We are moving a set of seldom-used books from Reference to In-House Storage today. I noticed that many of the pages of this set of books had never been cut. As I was looking at the pages that I was beginning to cut, I recognized the value of this set for genealogical researchers. Entitled Writings on American History, the set was published (at least in the late teens to early 1930s) as a supplement to the Annual Report of the American Historical Association. It was later published without the supplement annotation. It ceased publication in the early 1960s and when it resumed publication, a set covering the missing years (1962-73) was published. It ceased publication after the 1989/90 edition. It is often difficult to find indexes to older periodicals, but this one does just that. It also includes books published as well as book reviews. It covers mainly the United States, but to a lesser extent it covers all the Americas, including Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central, and South America. Let me give you a sampling of some of the articles that might be of interest to genealogical researchers from the 1919 issue of the publication.
Condict, Lewis. "Journey of a Trip to Kentucky in 1795," New Jersey Historical Society Proceedings, n.s. vol. 4 (1919): 108-127. - Described as a "journal of a horseback trip from Morristown, N.J., to Kentucky."
Dow, George Francis, ed. "Topsfield Selectmen's Records, 1704-1730," Topsfield Historical Society Collections, vol. 24 (1919): 90-112.
Kenny, Laurence J. "The Gallipolis Colony," Catholic Historical Review, vol. 4 (Jan. 1919): 415-451. - Described as "an account of this French colony on the Ohio, as the first successful western Catholic colony."
Bradwell, I. G. "Battle of Cedar Creek, Va.," Confederate Veteran, vol. 27 (Nov 1919): 411-412.
Hough, Frances L. "History of Pulaski County Episcopal Church," Illinois Historical Society Journal, vol. 11, no. 3 (Oct 1918): 418-421.
Thompson, Joseph J. "The Irish in Early Illinois," Illinois Catholic Historical Review, vol. 2 (Oct 1919): 223-238.
Hull, John T. "The Old Eastern Cemetery in Portland, Maine," Sprague's Journal of Maine History, vol. 7 (Aug 1919): 79-80.
Goodwin, Cardinal. "The Movement of American Settlers into Wisconsin and Minnesota," Iowa Journal of History and Politics, vol. 17 (Jul 1919): 406-428.
Reynolds, Louise Wilson. "Tax List of Greene County, State of Tennessee, for the Year 1783," D.A.R. Magazine, vol. 53 (Apr 1919): 196-203.
Bowman, George Ernest. "Capt. Peter Bennett's Will (1749) and the Estate of His Wife Priscilla," Mayflower Descendant, vol. 21 (Oct 1919): 171-175.
Perkins, Emily Ritchie. "The Perkins Family: A Sketch of Intercolonial Migration," Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania Publications, vol. 7, no. 2 (Mar 1919): 163-178.
"Marriage Licenses of the District of Columbia, 1801-1820," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, vol. 8 (Apr 1919): 27-31.
Conger, John L. "South Carolina and the Early Tariffs," Mississippi Valley Historical Review, vol. 5 (Mar 1919): 415-433.
As you can see, this publication holds a wealth of information that is useful to genealogists. I'm looking forward to seeing what gems I can find that will help me in my personal research and to making notes of articles that may be useful to me in the future.
