New Book Reports

The following books have been reviewed for the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society Bulletin and the Washington State Genealogical Society’s Blog by Richard Kyle and are available for purchase on-line from the Southern Historical Press at <southernhistorialpress.com>

The next issue of the YVGS Bulletin is December 1, 2014. The WSGS Blog can be found at WashGenSoc.blogspot.com.
 
 
Marriage & Death Notices from Columbia, South Carolina Newspapers 1792-1839 Volume #1
by Brent Holcomb
114 pages and indexed
available from Southern Historical Press for $20.00 plus $5.00 shipping
 
     The city of Columbia was almost totally destroyed by a fire in 1865. One of the results of this fire was the probably destruction of any old newspapers and records that existed for the city and surrounding area. The author has gone to great length and effort to discover where copies of the old newspapers still exist. The extracts in this volume come from newspaper holdings held by the Library of Congress, and libraries in Massachusetts, South Carolina, North Carolina, Connecticut and Virginia. With the lack of available records for deaths and marriages for this location, this volume is invaluable for recording a large number of marriages and deaths appearing in the local paper. Not only do the notices give a name, place and date for the event, but also tend to include family members and their relationship to the individual listed. This is a must consult volume for research in this area. This may very well be the only place that marriage or death you are looking for appears.
 
 
Marriage Bonds and Minister Returns of Halifax County, Virginia 1753-1800
by Catherine Lindsay Knorr
107 pages and indexed
available from Southern Historical Press for $20.00 plus $5.00 shipping
 
     This volume is a reprint of the original book which was first published in 1957. It has been reproduced in its entirety exactly as the original. Halifax County was formed in 1753 and this book presents the marriages and minister returns from that year up to the year 1800. The book was produced from the early county records and vestry books held in the Halifax County courthouse. The author has done a commendable job in extracting out the information from these sources giving information about the marriages occurring during this time period. Many of the records give other family relationships. An excellent reference book to consult to see if your Halifax County ancestor is listed.
 
 
The "Cornstalk" Militia of Kentucky 1792-1811
by G. Glenn Cliff
206 pages and indexed
available from Southern Historical Press for $30.00 plus $5.00 shipping
 
     This volume is a reprint from the original book published in 1982. This book is basically the history of the individual units and the officers of the Kentucky state militia from the time of statehood (1792) until the beginning of the War of 1812. The 16 page preface details out the acts that created the militia and then gives the dates that each unit existed. The rest of the volume is a listing of the officers of the militia giving their rank, county and date of service. This is a good, basic reference book identifying a large number of the early members of the state militia. A good book to have and/or to consult if you have a lot of family in Kentucky during this time period. Finding service in the early militia may help you identify county of residence or give clues for finding other records.
 
 
 
Marriage, Death, and Estate Notices from Georgetown, South Carolina Newspapers 1791-1861
by Brent Holcumb
208 pages and indexed
available from Southern Historical Press for $25.00 plus $5.00 shipping
 
     The Georgetown District of South Carolina was one of the last districts of the state to be broken up into counties. During the Civil War the records for the Georgetown District were taken to Cheraw, South Carolina for safekeeping where they were destroyed in a fire in 1865. These extracts from the Georgetown newspapers at least partially makeup for the lost records for the Georgetown District. They are a wealth of data for determining family relationships in a time period where few records exist. If you have family in Georgetown or the surrounding area during this time period, this is one book you will want to look at and have on hand. There are a lot of records recorded here you may not see anywhere else.
 
 
The Supplement to Wilkes County, Papers (1773-1889)
by Robert Scott Davis
157 pages and indexed
available from Southern Historical Press for $22.50 plus $5.00 shipping
 
     This book is comprised of a collection of articles that author wrote and contributed to the Georgia Genealogical Magazine and the Georgia State Genealogical Society, The articles have been collected, compiled and reformatted to make this volume. The articles contained within the book are a cross section of records obtained from various county sources, some not readily available to the average genealogist. Among the records included are various lists of soldiers, land court minutes, estate records from the Toomey Collection, Justice of the Peace Court cases and tax digests. Because of the broad range of records included it is very likely your family member may be included among the entries. This is another interesting and valuable reference book that might provide you with the exact data you have been looking for. A must see volume for Wilkes County research.