Book Reviews

Book Reviews A Guide to Church Records in the Archives Branch, Virginia State Libraty, compiled by Jewell T. Clark and Elizabeth Terry Long, published by the Archives Branch, the Archives and Records Division, Virginia State Library, Richmond, Virginia, 1981, 271 pp, fully indexed, paper bound, $5.00 This comprehensive and descriptive guide to Virginia Church records housed in the Virginia State Library, Richmond, VA, is a timely and important tool,designed by members of the library's staff to make the Archive's holdings more accessible to the public. Not only has the Guide brought about great& administrative control over the private manuscripts and public records, but it aids researchers in consulting material at times overlooked even by the most experienced scholars. Church records are listed alphabetically by denominations as outlined in the Table of Contents. Two appendices showing locations of Original Colonial Parish Registers and Vestry Books, also Records of Related Interest in Other Collections, and a Glossary are included: a complete index lists, churches, place locations and all persons appearing in the listings. Not be be overlooked are the splendid introductions to each denominational listing which sets forth the procedure followed within each denominational grouping. A brief history, a discussion of the type of records maintained and brief bibliographical citations precede the listings of the individual congregations. Then follow the individual churches, their location and brief history, title of the volume described giving dates covered, number of pages, etc. and type of copy. The records of groups of churches, such as circuits. synods, etc. are placed at the end of the denominational categories. The Guide at its very attractive price is highly recommended to those interested in church growth and history. Essex Wills (England), Vol. 1, 1.558-.1565, abstracted and edited by F. G. Emmison, 369 pp, 1982, a publication of the National Genealogical Society, Washington, D.C., copies obtainable, the society, 1921 Sunderland Place, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036-1674. Dr. Emmison, county archivist, of Essex until his retirement in 1969 and the eminent compiler of more than two score books dealing with Elizabethian life and times, has again added another work to the long series of the Essex Record Office Publications. The work is the culmination of an offer by John B. Threlfall, of Madison, Wis. to underwrite, and the National Genealogical Society to accept the manuscript for publication of the complete text of Essex wills of the period. 355 356 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine The present book comprises the complete text, not abstracts, of more than 1000 wills drawn from the Archdeaconry of Essex, of Colchester, and of Middlesex (Essex Division). Unlike the last two volumes of Elizabethian Life, the Wills now printed do not concern great estates nor the gentry and merchants. As probate instruments of humbler folk they are a rich source of inibrmation about the testators' homes and possessions and the ways in which they arranged their business and family affairs: craftsmen, tradesmen, small farmers and the like, from whom, a few generations later, many of the emigrants of America were drawn, and from whom many Americans proudly claim descent. As the author points out in his preface there are few richer series of archives of the Elizabethian period (1558-1603) extant than those of the Essex Office. The volume boasts a complete index to over 10,000 persons, a separate index of places, and another of subjects. The volume is handsomely bound in maroon cloth, stamped gilt on front cover and spine. Heraidg; Customs., Rules and Styles, by Cart-Alexander von Volborth; Bland- ford Press, Poole, Dorset, England, x, 230 pp., illus., index; cloth, copies available at $37.50 from the Sterling Pub. Co., Inc., Two Park Ave., New York, NY 10016. Carl-Alexander von Volborth, of Antwerp, membre de l'Academie Internationale d'Heraldique, proves again the timeless fascination of historic heraldry as he takes readers on a wide-ranging international excursion through heraldic history. He provides a clear picture of the development of the science, raison d'etre, the true art of Blazon, nobiliary law, the orders of chivalry and caption descriptions of more than 1250 coats of arms of the historic houses throughout Europe, of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, and civic and professional arms. In its depth and scope, Heraldry, Customs, Rules and Styles is both a valuable scholarly reference book and an intriguing, browsable compendium for the general reader. Particularly interesting to the genealogist are the rules and logic behind heraldic devices—systematic representations indicated rank in the family, and even illegitimacy. Sturdily bound and in an arresting dust jacket it makes an ideal Christmas or birthday gift, that is sure to wind up on the library or coffee table. Lancaster ECHOES, the magazine "celebrating the heritage of South Central Pennsylvania, is in its third year of publication. This lively, and timely journal is to be commended for its wide-ranging topics of interest, its well-chosen illustrations, quality paper and overall excellent format. The February-March 1982 issue (Vol III, No. 1) will serve as a sampling of what it holds in store: Bridges of Lancaster with a Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge centerfold, Eric Sloane—sign painter, Walter Patschorke— Artist, Culniary Echoes, Grandma's Grocery Book, A Brenneman genealogy, Adding Storage, Lancaster Farming, Lancaster Steam Cotton Mills, the Book Reviews 357 Peter Martin Cabin; and the valuable Index for Vol H. Subscription price $3M0 per issue; $15.00 per year (6 issues) or $28.00 for two. years from Echo Publishing, P.O. Box 7302, Lancaster, PA 17604. Chambers Helping Chambers, a publication for researchers of the name CHAM- BERS, published three times a year, Jan., Apr., and Oct., 150 pages per year, $12.00, available from Claudette Maerz, P.O. Box 37010, Bloomington, MN 55431. Claudette Maerz has completed two years of publication of Chambers genealogical information with current Vol II, No. 3, just received on the editor's desk. It is a project of family members helping each other in collecting and exchanging genealogical data from all parts of the country. It appears to provide both happy hunting and happy collecting for a number of correspondents whose contributions are acknowledged in the pages of the publication. The current issue contains such choice items as the "Injunction Bill" of Henry R. Chambers et al vs. William C. Chambers et al in Dyer County, Tenn., or the duel between Steven Chambers and Dr. Reger in Lancaster County, Pa., the call of Rev. Alexander Chambers of Darlington, England to Granite Falls, Minn., in 1888, or the cruel fate of three sons of Mr. Chambers of Westmoreland County who were tomahawked and scalped in the expedition against Sandusky under Col. William Crawford in 1782. Valuable are the Knox County (Indiana) marriage records, and the same from Rowan County (N.C.), several Revolutionary pension records and a listing of Chambers from Tennessee in the 1950 Census. Those who have Chambers ancestry may find the project worth investigating. Blue Ridge Heritage by Dorothy Burnett Peterson, pub. by the Roblee Press, 1982, soft-bound, off-set printed 81/2 x 11 inches, 106 illus., 274 p., $21.00 prepaid, available from Mrs. Robert E. Peterson, 3454 Scheibler Road, Memphis, TN 38128. Thirty years ago, Dorothy Burnett Peterson set out to trace and document four of her ancestral lines. She has wound up coralling over 10,000 "kissin cousins" originating in that Blue Ridge country (Patrick, Floyd and Carroll Counties, Virginia). Today their descendants and connections are scattered over the United States. While the book starts with Jeremiah Burnett (ca. 1741-1815), Richard Branscombe who arrived about 1735 in Maryland; Mathew Cox (1735-1804), and Elijah Hylton (ca. 1740-1798), the editor'stimates there are about 1200 family names listed in the index. Other families developed in separate sections are Mayberry, Slaughter, Hughes and Peterson. Since the records of the Blue Ridge region do not extend much before the Revolution, her lineages begin at this period. Yet many of the people appear- 358 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine ing in her pages are undoubtedly descendants of sturdy English, German, and especially Scotch-Irish pioneers that arrived from Pennsylvania, Maryland and other colonies. Some of the more readily recognizable names of possible Pennsylvanian origin are Beal, Braithwaite, Cheyney, Cock, Conley, Cooper, Echols, Haines, Hall, Hart, Hendricks, Hicks, Jenkins, Keith, Massie, Mendenhall, Moore, Pendleton, Potts, Pryor, Reese, Rountree, Taylor, Webb, Wood, and Worrell. Some such linkage is worthy of further investigation. The compiler has presented her characters in a narrative, outline form for clarity and readability. Headings at the top of each page giving full names (with dates, county and state) of the head of the family being traced on that page, help to make it easy to follow. Included are charts, old letters, obituaries, wills, and deeds. Blank pages allow for future entries. A Manua/ of Archival Techniques, edited by Roland Baumann. Revised edition. Harrisburg, Pa.: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1982. A Manual of Archival Techniques, originally published in 1979, has proven to be a valuable summary of current theory and practice, and happily has now been issued in a revised edition. In the editor's words, it is designed to cover "ground-level techniques, inexpensive solutions, and an introduction to an extensive body of literature for archivists working in small repositories." The main sections of the manual review the administration, processing, use and preservation of manuscripts and archives. There are articles on security, storage and phased conservation, and two pieces that introduce readers to the special problems of maps and photographs. Especially valuable are the four appendices—consisting of useful forms, terminology, and a security checklist--and the detailed, updated, bibliography. The only section which is unfortunately somewhat out-of-date is that on funding sources, but here the authors were the victims of forces beyond their control. The authors of the fifteen separate articles which make up the manual are well know in their specializations. While their articles are too brief to permit detailed discussion or explanation, the manual is certainly a useful introduction to the work of archives and manuscript repositories. Fredric Miller