Genealogy And Local History From
The George S. MacManus Co.
Genealogy and Local History from the George S. MacManus Company
By Michael Stillman
The George S. MacManus Company, of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, has issued its Catalogue 394, "Genealogy & Local History." This is a collection of almost 1,300 very targeted publications. Catalogues about genealogy and local history are among the more difficult to review as their titles are generally of niche appeal. The Dings Family in America is likely to be of great interest to the Dings, but perhaps not to many others. The Reminiscences of New Hampton, New Hampshire, will be of interest to people from New Hampton and those with a thing for alliteration, but how about for the other five billion people in the world? So which titles do you pick out for mention? The answer is all you can do is mention a few random samples, but remind readers that there are many, many more families and communities covered by these niche and mostly obscure books, and if you collect your family or town, you need to check out this catalogue to see if they are here. Here's one hint: while areas from all over the United States are included, the greatest concentration of books is from the Northeast, Midwest, and Middle Atlantic states.
We will start with item #1 from this catalogue as this is a family we all know: A Genealogical History of Henry Adams, of Braintree, Mass., and His Descendents by Andrew Adams. Not a lot is known about Henry. He came to America around 1636 with his wife, approximately eight sons (exact number not certain) and a daughter. It's not clear why he left England, but he was already in his 50s at the time, not a young age in 1636. He was a farmer, did not make any particular mark on the new country, and lived here no more than ten years, as he died in 1646. However, his descendants a few generations later would become enormously influential. Counted among those descendants are John Adams, the second president, John Quincy Adams, the sixth president, and Samuel Adams, a Revolutionary patriot (he's the one the beer is named after). This is a 1984 reprint of the 1898 original. Priced at $60.
For those interested in searching local histories, here's an excellent starting point. The book is United States Local Histories in the Library of Congress by Marion Kaminkow. This is a five-volume set published in 1975, which will enable you to learn much about what has been written on the various communities across America. Item 392. $300.
For those interested in obtaining printed copies of some of the works available in the Americana Exchange Database, MacManus offers a copy of the five-volume The Bibliographer's Manual of American History, Containing an Account of All State, Territory, Town & Country Histories Relating to the United States...from Thomas Bradford. Published between 1907 and 1910, this set remains one of the most important Americana references available today. It even contained prices, and while those are obviously dated today, you can adjust them for a hundred years of inflation to estimate which are of greatest value now. Item 239. $225.
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Genealogy And Local History From
The George S. MacManus Co.
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Semira Phillips must have been proud of his (her?) hometown when writing Proud Mahaska, 1843-1900, which was published in 1900 at the county seat of Oskaloosa. Quick. What state is this from? If you guessed Alabama, you're wrong. It's Iowa. Tuscaloosa is home to the University of Alabama, but Oskaloosa is home to William Penn College. You probably thought that was in Pennsylvania. It's all very confusing. If you ever take the trip from Des Moines to Maharishi University and the beautiful New Age community of Fairfield, you will drive right through Proud Mahaska. Item 382. $85.
If you drive about 75 miles due west from Mahaska you'll reach Madison County. J.J. Davies' History and Business Directory of Madison County, Iowa, is a particularly interesting history. Published in 1869, it is filled with advertisements from local merchants, businesses, and doctors. Sometimes advertisements can give you more of a feel for the times than does regular text. Item 381. $450.
Here's another challenge. Where does The New Directory and History of Nevada...come from? Nevada, Ohio, of course. There are no casinos in Nevada, Ohio. If the oldest profession is practiced there, it is not done so with legal consent. You cannot attend a Wayne Newton concert in Nevada, Ohio, which is probably a plus for this Midwestern version. Nevada is a community of less than a thousand people not close to much of anything non-Ohioans have heard of, but it does have it's own book, published back in 1894. Evidently, it has not grown very much since. Item 1138. $75.
One of the most distinctive of American towns is Newport, Rhode Island. Newport was a major seaport in colonial times. It also was a place of unusual religious tolerance, having been formed by people who fled Boston and its Puritanism. At one point more than half of its residents were Quakers, frequently persecuted elsewhere, and it is home to the oldest Jewish synagogue in North America. The British destroyed much of its commercial base during the Revolution, but Newport would rise again with a new identity. In the 19th century, it became better known as a resort, a reputation that carries through to this day. It was the summer home for many of the most wealthy families in America, such as the Vanderbilts. Their mansions still dominate the landscape today. In 1857, John Collins published The City and Scenery of Newport, Rhode Island. Newport was already a fashionable resort by then and this work not only speaks of the town as it was a century and a half ago, but contains plates of some of its most notable sights. Item 1154. $6,250.
Now here is my favorite: Centennial History of Licking Co., Ohio, by Isaac Smucker. With a name like Smucker, it has to be finger-licking good. Actually, the county's name has nothing to do with Smucker's jelly or the Colonel's chicken. It was named after the Licking River, which runs through it. I have no idea where the Licking River got its name. Item 1133. $75.
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Genealogy And Local History From
The George S. MacManus Co.
none
From northern Michigan comes Ancient and Modern Michilimackinack, Including an Account of the Controversy between Mackinac and the Mormons by James Strang. Strang met Mormon leader Joseph Smith in 1844 and quickly became a follower. He evidently impressed Smith as he sent Strang off to develop a community in Wisconsin. It was while Strang was away that Smith was assassinated. Strang claimed that Smith had appointed him as successor, but another group of Mormons, under the leadership of Brigham Young, did not accept this claim. Strang would lead his followers to Beaver Island, in the lake and state of Michigan. He was evidently a bit eccentric, setting himself up as king at one point, and developing unhappy relations with the non-Mormons in the area. That is part of what is discussed in this 1959 reprint of the book Strang first published in 1854. Strang would also serve in the Michigan legislature, be an abolitionist and hold progressive views on race issues for this age. Two years after his book was published, Strang would be assassinated, and his community driven from Beaver Island. Today, the old Mormon print shop, built in 1850, still stands on Beaver Island, and serves as a museum to James Strang and his times as well as other eras on the island. A small group of Strang followers survives to this day. Item 799. $75.
You may view this catalogue on the MacManus rare books website,www.macmanus-rarebooks.com. You may also reach the George S. MacManus Company by phone at 610-520-7273.
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