Books and Other References
Commercial Sources

The majority of genealogy books are not written with great profit in mind but out of love of family or strong interest in a subject. We encourage your support of the further creation and publication of books of genealogical and local historical interest by occasionally purchasing a book for your own personal library. And keep in mind that a book of local interest is a perfect gift for a friend or relative, as well as a welcome addition to your local public library or historical society. [NOTE: we've removed all books with "dead end" websites and email links. Some of these listings were almost 15 years old.]

3/28/04

David Burton Flint
http://www.dbflint-colonial-wars.com
David Burton Flint Colonial Books

Information about author and local historian David Flint's "The Life and Times of Robert Flint the Pioneer," "Trail of Broken Chains," and news of current book "Two Brothers, Two Wars, One Valley." Many related links about the Revolutionary War in the Mohawk Valley, articles of interest including re-enactment, and much more. Don't forget to click into David's bio and sign his guestbook.

11/6/03  For Immediate Release

Subject: Local History - Otsego & Herkimer Counties; Union Sixth Corps, Civil War

SUBDUED BY THE SWORD
A Line Officer in the 121st New York Volunteers
A book by James M. Greiner

[Presents the life of Captain John S. Kidder during the Civil War, as told through letters to his wife, Harriet, at home in rural New York.]

(Herkimer, NY October 15, 2003) Drawing on previously unpublished letters written by John S. Kidder to his wife, Harriet, during the Civil War, James M. Greiner recounts the triumphs and tragedies endured by one New York family. Kidder, a carriage maker living in the rural village of Laurens, responded to President Lincoln's call in the summer of 1862 for more troops by personally recruiting over seventy men living nearby. Serving under Emory Upton, considered one of the most talented soldiers produced by the Union, Kidder was captain of Company I of the 121st New York Volunteers. The regiment saw action at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Rappahannock Station, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. Kidder's letters home contain rich details of camp life, the difficulties of commanding men who had only recently been his neighbors, and the highs and lows associated with soldiering during the Civil War. They also reveal Harriet's struggle to maintain the family home and business due to the uncertainties of army pay.

"Greiner has left no stone unturned to provide a complete history of the 121st New York Volunteers. It's a fascinating story, told from the perspective of a field soldier. The insights into the daily life of the Union soldier are remarkable. He also explores life on the home front, showing how desertions and casualties impacted life in a rural New York village." Allen Ballard, University at Albany, State University of New York

"What is most appealing about this book is the freshness of this new materialthe window it opens onto the life of an ordinary family, which made considerable sacrifices to fight for the Union. Civil War aficionados will enjoy the opportunity to watch the war unfold through the eyes of entirely new characters." Harold Holzer, editor of State of the Union: New York and the Civil War.

Greiner had originally planned to write an updated regimental history of the 121st New York Volunteers. However, after learning of Kidder and the existence of nearly ninety letters that John wrote to wife Harriet, Greiner said; "It was so easy to set aside a regimental history project and concentrate on a biography of the remarkable husband and wife team of John and Harriet Kidder."

Subdued by the Sword also includes 26 photographs, many of them previously unpublished.

James M. Greiner is an independent historian and researcher in Herkimer, New York, and the coeditor (with Janet L. Coryell and James R. Smither) of A Surgeon's Civil War: The Letters and Diary of Daniel M. Holt, M.D.

State University of New York Press
http://www.sunypress.edu/p-3830-subdued-by-the-sword.aspx
October 2003 / 288 pages
[Illustrated: 26 b/w photographs, 5 maps]
$29.95 paperback ISBN 0-7914-5868-7
$75.50 hardcover ISBN 0-7914-5867-9

I have a small business which reproduces old maps of towns in New England and New York. My maps of Herkimer County towns come from the 1868 Atlas of Herkimer County by B. Nichols. My maps of Montgomery County towns come from the 1868 atlas of Montgomery & Fulton County. You can see the complete list on my web page at http://www.oldmapsne.com.

Kay Gleason
Historical Ink
Old maps of towns in New England and New York and other items of genealogical and historical interest.

Bill Barker, author of "Early Families of Herkimer County, NY - Decendants of the Burnetsfield Palatines", has made available on 3.5 disks his book about early Montgomery County families. The set of disks, in RTF format costs $20. When ordering please indicate whether you need PC or Macintosh format. Payment must be sent with your order, payable to "Bill Barker": Bill Barker, 25 Wheeler Street, Shelton, CT 06484 [NOTE: this is a very old listing. A search on line turned up that Bill's book is available for purchase as a google e-book.]

A new book as of 1998 by Allan D. Footeby, copyright 1998, and a joint publication, North Country Books, Inc., 311 Turner St., Utica, NY and Mohawk Valley History Project, 4 Cheriton Drive, Whitesboro, NY. [NOTE: Look around online for availability of ISBN 0-925168-72-6]

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