Civil War Related Books
September 4th, 1994CIVIL WAR RELATED BOOKS
The Civil War is the subject of an ever increasing number of publications covering every possible aspect of that conflict and its aftermath. Many records and sources are coming to light which will help genealogists and historians learn more about the military record and lives of the people they are tracing.
“Southern Loyalists in the Civil War: The Southern Claims Commission” by Gary B. Mills is the second work on this subject by the author. This new edition is greatly revised and expanded and includes four earlier works, including his own “Civil War Claims in the South (1980)”. In essence, the book lists the claims made by Southerners against the Federal government beginning in 1871. These claims were for war damages against their property. The Southerners were saying, in effect, that they had been loyal to the Union and that the damage done to their property should be repaid. There are some 23,000 cases filed, including over 220,000 witnesses. If one has an ancestor who lived in a war zone, they should check this book. While Mills’ 1980 edition was arranged by state, and then alphabetically within, allowing one to look for a particular county, this new expanded volume is arranged in one long, national, alphabetical listing. Each entry gives the name, county, state, numbers, years and status as to whether the claim was honored or not. The introduction must be read to understand how to find and read the actual claim. Some are on microfiche, others have to be ordered from the National Archives, and the system is explained on a flow chart in the book. This is one book that everyone doing serious Civil War-era research must check, since the earlier volume was incomplete. It can possibly open a wonderful new source for you and tell you a lot about what an ancestor was doing in the war. The book is $45 plus $3 postage from the Genealogical Publishing Co., 1001 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Md. 21202.
“Camp Fires of Georgia’s Troops, 1861-1865” by William S. Smedlund breaks ground on a subject never before compiled. The main body of the book is an alphabetical listing of the names of the 747 camps established during the Civil War by Georgia troops, no matter what state they were in at the time. With each camp name, he has the location of the camp, such as “Camp Hampton, Beaufort County, S.C.”, which unit of Georgia troops were stationed there, and in some cases more than one unit, at more than one time, when they were there, and the source for the information. This alphabetical listing is a breakthrough because many Civil War letter writers only use the camp name, leaving the holders of the letters at a loss as to know where the soldier and his unit were at that time. In order to understand the book and to make the best use of it, one should read the various introductory chapters-one which helps you determine the origin of your Georgia soldier ancestor, how units were organized, where the names of the camps came from, and discussions about how the camps operated and what went on in them. Many interesting letters and newspaper accounts of camp life are used. These introductory chapters alone are worth getting the book, and the alphabetical roster of camps is an important reference book for anyone interested in the Civil War. The author includes three indexes: by proper name, by units in chronological order, and by the state and county where the camp was located. The book was funded in part by the R. J. Taylor, Jr., Foundation. It is available, hardbound, for $33.50 plus $3.50 postage, from William S. Smedlund, 1666 Glen Arm Dr., Lithonia, Ga. 30058.
FLORIDA SEMINAR
Saturday, October 1, the Southern Genealogist’s Exchange Society will hold its 31st annual seminar in Jacksonville, Florida at the Comfort Inn, Emerson St. and I-95. The all-day event will feature lectures by Carole Callard on “Settlement of and Research in the Appalachian Area”, Carrie Adamson of Augusta on the “Great Valley Road”, a luncheon speech on computers, and further lectures by the same speakers on more about the Appalachian area from Virginia through southwestern Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky. Pre-registration is $26 members, $28 non-members until Sept. 24th in care of the SGEX, P.O.Box 2801, Jacksonville, Fla. 32203. The society’s library is worth a visit at 1580 Blanding Blvd., Jacksonville. Open Tuesday-Thursday, 10-4, and 1-5 on Saturdays.
GENEALOGY FESTIVAL
September 24th at Gwinnett Civic Center will be the annual Genealogical Festival sponsored by the Friends of the National Archives, Southeast Region. There will be a variety of speakers and book dealers. For further information call the National Archives at 763-7477.
COOKBOOK AS SOURCE
One might not think that a current cookbook could be a source for genealogy, but the “Cherokee County Recipes and Recollections” will be a genealogy source for future generations. Compiled and published by the Cherokee County Historical Society, it contains some information on the history of certain food types, such as beaten biscuits, and then includes biographical and genealogical information on many of the people whose recipes are included. Some other clues are gleaned from those who contributed the recipes, on behalf of their ancestors, which gives you a name to locate currently as a descendant. This type of effort could be a good idea that any society could follow, to not only create a money-maker for the society, preserve its history and customs through the actual recipes and their origins, but also continue the names and genealogies of residents into the next century. There is a full-name index of “honorees”, those whose recipes and biographies are included, but no index to maiden names which would have been helpful. The book is $13 postpaid from the Cherokee County Historical Society, Box 1287, Canton, Ga. 30114.
HISPANIC RESEARCH
“A Beginner’s Guide to Hispanic Genealogy” is a small work by Norma Flores and Patsy Ludwig. The 58-page work is a brief effort to orientate one to getting started on Hispanic research. While it contains a lot of addresses, it also has chapters that explain terms and abbreviations, and an historic map of Mexico. It is $9.95 plus $1.50 postage from Patsy Ludwig, 3345 Jarvis Ave., San Jose, Calif. 95118.