As the years roll by, the descendants of the early settlers become more deeply impressed with the importance of family histories and genealogical records. For many centuries records of discoveries, explorations, wars and civil transactions have been preserved from which in later years have been woven the histories of the world and by which we are, as it were, kept in communication with past ages.
While time and thought and money have been lavished on records of war and explorations of bygone days, family records have been neglected. The later generations are endeavoring to repair this neglect by placing before the public the history of their progenitors. The sources of information are very meagre. They are limited to the memory of the older people, which is unreliable to a certain extent, to town records which are, in some cases, kept very imperfectly, to records of wills and deeds, and to old records in family Bibles, which last are the most reliable. An earnest effort has been made to have this book as free from errors as possible. There will be mistakes in proper names and dates which no genealogist can avoid. The Town Clerks of earlier days had little education and often spelled names as they were pronounced, the ink would fade and the books get worn and mutilated. They would be kept in the attics of farm houses and a few hours would see them reduced to ashes in the burning building, and the records of years destroyed.
The writer of this history is indebted to all who have so kindly assisted in making it a success, for the letters of encourage ment and cheer which have been received, and the interest shown in the work. It has been a long and at times a seemingly hopeless task, but a lover of genealogy will not be dismayed by difficulties. The writer has sent a large number of letters to the different parts of the United States and replies have been received with valuable information. But in too many instances no reply has been received, and through this neglect there will be an absence of records which otherwise would be preserved. A little negli gence, a little procrastination, a feeling that an answer is of no consequence, and a record of perhaps several families fails to appear on the pages of the book. A very small percentage of the letters have been returned unclaimed, but by far the greater number has been unanswered.
|Catégorie||Langue Étrangère - Anglais|