooklyn; and our own Laurel Hill in Philadelphia, were the forerunners of the natural landscape cemeteries. Last October Mr. Marion led a group from the Genealogical Society on a tour of Laurel Hill. His vast store of information about the monuments and mausoleums captivated his audience. Thirty-six cemeteries in all parts of the country are described here, from historic Trinity Churchyard in New York, to Forest Lawn Memorial Park in California. All of this group are illustrated by many interesting photographs. The section on American Military Cemeteries Overseas is a poignant experience, from Flanders Field American Cemetery and the MeuseArgonne American Cemetery of World War I, to the Cambridge American Cemetery and Normandy American Cemetery of World War II, among the twenty-two featured. Mr. Marion has made a great contribution to the cause of preservation by illustrating the historical and artistic significance of these cemeteries. In the final section of the book there are short descriptions of many di- 202 Book Reviews verse and interesting burial grounds throughout the world. Among those listed are thirty-four in Pennsylvania and fourteen in New Jersey. Notice should be given to the excellent bibliography. Helen Hutchison Woodroofe Johannes Schwalm the Hessian. Edited by G. Paul Moser and Kenneth S. Jones. The Johannes Schwalm Historical Association. (Precision Printers, Inc. Millville, Pennsylvania, 1976. 296 p. $20.00.) Among the most charming of the Pennsylvania German contributions to Bicentennial genealogy is this book on the background and descendants of the Hessian soldier, Johannes Schwalm, born 1749 at Merzhausen, in the Schwalm Valley of Hesse; died in 1834 in Lower Mahantango Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. For the Hegins and Mahantango Valley areas of Western Schuylkill County, with adjoining parts of Dauphin and Northumberland Counties, this book is a treasure trove. Not only does it include a thorough genealogy and history of the descendants of the emigrant, but it offers concise genealogical chapters on related or allied families, Resh, Bobb, Stein, Coleman, Klinger and Schmeltz. It appears that this three-county area was a favored settlement for Hessian soldiers after the Revolution. Among the Hessian families represented are Schmeltz, Dietz, Stang, Stein, Bohner (Bahnert), Dockey, Less- man (Sessman), A lleman, Hensyl, Dornsile, Bachman, Ossman, Gessner and Yund. The editors, assisted by a great many individuals from the family, and European genealogists, have done a superior job of presenting the history of the Hessian participation in the Revolution, and the settlement of these Hessians in Pennsylvania. Excellent chapters describe the area of emigration, the Schwalm Valley, with maps and photographs of towns, buildings, and persons in the folk costume of the area. For the Pennsylvania history of the families, the book is a veritable photo album, not only good portrait photographs of family members, but also farm scenes, broadsides, surveys and maps of family properties, Taufscheins, confirmation certificates and facsimiles of English and German wills, inventories and letters. The book closes with a valuable contribution to Pennsylvania social history during the Civil War era, the correspondence of Sergeant Samuel Schwalm and his wife Elizabeth of Hegins. These letters not only reflect the trauma of the Civil War in one Pennsylvania family, but are also excellent sources of the trauma many Pennsylvania Dutchmen faced in learning to write English. One letter ends, "i cant rite mure fur dis time excuse my bat riding and mistakes so mutch fon your wife elizabeth dont fur get to rite often." A charming, well edited, historically important book this is indeed, and it should go far to dispel any lingering doubts about the value of the Hessian contingent among the Pennsylvania Germans. Don Yoder The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 203 To Their Heirs Forever. By Eula C. Lapp. (Belleville, Ontario: Mika Publishing Company, 1977. 396 p. 320.00.) For the history of the Palatines of 1709, this book is extremely useful. It is a revised, enlarged, and hardcover edition of a paperback of 314 pages published at Picton, Ontario, by the Picton Gazette Publishing Company in 1970. The Palatine story is complex. Some of the Palatines that camped at Blackheath near London in 1709 were sent to County Limerick, Ireland, where some of their descendants are still living; others were transported to the New York colony, whence many of them later came to Pennsylvania, settling the Tulpehocken Valley; still others came directly to Pennsylvania, including the Clemens, Mylin, LeDee, Kuhlewein, and Joder families. This book deals with a group of Limerick Palatines, who during the course of their stay in Ireland were converted to Methodism, and under Philip Embury and Barbara Heck helped to plant the first Methodist church in the northern United States, in New York City, in the 1760's. During the Revolution many of these Irish Palatine families left their homes in the Camden Valley of Charlotte County, for Upper Canada (Ontario), where their descendants are still found. These families were the Biningers, Detlors, Duimages, Emburys, Hecks, Hoffmans, Lawrences, Millers, Sparlings, and Switzers. The author traces the backgrounds of these families in the Palatinate, their life in County Limerick, in New York City, in the Camden Valley, and in Ontario, using every source available — church records, official documents, 18th century newspapers, memoirs, and family letters. The book is well illustrated with portraits, photographs of sites and settlements in Europe and North America, broadsides and documents. An appendix traces the European origins and traditions of the families, and information on the original spelling of the hibernicized family names: Schweitzer (Switzer), Hack (Heck), Lorentz (Lawrence), Rocked (Ruche', Ruckle, Ruttle), Dolmetsch (Delmage, Delmege, Dulmage), Imberger (Amberg, Embury), Dedler (Detlor), Hippman (Hoffman), and Sperling (Sparhng). Don Yoder American Genealogical Resources in German Archives (AGRIGA): A Handbook. By Clifford Neal Smith 8c Anna Piszezan-Czaja Smith. (Verlag Dokumentation, Publishers, Munchen, Germany, 1977. 336 p. DM 98.) A companion volume to The Encyclopedia of German-American Genealogical Research published by R. R. Bowker Company in 1976. This Handbook is devoted to the primary source materials of German-American genealogical interest to be found in the archives of Germany. It is noted that the Handbook is by no means a complete archival source since the archives of most noble estates and small community archives, as well as the records of East Germany are not included. 204 Book Reviews Entries are arranged in three separate indexes .The first is the Name Index, made up mainly of persons who have been the subjects of police surveillance, political or criminal, or wards of the state, either as convicts, orphans, or indigents or those who were heirs to estates, either in the United States or Germany. The entries are listed as they appear in card catalogs. A random sampling follows: ACKER, Heinrich (from Edenkofen; killed [in action?] in America) Petition of Acker, teamster's widow in Edenkofen [Germany] for issuance of a death certificate for her son 1866 HARDENBERG family (of Einbeck, NL) Genealogical studies regarding KESSLER, ---- (from Heerda [Germany]) Emigration of Kessler family to America 1847-1854 ROETHER, Johann Joachim (mason) Expulsion from Hamburg as Social Democrat Sc emigrant to America 1880-1881 SCHREINER, Elizabeth, widow of Jakob Hartmann, born Lang (died in Port Washington, Ohio) 1901 Estate of von SEEBISCH, -•- (major; Third English-Waldeck Regiment) Courtmartial for breaches in service 1782 SPANGENBERG, - (member Moravian Brethren; in Germany & America) Letters during four trips to America 1736-1762 Letters & memorandum from Pennsylvania to [Count] Zinzendorf & Johannes von Watteville 1751-1760; 1753-1755; Miscellanea from Pennsylvania 1742-1756; 1753.1789 The Geographic Index covers both German and American places. Examples: ALLENSBACH (village; Landkreis Konstanz) Emigration fifiles 1865-1868; 1883-1912; 1900-1931 BORNHEIMER BERG? Emigrations to Nova Scotia & Pennsylvania 1752 CINCINNATI (Ohio) German Consulate for Ohia, Indiana, Illinois, & Wisconsin: Legal affairs, estates, etc. 1876-1893 PENNSYLVANIA (state) Data on a number of women, children, Sc movable property taken to the "Island of Pennsylvania" by emigrants 16 Mar 1709 PHILADELPHIA (Pennsylvania) List of Hamburg ships in the port of Philadelphia 1864 The Subject covers the American Revolution with numerous entries, among these are muster rolls, lists of deserters, and lists of wounded and dead. Various religious groups are included, as are some World War II records. The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 205 The listings appear to have been assembled from a project started in 1958, The German Society for American Studies at the University of Cologne. The result has been a still-unpublished eleven-part typescript entitled Americans in German Collections, known as ADS. Copies of this study are available in only two places in this country, The Library of Congress and the Newberry Library in Chicago. The Handbook gives the address where copies of the entries may be obtained in Germany. For those searching for German records this may well prove to be a very important source and should certainly be consulted by all those interested. The Handbook is available at The Library of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, although it should prove to be a valuable adjunct to individual genealogists personal libraries. Helen Hutchison Woodroofe The Trace Your Own Roots Workbook. By Norman Brown. (Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, New York 1978. 92 p. paperback. Illustrations. $8.95.) It is hard to believe that there was ever a day when popular books on Genealogy were very hard to find. Within the last few years they have been coming out at a rapid rate. Mr, Brown's book takes us over all ready familiar ground, in a general sense there isn't much that has not been covered. However, anyone who uses a genealogical library is well aware of the great upsurge of interest in the subject, and the numbers of persons to whom this is a new science. To this group books such as this are of assistance, and published in inexpensive paperback editions they are available to everyone. His illustrations include examples of family group sheets, ancestor charts, ship passenger arrival forms, and census forms. Bibliography of Pennsylvania History: A Supplement. Edited by Carol Wall. (Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg & Pennsylvania Library Association, Pittsburgh, 1976. 193 p. Index. $7.00.) This is a co-operative effort of the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission and of the Pennsylvania Library Association to close the gap between the 1952 edition of Bibliography of Pennsylvania History edited by Norman B. Wilkinson & S. K. Stevens, and the first comprehensive edition of Year's Work in Pennsylvania Studies published in 1965. Included are books and articles published between 1953 and 1967, as well as material overlooked in the original work. The format is the same as in earlier additions, dealing with the Colonial Period; Commonwealth Period; Pennsylvania Counties; Ethnic Groups; Religious History; Military History; Folklore; Historical Novels; and a new section, Genealogy. There are thirty-three entries in the Genealogy section, a strange hodge-podge of family and local history, resembling the sort of collection to be found on the shelves of an old house. Copies may be ordered from the Commission, Box 1026, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120. 206 Book Reviews Rohrbach Genealogy. By Lewis Bunker Rohrbaugh. Volume II. (Maine Coast Printers, Rockland, Maine, 1977. 246 p. Index. $24.95.) The second volume of the Rohrbach Genealogy deals with the Rohrbach and Rorabaugh families of America who are descendants of Hans George Rohrbach who emigrated from Germany to America in 1732. Hans George Rohrbach left Germany in June 1732, journeying down the Rhine to the port of Rotterdam, he sailed on the John and William, arriving in Philadelphia in mid-October 1732. He settled in what is now Hereford Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, where he remained the rest of his life as a carpenter and farmer. There is a great deal of documentation relating to Hans George Rohrbach, and his six children. In the second generation the lines of four sons are followed; namely those of Lorenz, Johann Georg, Johannes and Simon Rohrbach. The three eldest sons remained in Berks County, while the youngest, Simon, moved out to Buffalo Valley in Northumberland County. Later generations fanned out to the north and west of Pennsylvania. Rohrbach descendants of the four sons of the progenitor are followed to the eighth generation, the book does not deal with allied families. Mr. Rohrbaugh has drawn on church records, family bible records, census records, pension records, wills and inventories, as well as state and county records. The book is well laid out, with an excellent numbering system, and provides far more than the "bare bones" of many family histories. The full index has 9,500 entries covering over 8,000 individuals. The book can be ordered from Lewis Bunker Rohrbaugh, 48 Sea Street, Rockport, Maine 04856. A Migration Study of the Thirty-Two States and Four Organized Territories Comprising the United States in 1850. Compiled by Eleanor Myers. (Central New York Genealogical Society, Syracuse, New York. 1977. 48 p. paperback. $4.00.) A study of migration patterns based on the 1850 Federal Census. Part I of the book consists of tables for each of the thirty-two states, and four territories; showing the number of Native Born, and the state in which they were born; the number of Foreign Born, and the country of their birth; and lastly the number born in that state who by 1850 were living in Other States. Part II presents lists for thirty foreign countries, showing the number of natives of these countries now living in each of the United States. Using these tables, as an example, one can determine that in Pennsylvania in 1850; the largest number of residents here, 1,844,672, were native born Pennsylvanians; the largest number of foreign born, 151,723, were natives of Ireland; and the largest number of native born Pennsylvanians residing in other states, 200,684, were residents of Ohio. Copies of the study may be ordered from Central New York Genealogical Society, 304 Briarcliffe Road, Syracuse, New York 13214. The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 207 The Origin of Orange County, New York. Compiled by Mildred F. Roberts. Malibu, California. 1974. Paperback. 58 p. $7.50.) A collection of pertinent genealogical material which was originally published in Samuel Watkins Eager's The History of Orange County. The book is not readily attainable, it was published in 1846, and did not have an index. The extracts are the usual type found in old county histories: lists of names of county office-holders; descriptions of towns and early settlers; tax lists; some family records. There is a long list of persons mentioned in the Eager book. The book may be ordered from Mildred F. Roberts, 29500 Heathercliff Road, 168, Malibu, California 90265. Purchasers may request a free query by writing to the compiler. The Van Cleef Family. By Wilson V. Ledley, C.G. (Polyanthos, Inc. New Orleans, Louisiana. 1976. 246 p. Indexes. $17.50.) This is a definitive study of the descendants of Jan Van Cleef who emigrated to New Netherland in 1658. The family name has been spelled in various ways: Van Cleaf, Cleave, Cleft, Cleve and Van Chef. By the second and third generations some of the family had moved on to New Jersey, in Monmouth and Somerset counties. Eventually branches of the family could be found in North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. Many lines from the original ancestor are carried down to the sixth generation. It is unfortunate that the two indexes, one for Van Cleef; the other for spouses, give the generation number for each person mentioned, rather than the page number. Descendants of William Oliphant of North Carolina. Edited by Nancy Hawlick Stein. (Oliphant Family Research Committee, 681 Central Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, Volume 1. Revised Edition, addenda, corrections, 2 indexes, 1977, 226 p. $18.00.) A most unusual genealogical work, consisting of a great bulk of family records used to good advantage. Old letters, reminiscences, documents, obituaries, and cemetery records are interwoven with genealogical tables. The editor explains, as the book progresses, how she has endeavored to search for needed proofs, and cites her successes and frustrations. It is refreshing to find a researcher who is willing to state that some evidence presented is not always convincing. All material gathered for the project appears to have been reprinted here, forming a sort of "research notebook." The book does suffer from the lack of a genealogical numbering system, the relationships become confusing. The Oliphant family left North Carolina in the 1820s, and moved westward to Indiana. Allied families covered in the book are: Martindale, Burch, Morgan, Hale, Vaughn, Slough, Colee, Mitchell, and King. Bible Records from Iowa Libraries and Museums: Iowa Historical Library. Compiled by Rita Goranson & Jo Ann Burgess. Volume I. (Family Researchers, 115 Lakeview Drive, Mason City, Iowa 50401. 1977. 46 p. paperback, index $5.95. Index only, 5 p. $1.00.) 208 Book Reviews The first volume of a series, to be published in the future, of Iowa Bible Records. Too many for various families are reprinted to make a listing of names here practical, however since most of the early birth dates are of the colonial period, it is safe to assume that these bibles were carried from the east to Iowa. Complete descriptions of each bible are included with the records. Jacob Woodward Colladay and His Descendants. Compiled by Wayne V. Jones. (the author, 5672 Longmont Drive, Houston, Texas 77056. 1976. paperback, 116 p. index. $5.00.) Jacob Woodward Colladay was a Philadelphia carpenter and building contractor. He was elected a member of The Carpenters Company in 1836; his portrait is in Carpenters' Hall. He is said to have been the general contractor for the remodeling of Independence Hall in 1854-55. From the years 1858 to 1875, he left Philadelphia several times to settle in Illinois, where he died in 1885. Four lines in Pennsylvania, Illinois and Indiana are treated here: Colladay-Stull; Van Leer-Colladay; Jones-Van Leer; Jones-Rieke. Mr. Jones cites documentation for each line. It is the opinion of the editor that P. William Filby's American & British Genealogy & Heraldry was not described as fully as it might have been in PGM XXX, 125. It should be stated that the second edition of this book has vastly increased its sphere of usefulness with the addition of over 3,000 entries that were not included in the first edition of 1970. There are new subtitles for countries: Latin America, the British Dominions, and Former British Dominions. Under General References-United States, the following categories have been added: biographies, censuses, maps, and pension lists. The addresses of small genealogical publishers and author/ compilers who publish privately, have been included. To the original United States Areas listings have been added: Other Areas which includes books on the Middle West, Southwest, and Pacific Northwest. In the listing of States-United States: Alaska and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico have been added. Mr. Filby has done a great service to researchers by listing articles in various magazines that have bearing on genealogical matters, it is almost impossible for the individual to be aware of all of these. An additional aid is the indication of specific books considered "musts" for small libraries. Essentially American & British Genealogy & Heraldry stands alone as a basic bibliography of current genealogical source books, it has to be the most complete reference source for genealogists today. An evaluation of the first edition was written by Hannah Benner Roach in PGM, XXVI, 270. American & British Genealogy dr Heraldry may be ordered from the American Library Association, Order Department, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611. The price is $25.00, and well worth it.