Hi Sally, sorry.... The book is "Mother Cumberland: Tracing your Ancestors in South-Central Pennsylvania", Raymond Bell (1989, Hearthside Press). Bell explains that the military in the Revolution in Cumberland Co was organized in 4 phases: June 1775 Thompson's Rifle Battalion (regiment) January 1776 PA regiments ("PA Line") Summer and fall 1776 Flying Camp July 1777 PA Militia (all men 18 to 53 drafted) It has detailed maps showing where each group was organized from. Then in May 1780 they reorganized the militia again. The complete roll of officers and privates is in the PA Archives, Series 5, Volume 4 for Cumberland, Bedford was in Series 6 Vol 5, etc, etc. For example he lists for Central Cumberland, which includes the townships of Carlisle, part of Middleton, West Pennsboro: 1777 Second Battalion Col John Davis (Carlisle) etc.... Through the captains. For the privates you see the PA Archives above, or the website for the PA archives, or the published series of PA archives, now online free at footnote.com. Or it was free last time I checked. You can find the service record cards on line at the PA archives site. If he served, it ids the captain or Col or whatever and using this book you can tell where he lived. For Northumberland, not Cumberland, check for such a book. You will find the info in the published PA archives, though perhaps cumbersome to use. To find 'deeds, etc', you check the warrant register for the counties. Note that the register won't begin for the descendant county till it's created. Always check the parent(s). You have to understand all the info on that page in my prior email. You can also check the patent register. If he is in neither of these, then you move to the deed books. The info in the warrant, survey, patent paperwork helps uniquely identify the plot of land. Generally the description is carried on down, verbatim. In the 1800s a plot warranted by a William McCamish in 1751 was being described the same way in deeds -- including the names of adjacent neighbors though they had been dead for many many years. Didn't matter -- they were establishing a connection to the original warrant and patent. However it's likely that his children married the neighbor's children, so you always want to know the names of the neighbors and the warrants, patents and deeds are a good way to find them out. You can sometimes identify a female ancestor's parent by studying partitions of land in the deeds. Little local historical societies and the like have had it rough lately. Largely their members are older and less computer literate so they can't easily create an attractive website to lure in money or interest. On the other hand, TV ads convince people you can do it on line. Some pay for Ancestry. Others expect everything for free. Some of the latter are willing to spend hours transcribing records to create free genealogical resources for others. A larger group of leeches just expect that there is an army of drones out there transcribing away day and night for years to supply their needs. None of these folk support local genealogical groups. So in the future there will be fewer and fewer. It's bleak. Without these small local groups and their tireless volunteers much of what we need will not be available. It can also be quite frustrating trying to reform them as they may resist all efforts to add a website or change marketing to attract the diaspora, etc. Linda Merle ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jess Sally Brandon" <sbrandondc@hotmail.com> To: scotch-irish@rootsweb.com Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2011 11:23:02 AM Subject: [S-I] Tracing military troop origins Linda, you wrote, "There is a thin book that I own that maps these army units into townships. " What's the name? Our DNA group is following a fresh ancestor, found in the Northumberland troops (Northumberland, parent and descendant of several counties). We're trying to pin him down, hopefully to find a deed. Good luck with the Adams Co. PA historical society. I found their staff unhelpful and far too interested in disturbing me to discuss their own family searches. Or to stand in the itty bitty library talking loudly about personal business. Haven't checked lately, but they even disavowed their own website. Thanks, Sally Brandon ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to SCOTCH-IRISH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message