Genealogy Pointers (07/22/14)
In this issue:
Welsh Genealogy: In the Spotlight and on Sale
Back in Print for July
“Federal Indian Policy, 1870-1900,” by John Ernest
__________________________________________________
Welsh Genealogy: In the Spotlight and on Sale
(Sale prices expire at 11:59 p.m. EDT, July 24, 2014.)
For years, researchers have lamented the difficulty of tracing their roots in Wales, particularly in
view of the commonality of Welsh surnames like Jones, Evans, Roberts, or Hughes, and the
uncommonality of the Welsh language itself.
Much of the mythology and some of the genuine obstacles to Welsh research have been
eliminated in recent years, thanks to the work of John and Sheila Rowlands and their colleagues
at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth. In their three pioneering books--Welsh Family
History, Second Stages in Researching Welsh Ancestry, and The Surnames of Wales (temporarily
out of print)--Mr. and Mrs. Rowlands have laid the framework for the modern approach to Welsh
genealogy and the study of Welsh naming patterns and practices. They have also stressed the
importance of acquiring knowledge of specialized Welsh genealogical methods and sources and
some understanding of the social, cultural, religious, and economic backgrounds of the
communities in which Welsh ancestors lived.
Whether you are just beginning research in Welsh genealogy or have hit a brick wall, you can do
yourself a service by following the Rowlands' suggestions. You'll also find many valuable clues
in the other titles in our collection on Welsh genealogy. Even better, we have dropped the price
on each of the following books by 33% or more through tomorrow, Thursday, July 24, 2014.
Scroll down and see for yourself!
Welsh Family History: A Guide to Research. Second Edition
This handbook on Welsh genealogy deals primarily with those aspects of family history research
that are unique to Wales. Widely acknowledged to be the best book ever written on Welsh
genealogy, it is certainly a very comprehensive handbook, with more than 20 chapters treating
the essential elements of Welsh genealogy.
Was $27.00 Now $15.95
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=5030
Second Stages in Researching Welsh Ancestry
Anyone who has had any success in researching their Welsh ancestry will know that a grasp of
specialized Welsh genealogical methods and sources is only one of several factors that
contributed to that success. They will know, for example, how important it is in Welsh research
to have some understanding of the social, cultural, religious, and economic backgrounds of the
communities in which those ancestors lived. This book attempts to broaden that understanding,
especially for the period prior to 1800, when most researchers begin to experience difficulties. In
addition, it aims to make readers more aware of some little-known sources and the special uses
that may be applied to the information found in these sources.
Was $24.00 Now $15.95
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=5028
Annals and Antiquities of the Counties and County Families of Wales. In Two Volumes
First published in 1872, with a second edition in 1875, Nicholas's Annals and Antiquities is still
the standard work on Welsh family history and the chief source of genealogical data on the
counties and families of the principality. Unlike other books on the subject, it combines histories
of the ancient counties of Wales with family lineages, integrating the two to show the social and
genealogical evolution of the country.
Was $80.00 Now $49.95
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=4103
Eminent Welshmen: A Short Biographical Dictionary of Welshmen Who Have Obtained
Distinction from the Earliest Times to the Present
This is a prize-winning collection of nearly 2,000 biographical essays pertaining to men and
women who were either born in Wales or of Welsh descent, and who flourished between 1700
and 1900. The essays typically give the subject's years of birth and death, place of birth, and
father's or Welsh ancestor's name; a lengthy treatment of the distinguished individual's career;
and the sources consulted.
Was $59.95 Now $35.95
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=9299
Key to the Ancient Parish Registers of England and Wales
This work lists in alphabetical sequence all the parishes for which registers existed prior to 1813.
The bulk of the book gives the names of the counties in which the parishes are located and the
dates of the earliest entry in each register.
Was $20.00 Now $12.95
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=800
The Cymry of 76; or Welshmen and Their Descendants of the American Revolution. Second
Edition
This is one of the few printed sources on the role played by the Welsh population during the
Revolutionary War. A good deal of space is devoted to notices of prominent persons of Welsh
ancestry, and there is, in addition, a section on Welsh surnames.
Was $22.00 Now $13.95
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=3065
Welsh Founders of Pennsylvania. Two Volumes in One
This work consists of genealogical notices of Welsh immigrants to Pennsylvania, mainly
between 1682 and 1700. Alphabetically arranged, it relates to nearly 300 families and 2,000
individuals, with pedigrees and charts of the first arrivals.
Was $43.50 Now $25.95
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=2230
The Welsh Lineage of John Lewis (1592-1657), Emigrant to Gloucester, Virginia. Revised
Edition
Since the publication of Sorley's Lewis of Warner Hall, a debate has raged over the identity of
the family's immigrant ancestor, whom Sorley presumed to be one ROBERT LEWIS of Wales.
Grace Moses here shows conclusively that the true immigrant ancestor was JOHN LEWIS, who
settled at Totopotomoys Creek in Gloucester County, Virginia on July l, 1653.
Was $14.00 Now $8.95
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=9263
__________________________________________________
Back in Print for July
This month we have reprinted a long out-of-print collection of military records for New
Hampshire that span nearly 250 years, a complete collection of family history articles from a
distinguished Pennsylvania period, and rich histories for counties in Tennessee and South
Carolina. Readers will also find books about Mayflower Compact signers, scarce ship passenger
lists, and a study of early settlers in Washington County, New York, among our July reissues.
Please scroll down for details.
The Military History of the State of New Hampshire, from Its Settlement, in 1623, to the
Rebellion, in 1861. Two Volumes Published as One
Chandler E. Potter’s work on New Hampshire military history is reckoned to be definitive. In all,
approximately 14,000 names and places are identified.
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=4670
Signers of the Mayflower Compact
This is the standard reference work on the signers of the Mayflower Compact (1620), consisting
of lengthy sketches of the signers, with considerable genealogical information on the men and
their families. Descriptions of arms, lineages, and excerpts from wills and other contemporary
documents are integrated with the historical and biographical data. In addition, the work contains
extensive records of the signers, showing thousands of family connections.
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=2620
Some Early Emigrants to America [and] Early Emigrants to America from Liverpool
These two lists identify more than a thousand British indentured servants who mostly
immigrated to Maryland, Virginia, and the West Indies between 1683 and 1686. In some cases,
there is considerable information concerning the background and destination of the apprentices.
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=4110
Port Arrivals and Immigrants to the City of Boston, 1715-1716 and 1762-1769
The importance of this list lies in the fact that the passengers named embarked from a great many
different ports, so an ancestor can be traced from among a wide range of places of origin. Each
passenger is cited with the name of his ship, exact date of arrival, and occupation.
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=615
The Argyle Patent and Accompanying Documents [New York]
Between 1738 and 1740, groups of Scottish Presbyterian families from Argyleshire in Scotland
were brought to the New World by invitation of the Provincial Governor of New York Colony.
A large number of these Scots ultimately secured a grant of 47,450 acres, known as the Argyle
Patent, in the township of Argyle and in parts of the towns of Fort Edward, Greenwich, and
Salem in Washington County, New York. This work comprises a collection of the various
documents produced in support of the Argyle claim, including the full text of the claimants'
petitions, minutes and reports of the various Orders in Council, and several very important
passenger lists.
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=4520
Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families. Family Articles from “The Pennsylvania Magazine of
History and Biography.” Two Volumes
This valuable book on Pennsylvania genealogy is composed of some 200 articles (family
histories, Bible records, and genealogical fragments) excerpted from The Pennsylvania Magazine
of History and Biography that ran in the magazine from 1877 to 1935, when genealogical
contributions were discontinued. In all, this consolidation refers to some 20,000 individuals
connected to one or more of the 60 main families featured in the book.
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=4570
History of Old Cheraws [SC]. With Notices of Families and Sketches of Individuals . . .
This work is a history of the Old Cheraws District of South Carolina and of the settlement of the
territory now part of the eight counties of the Pedee District, from its first settlement in the 1730s
down to 1810, with lists of early land grantees and genealogical notices of early families and
sketches of individuals.
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=2380
History of Fentress County, Tennessee
The work consists of two parts. The first is a memorial to Fentress County citizens who served in
the Great War (e.g., the legendary Sergeant Alvin York); the second, although containing some
general history, is a collection of personal and family sketches. Altogether, some 350 sketches
are included, highlighted by references to marriage, occupation, and place of residence.
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=2760
__________________________________________________
“Federal Indian Policy, 1870-1900,” by John Ernest
(This article was excerpted from Mr. Ernest’s book The Complete Seminole. Please look for
additional selections in the weeks ahead.)
Federal Indian policy1 during the period from 1870 to 1900 marked a departure from earlier
policies that were dominated by removal, treaties, reservations, and even war. The new policy
focused specifically on breaking up reservations by granting land allotments to individual tribal
members (Citizens). Very sincere individuals reasoned that if a person adopted white clothing
and ways, and was responsible for his own farm, he would gradually drop some parts of his
culture (Indianess) and be assimilated into the population. Then there would be no necessity for
the government to oversee Indian welfare in the paternalistic way that it had been obligated to
do, or provide meager annuities that seemed to keep the Indian in a subservient and povertystricken position. Prior to allotment however, the Federal government had to build forts and
maintain a substantial military presence in the West due to activities of the Indians resisting the
presence of settlers. The ongoing cost to the Federal government of either feeding the tribes or
fighting them would be substantially reduced.
On February 8, 1887, Congress passed the Dawes Act, named for its author, Senator Henry
Dawes of Massachusetts. Also known as the General Allotment Act, the law allowed for
President Grover Cleveland (1893-1897) to break up reservation land, which was held in
common by the members of a tribe, into small allotments to be parceled out to the eligible
Citizens of the Five Nations.2
Thus, each Indian Citizen registered on a tribal "roll” and, accepted by the Dawes Commission
and approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was granted allotments of reservation land. “To
each head of a family, one-quarter of a section; To each single person over eighteen years of age,
one-eighth of a section; To each orphan child under eighteen years of age, one-eighth of a
section; and to each other single person under eighteen years now living, or who may be born
prior to the date of the order of the President directing an allotment of the lands embraced in any
reservation, one-sixteenth of a section”
The act also specified the groups that were to be exempt from the law. It stated that "the
provisions of this act shall not extend to the territory occupied by the Cherokees, Creeks,
Choctaws, Chickasaws, Seminoles, and Osage, Miamies and Peorias, and Sacs and Foxes, in the
Indian Territory, nor to any of the reservations of the Seneca Nation of New York Indians in the
State of New York, nor to that strip of territory in the State of Nebraska adjoining the Sioux
Nation on the south."
Subsequent events, however, extended the act's provisions to those groups as well. In 1893,
President Grover Cleveland appointed the Dawes Commission to negotiate with the Cherokees,
Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Seminoles, who were known as the Five Civilized Tribes.
As a result of these negotiations, several acts were passed that allotted a share of common
property to members of the Five Civilized Tribes in exchange for abolishing their tribal
governments and recognizing state and federal laws.
The purpose of the Dawes Act and the subsequent acts that extended its initial provisions was
purportedly to protect Indian property rights, particularly during the land rushes of the 1890s, but
in many instances the results were vastly different. In some cases, the tribal land allotted to the
Indian Citizens included desert or near-desert lands unsuitable for farming.
In addition, the techniques of self-sufficient farming were much different from their tribal way of
life. Many Indians did not want to take up agriculture, and those who did want to farm could not
afford the tools, animals, seed, and other supplies necessary to get started. There were also
problems with inheritance. Often young children inherited allotments that they could not farm
because they were too young or had been sent away to boarding schools. Multiple heirs also
caused a problem; when several people inherited an allotment, the size of the holdings became
too small for satisfactory farming.
The Curtis Act
Under powers granted to it by the Curtis Act of 1898, the Dawes Commission processed the
enrollment applications of more than 250,000 person3 and approved more than 101,000 whose
names were put on what is commonly called the "final rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes." The
enrollment process was closed as of March 4, 1907, and the final rolls remained the definitive
source on eligibility for each Nation’s membership. In order to allot the land, the Commission
surveyed and appraised the 19,525,966 acres of tribal land.4
The persons enrolled by the Commission were allotted 15,794,000 acres, with individual
allotment sizes based on the appraised value. Some persons eligible for allotment received cash
rather than land. The rules governing both enrollment and allotment were unique to each Nation
and were contained in agreements negotiated between 1897 and 1902 and were ratified by both
Congress and the individual Nations. Because many enrollees wanted the same parcel(s) of land,
the Commission ruled on 10,952 contested allotments.
The Commission reserved 125,497 acres for railroad rights-of-way, town-sites, churches,
schools, and cemeteries and segregated 431,080 acres of Choctaw and Chickasaw land holding
coal and asphalt deposits and 1,278,753 acres containing timber. These segregated lands were
leased under government supervision and eventually auctioned. After allotment was completed,
3,174,988 acres of un-allotted land were sold. The Commission surveyed 308 town-sites and
platted them into lots and blocks that were auctioned. The Commission received and maintained
accounts for the revenue from all these transactions and prepared, approved, and recorded
patents for each tract of land, supervised by a subsidiary, the Union Agency.
1Connell, Evan, Son of the Morning Star, Custer and the Little Bighorn (New York: Harper & Rowe
Publishers, 1984)
2The Dawes Act or General Allotment Act of 1887. U.S. Statutes at Large 24:388-91
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=50&page=transcript).
3This number varies by records consulted.
4Internet keyword, “Curtis Act”
For more information about The Complete Seminole. The Integration and Analysis of Seminole
Records . . . beginning with the Seminole Census Cards of 1897, land allotment records through
1905, please visit the following URL:
http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=8160
__________________________________________________
CONTACT US
www.genealogical.com is the online home of Genealogical Publishing Company and its affiliate,
Clearfield Company. For general information about our companies and their products, please email us at [email protected]. To order online, please e-mail us at [email protected].
To order other than online, you can:
1. Order by mail: 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260 - Baltimore, Maryland 21211-1953
2. Fax your order to 1-410-752-8492
3. Call toll-free to our sales department at 1-800-296-6687