Closson Press

Author: Raymond M. Bell with maps by Paul J. Connor
…A Genealogical Guide to the 10 Counties of Bedford, Blair, Centre, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, and Perry. Anyone who remembers this one-of-a-kind book from its initial appearance in 1989 can vouch for the usefulness of the late Dr. Bell’s wide-ranging compilation of facts, figures, lists, tips, references, and historical background on researching the people who settled the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania beginning in the 1730s. That region - now home to 10 counties - experienced a dramatic influx in the 18th century of English, German, Scots-Irish, and other groups who came primarily from the east, passing through Lancaster and York Counties and crossing the mountains into “Mother Cumberland.”

Since many of these families would later move on to western Pennsylvania and other places, this book serves as an important resource for any family historian today seeking ancestors who may have lived in or migrated through the Commonwealth’s south-central territory. Of particular interest to all researchers are the charts and maps detailing the creation and evolution of townships in the Cumberland Valley - a subject that can frustrate even professional genealogists trying to sort out the many changes in names and boundaries as townships were organized or reorganized.

By themselves, the charts and maps are worth the price of the book for the time they can save and the mistakes they can help researchers avoid when working with records that contain township identifications. This reprint has been updated with current addresses and web sites for each county’s page on Rootsweb. It includes six chapters, five appendices, two indexes (one of places and one of surnames), and seven pages or sections of maps.