Review: An Uncommon Soldier edited by Lauren Cook Burgess

Burgess, Lauren Cook, ed. An Uncommon Soldier:  The Civil War Letters of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, alias Private Lyons Wakeman, 153rd Regiment, New York State Volunteers. The Minerva Center. 1994. Bibliography. Index. 110p. ISBN 0-9634895-1-8.

 

Although not allowed to serve, women did sometimes disguise themselves as men and enlist in Confederate and Union military units. Since their continued service depended on secrecy, information about women soldiers serving in the Civil War is very hard to find and verify. Those who were discovered were discharged, often leaving in disgrace.

 

Burgess has successfully documented well over 150 women soldiers who saw military service during the Civil War. In An Uncommon Soldier, she applies her skill and knowledge gained by that research to bring to life the experiences of one woman, Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, whose letters home were preserved and passed down through the years by family members.

 

Sarah Rosetta Wakeman (1843-1864) was the first of nine children born to Harvey and Emily (Hale) Wakeman. She apparently left her home in Afton, New York in 1862, disguising herself as a man in order to work on the  Chenango Canal. She then enlisted in the 153rd Regiment, New York State Volunteers in 1862 as Pvt. Lyons Wakeman.

 

In her letters home, Wakeman often expresses her love for family and pride in her military service. She is also well aware how Army life has changed her. Writing home just before Christmas 1863, she explains, "I have enjoyed my self the best since I have been gone away from home than I ever did before in my life. I have had plenty of money to spend and a good time asoldier[ing]. I find just as good friends among Strangers as I do at home." At other times, Wakeman writes about farming techniques, day-to day camp activities (her descriptions with these topics are particularly appealing), and her belief she will survive the war. Sadly, she died from diarrhea contracted during the Red River campaign and was buried at Chalmette National Cemetery. 

 

Pvt. Wakeman's letters were carefully edited by Burgess to retain the writer's voice while adding punctuation and standardizing spelling for the convenience of modern readers. The many explanatory notes are very welcome additions and help clarify events and identify people mentioned by Wakeman. If you're interested in reading the unedited letters, however, photocopies are available at the Library of Congress.

 

Recommended for students, Civil War buffs, and genealogists with specific interests in the Wakeman family and the 153rd Regiment, New York State Volunteers. The book is widely available at many libraries in the U.S. as well as at several online vendors. Cloth and paper editions are for sale at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, beginning at about $10. Amazon also sells the Kindle edition for $9.99 while Lulu.com sells the eBook (pdf) edition for the same price.

Review: Digital Imaging Essentials by Geoffrey D. Rasmussen

Rasmussen, Geoffrey D. Digital Imaging Essentials: Techniques and Tips for Genealogists and Family Historians. Geoff Rasmussen. 2012. Index. Paper, $19.95. eBook, $14.95.

Many of you will recognize this author from his presentations at genealogy conferences and as the host of Legacy Family Tree's webinar series. I've enjoyed his enthusiastic and informative presentations on Legacy software as well as the webinars. He brings that same enthusiasm to his recent book which successfully demystifies working with digital cameras and images for genealogists.

In his book, he provides basic definitions and overviews of terminology, procedures and related to digital photography. The information is straightforward and easy to understand. I appreciated his focus on Adobe Elements 11 (the most current release of this popular software!) and Picasa.

This is a well-rounded introduction to digital photography for those of us who struggled with each advance in camera evolution--from Brownie to Polaroid to 35mm to digital. Digital Imaging Essentials won't be the only guide you need, but it's an excellent starting point if you're the slightest bit nervous about digital photography. Publishing the book in print and eBook formats is not only logical, it gives readers needed flexibility to access information when and where they need it.

About the formats. I downloaded the eBook and pre-ordered the paper edition from Legacy. After reading it on my pc, I uploaded a copy to my iPhone 3GS so I could refer to some of the information if (when) I splurge on a new digital camera. The whole process was very easy and the version on the iPhone is as readable as the one on my pc. The paper edition arrived a couple of weeks later and I found it has the same layout and illustrations as the eBook. Rasmussen also points out that the eBook will be updated as needed--a definite advantage.

This title appears to be for sale only at Legacy Family Tree in eBook (available to download right away) or paper editions. Special holiday pricing is also offered. If you plan to borrow the book from your local library, you may have a long wait--only a few public libraries list it in their catalogs. No library admits to owning the eBook edition--although I imagine this will change.

Review: History for Genealogists by Judy Jacobson

Jacobson, Judy. History for Genealogists: Using Chronological Time Lines to Find and Understand Your Ancestors. Clearfield Company. 2009. ISBN 978-0-8063-5439-2. $33.00.

Education and experience teach many genealogy researchers to develop historical and social contexts when developing profiles of their ancestors. Knowing what went on in their worlds during their lifetimes provides insights into how and why our ancestors made certain decisions. In this book, prolific author Jacobson promotes timelines as essential tools to help researchers develop those contexts.

The author touches on the how-to of creating timelines and discovering relevant sources, but the real stars of this book are the many, many timelines. You will find detailed timelines for many topics, including international migrations, wars, disasters, politics, and economics. Key events for countries and regions throughout the world, and, my favorite, each U. S. state, are listed. All of these can be valuable starting points for your research.

Despite the value of the timelines, more information about how to create a relevant timeline and apply it to your ancestor's life would have been very useful. Readers looking for history lessons will also be disappointed, although the extensive bibliography will provide some direction. And, why weren't there more examples of the many available free online resources, such as links for timelines in Cyndi's List which were available when the book was written?

This paperback book is an optional--and somewhat pricey--purchase for most genealogists and library collections. No eBook edition located. It is widely available for sale online at websites like genealogical.com and amazon.com (which is where I purchased the copy to review). Outside of libraries with strong genealogy collections, few public libraries in the U.S. own this title, so it's a good candidate for inter-library loan.