RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 10, 2014



KINSEARCHING

by

Marleta Childs
P. O. Box 6825
LUBBOCK, TX 79493-6825
[email protected]
 

     Military records can play an important part in the search for forebears. While details usually vary from person to person and from conflict to conflict, the documents may contain information not available in other resources. Many genealogists especially want to know about ancestors who participated in the two wars for American independence from Britain. The first, of course, is the American Revolution. The second is the War of 1812, sometimes called the second war for independence. Two new books pertaining to these topics will be helpful to many family researchers.

     A facsimile reprint with a new index in 2014, the 200th anniversary of the end of the conflict, is MUSTER ROLLS OF THE SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812, DETACHED FROM THE MILITIA OF NORTH CAROLINA IN 1812 AND 1814. Composed of hundreds of lists, the data are arranged by company and then by county regiment. The information is divided into two separate sections: one covering the detachments of 1812 and the other the detachments of 1814. Names of both officers and servicemen appear on the rosters.

     Listing the names of approximately 12,000 men, the material provides a complete muster roll of the Tarheel State’s active participants in the War of 1812. An additional asset is the new index. As a result, a copy of the volume should be included in every public library with a North Carolina genealogical collection.

     The 140-page reprint now has a full-name index which adds another 78 pages to the facsimile. It is priced at $22.00.


     When genealogists discover that a progenitor fought in a specific war, they usually want to know more details about his service, such as which battles he took part in. Finding information about major battles, such as Yorktown, is easy. But what about locating data concerning smaller engagements and activities? Perhaps you will discover the information you are seeking about a Revolutionary ancestor’s actions in THE FORGOTTEN REVOLUTION: WHEN HISTORY FORGETS: REVISITING CRITICAL PLACES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION THAT HAVE BEEN NEGLECTED BY HISTORY by Robert A. Mayers.

     Although much has been written about the American Revolution over the years, Mayers shows that there is still much to learn. He explains how man-made changes to terrain; research in and analysis of obscure British, Hessian, and Loyalist accounts; and on-site visits outside of the known boundaries of historical places revealed myths created by the winners and shed light on neglected battlefields, encampments, and sites of critical events that might have changed the course of the war. As a result, he uncovers unmarked places where patriots fought and died, but which are now shrouded in mystery. Many of the sites are unknown even to local inhabitants.

     At each of the sites, the author sought out people with special knowledge of the locale, such as national and state park staff, regimental re-enactors, members of historical societies, descendants of original settlers in the area, and private land owners who live on the site. With their aid, he brings attention to overlooked aspects, such as sieges, cruel mutinies, supply depots, campgrounds, and the last stand of the Iroquois Nations. Topics of his chapters pertain to Fort St. Johns in Quebec, Canada; Fishkill, New York; Elkton, Maryland to Glasgow, Delaware; Battle of the Short Hills in New Jersey; Fort Montgomery, New York; Jockey Hollow in Morristown, New Jersey; Monmouth Courthouse in Freehold, New Jersey; Newtown, New York; Pompton and Preakness Valley, New Jersey; and New Windsor, New York.

     THE FORGOTTEN REVOLUTION: WHEN HISTORY FORGETS: REVISITING CRITICAL PLACES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION THAT HAVE BEEN NEGLECTED BY HISTORY is a scholarly work that is fascinating to read and can be enjoyed by genealogists and historians alike. Mayers is to be commended for bringing these forsaken places, events, and facts to light.

     The 285-page volume has an appropriate front cover; photographs; maps; illustrations; six appendices; end notes, many of which are annotated; and an index to full-names, places, and subjects. It is priced at $33.00.


     Both soft-cover books may be purchased by check, money order, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express from Heritage Books, Inc., 5810 Ruatan Street, Berwyn Heights, Maryland 20740. For phone orders, call toll free 1-800-876-6103; fax 410-558-6574; e-mail [email protected]; website www.HeritageBooks.com). To the price of each book, buyers should add the cost for shipping charges. For U. S. postal mail, the cost is $7.00 for one book and $2.50 for each additional copy.


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