Book Reviews

Book Reviews Editor’s Note: Beginning with this issue, the Book Review section will cover both printed and electronic works of interest to genealogists. SKY Index, Version 3.1 for DOS. By SKY Software, Maine, NY, 1994. Computer disk plus manual, 75 pp., paper. 174.95 plus $5.00 shipping. Order from SKY Software, Dept, H, 4675 York One Road, Lineboro, MD 21088. (Edi¬ tor’s note: SKY Index Version 4.0 for Windows is now available for $99.00 plus $5,00 shipping. The Maryland address is new for SKY Software.) The index of a book is almost as important as the content. How many times have we stood at a shelf searching in a massive book for a surname or a city only to find the book was not indexed or poorly indexed? This book is then returned to the shelf by most genealogists, when in fact it may contain the long-lost relative being sought. SKY Index can eliminate that problem if authors and compilers will take the final step toward making their project a success. This computer program, with its many time-saving steps, is very easy to use. For example, the program saves each screen entry to allow those names or page numbers can be repeated if the next entry has similar data. The name “Swahlstedt” would need to be typed only once, after which only the given names of each Swahlstedt would have to be entered. When a book has many names on one page, the page number need be entered once and it will remain on the screen until a change is necessary. Another time-saving feature is the use of macros. If a name or phrase will be used numerous times, a macro may be defined to save keystrokes. SKY Index follows Chicago Manual of Style indexing rules. The author and/or indexer decides on the general style of the index, along with numer¬ ous configuration options. Some of the options are obvious: number of col¬ umns, column width, margins, with or without titles on a page, page num¬ bers, and paper size. Others are not so obvious; sink first page, repeat topic for orphan columns, indented or run-in style index, and gutter margins. All the options are explained in the manual. Some special features of SKY Index make the book and index more useful to the reader. Cross-references for married women, for example, may be made by listing the woman’s maiden name with the given name in the 251 252 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine sub-topic field. If one person is mentioned on many pages throughout the book, that name will appear one time only with all pertinent page numbers listed thereafter. Nicknames or other names may be cross-referenced so that all entries for one person appear together. When using this program, the indexer can initiate a search on the topic, sub-topic, or page number. Using the page number search makes it possible to proofread entries from each page before the index is printed. The indexer may combine the index for surnames and locations in a single index or may generate two indexes. Genealogical societies can index periodicals throughout the year, then merge the various indexes at the end of the year for a combined index. System requirements are relatively modest: an IBM-compatible computer with a hard drive, 640K RAM, and MS-DOS or PC-DOS 3.1 or higher. A color monitor will enhance the use of the program, which has been written to use different color screen backgrounds for different activities. Informa¬ tion screens are one color while screens that require a response are a differ¬ ent color. This program will be helpful to genealogists and to genealogical socie¬ ties. The individual genealogist will give his book a professional finish. The genealogical societies will find this program most helpful, as well as increase sales of their publications, with this capacity to index cemetery, census, natu¬ ralization, birth, and death records. Whether the 3.1 DOS version is used, or the new 4.0 for Windows, every genealogical author or compiler should be armed with SKY Index before considering their projects complete. Ann Carter Fleming, CGRS Gen-Book, Version 4.0. By Rex Clement. Clement Custom Programming, Auburn, CA, 1994. Computer disk plus manual, vi plus 97 pp., paper. Order from the publisher at 2105 County Lane, Auburn, CA 95603-9735. (Editor’s Note: Version 5.0 is now available for $59.95 postpaid. Califor¬ nia residents should add $4,35 sales tax. IBM-compatible only; specify disk size.) Have you ever wished that your genealogical research notes could be transferred into book form by simply flipping a switch? How many times have relatives and friends asked to see the results of your research, only to be confused by sheets of papers and charts? With Gen-Book, production of a book is almost as easy as flipping that switch, and your friends and relatives should be able to share the knowledge you have found. Book Reviews 253 Gen-Book is a computer software program designed to generate a genealogy book directly from your Personal Ancestral Files ( PAF) data. This program takes the notes and data you have previously typed for a given family and turns them into book form using either of two very popular word processing programs, Word Perfect or Microsoft Word Best of all, the book comes out with ancestors numbered (following one of several formats including the modi¬ fied Register system) , organized into chapters, documented (using the notes already in PAF), indexed, and even complete with a title page and table of contents. Pictures, maps, and documents can be added, as can any personal stories about the ancestors that have not been put into PAF. Those who fall into the category of established professional genealogists but are novice computer users will be pleased to see how easy it is to read and follow the directions for this program. Often their problems stem from incomplete understanding of PAF. As one example, it is not necessary to add commas in each place field in PAF. Those who have done this will find a double set of commas in their Gen-Book product because the software pro¬ gram automatically adds commas to separate city, county, and state place names. This relatively minor problem is easily corrected in either the word processing program or in the PAF data. Most users of the program suggest returning to PAF for editing changes that involve genealogical data so the source is correct in the future. Gener¬ ating a second printing through Gen-Book will take only a few minutes, The manual that comes with Gen-Book is well-written and comprehensive. It includes separate directions for using several versions of both word proc¬ essors, whether DOS or Windows-based. There are some limitations with the earlier versions of Microsoft Word. While written for use with PAF 2.2/2.3, Gen-Book will also read data files from Family Origins, My Family Record, Pedi¬ gree Pursuit and Ancestral Files. The program is written for an IBM-compatible computer with a hard drive. A variety of options cover placement of individual titles, use of capitals for surnames, design of index, insertion of blank lines to indicate missing infor¬ mation, and so on. Selections include working with either ancestors or de¬ scendants, using end notes or footnotes, and choosing index format and pa¬ per size. Version 5.0, released in July 1995, incorporates some new choices based on comments from users. All this praise is not to say that the program is without problems. Sen¬ tence structure is simple and repetitive, as is the information presented about each ancestor. Once the basic book has been prepared, these review¬ ers hope each genealogist takes the time to make his ancestor become an in¬ dividual by adding pictures, stories, and documents. 254 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine One design flaw relates to documentation of facts, an increasingly impor¬ tant facet of genealogical research. All tagged notes (those that PAF sug¬ gests using to report sources for vital events and similar records) appear directly after an individual's name. They are not attached to the date or place or fact they document. The conscientious researcher should edit heav¬ ily to connect fact to source. Other notes from PAF follow the text about each person, so further editing is undoubtedly desirable to insert each note in its proper place in an individual’s life story. One would hope that some genealogist of the future does not find a library filled with Gen-Book products that have not been edited and en¬ hanced beyond the data stored in PAR The program, after all, was written to get genealogical data into a word processor to take advantage of the capa¬ bilities of that software. That said, it is also important to note that the same genealogist of the future will probably find books that would never have been written without Gen-Book to get the author started. Vivian F. Taylor and Kay Haviland Freilich The People and Times of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Gazette Abstracts, 18061811, Volume 3. By Clara E. Duer. Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society, Pittsburgh, PA, 1988. 366 pp., index, cloth. Order from the Soci¬ ety at 4338 Bigelow Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Located at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers, Pittsburgh was a leading gateway for migration to the west with large numbers of people passing through the area. The Gazette appeared on 29 July 1786 and was the first paper published west of the Allegheny Moun¬ tains. The abstracts in this volume concentrate on local and personal news. References to articles concerning foreign, national, and state news were wisely omitted. Readers can learn, though, about court cases, divorces, deaths, marriages, estate notices, sheriff s sales, runaway slaves and appren¬ tices, military deserters, escaped prisoners, insolvent debtors, land sales, and rentals. An every-name index makes it easy to locate mentions of individual ancestors. Even if a specific ancestor is not mentioned by name but lived in the area, reviewing this volume can provide information about his life and times. Reading about school openings, road and bridge building notices, whis¬ key manufacturing and sales, new newspapers, mail schedules, stage routes between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, notices of fire, flood, and earthquake Book Reviews 255 disasters, and general business advertisements and cards allows descendants to learn about the atmosphere the people were living in and what consumed their time, energy, and interest. The vivid eye-witness account of a woman who was forced to witness the massacre of her husband and sons and lived to escape will never be forgotten by anyone who reads the account This story suddenly brings the reader to the realization that while many events were the usual everyday affairs, the early setders lived at the edge of civiliza¬ tion with possible disaster within close range of the town. The abstractors are to be congratulated for their tedious work in order to bring us this window into the past. Vivian F. Taylor BibHoFUer, Version 1.0 for DOS. By Moobasi, Inc., Charlotte, NC, 1994. Com¬ puter disk plus manual, 24 pp., paper. $40.00 postpaid. Available at P.O. Box 241983, Charlotte, NC 28224. SKY Catalog (SKYCAT), Version 2.0 for DOS. By Sky Software, Maine, NY, 1992-94. Computer disk plus manual, v plus 70 pp., paper. Order from Dept. H, 4675 York One Rd., Lineboro, MD 21088. Specify disk size. If the readers are like this reviewer, their houses are filled with books of all sizes and descriptions, not only neatly displayed in the public areas of the house, but also stuffed into every conceivable nook and cranny capable of holding a book. Even someone with library training or experience cannot expect to remember exactly every book that he or she owns, not to mention where its most probable location might be within the house. Similarly, small libraries, historical societies, and other private libraries face the same pre¬ dicament. For these institutions, there exists the standby of all libraries: the card catalog. Large institutions have converted these old-fashioned catalogs into computer data bases accessible to a large number of patrons simultane¬ ously. But the small institution does not have the means or resources neces¬ sary to establish a large computer system. At the same time they need not be tied to the ancient card catalog, for new computer software has become available which addresses the needs of a small collection. Two such programs were reviewed by this author, both of them DOSbased. The first, Bibliofiler, was developed by Moobasi, Inc., in 1994 and exhibited at the 1994 National Genealogical Society convention in Rich¬ mond, Virginia. It is the simpler of the two programs; however, it does contain at least one unique feature that could assist with one’s assessment of a collection. The information fields allowed include those of title of book, The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 256 name of author/editor, name of publisher, a reference number, subject field, type of media, condidon of book, pages, and price. An additional field for notes is available. Once records are added, one can search for a book by its title, author, your reference number, or, if you’re like me, by some word which appears in the title because you can’t remember the correct dde. Un¬ fortunately, each field must be individually searched. For a home library, this might be a good program to acquire, for most people are attempt¬ ing only to record the dtle of a book and its author. The latter fields in the database type of media, condidon, and price are important for a small li¬ brary, These can assist with planning purposes for conservadon and acquisi¬ tion of new materials. SKYCAT provides more fields for information and, to a large extent, is more flexible with adding and editing data. In many ways, it is similar to standard database programs such as dBase or Paradox. Unlike BibUofiler; SKYCAT can handle many different databases. Records can be transferred between databases. The fields given include title, subject, last name of author, first name of author, additional authors, edition, copyright date, pages, illustrated or not, publisher, and an ID field. One can also list the contents of the book on a linked field. SKYCAT recognizes WordStar com¬ mands for entering data in the contents field. Browsing of the entire data¬ base is possible with the minimum of fuss, and editing the database in the browse mode is permissible. Searching is quite easy: giving a word at the search prompt allows the program to search all fields, including title, author, subject, and even publisher, for a match. SÿYCAThas the capacity to print reports in a variety of formats, including 3x5 card format and 8 1/2 x 11 paper format. These reports can be organ¬ ized by author, title, shelflist (if you tag your books with an ID, such as a call number) , and subject. A bibliographic form is also provided for those who need to produce bibliographies for their work. Hardware requirements for both programs are quite basic. Each requires an IBM-compatible machine. BibUofiler needs 640K of RAM, DOS 3.31 or higher, and one floppy disk drive and/or one MB of hard drive space. SKY CatalogyfWX run with 256K of RAM, DOS 3.1 or higher, and a floppy drive. A color monitor is specified for SKYCAT. The Sky software also comes with a very easy to read and understand manual about its operations, whereas BibUofiler has mostly on-screen instruc¬ tions. Both are easy to learn and use but when compared to one another, this reviewer feels that the Sky software has more to offer than BibUofiler. — — Jefferson M. Moak Book Reviews 257 Runaway Servants, Convicts and Apprentices Advertised in the Pennsylvania Gazette 1728-1796. By Farley Grubb, PhD. Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, 1992. vii plus 187 pp., cloth. $25.00 plus $3.50 shipping. More often than not, immigrants arrived in American with little or no money. Many had already entered into a labor contract as a way of financing their passage. Other agreed to a similar contract after arrival as a way to raise funds to get established. Another group agreed to an apprenticeship to learn a trade once they arrived in America. A little discussed group of immi¬ grants were convicts whose transportation was paid in exchange for years of labor. Regardless of their origins, these laborers had two things in common: they created few records, and their living conditions were often less than sat¬ isfactory. In this book, Farley Grubb has focused on one record created by these individuals runaway notices. Runaway Servants is based on work done as part of a study on labor malfeasance at the University of Delaware, and includes American-born apprentices along with the immigrants. Though the study is not genealogi¬ cal in focus, it may help to locate some difficult to trace ancestors. The intro¬ duction describes the scope of this work and details editorial decisions made in its preparation. Entries were confined to civilian contract workers of European descent who were apprentices, transported convicts, or servants, A total of 6,157 escapes are abstracted covering 5,754 individuals. Of these, almost 2,500 were of Irish descent, and records for Irish immigrants of the 18th century are very limited. These abstracts are limited to basic information: name of servant and master, residence and occupation of master, date of newspaper, data on servant (ethnic background, age and occupation), length of time servant has been missing, reward offered, and perhaps a few other details. All entries are confined to two lines, while the original ads were much longer. The genealogist who finds an ancestor in this book will surely want to run to the closest repository to review the actual Pennsylvania Gazette for a description of his ancestor’s appearance, clothing, talents, and character. All are included in two sample complete ads presented in the introduction. The abstracts are listed in alphabetical order of the runaway’s name. In an unusual presentation, the first name appears first, even though the order is determined by the surname and then the first name. The lack of an index to other names in the abstracts is a major flaw in this work. Thus, there is no easy way to find the names of masters or of any other person mentioned in the ads. While the study focuses on the laborer, the ability to easily locate the masters would have made the book even more useful. — Kay Haviland Freilich 258 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Six Columbiana County, Ohio, Pioneer Families. By William Brooke Fetters. Published by and available from the author at 12814 Brunswick Ln., Bowie, MD 20715-2403. Cloth, acid-free paper, photos, maps, illus, index. Family 2: John Webb ( c. 1754-1823) and Elizabeth Montgomery ; Ancestors and Descendants. 1993. xi plus 250 pp. $27.50 postpaid. Family 3: Samuel Smith (1765-1855) and Sarah Bishop: Ancestors and Descen¬ dants. 1994, xiv plus 503 pp. $33,00 postpaid. Family 4: Baltzer Young ( 1760-1 845 ) and Mary Elizabeth Buss: Ancestors and Descendants. 1995. x plus 247 pp. $27.50 postpaid. Individuals living in Ohio by 1820 are considered Ohio pioneers, William Brooke Fetters is descended from five pioneer couples and a sixth who arrived in 1828, from which is derived the title of this multi-volume work organized around the six families. Each of the families treated in these three volumes has Pennsylvania roots discussed in as much detail as the author was able to find. Two are Quaker families and the third is Pennsylvania German. James Webb resided in London Grove Township, Chester (now Dela¬ ware) County, until 1760. In 1746 he married Mary Hurford, also of London Grove, and in the early 1760s they moved to York County. About 1805 their son, John Webb, arrived in Columbiana County with his wife, Elizabeth Montgomery. Samuel Smith’s ancestry is traced back toJohn Smith and Elizabeth Ball, found in Bucks County and Burlington County, New Jersey, about 1700. Samuel Smith was born in Loundon County, Virginia, in 1765 and married Sarah Bishop of Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1784. Their arrival in Columbiana County is placed at about 1802. Pennsylvania Germans from York County were the ancestors of Baltzer Young and Mary Elizabeth Buss, who married in 1788 and went to Ohio in 1805. Frederick Jung arrived in Manheim about 1767; Peter Buss and his father Johannes emigrated by 1755 and settled in Paradise Township by 1769. Anyone planning to compile a family history would do well to review this series as good examples of how to present their information. Each volume follows accepted ancestor numbering practices with the author’s father as number 1. Documentation is thorough and presented as endnotes; a bibli¬ ography is also included. Liberal use of illustrations (maps, documents, sketches, and photographs) add to the facts and add life to these ancestors. Book Reviews 259 Historical facts, as they pertain to the ancestors, are included and add interest For example, Family 2’s James Webb (father of John) found that some of his York County land was in Maryland after the 1763 Mason-Dixon survey. One minor criticism is the small type size. While admittedly more eco¬ nomical, it is hard on the reader’s eyes. Genealogists who can connect with one of these families, however, will find a gold mine of information. Kay Haviland Freilich The Record Book of Daniel Schumacher; 1754-1773. By Frederick S. Weiser. Picton Press, Camden, ME, 1994. (Diary orig, trans. and publ. in the Pennsylvania German Society Journal, [1968]). 320 pp., index, cloth. $33.00 postpaid. Daniel Schumacher began his pastorate in the Pennsylvania German areas of Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties in 1754. Arriving in the area, Schumacher discovered that no one was keeping any baptismal records and so began his diary that today is an invaluable aid to researchers. In addition to names, dates, and the child’s age, the location of the baptism is identified, thus indicating probable places of residence. The areas Schumacher covered usually did not have an established church. Baptisms were often held in private homes or, in one case, the school house in the city of Easton, Northampton County. Also included in the diary is a record of confirmations done between 1755 and 1773, naming the area or church where the event took place. Schumacher came to Pennsylvania with respectable credentials from the Lutheran pastor of New York City and the ministerium of Lutheran pastors in Hamburg, Germany, which he presented to Henry Melchior Muhlen¬ berg. The fact that these credentials were later found to be false does not alter the value of his service to the communities or the significance of his — diary. Weiser’s introduction provides an excellent discussion of the Lutheran and Reformed churches in Pennsylvania and an explanation of Lutheran Church doctrine. Knowing the history of a church helps in understanding the people of previous generations, and genealogical researchers with a knowledge of early customs and thoughts are at a distinct advantage over those who do not. Jeanne Pontarelli 260 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Books in Brief Reviewed by Jeanne Pontarelli Ancestors from the Eastern Heartland , Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware. Compiled by the Middle Atlantic Interest Group of the Seatde Genealogical Society. Seattle Genealogical Society, Seattle, WA, 1990. 289 pp. In 1982, members of the Seattle Genealogical Society began compiling information about their ancestors back East. This unique book is the result¬ ing product. Presented in alphabetical order, it includes known informa¬ tion about the the members’ ancestors, including birth, marriage, and death dates, together with location and names of children. Entries are keyed to the member who submitted the data. The introduction explains use of the material. This could be a useful finding aid for families who traveled West. 1812 Ancestor Index, Volume II, 1970-1992, National Society, United States Daughters of 1812, Compiled by Patricia Scruggs Trolinger. Walsworth Publishing Co., Marceline, MO, 1992. 544 pp., cloth. $40.00 postpaid. Ancestors admitted since 1970 to the National Society, United States Daughters of 1812, are identified in this volume as are ancestors admitted earlier for whom a supplemental line has been established. Information presented includes service, date and place of birth and death, name of spouse, and names of children and the spouse through whom the line de¬ scends. Names are listed in alphabetical order with the service branch and units in which they served. The forward to the book stresses that original sources must be investigated to acquire adequate evidence of descent from a person listed. Early Church Records of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Volume I: Quaker Records of Bradford Monthly Meeting. By Martha Reamy. Family Line Publications, Westminster, MD, 1995. 260 pp., index, map, paper. $18,00 plus $2.50 shipping. Records from Bradford Monthly Meeting, established in 1737, are among the most complete of Chester County’s early meedngs. The Monthly Meeting included both Cain and Bradford preparative meetings. Ab¬ stracted in this volume are births, deaths, marriages, certificate of removals Book Reviews 261 received, and monthly meeting minutes. Microfilmed records available through the Family History Library were used to prepare the abstracts. The introduction lists other Quaker monthly meetings in Chester Coun¬ ty and their dates of formation. An especially useful addition in some en¬ tries is the identification of the denominations to which the ancestor who was disowned or left may have belonged. Methodist Records of Baltimore City, Maryland. Volume I: 1799-1829. Volume II: 1830-1839. By Henry C. Peden, Jr. Family Line Publications, Westmin¬ ster, MD, 1994. Vol. I: 271 pp., index, paper. Vol. II: 281 pp., index, pa¬ per. $21.50 each, plus $2.50 shipping. Methodism in early Maryland started with the preaching of Robert Strawbridge about 1760. A permanent church was established in 1773 by Francis Asbury. Until then, most of the preaching was done on street comers. These volumes contain records of the Methodist, Methodist Episcopal, and African Methodist churches in the Baltimore area. They include births, deaths, marriages, and removals. Also given are the names of the ministers who conducted the services, along with names of elders, deacons, and other church leaders. The abstracts were prepared from microfilm at the Library of the Mary¬ land Historical Society and the Maryland State Archives. As in all records copied and recopied, the possibility of errors must be considered. Abstracts of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Land Records, 1684-1723. By Charlotte D. Meldrum. Family Line Publications, Westminster, MD, 1995. 145 pp., index, map, paper. $10.00 plus $2.50 shipping. The purpose of this book is to provide useful information for genealogi¬ cal research in early land records. Taken from the early deeds are the names of owners, neighbors, heirs, and spouses. Relationships are often stated. Land ownership is often traced back to the original patent. Not included in the abstracts are the standard legal wordings or the metes and bounds of the property; however, omissions (to conserve space) are clearly indicated by ellipses. Copies of the deeds are available from Bucks County or on microfilm that can be found at many libraries. The every-name index speeds a search, though there are some errors. For example, a name spelled one way in the index is sometimes not spelled the same on the page indicated. The introduction by F. Edward Wright gives a brief but informative history of the county. This work should become a useful finding aid. The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 262 Early Church Records of Burlington,, New Jersey. By Charlotte D. Meldrum. Family Line Publications, Westminster, MD. Volume I (1994), 292 pp., index, paper. Volume II (1995) , 298 pp., index, paper. $22.00 each, plus $2.50 shipping. Members of the Society of Friends arrived in Burlington County on the ship Kent in 1677, and by the following year they established a meeting. Meldrum’s works contain abstracts of meeting records and include births, deaths, marriages, lists of members, reports of breaches in Quaker Disci¬ pline, certificates of removals, and lists of Quakers excused from military du¬ ties. Not all records are available for each meedng. Volume I covers Burlington and Mt. Holly meetings. Volume II contains records from Chesterfield, Evesham, and Little Egg Harbor meetings. Despite the tide, only Quaker records are included. The useful introduc¬ tion covers the history of the Friends establishment in Burlington County, other meetings with dates they were established, and other denominadons with dates of establishment. Both of these volumes will be useful as finding aids, remembering as always that there is the possibility of error in abstracting records. These books are small not as bulky to use of Hinshaw’s Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. They also include genealogical data omitted by Hinshaw. — AUin Families of North Devonshire, with Allied Families Banbury, Detwiler, Hamm andPontious, Supplement. By George R. Allin,Jr. Gateway Publishing, Inc., Baltimore, MD, 1992. 347 pp., index, photographs, maps, charts, cloth. As often happens when a family genealogy is published, additional infor¬ mation is soon uncovered. The Allin Families of North Devonshire was published in 1988. This supplemental volume includes findings from research done in both England and the United States since then, along with some corrections in names and dates received from readers. Thorough documentation and citation of original records and sources make this work a pleasure to review. Book Reviews 263 Reviewed by John A. Baird,Jr. Jacob Aloysius Dorf and Florence Claudine Maxwell, A Family History and Scrap¬ book. By Ann Fleming and Kay Freilich, Tennessee Valley Publishing, Knoxville TN, 1991. 477 pp., appendices, illus., lines of descent, maps, index, cloth. $50.00 postpaid. Available from author Fleming, 14726 Windsor Valley Ct., Chesterfield, MO 63017. “A genealogist’s genealogy” is a good term for this inclusive record of a Missouri family whose ancestors came from Germany in the middle of the last century. Dorf and Maxwell reflects good organization, extensive research, and pro¬ fuse illustration, combined to produce a professional and highly readable account of a family proud of its patriotism and traditional values. Ann Fleming and Kay Freilich present a sequence of uniformly constructed chapters that begin with emphasis upon James Alysious Dorf and his wife, Florence Claudine Maxwell Dorf, and work backward through the genera¬ tions. The book’s stated goal is to find the immigrant member of each line, and the writers clearly succeed in this objective. There is, however, no claim to finality, and readers are requested to inform the authors of further perti¬ nent facts that may have been omitted. Diligent research has produced an abundance of documentary evidence that goes beyond the customary maps and photographs frequently found in family histories. Dorf and Maxwell comes alive through a parade of deeds and diplomas, birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, obituary notices, newspaper articles, and pension papers, strategically interspersed between paragraphs and pages of data and text. Yet the authors never permit frag¬ ments of evidence to divert attention from the central theme of immigra¬ tion from Europe to America based upon the twin desires of broader eco¬ nomic opportunity and greater religious freedom. Others considering the compilation of a family history would do well to consider this book an impressive model. As I Recall By James Newton Shigley. Privately published, 1993. 373 pp., bibliography, charts, illus., maps, index, paper. Available from the author at 722 Crossbrook Dr., Moraga, CA 94556. Amateur author Shigley has written an absorbing family record that holds the reader’s attention through the device of a strong narrative thread richly embroidered with countless episode and memorable incident. 264 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine After a brief account of the Shigley family’s 1751 arrival in Philadelphia from Germany, mention is made of the early generations and their later migration to Ohio and Michigan. James Shigley also provides background information about his mother’s ancestry through concise accounts of the Newton and Ives families. The bulk of the book, however, comprises the main events in the author’s boyhood and bachelor days from 1916 to 1946. There is rarely a dull moment during those thirty eventful years. The family would not be considered prominent. Shigley, the son of a successful veterinarian, spent his youth in a small North Dakota town and his adult years as a U. S. Army officer. Yet the parents, the son, and his siblings (despite the commonplace quality of their lives) transcend the indi¬ vidual and come to represent an almost universal middle-class experience of the 1920s, ’30s, and early ’40s. As I Recall is full of fascinating detail about such subjects as hand-rolling cigarettes and hand-cranking cars, to name but two of many experiences of life in those days. Boyhood pranks and adolescent adventures bring laugh¬ ter and tears to provide a memorable account of a capable, motivated, relig¬ ious citizen whose life exemplifies the promise and potential of America. Before the Bowman Boys. By Jane Belknap Bowman. Amundsen Publishing Co., Decorah, LA, 1993. 120 pp., photographs, appendix, bibliography, index, cloth. Available from the author at P.O. Box 206, West Milford, WV 26451. The author begins this little book with a one-page capsule biography of her generation of Bowmans; moves swiftly through three abbreviated lives ), and Ruel of her living sons, Alan Alva (1946- ), John Ezra (1947— Arnold (1952- ); and finally concentrates in some detail on four other related family lines of descent. Readers will find information about the Bowman lineage as well as sections devoted to Brohards, Belknaps, and Caudles. The Belknap line is of particular interest, being the most prominent providing thirty-eight generations back to Emperor Charlemagne. In the absence of narrative thread, a collection of individual incidents comprises the bulk of the text. Some of these are dull, others humorous and, occasionally, poignant. A mother-in-law, for example, bequeathed money to her daughter’s husband “to pay for what labour and pains he hath taken for me,” The photographs are amateurish and there is some ambigu¬ ity regarding certain family relationships, but the bibliography is extensive and the total impact favorable. — Book Reviews 265 The Genealogists Address Book, Second Edition. By Elizabeth Petty Bentley. Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, 1994. 568 pp., paper, index. $29.95 plus $3.50 shipping. This comprehensive listing of virtually every genealogical entity in the United States continues to be a useful reference tool. It is the only place where one can find, in a single publication, information about national and state societies, ethnic and religious sources ranging from Acadian to Waldensian, and special resources such as hereditary societies, adoption, registries, and computer-interest organizations. A new ‘"Yellow Pages” section features advertisements from booksellers to translators. Unfortunately, the information presented is not as accurate as one would hope. In the listings for this society and for The Historical Society of Penn¬ sylvania, for example, there are errors both in phone numbers and person¬ nel listings. Thus, the reader is advised to double-check the information. It is hoped that information in any future editions is more carefully revised, updated, and edited. Reviewed by Kay Haviland Freilich Why Are There No Tall Grandma's? A Guide to AmsJ You in Researching Your Family History. By Scott B. Chase. Heart of the Lakes Publishing, Inter¬ laken, NY, 1990. 128 pp., paper, index, illus. $12.95 postpaid. As a guide “to assist you in researching your family history,” to borrow from the title, this book can serve as a good introduction to genealogy. It presents basic information needed to research, organized into sections that discuss the records available and important in several time periods. Tips and hints that the author has found to be successful in his own research are included amid a a very readable discussion of sources and techniques. The greatest danger with Grandma's is that it covers too much material too briefly. The discussion of land records covers slightly more than one page; wills are covered in less than one. The beginner who thinks that so little information covers all he needs to know about these two complicated and valuable sources will be missing a lot in his research. When used as intended, however, this book can be a useful tool. In his introduction, Chase stresses that his work is intended for beginners or for “the casual researcher looking for a new approach” to research. A bibliog¬ raphy of more complete references, listed by subjects, is included to direct the user to other sources. 266 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine My Ancestors Came with the Conqueror: Those Who Did and Some of Those Who Probably Did Not. By Anthony J. Camp. Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, 1993 (orig. publ. London, 1988). 89 pp., paper, $9.50 plus $3.50 shipping. One story that often appears in family tradition is of an ancestor who fought with William the Conqueror at the 1066 Battle of Hastings. The Battle Abbey Roll is said to be the list of those Companions at Hastings, how¬ ever it has appeared in at least eight different versions through the years and its accuracy has always been questioned. For those interested in proving (or disproving) this tradition, Anthony Camp has consolidated all names from the various Rolls into one alphabeti¬ cal list. Three scholarly papers which discuss the probability that specific ancestors were at Hastings is also included. Each name is number coded to indicate its appearance in one or more list. Accepted Companions number fewer than two dozen and they are indi¬ cated in this volume. Those who do not find their ancestors among the accepted Companions should note this work deals only with those at the Battle of Hastings. The Conquest of England is often said to cover the years 1066 to 1070. Though fighting was not continuous, William undoubtedly lead many more of our ancestors during those years. Our family tradition may be correct after all. Genealogies Cataloged by the Library of Congress Since 1986. Copyright 1992 by the Library of Congress, viii plus 1,349 pp., cloth. $70.00. Between 1 January 1986 and 31 July 1991, the Library of Congress cata¬ logued almost 9,000 genealogies. This finding aid lists all of them and includes a family surname cross reference section, Another list indicates those genealogies previously appearing in the Library of Congress catalog which have been converted to microfilm.