,,concerning ,,genealogies    ,,being   
,,suggestions ,,of ,,value ,,for ,,all  
,,interested ,,in ,,family ,,history    
,,by    ,,frank ,,allaben    ,director  
of the ,genealogical and ,biographical  
,department  of ,the ,grafton ,press2   
,compiler of the ,biographical  ,volumes
 of ,the ,memorial ,history of ,new     
,york  and of ,leslie's ,history of     
,greater ,new ,york    ,illustration3   
,logo    ,,the ,,grafton ,,press  #gj   
,,fifth ,,avenue         ,,new ,,york   
,copyright #aijd by  ,,the ,,grafton    
,,press          ,,preface      ,this   
little book puts the pleasure of tracing
 one's ancestry within  reach of those  
who have had no previous practice4 ,it  
covers every phase  of the subject--the 
sources of information1 the methods of  
research1 the  compiling1 the printing1 
and the publishing of a genealogy4      
,strong emphasis is laid upon the       
importance of employing the historical  
method1 without which no genealogical   
work can become authoritative4 ,if  we  

may judge from most of the family       
histories in print1 a vigorous  protest 
against pernicious methods should be    
lodged with professional  genealogists  
as well as with amateurs4    ,special   
attention is also called to the         
radically different plans for           
genealogical works1 one tracing the many
 descendants of a common  ancestor1 the 
other tracing the many ancestors of a   
common descendant4  ,there is a general 
drift toward the latter1 many having    
discovered the  fascination of exploring
 their direct lines of descent who would
 not  care to trace the collateral      
branches of a family tribe4 ,but a      
detailed plan of work devoted to the    
exhibit of the many lines of one's  own 
ancestry is here formulated for the     
first time4 ,this ,grafton  ,plan1 as we
 have called it1--already carried into  
execution1 and  approved by             
experience1--will appeal to thousands   
for whom tribal  genealogies have little
 interest4    ,our little volume also   

offers something more than a mere theory
 of how  to proceed in genealogical     
work4 ,it tells of labor-saving         
notebooks  devised for each kind of     
genealogy1 and explains ways in which   
our own  genealogical department is     
placed at the service of the reader4    
,,frank ,,allaben4          ,,contents  
,,chapter                         ,,page
    ,i ,,ancestry ,,hunting             
#i     ,,ii ,,the ,,joys ,,of ,,research
          #ai    ,,iii ,,compiling      
#bi     ,,iv ,,the ,,clan ,,genealogy   
#cg      ,v ,,the ,,grafton ,,genealogy 
#df     ,,vi ,,the ,,printing           
#ef    ,,vii ,,publishing               
#fd          ,,concerning ,,genealogies 
,i    ,,ancestry ,,hunting              
,everyone has leisure moments which are 
apt to hang heavy upon one's  hands     
unless employed in some sort of         
recreation4 ,one turns to golf and      
outdoors1 another goes forth with gun or
 rod1 a third arms himself with  a      
camera4 ,many dabble a little in        

science4 ,some take to the telescope    
and star-gazing1 while the microscope   
claims others1 who haunt scummy  ponds  
with jars and bottles in search of      
diatoms1 and other denizens of  a drop  
of stagnant water4 ,one goes in for     
bugs1 another for ferns or  fungi4      
,others1 of a bookish turn of mind1 do  
their hunting in the dark  corners of   
second-hand bookstores1 hoping to       
stumble upon a first  edition or some   
other treasure4    ,but it is doubtful  
if the whole range of hobbies can       
produce anything  half so fascinating as
 the hunt for one's ancestry4 ,this     
combines the  charm and excitement of   
every other pastime4 ,what sportsman    
ever bagged  such royal game as a line  
of his own forebears8 ,what triumph of  
the rod  and reel ever gave the thrill  
of ecstasy with which we land an elusive
  ancestor in the genealogical net8 ,if 
any proof be needed of the  fascination 
of this pursuit1 behold the thousands   
who are taking it up6  ,the nooks and   

crannies of civilization are their      
hunting-grounds--any  corner where man  
has left a documentary trace of himself4
 ,behold them1  eager enthusiasts1      
besieging the libraries1 poring over    
tomes of deeds  and wills and other     
documents in ,state and county archives1
 searching  the quaint and musty volumes
 of town annals1 thumbing dusty pages of
  baptismal registers1 and frequenting  
churchyards to decipher the  fast-fading
 names and dates on mossgrown           
tombstones1 yellow and stained  with    
age1 or cracked and chipped by the      
frosts and rains of many  seasons6    ,a
 tidal wave of ancestry-searching has   
indeed swept over the country4          
,genealogical and biographical societies
 have been organized4 ,periodicals  have
 sprung up which confine themselves     
exclusively to this subject4            
,newspapers are devoting departments to 
it4 ,the so-called patriotic  societies 
and orders have become a host1 with     
branches in nearly every  ,state4 ,they 

count their members by tens of          
thousands1 their rolls are  steadily    
increasing1 and new societies are       
constantly being organized4  ,there is  
scarcely an achievement in which our    
ancestors took part which  has not been 
made the rallying-point of some         
flourishing society4 ,all  these draw   
life and nourishment from the mighty    
stream of genealogical  research4 ,we   
must prove that we have had ancestors1  
and that one or more  of them had the   
distinction celebrated by the particular
 organization at  whose door we knock   
for admission4    ,librarians and the   
custodians of public records bear       
witness to this  great movement4 ,the   
libraries have become wonderfully       
popular1 thronged  by multitudes who    
have enrolled themselves in the army of 
amateur  genealogists4 ,so onerous has  
become the work of handing out          
historical  and genealogical books that 
in some large libraries such works have 
been  gathered into alcoves which are   

thrown open to the public1 where the    
ancestry-hunter may help himself4       
,formerly such public records as deeds  
and wills constituted the special       
preserve of the lawyer4 ,but his        
monopoly is a thing of the past4 ,the   
genealogist has invaded this domain and 
established equal rights4 ,he  still    
leaves to the lawyer the dry searching  
of titles to property1  choosing for    
himself the pleasanter task of sifting  
out important data  for the biography of
 an ancestor1 or for the proofs of a    
line of  descent4    ,old church record 
books1 with their marriage and baptismal
 registers1  have acquired an           
extraordinary value4 ,in many cases     
these volumes have  been rescued out of 
dark corners and from beneath           
accumulations of dust  and dbris where  
they had been tossed as ecclesiastical  
junk4 ,but the  pastors and church      
secretaries who unearthed them1 at the  
instance of  inquiring genealogists1    
have now discovered a profitable        

occupation for  their leisure in        
transcribing items for correspondents4  
,indeed1 a number  of societies are now 
engaged in collecting these old         
registers1 or in  making transcripts for
 their archives4    ,what is the subtle 
attraction which draws these            
multitudes--the  fascination which lures
 so many into genealogical research8 ,we
 have  hinted that the pursuit of       
ancestry yields the exhilaration both of
 the  chase and the stillhunt1 kindling 
the suspense of expectation into  sudden
 thrills of discovery1 as keen as those 
when the wary canvas-back  flies low    
over the blind1 or a pair of antlers    
comes crashing through  the brush4      
,but while genealogical research affords
 all the excitement of the chase1  it is
 followed by no reproach for having     
taken life1 but by the  permanent       
satisfaction peculiar to the benefactor 
of mankind4 ,the  ancestry-hunter does  
not kill1 but brings to life4 ,he       
revives the  memories of the dead1 and  

benefits the world with an honorable    
contribution to the science of history4 
,for a trophy he does not show a  string
 of fish1 nor a few birds and skins to  
distribute among friends1  but a genuine
 historical work of ever-increasing     
value1 which hands down  his name to an 
appreciative posterity4    ,we have     
compared the peculiar delight of        
establishing a family link1  long       
shrouded in mystery or attended with    
harassing doubts1 to the  angler's joy  
in landing a notable catch4 ,in both    
cases the issue may  long hang in the   
balance between skilful manipulation and
 a possible  stroke of bad luck1 which  
no skill can guard against4 ,the fish   
may be  reeled in or given his head     
without a single mistake of judgment4   
,but  who can foresee the sharp rock1   
the hidden snag1 which cuts or entangles
  the line8 ,and so1 too1 is skill most 
richly rewarded in searching for        
ancestors2 but what can it avail against
 the positive wiping out of             

indispensable records8    ,we recall one
 of these genealogical tragedies1 which 
cast its shadow  over a remarkable      
record of successes in tracing a number 
of interesting  lines for a gentleman   
who could start us off with no more than
 the names  and birth-places of his     
parents4 ,two lines remained which      
pointed back  by strong evidence to     
,european connections of the titled     
class4 ,all that  was needed in one case
 was a clue to show to which of several 
branches  of the family in ,great       
,britain1 the first ,american ancestor  
belonged4  ,but to this day that clue   
has eluded every attempt to pick it up  
by  research here or abroad4    ,cases  
which are parallel up to this point are 
not uncommon4 ,but the  tragedy has yet 
to be told4 ,at the colonial homestead  
of this ancestor  we learned that his   
personal papers had1 indeed1 been       
preserved from  generation to           
generation4 ,their last owner1 a maiden 
lady1 had carefully  kept them in an old

 trunk1 which was itself an ancient     
heirloom4 ,but she  had never taken the 
pains to examine their contents1 and    
only a short  time before our           
investigation brought us upon the scene1
 these hoary  documents1 after surviving
 the vicissitudes of seven generations1 
had  been destroyed in a fire which     
reduced the old house to ashes6    ,who 
can express the sorrow of it8 ,no finder
 of ,captain ,kidd's buried  treasure   
could gloat over ,spanish doubloons and 
glittering gems with  half the delight  
with which we would have contemplated   
those ancient  parchments4 ,how fondly  
our fingers would have turned the       
precious pages  and smoothed the creases
 of those yellow papers6 ,but now no    
hand may  touch them1 no antiquarian's  
eye explore nor pen exploit their       
contents  to the world6 ,if our friend  
had only sought his forebears earlier1  
and  launched us sooner upon the voyage 
of discovery6    ,the other line1 it is 
true1 had no disappointments for us4 ,it

 even  yielded the discovery and        
possession of an original parchment     
pedigree1  signed by an official herald 
of arms1 which the ancestor had brought 
over with him1 exhibiting his descent   
from the many ,sir ,williams and ,sir   
,johns of an ancient ,lincolnshire      
family extending back nearly to the     
,conqueror4 ,it also enabled us to      
confirm the connection through official 
sources in ,england1 and to prove that  
the emigrant was the son and heir  in   
the line of primogeniture4 ,for these   
kind favors1 we trust that we  were     
truly thankful4 ,but they could scarcely
 comfort us for the lost  papers which  
might have carried back another line in 
the same  distinguished fashion4        
,thus1 genealogy has its griefs as well 
as its joys--some disappointments  among
 many triumphs4 ,but so it is with life 
and with everything worth  while4 ,who  
would care to measure skill with a      
gamefish if the creature  had no chance8
 ,or who would glory in the death of a  

bull-moose that a  look could bowl over8
 ,in genealogical research it is the    
part played by  skill and by the unknown
 quantities which gives to it all the   
fascination1 with none of the risks and 
evils1 of a great game of skill  and    
chance4    ,another pleasure is the     
sensation of original discovery4 ,would 
you  experience the feelings of a       
,columbus8 ,then set forth to explore   
the  unsailed seas and hidden continents
 of your own or some other person's     
ancestry6 ,if your own happens to be    
virgin territory you are one of         
fortune's favorites1 with the ripest    
joys of life just before you4 ,nor  is  
it any question of great achievements or
 high social position enjoyed  by the   
ancestor4 ,the truth is that all        
ancestors are remarkable persons4  ,in  
the first place they are our ancestors1 
and in the second place it  is a        
noteworthy fact1 as mysterious as       
delightful1 that every homely  feature  
about them wears a wondrous glamour and 

dignity4 ,their  homesteads1 their      
property1 their church affiliations1    
their signatures1  any little act of    
barter or sale1--all these items create 
an absorbing  interest as they stand    
recorded in old archives4    ,we        
remember1 as if it were yesterday1 the  
peculiar charm of the simplest  details 
in clearing up our family history4 ,the 
most that parents1 aunts  and           
great-uncles could give was a vague     
tradition of a certain                  
great-great-grandfather1 a captain in   
the ,revolution whose chief  distinction
 seemed to have been his success in     
getting captured by the  ,british and   
having his silver knee buckles stolen by
 a ,tory4 ,of course  he subsequently   
escaped1 met that ,tory1 knocked him    
down1 and recaptured  the silver        
buckles4    ,turning to the records we  
were able to identify this energetic    
patriot  without trouble1 although in   
the process he dwindled from a captain  
to  a sergeant1 and even held the latter

 title on a rather uncertain  tenure1   
having been once reduced4 ,indeed1 his  
military record ends  7shall we confess 
it87 with the rather compromising word1 
deserted4  ,but what of that8 ,this     
flesh-and-blood progenitor is much more 
to our  liking than any starched and    
laced dignitary of the imagination4 ,and
  while history saith not concerning the
 knee buckles1 that he was ready  with  
his fists seems altogether probable in  
the light of his subsequent  career4    
,his title of captain was acquired at   
sea4 ,he commanded a craft  in the      
waters of ,long ,island1 where he met an
 untimely death--through  foul play1    
says that old gossip ,tradition1 whose  
tongue we dare not  trust4 ,features of 
mystery still remain1 and if we knew    
all1 it is  possible that we could lay  
claim to a picturesque pirate--a most   
desirable addition to any family line1  
and especially so if he escaped         
hanging4    ,much as we delighted in    
this liberty-loving individual1 the     

reader will  understand that we thought 
well to look backward for a more sober  
character to maintain the family        
dignity4 ,we found several who filled   
the rle of quiet respectability to      
perfection1 and thus reached the        
emigrant-founder of the line1 a         
gentleman who drew our special          
affections by the extreme littleness of 
his greatness and the romantic          
character of his surroundings4 ,he was  
of ,french ,huguenot descent1 a  weaver 
by trade1 and possessed of a frame for a
 dwelling house 444  twenty foot in     
length and sixteen foot in bredth1 and  
other realty in  the shape of an acre of
 woodland and an acre of upland lying in
 a place  called ,hog-,neck1 bounded by 
a cove west and ye ,goose ,creek north4 
,what distinctions6 ,not every one can  
boast such a progenitor1 a wielder  of  
loom and shuttle on the lordly          
promontory of ,hog-,neck1 where the     
gentle waters of ,goose ,creek flow into
 the sea1 near the ancient town of      

,southold4    ,we could not doubt that  
such a character had other claims to    
distinction2 and sure enough1 the       
achievement of having loitered in this  
world for ninety-six and one-half years 
is carved upon his tombstone in  the old
 cemetery where he rests beside a third 
wife1 who herself  attained to          
ninety-two summers6 ,peace be to their  
ashes6 ,we can almost  see this famous  
ancestor1 the patriarch of the village1 
toiling down its  long street under the 
weight of the honor of his many years1  
responding  to the greetings of man1    
woman and child with a cheery nod and a 
pleasant ,french accent4 ,we would not  
have one single feature changed in      
order to place him upon a higher        
pedestal4    ,his father and            
grandfather1 as we learn from old       
documents1 were elders  and leaders in  
one of the ,french churches established 
in ,england by the  ,huguenots in the   
sixteenth century4 ,but the dignity of  
these men1  banished from their native  

soil by the atrocities of ,st4          
,bartholomew's  day1 can not outshine   
the quiet glory of the aged weaver of   
,hog-,neck  and ,goose ,creek1 nor even 
put to shame the restless career of     
their  later descendant of the          
,revolutionary epoch4 ,in fact1         
throughout the  entire ancestral line we
 found every progenitor perfect in his  
place and  after his kind4 ,and so has  
it ever been with the genealogist1 and  
so  will it be to the end of time4      
,we may add that genealogical work is   
literary work--a fact which adds        
immensely to its fascination4 ,the      
genealogist tastes all the delights of  
authorship1 added to those of research  
and discovery2 and it is the  purpose of
 this little volume to bring these      
pleasures within the reach  of all4 ,for
 is there a reader of books who would   
not take delight in  making one1 if he  
thought himself competent and the labor 
not too great8          ,,ii    ,,the   
,,joys ,,of ,,research      ,it will not

 require much space to indicate the main
 sources of  information in genealogical
 research4 ,having decided to trace back
 our  own lines1 we naturally turn first
 to the living members of our family4   
,if we have parents living and          
accessible1--grandparents1              
great-grandparents1 aunts1 uncles1      
great-aunts1 cousins1 or others who  are
 likely to know more about the family   
than we do1--let us consult  them1      
personally if we may1 by letter if we   
must4 ,we expect to learn  most from the
 older members of the family1 provided  
that their faculties  are unimpaired4   
,certainly we should make no delay in   
applying to the  aged1 before the       
opportunity passes away forever4    ,but
 when we have gathered all the facts and
 traditions which these  sources can    
contribute1 the main work of research   
begins4 ,our advice at  this point can  
be given here only in a general way4    
,the next thing to  do depends upon the 
peculiar circumstances of each          

case--upon the known  facts1 the        
localities to-which they point1 and the 
character of the  resources in each     
locality4 ,we have devised a plan of    
rendering  assistance in such cases to  
those who need it which will be         
explained at  the end of this chapter4  
,in a general way we here refer to the  
wills1 deeds1 intestate records1  tax   
and court records on file at the county 
seats1 and to the  miscellaneous        
records1 often of great value for       
genealogical purposes1  on file at the  
,state ,capitals4 ,the value of church  
registers has been  mentioned4 ,they    
contain membership rolls1 and records of
 marriages1  baptisms and deaths4 ,in   
many cases the date of birth is given   
with that  of baptism4 ,in ,new ,england
 and many other places1 the old town    
records  are exceedingly valuable       
sources1 the births of children being   
frequently recorded1 besides early      
property transactions1 contracts1 and   
much else showing the status of the     

early settlers in the community4    ,the
 records in old family ,bibles are often
 shortcuts1 while other  family papers1 
if old1 frequently have a special value4
 ,the records on  tombstones are a      
resource apparent to all4 ,the ,pension 
,bureau at  ,washington has records of  
the soldiers of the ,revolutionary and  
later  wars who drew pensions4 ,early   
warrants for the survey of lands are    
recorded at many ,state ,capitals4 ,a   
large miscellaneous collection of       
historical manuscripts1 many of them    
containing genealogical  information1   
will be found in the custody of         
historical and genealogical  societies4 
,the resources in libraries are almost  
endless4 ,the genealogical works        
already published are a host in         
themselves1 to which we must add the    
genealogies given completely1 or in     
part1 in periodicals4 ,the line we  are 
interested in may have appeared in one  
of them1 or may be referred  to in their
 pages4 ,certain indexes in book form   

help us to find them1  and should be    
consulted at the outset4    ,many       
,states have published their archives1  
and of town and county  histories there 
are not a few4 ,a number of important   
church registers  can be consulted in   
print1 and even the tombstone           
inscriptions have1 in  some cases1 been 
published4 ,the ,revolutionary records  
of most of the  ,states are now         
accessible in printed form1 as are many 
of the valuable  papers held by         
historical and genealogical societies4  
,in certain  libraries can be found a   
large collection of exceedingly valuable
  genealogical and heraldic works       
covering the countries which contributed
  the bulk of early emigration to the   
,american colonies and ,states--,great  
,britain1 the ,netherlands1 ,france1 and
 ,germany4 ,the publishers of this  book
 have arranged a means for placing these
 and other library sources  at the      
service of those who do not have access 
to them1 or who have not  the time or   

disposition to consult such authorities 
for themselves4 ,this  plan is described
 at the end of the chapter4    ,having  
learned all that relatives can tell us  
about our family1 we are  ready to turn 
to these other sources4 ,all systems of 
gathering  information are systems of   
taking notes4 ,thus the question of     
proper  notebooks presents itself4 ,this
 matter1 however1 we relegate to other  
chapters1 in connection with the two    
plans for genealogical works1 for  each 
plan has its suitable notebook4 ,but    
here we simply remark that the  question
 is all-important4 ,upon its solution   
depends our escape from the  old        
task-master1 ,drudgery1 who stands ready
 to burden the pleasure of  our pursuit 
with pains and toil if we do not        
circumvent him4    ,use plenty of paper1
 writing on one side only1 in a plain   
hand4 ,write  with pen and ink where    
possible4 ,a good fountain pen is a     
handy friend1  though some libraries do 
not permit its use when consulting      

books4 ,in  such cases a lead pencil    
must be employed4 ,we prefer a          
moderately soft  one1 which makes a     
heavy black mark without tiring the hand
 by requiring  much pressure1 and we    
carry several1 well sharpened1 with a   
knife to  keep them so4    ,there is    
only one right way of making notes1 and 
that is to give the  full authority for 
our facts when we note the facts        
themselves4 ,this  applies to personal  
information1 as well as to that obtained
 from books  and documents4 ,take the   
case of the information obtained from   
our  relatives4 ,was some of it secured 
by correspondence8 ,if so1 the letter   
itself gives the name and address of the
 informant1 together with the  date4    
,this is as it should be4 ,but if it is 
not certain whether some  part of the   
contents is based upon the personal     
knowledge of the writer1  the statements
 of another1 hearsay1 or general        
tradition1 it is well to  write again   
and have the source of the information  

clearly established4  ,only so can we   
rightly judge of its value4 ,if our     
information was  obtained in a          
conversation1 the name and address of   
the informant should  be noted1 with the
 date of the interview4 ,the foundation 
of his  information should also be      
learned and recorded4    ,the moment of 
first hearing the facts1 when the joy of
 discovery and  the satisfaction of     
making progress are upon us1 is the     
psychological  moment for making our    
notes4 ,it is a positive delight while  
the fever of  enthusiasm is high4 ,as   
our informant begins his story1 let us  
interrupt  with the cry of the          
enthusiast1 ,i must jot that down6 ,out 
comes our  notebook1 conveying to our   
friend a very distinct impression of the
  importance of being accurate4 ,he     
collects himself1 and proceeds to give  
his facts and traditions with the       
greatest care4 ,as we stop him with     
questions1 or take time to write the    
facts1 his memory is stimulated4  ,with 

skillful questions the genealogical     
worker can draw out all the             
information1 taking care to cover every 
point which may come up later4    ,in   
consulting books and documents we       
generally wish to copy in full all      
important references1 and we will       
initiate the reader into a cunning      
stratagem of the old campaigner4 ,we    
often run across a paper or  paragraph  
which we can see at a glance is a find4 
,we do not read it  through1 but simply 
skim over it to make sure of the portion
 which we  desire1 and then begin the   
work--nay1 the delightful pastime--of   
copying  it4 ,what a pleasure it is1    
absorbing the contents1 line by line1 as
 we  transfer it to our archives6 ,and  
there is a bit of solid wisdom in this  
method1 for the chance of errors in     
copying is less when the interest is  at
 fever heat than when the work is done  
in a mechanical way4    ,mistakes in    
copying are further diminished by       
placing a card or sheet  of paper above 

the line which we are transcribing1--a  
device which saves  the eyes the strain 
of finding the place on the page every  
time we look  up from the notebook4     
,never fail to accompany each extract   
copied into  the notebook with the      
authority from which it is taken4 ,if   
from a book1  give author1 title1 date  
of publication1 volume and page4 ,if    
from a  public record or document1 give 
volume and page1 with the office or     
society1 the town or city where the     
original is deposited4 ,along with      
extracts from books1 it is well to note 
the library where they were  consulted4 
,we may wish to refer to the books      
again1 and are likely to  forget in     
which of the libraries we found them4   
,after making an extract1  compare it   
with the original1 to guard against     
errors in copying4    ,the true method  
of genealogical investigation is to     
follow as far as  possible the methods  
of the lawyer4 ,not1 indeed1 that       
genealogical  research has anything to  

do with the learned quibbles of a legal 
dry-bones6 ,far from it4 ,but the       
genealogist may well proceed as would a 
lawyer whose case could only be won for 
his client by demonstrating a  line of  
descent4 ,the value of the legal method 
lies in the fact that it  proceeds1 step
 by step1 toward the accumulation of    
positive proofs4 ,if  the demonstration 
of an ancestral link depends upon       
recorded wills1 the  lawyer will obtain 
certified copies of such wills1 to be   
presented in  court as evidence4 ,if the
 proof lies in a deed1 which perhaps    
demonstrates the relationship of husband
 and wife1 or father and son1 a         
certified copy of the deed is secured4  
,if the family record be found in  a    
,bible1 and the book itself cannot be   
obtained for presentation in  court1 the
 record is copied and certified1 and the
 history of the  ownership of the book  
established by personal testimony or    
affidavits4  ,in the same way extracts  
from church registers and tombstones are

  authenticated before a notary public  
or justice of the peace1 and  personal  
testimony is collected in the form of   
affidavits4 ,then1 even if  the         
originals should be destroyed1 the      
copies are just as valuable as  legal   
proofs4    ,every link of the chain is  
thus established4 ,the lawyer knows that
 in  the attempt to break down his case 
no cunning in cross-examination will  be
 spared1 no expedient of rebuttal left  
untried4 ,he gathers the  testimony of  
his witnesses1 and also collects        
evidence of the  credibility of these   
witnesses4 ,judge and jury will not only
 hear the  testimony1 but will form a   
judgment of the reliability of those who
 give  it4    ,to all who can afford the
 extra expense1 we recommend the literal
  application of the legal method4 ,to  
apply it to collateral lines would  be  
difficult and expensive4 ,but it is the 
true method of demonstrating  our direct
 ancestral lines1 and it is especially  
desirable for the line  from which we   

have inherited our surname4 ,strictly   
legal proofs of  descent1 competent to  
establish the genealogy in any court of 
law and to  justify its entry as proved 
upon the records in any ,european       
college  of heraldry1 constitute most   
valuable and interesting family         
heirlooms4    ,while the expense of the 
legal method may deter some from using  
it1 the  historical method is within the
 reach of all4 ,it is the legal method  
minus the single feature of official    
certification4 ,in other words1 the     
genealogist's good pen does all the     
copying1 and in lieu of official        
certification1 he gives the place1      
volume and page where his evidence is   
to be found in its original form4    ,a 
good many people will have the time to  
investigate personally under  either of 
the methods mentioned here4 ,many others
 must have the work of  research done   
for them2 and the ,genealogical and     
,biographical ,department  of ,the      
,grafton ,press will place the best     

skill and experience in  genealogical   
work at the service of any one desiring 
it4 ,investigation  will be taken up    
from the beginning1 or at any stage1 and
 will be  carried to the first ,american
 ancestor of a line1 or continued with a
  view to establishing the ,european    
connections4 ,when the service of this  
department is desired1 all facts of     
one's ancestry1 so far back as  known1  
should be communicated in full4    ,in  
the second place1 amateurs and others   
are often in need of practical  counsel 
and a reference to authorities based    
upon a wider knowledge and  experience  
than they command4 ,many beginners1     
having ascertained the  information     
which relatives can give concerning     
their ancestors1 are at  a loss as to   
the next step4 ,a mere general statement
 of the kind of  authorities usually    
available1 such as we have given above1 
does not  meet their need4 ,they desire 
to be in communication with some one to 
whom they may feel that they have a     

right to apply1 and to whom they can    
say1 ,such and such is the case3 what   
shall ,i do next8 what and where  are   
the authorities which will help me8 how 
shall ,i get at them8 must ,i  go in    
person1 or is there some other way8 and 
what would you advise in  such and such 
a case8 ,at any stage in the            
investigation perplexing  difficulties  
may arise which call for expert counsel1
 or direction to  the proper resources4 
,we have given much thought to devising 
a  thoroughly practical arrangement     
which will not be burdensome to either  
party and will afford full liberty of   
consultation throughout the  progress of
 investigation4 ,let the difficulties be
 stated by letter4  ,correspondence is  
always preferable to personal           
consultation4 ,it gives  us time to make
 an investigation1 if necessary1 in the 
interest of the  inquirer1 while our    
reply is also in written form1 which is 
more  convenient for the worker4#a      
,our third form of practical assistance 

in research work is designed to  make   
known the resources of the ,new ,york   
libraries to those who cannot  reach    
them1 or who have not the time to become
 familiar with their  contents4 ,taking 
the sum of its library facilities1 ,new 
,york ,city  undoubtedly offers the     
genealogist the best opportunity on this
  continent to consult ,american        
sources1 and is unrivalled in the       
possession of works on the genealogy and
 heraldry of medival and modern         
,europe4 ,we refer especially to the    
genealogical collections of unusual     
merit in the custody of the ,new ,york  
,public ,library 7,astor and ,lenox     
,branches71 ,columbia ,university1 the  
,new ,york ,historical ,society1 the    
,new  ,york ,society ,library1 the ,new 
,york ,genealogical and ,biographical   
,society1 the ,holland ,society and the 
,long ,island ,historical ,society4     
,our plan for placing these resources at
 the service of inquirers  involves1 in 
the first place1 a search for all the   

references to a given  family1 the      
object being to cover everything        
recognized as bearing upon  the line of 
descent in which the applicant is       
interested4 ,references1  not extracts1 
will be given2 they will show the       
character of the data  found and give   
the author1 title1 date1 volume and page
 of the book  containing it and the     
library4 ,when these references have    
been sent to  the applicant1 he can     
consult the authorities for himself1 or 
may  arrange for the copying of any     
items desired1 their translation1 if    
they  are in a foreign language1 or for 
the making of abstracts4#b              
,,footnotes3    #a ,any person becomes  
entitled to the service described above 
for the  period of one year1 during     
which applications for advice may be    
made1 by  remittance of a fee of #be to 
,the ,grafton ,press1 ,genealogical and 
,biographical ,department1 #gj ,fifth   
,avenue1 ,new ,york ,city4    #b ,a fee 
of #aj entitles one to the above        

service--that is1 to a  report1 by the  
,genealogical and ,biographical         
,department of ,the ,grafton  ,press1 on
 the references to a single family line 
in the ,new ,york  libraries4           
,additional arrangements can be made for
 copying1 etc4 ,one fee  covers the     
search under a single surname only4     
,,iii    ,,compiling      ,we will      
suppose that at last the task of        
investigation has come to an  end4 ,we  
have run our family lines back as far as
 our plan contemplated1  or as far as we
 were able to do with a reasonable      
amount of research4  ,perhaps most of   
them go back to the original emigrants1 
but it may be  that in a case or two we 
have had the good fortune to make       
connection  with an old family stem in  
,europe4 ,in any case1 the work is now  
done4 ,we  have made our discoveries1   
and scored triumphs not a few4 ,but     
though the  excitement of the chase is  
over1 its pleasures are by no means     
spent4 ,is  there no story to tell1 no  

tale of our difficulties and exploits8  
,next  to the exhilaration of the hunt  
itself1 what can compare with the mellow
  joy of going over it with a comrade6  
,least of all can the inevitable        
narrative be spared in a case of        
ancestry-hunting4 ,it is the logical    
issue of the search1 and failure to     
weave our facts into a readable  story1 
after having collected them1 is almost  
unthinkable4    ,having piloted the     
reader safely hitherto1 we must now     
faithfully warn  against pernicious     
ways1 even though it should involve     
criticism of many  of the genealogical  
books which have appeared in print4 ,the
 truth is  that in the great majority of
 such works we look in vain for the     
proofs  of the statements made4         
,authorities are not given and we do not
 find  systematic footnotes1 nor even   
ordinary citations of authorities in the
  text4 ,we have nothing better than our
 own guess to enable us to decide       
whether the compiler is giving us the   

fruit of original research1 an  extract 
from another compilation1 unsupported   
tradition1 or a mere  conjecture4       
,this is most unfortunate1 for a        
genealogical chain is no stronger than  
its weakest link4 ,suppose that we have 
tested one of the statements in  such a 
book by our own original investigations 
and find it to be  erroneous4 ,how can  
we feel sure that the next statement may
 not be  equally unreliable8 ,the whole 
book therefore becomes discredited in   
our  eyes4 ,with genealogists everywhere
 at work1 the errors in such volumes    
are bound to be discovered1 and made    
public4    ,any degree of confidence    
which we can allow ourselves in such    
cases  depends upon the reputation of   
the compiler4 ,but no man is infallible1
  and how can we know that the author's 
methods were such as to reduce his      
errors to a minimum8 ,it may be that our
 own family line has been treated  in   
such a book1 that we have personal      
knowledge of the compiler1 and are  well

 satisfied as to his carefulness and    
accuracy4 ,but can we expect  others to 
have this same faith8 ,how are they to  
be convinced that our  family history is
 correctly given in a book of mere      
assertions1 backed  up by no display of 
authority8    ,can a genealogist claim  
to be exempt from conditions which the  
greatest  historians impose upon        
themselves8 ,does a ,gibbons1 ,macaulay1
 ,guizot1  ,motley1 ,prescott or        
,bancroft expect to withhold the sources
 of his  information and ask to be taken
 on faith8 ,by giving the authorities   
for  his statements1 he proves instead  
that he has made proper researches1     
that his work is faithful1 and that he  
can be trusted to draw judicious        
conclusions4 ,we appreciate the great   
labor involved in compiling an          
authoritative work and understand the   
temptation to compile a book of  mere   
assertions4 ,but we see no honest escape
 from the obligation to give            
authorities1 nor is escape desirable4   

,for it is a sad fact that some1  who   
support themselves by means of          
genealogical investigation1 manifest  no
 great anxiety to do honest work4 ,they 
are careless in gathering their  facts1 
and their pretence of having surveyed a 
field is no assurance  that desirable   
data have not been overlooked or        
wilfully neglected4 ,in  compiling1 they
 are equally slipshod4 ,their work is   
always set forth in  the unauthoritative
 manner here condemned1 and it is most  
desirable that  others should protect   
themselves from the outward appearance  
of a like  carelessness by giving their 
authorities4    ,the extra work which   
the giving of authorities is supposed to
 entail is  more fanciful than real4    
,the failure to jot down the authority  
with each  note made in our notebook1 to
 remind us of the actual value of each  
item  and to direct us where to go for  
its context or for reinspection1 is     
probably a much more substantial cause  
of extra work4 ,and there is no         

difficulty in giving our authorities in 
the manuscript prepared for the  press  
if this work of previous investigation  
has been properly done4 ,we  can        
appreciate the terror of the situation  
for one who has failed to  note his     
authorities as he transcribed his       
extracts4 ,after compiling his          
manuscript from his notes1 must he go   
over the whole territory covered  by his
 research in order to gather up the     
missing authorities8 ,unless he  is of  
heroic mould1 he will probably refuse to
 do so in despair6    ,thus the reader  
can perceive the full importance of     
doing the work of  investigation        
properly1 as insisted upon in the       
preceding chapter4 ,if he  has done so1 
there is no difficulty in compiling an  
authoritative work4  ,his note and the  
authority for it stand side by side1 and
 as he uses the  one he can instantly   
set down the other4    ,we have spoken  
of the legal method of investigation1   
and said that the  genealogical         

investigator is like the lawyer who is  
getting his evidence  together4 ,but    
this having been done1 there remains the
 preparation of  the case for its       
presentation to the court4 ,the work of 
the genealogical  compiler corresponds  
to this4 ,as the lawyer's brief compels 
the  favorable decision of the judge1 or
 as the logical presentation of the     
case convinces the jury1 so should the  
argument of the compiler of  family     
lineage convince the court of public    
opinion4 ,his should be an  historical  
document which carries its evidence upon
 its face4 ,but if his  method has been 
careless either in research or          
presentation1 the  cross-examination of 
historical criticism is sure to tear the
 case to  pieces4 ,although a temporary 
decision may be given in his favor1     
another  investigator will eventually   
arise and question some of his          
unsupported  statements4 ,the whole case
 will thus be appealed1 and a new       
investigation be called for4    ,it is  

perfectly true that a strictly legal    
method cannot be carried out  in the    
printed volume4 ,original documents can 
be readily presented to an  ordinary    
judge and jury and by them be carefully 
inspected4 ,but when we  present our    
case from the printed page1 the whole   
world is the court1  our readers the    
jury1 and the printed volume itself both
 witness and  advocate4 ,the original   
documents1 though we may have them in   
our  possession1 cannot be placed in the
 hands of every reader of a book4       
,therefore in compiling for publication1
 the historical method takes the  place 
of a strictly legal presentation of the 
case4 ,this method1 as we  have already 
seen1 simply leaves out the feature of  
affidavits and  certified documents1 and
 substitutes that of references to the  
original  authorities4 ,it is the legal 
method adjusted to the conditions of    
publication4    ,the reward which flows 
from this method is easily seen4 ,we    
cannot hope  that our book will be      

flawless4 ,mistakes will occur1 and it  
may  transpire that some of our         
witnesses were misinformed4 ,but what of
 this8  ,if we have followed the        
historical method1 the pointing out of  
an error  in no wise invalidates our    
book4 ,one witness out of the hundreds  
we  have called may be impeached1 but   
this only affects the single aspect of  
the case which rested on the testimony  
of that witness4 ,the rest of the       
testimony stands unimpaired4    ,on the 
other hand1 the historical method       
involves no undue severity in  the      
character of our book4 ,it need not be  
stiff and solemn and pedantic4  ,if we  
are gifted with a sprightly style1 let  
us make the most of it4 ,if  we see a   
humorous side of things1 let us         
entertain the reader with it4  ,even    
though one of our venerable forebears be
 the subject of the joke we  need not   
hesitate4 ,could we appeal to him1      
undoubtedly he would smile  with the    
rest and urge us to go ahead and make   

the book as bright and  lively as       
possible4    ,if we have collected      
portraits1 photographs of old           
homesteads1  tombstones and churches    
where our ancestors worshipped1 ancient 
documents and other heirlooms1 these    
should be inserted or referred to  in   
the proper places in the manuscript     
prepared for the printer4 ,a            
genealogical work embellished with      
illustrations has its attractiveness    
increased many fold1 and much can be    
accomplished in this direction  without 
incurring a very great expense4    ,a   
truly interesting genealogical work is  
not a dry compilation of family         
statistics1 but contains striking       
biographical pen pictures4 ,let these   
be made as complete as possible1 and the
 story told with all the  interest we   
can throw into it4 ,we believe that the 
ideal genealogy is  yet to be written1  
and that it will present facts with the 
accuracy of  a ,bancroft1 but clothe    
them with the charm of an ,irving4 ,what

  possibilities there are1 and all in   
connection with a work which will  hand 
down our name1 wreathed with the        
memories of our ancestors1 in a  common 
halo of glory6    ,in view of what has  
been said it will be suspected that we  
do not look  with much favor upon       
statistical tomes1 with their           
hieroglyphic  abbreviations1            
disconnected phrases1 and other         
contortions of  condensation4 ,this is  
certainly true4 ,we would abolish all   
abbreviations  in genealogical works if 
we could1 and would have the story told 
in  sentences framed in our mother      
tongue4 ,we would have the book         
excellent  in matter1 pleasing in style 
and attractive to the eye4    ,in       
closing this chapter we may add that the
 service of the ,genealogical  and      
,biographical ,department of ,the       
,grafton ,press is intended to cover    
every phase of genealogical compilation 
as well as of genealogical  research4   
,the entire work will be                

undertaken--both the investigation of   
the family lines and the preparation of 
the manuscript for the press1 or  the   
data accumulated by others will be      
compiled4 ,manuscript which has  been   
arranged but is not satisfactory will be
 rearranged and edited1 or  entirely    
rewritten1 as desired4#c    ,in the     
chapters which immediately follow1 the  
subject of compiling is  continued in   
connection with the two forms into which
 a genealogical  work may be cast4 ,as  
we shall see1 these forms are           
fundamentally so  different in plan that
 the reader must make his choice between
 them at  the outset4 ,the great point  
before us in the present chapter is that
 of  compiling so as to make an         
authoritative work4    ,,footnote3    #c
 ,address1 on this subject1 ,the        
,grafton ,press1 ,genealogical and      
,biographical ,department1 #gj ,fifth   
,avenue1 ,new ,york ,city4 ,estimates   
will  be given on data or manuscripts   
submitted4          ,,iv    ,,the ,,clan

 ,,genealogy      ,our chapter heading  
is simply a re-christening of the oldest
 and  hitherto the favorite plan of the 
,american genealogist4 ,we might rather 
call it the ,american genealogy1 for    
nearly all the genealogical works1      
which have seen the light1 are of this  
kind4    ,the plan of most of the       
existing works is distinctly that of the
  exhibition of a genealogical tribe or 
clan4 ,its purpose is to assemble  in   
one book all the known descendants of a 
certain ancestor1 or only the  male     
descendants who are bearers of the      
family surname4 ,the head of the  clan  
is generally the first ,american        
emigrant1 and his family becomes        
,family #a of the book4 ,family #b will 
depend upon our choice of one of  two   
modifications of the general plan4      
,let us suppose that the head of the    
clan is ,john ,smith1 and that he had   
three children1 ,mary1 ,john1 and       
,philip1 all of whom had families4 ,if  
our  purpose is to exhibit the entire   

clan1 we will make no difference        
between daughters who marry and give    
their children the surnames of  their   
husbands1 and sons who give their       
children the surname of the head  of the
 clan4 ,in that case1 the family of     
,john ,smith being ,family #a1 that  of 
his oldest child1 ,mary1 will be ,family
 #b1 while the families of ,john  and   
,philip will be #c and #d respectively4 
,in the third generation we will  go    
back to ,mary's oldest child1 who left  
descendants1 who will become  the head  
of ,family #e1 followed by her other    
children1 who had families1  in the     
order of birth4 ,the children of ,john  
will next be given in order  of birth1  
followed by those of ,philip1 all who   
had children being  treated as heads of 
families to which a family number is    
assigned4    ,but the work of accounting
 for all the descendants becomes so     
irksome1  in the case of fertile        
families1 which have to be carried      
through a  number of generations1 that  

it is the prevailing custom to shirk the
  responsibility of this full exhibit4  
,thus1 only the families of sons1  and  
son's sons1 are carried down from       
generation to generation4 ,the          
daughters1 if their descendants bear    
other surnames1 are set aside1  although
 the blood-tie is the same4 ,the tribe  
itself is not exhibited1  but only that 
part which bears the surname of the     
common ancestor4 ,this  is the          
modification adopted by the most eminent
 genealogists4    ,all forms of the clan
 genealogy unite collateral lines of    
descent by  the sentimental bond of a   
thin blood-tie1 affording an excellent  
basis  for family reunions4 ,but they   
are quite unsatisfactory as attempts to 
exhibit one's ancestry4 ,if we are      
included in such a book1 ,the ,smith    
,family1 for example1 we generally find 
but one of our many ancestral  lines    
traced4 ,and even if one or two of our  
,smith progenitors married  cousins of  
the same name1 only two or three of the 

,smith lines will lead  down to         
ourselves4    ,such an arrangement does 
not go far toward showing one's         
ancestry4 ,not a  few ,americans are in 
the tenth generation from their earliest
  forefathers on this side of the water4
 ,hundreds of thousands are in the      
seventh1 eighth or ninth generation4    
,let us reckon the number of our        
progenitors for ten generations4 ,we had
 #b parents1 #d grandparents1 #h        
great-grandparents1 #af                 
great-great-grandparents1 #cb ancestors 
of the  sixth generation1 #fd of the    
seventh1 #abh of the eighth1 #bef of the
  ninth1 and #eab of the tenth          
generation4    ,the number of ancestors 
for ten generations is thus #a1jbb4 ,the
 different  surnames represented among  
them may be as many as the number of    
ancestors of the earliest               
generation--i4e41 #abh for eight        
generations1  #bef for nine1 and #eab   
for ten generations4 ,the actual number 
is  frequently lessened by the marriage 

of ancestors who bear the same  surname4
 ,but the general significance of the   
numerical argument remains4    ,are we a
 descendant of the first ,john ,smith1  
in the tenth generation and  through a  
single line8 ,then the book on ,the     
,smith ,family will only  show #ah of   
our #a1jbb ancestors1 assuming that the 
wife of each of our  ancestral ,smiths  
is mentioned4 ,if the wives are omitted1
 only #i  ancestors will be shown4 ,and 
in the latter case the book shows our   
link  with but one family and surname   
out of a possible #eab4 ,or1 if the book
  gives the maiden names of the wives of
 our nine ancestral ,smiths1 nine  other
 family surnames out of the #eab will   
receive a bare mention4 ,but  none of   
these lines will be traced4    ,the     
reader will now fully appreciate our    
reference to this kind of book  as the  
clan genealogy4 ,it shows the           
relationships1 most of them quite       
distant1 between the collateral branches
 of a single tribe2 but it does  not    

exhibit the many lines of one's         
ancestry4 ,the kind of book which       
accomplishes the latter object will come
 before us in the next chapter4         
,nevertheless1 the clan genealogy has   
its place4 ,the recognition of  tribal  
relations has become popular1 and family
 organizations1 with the  occasional    
function of a family re-union1 are      
rapidly increasing4 ,many  of these     
organizations1 embracing all the known  
descendants of a common  ancestor1 elect
 regular officers1 and in a few cases   
the whole tribe has  a legal status as a
 corporation4    ,the tribal genealogy  
is also favored by many who hope to make
 a profit  by the sale of their book4 ,a
 fair-sized tribe is considered a       
promising  field for such an enterprise4
 ,among several thousand clansmen a     
considerable number1 it is assumed1 will
 purchase a copy of a book which  traces
 one of their ancestral lines4 ,when the
 project is well managed  and the book  
properly exploited this hope is often   

realized very  handsomely4    ,the clan 
genealogy also finds a prominent place  
in local history4 ,the  annals of a town
 or neighborhood having been given1     
these are  supplemented by monographs on
 the old families4 ,beginning with the  
first  settler1 his descendants are     
traced down1 each family sketch becoming
 a  clan genealogy on a small scale4    
,this feature immensely increases the   
interest of town histories1 and if the  
tribal genealogy needs any              
justification1 it certainly finds it    
here4    ,finally1 there is the         
undoubted fact stated at the beginning  
of our  chapter1 that the clan genealogy
 has pre-empted the field4 ,it is the   
work everywhere met1 the book which is  
in every mind when a genealogy is       
thought of4    ,special difficulties    
attend the compiling of this kind of    
work1 and for  the overcoming of these  
we have prepared a special notebook4    
,it should be remembered that if1       
instead of counting one man's           

ancestors1 we should reckon one man's   
descendants1 assuming an average1  in   
each family1 of three children who      
become parents1 in nine  generations    
some #i1hda descendants would have      
become parents1 each with  a wife or    
husband1 making a total of #ai1fhb to   
appear in the tribal  book1 without     
counting descendants that leave no      
issue6    ,after the ninth generation   
the tribe grows with leaps and bounds   
that  are truly mighty4 ,a single       
additional generation1 the tenth1 would 
add a  new crop of no less than #ci1cff 
husbands and wives1 making a total of   
#ei1jdh tribesmen entitled to a place in
 the book6 ,and the eleventh            
generation--but peace6 ,our little work 
on the joys of genealogical  research   
shall not be marred by the statistical  
bore who tries to scare  with his       
wretched arithmetic6    ,in truth1      
formidable as the clan genealogy        
sometimes is1 at present it  seldom     
takes in ten generations1 while our     

estimate of family increase  is perhaps 
too great4 ,and what genealogist1 though
 he beg and implore  information of the 
later generations1 sending out hundreds 
of eloquent  letters1 is ever able to   
make a complete exhibit of a great      
tribe8 ,our  figures should not terrify1
 therefore1 but simply compel proper    
appreciation of the problem of the      
notebook4    ,how shall the data for a  
whole tribe be preserved until the day  
of  compilation1 and how can we keep it 
from becoming a jumbled miscellany  that
 will drive us to despair8    ,the      
terror of the notebooks first dawned    
upon us just as we thought we  had the  
matter well in hand4 ,it was our first  
extensive investigation1  and as the    
ancestral names increased on our        
research list we found that  we must    
make a choice of methods4 ,should we    
search the authorities for  one name at 
a time8 ,many advise this to avoid      
confusion1 on the  principle of choosing
 the lesser of two evils4    ,but it is 

a clumsy method1 well nigh intolerable1 
which leads one to  visit certain places
 and consult certain authorities for    
data on one  name1 and then return over 
pretty much the same ground for the     
second1  the third1 and all other names 
on a long list4 ,we rejected the thought
  of such a system1 determining that as 
each authority came into our hands  we  
would extract whatever it contained on  
any of our names4    ,this settled1     
another question presented itself4      
,should we carry a  separate notebook   
for every name investigated8 ,our list  
of names was so  formidable that such an
 expedient threatened to transform the  
genealogist into a genealogical         
packhorse4 ,hence we preferred to carry 
a  book or two at a time1 to which we   
committed all our discoveries4          
,previous historical training had taught
 us to note the authority with  each    
item1 and we made rapid progress with   
the work4 ,when one notebook  was full1 
another took its place4 ,what could be  

more simple and  expeditious8    ,but   
the day came when we sat down to        
compile4 ,alas6 our sins had found  us  
out6 ,a stack of notebooks lay before   
us1 and through them all were  scattered
 our data for each name1 without system 
or chronological order4  ,oh1 the       
despair of going through that pile of   
books1 turning down pages  and numbering
 items according to dates1 in a         
desperate attempt to  arrange the       
material for each name so as to compile 
the facts in a  decent order6    ,in    
spite of all our care1 the wretched     
books concealed desirable items  until  
our manuscript had passed the proper    
place of insertion1  sardonically       
calling our attention to the omissions  
when we were busy  with another subject4
 ,how we grew to hate those notebooks1  
and how they  tormented us with a plague
 of re-writing6 ,we had a premonition   
that they  would conceal some things to 
the very last2 and1 sure enough1 having 
tortured us during the days of writing1 

humiliated us in the  proof-sheets1 and 
demanded a display of errata as the book
 went to  press1 they waited until it   
was nicely printed1 bound and published 
before making their final disclosures6  
,to obviate all this trouble1 we now    
have the ,grafton ,genealogical         
,notebook1 ,american ,form4 ,as the last
 two words indicate1 this notebook      
embodies the arrangement of the clan    
genealogy used by the most  eminent     
,american genealogists and adopted by   
such organizations as the  ,new ,england
 ,historic-,genealogical ,society and   
the ,new ,york ,genealogical  and       
,biographical ,society4    ,this        
notebook consists of a succession of    
groups of pages1 each group  arranged   
with blanks to receive the data for a   
whole family4 ,the facts  are written in
 their proper spaces when first         
ascertained1 and when the  work of      
research is finished it will be found   
that the work of  compilation has taken 
care of itself6 ,in fact1 the notebook  

is  self-compiling4 ,the blank spaces   
are arranged in the order of the        
statements as they are to appear on the 
printed page1 the connecting  words and 
proper punctuation being printed in the 
notebook4 ,having  filled in all the    
spaces which our data requires1 we      
simply draw a pen  through the rest1 and
 our book is practically compiled1 for  
its own  leaves may be sent to the      
printer as manuscript6 ,the leaves are  
perforated so that they may be readily  
detached1 and thus we are saved  the    
labor and the possible errors of        
recopying4    ,for example1 having      
written our introductory matter1 we     
detach the  leaves from our notebooks1  
group by group1 beginning with the      
family of  the common ancestor1 followed
 by that of his oldest child1 who had   
issue1 and so on through all the        
families and generations in order4 ,in  
this order1 we consecutively number the 
leaves in blank spaces provided  for    
that purpose1 and if the family and     

individual numbers have not  already    
been assigned1 we note them in the      
proper spaces4    ,we may add that this 
notebook is equally well adapted for    
tracing all of  the descendants of an   
ancestor1 or those of the sons alone4   
,its use will  be understood at a glance
 by experienced genealogists4 ,detailed 
instructions1 however1 with sample      
blanks filled out1 have been prepared   
for those desiring them4 ,these         
instructions completely initiate the    
amateur into the details of the best    
form of clan genealogy4#d    ,,footnote3
    #d ,the ,grafton ,genealogical      
,notebook1 ,american ,form              
7copyrighted71 can  be had of ,the      
,grafton ,press1 ,genealogical and      
,biographical ,department1  #gj ,fifth  
,avenue1 ,new ,york ,city4 ,price1 per  
copy1 #be cents2 #ab copies for  #b4ej4 
,the book is #e #a-d inches wide by #h  
#a-b long1 and can be carried  in the   
pocket4 ,the instruction pamphlet will  
be sent to any address upon  receipt of 

#be cents4 ,it is furnished free1 when  
requested1 to every  purchaser of #ab   
copies of the notebook4          ,v     
,,the ,,grafton ,,genealogy      ,under 
this name we introduce a plan of        
genealogy which we believe is  destined 
to become more popular than the clan    
genealogy4 ,this is the  book for all   
who are interested in their own         
ancestral lines more than  in the       
ramifications of a thinly-connected     
tribe4    ,it is the plan which permits 
a full discourse of all that is nearest 
to  the heart4 ,its preliminary         
investigations thrill one with          
discoveries of  the deepest personal    
interest4 ,its compilation permits all  
the humors  and liberties of literary   
speech4 ,its every page and chapter is  
like a  visit to ancestral halls1 where 
the genial shades of forebears seem to  
gather round as we gaze at their        
portraits1 listen to the old tales1     
handle the heirlooms and ransack the    
family papers4    ,the general idea of  

this genealogy is simple4 ,it enables   
one to exhibit  as many of one's direct 
ancestral lines as can be ascertained1  
or a  sufficient number to make an      
interesting volume4    ,where do we     
begin8 ,with ourselves1 ,james ,smith6  
,next we put down the  name of our      
father1 ,william ,smith1 and the maiden 
name of our mother1  ,mary ,jones1 and  
under each name collect all the         
biographical data  possible4 ,in the    
next generation there are four names4   
,there is our  paternal grandparent1    
,william ,smith1 ,sr41 still hale and   
hearty1 and his  wife1 ,mary ,doe1 of   
sainted memory1 whom we remember almost 
as well as  we do the fragrant odor of  
her inimitable pies and cake6    ,then  
there is our maternal grandfather1      
,colonel ,henry ,jones1 a soldier  and a
 gentleman if there ever was one1 and   
his young wife1 ,mary ,summers1  whom we
 never saw because she yielded her sweet
 life in the throes which  brought our  
mother into the world4 ,have we not     

often mused over that  dear face1 gentle
 and beautiful in the old daguerreotype6
 ,many a tear  have we shed over her sad
 story--in the sentimental days1 before 
the  callous cares of this world's      
business crept into our heart6    ,the  
names of all these we put down1         
gathering the materials for full        
biographies1 and thus we continue with  
our eight great-grandparents1 our       
sixteen great-great-grandparents1 our   
thirty-two great-great-greats1 and  so  
on until we have unraveled the glories  
of the entire ten generations  7if we   
can boast so many in ,america71 with    
their #a1jbb ancestors and #eab         
surnames4    ,the reader may ask1 ,is   
this not as bad as a 'clan' genealogy8  
,how shall  we manage all these names   
and the reams of data8    ,the fact is1 
however1 that he who can boast himself  
to be in the tenth  generation in even a
 single line is fortunate1 and must have
 had an  ,american ancestor contemporary
 with the ,jamestown gentlemen or the   

,mayflower pilgrims4 ,undoubtedly many  
of our lines go back on this side  of   
the ,atlantic only four1 five or six    
generations4 ,such cases subtract       
materially from our #a1jbb possible     
ancestors and #eab surnames4    ,and let
 us suppose that when the ,dutch stem of
 ,schermerhorn and the  ,french stem of 
de ,lancey come into view in our family 
tree1 we find  ,joneses again1 and--yes1
 a little research proves that these    
,joneses  also descended from the       
emigrant1 ,stephen ,jones1 the ancestor 
of our  maternal grandfather1 ,colonel  
,william ,jones4 ,the ,jones stock is a 
fine  brand1 and three strains are none 
too many1 but their appearance          
subtracts two more surnames from the    
theoretical number4    ,furthermore1    
while we may be able to find our way    
back from generation  to generation with
 almost ridiculous ease in some cases1  
such luck is  usually too good to last4 
,it is a rare vein which yields family  
connections at every stroke of the      

genealogical spade1 and one such line   
may have to console us for a number     
which we mine slowly and painfully1  and
 for some others which yield no results 
whatever beyond a certain  point4 ,in   
truth1 most old ,american families pan  
out fairly well1 with  here and there a 
golden nugget of peculiar lustre1 or a  
diamond of the  first water2 but we are 
seldom troubled by finding more of this 
wealth  than we are able to handle4     
,in making the investigation1 we should 
aim to collect data for a very  full    
account of each ancestor1 with a        
portrait1 autograph1 the history  of his
 possessions1 photograph of the         
homestead1 his old letters1 his  ,bible 
and will--in fact1 any and all materials
 which picture clearly  his character   
and affairs4 ,when we have finished     
collecting1 our  accumulations are      
worked up into monographs on each one of
 the lines  traced1 each monograph      
enriched by illustrations and           
accompanied by an  appendix in which we 

exhibit in full the documents and       
extracts  constituting the proofs of the
 descent4 ,we recommend that each       
monograph  be introduced by a chart1    
exhibiting the pedigree from the        
earliest  known progenitor down to the  
person whose ancestry is the subject of 
the  book4 ,this adds a valuable        
feature1 and makes the whole line clear 
at a  glance4 ,after all the monographs 
are completed1 they should be arranged  
together for publication in one volume4 
,if expense is not much of an object1 it
 is especially interesting to  prepare  
for one's own library one copy of the   
edition printed1  sumptuously bound and 
enriched with original documents1 or    
certified  copies of them1--old prints1 
silhouette portraits and other          
illustrations gathered solely for that  
copy4 ,in fact1 some people may  prefer 
to limit the edition to this one copy4  
,these ideas may be  followed in the    
,grafton plan of genealogy with         
brilliant results4 ,a  proper method of 

research1 with the necessary means at   
its disposal1  should result in the     
accumulation of an abundance of         
interesting  illustrative matter for    
such a book4    ,the ,grafton plan of   
work calls for a notebook in which the  
display of  the genealogical statistics 
of a family takes a subordinate place4  
,what  is wanted is a notebook in which 
an indefinite number of pages may be    
devoted to the data of each ancestor1   
with some index system which will  make 
all instantly accessible1 and some ready
 means of rearranging the  pages4 ,these
 ends are achieved by a notebook        
equipped with the ,grafton  ,chart      
,index1 which is quite different from   
the notebook mentioned in the  last     
chapter4    ,the ,chart ,index affords a
 diagrammatic display of one's ancestry 
for ten  generations--spaces for writing
 in the names of every one of our #a1jbb
  theoretically possible ancestors1 each
 in his proper place4 ,each name is     
located by a ,roman numeral1 indicating 

the generation to which it  belongs1 and
 by an ,arabic figure1 indicating its   
place in that  generation4 ,with each   
name also appears a blank space in      
brackets1 to  receive the number of the 
page of the notebook where the data of  
that  name begins4 ,and at the top of   
this page in the notebook are written   
the  generation and place numbers of the
 name in the diagram4    ,do we wish to 
know where to look for the data bearing 
upon a certain  person8 ,we glance at   
his place in the chart and there find   
the page  reference to his place in the 
notebook4 ,or1 with our notebook open at
 a  certain place1 do we wish to know   
the ancestral connections of the        
individual there treated8 ,we glance at 
the numerals which head his data1  and  
thus learn his place in the chart1 which
 displays at a glance his  relations to 
all the lines and other individuals of  
our entire ancestry1  so far as         
determined4 ,the body of the notebook is
 detachable from the  cover and         

chart-index4 ,when its pages are full1  
another section may be  attached1 which 
becomes ,section ,b of one great        
notebook1 this process  being repeated  
as often as desired1 the one index      
covering the whole4 ,if  the data on    
,john ,smith begins on page #ej of the  
first section1 the page  reference in   
the chart will be ,a#ej1 or simply #ej4 
,if it begins on the  same page of the  
next section1 the reference will be to  
,b#ej1 and so on4    ,the leaves of the 
notebook are perforated and easily      
detachable4 ,when  the work of          
investigation is complete1 or at any    
time in the process1  the data can be   
rearranged in any order desired4 ,when  
the data for one  complete line has been
 gathered1 we may wish to arrange it in 
the order  of descent and begin the     
delightful task of working it up for the
  printer while other lines are still   
being investigated4    ,the ,chart      
,index may be obtained separately4 ,it  
can be used simply as a  chart1 to      

exhibit one's entire ancestry1 or may be
 adjusted as an index  to some system of
 notebooks which the reader already has 
in hand4#e    ,the notebook referred to 
in our last chapter may be used to      
advantage  in conjunction with the one  
just described4    ,for example1 ,john  
,smith1 the first of one of our lines1  
may have had  eight children4 ,while the
 ,grafton genealogy will dwell at length
 only  upon that one of the children who
 is our ancestor1--,stephen ,smith1 for 
example1--his seven brothers and sisters
 will be briefly noticed1  although     
their descendants will not be followed  
unless it be to call  attention to      
distinguished relatives in some of these
 collateral lines4  ,having given the   
history of the first ,john ,smith in    
full1 we append a  condensed account of 
all his children1 other than the one who
 is our  ancestor1 after which we take  
up the latter1 ,stephen ,smith1 in full4
 ,the  notebook devised for the clan    
genealogy will serve admirably for      

collecting the skeleton of facts desired
 for these notices of the  brothers and 
sisters of our ancestors4    ,the       
research necessary for a ,grafton       
genealogy sounds every note in  the     
gamut of joys peculiar to               
ancestry-hunting1 and adds a special    
appeal to those who wish to join one of 
the patriotic societies4 ,if the  line  
of our surname fails to yield ancestors 
who had the foresight to  qualify us for
 membership in a given organization1 it 
may be that  another line will give     
better results4 ,or if our name is      
already on the  roll1 it will be        
pleasant to be numbered among those who 
have qualified  through more than one   
ancestor4 ,who knows what riches lie    
hidden1  patiently awaiting a           
discoverer1 to reward him who           
systematically  carries back all of his 
family lines8    ,the ,grafton genealogy
 recommends itself to us1 even if one of
 our  lines has already appeared in a   
clan genealogy1 and that line the one   

through which we inherit our surname4   
,in ,europe1 where titles and  property 
are inherited by male children1 under   
the laws of entail and  primogeniture1 a
 legal significance attaches to the line
 of the surname1  and to most ,americans
 this line is of special interest4      
,nevertheless1 it  often happens that   
our ancestry along this line is less    
brilliant than  along some of the other 
lines4 ,in that case we will not do full
 justice  to our surname until we reveal
 the glory of the sturdy stocks which   
our  ancestors had the good sense to    
engraft upon our line by marriage4      
,our line may appear in its due place in
 the great tome of the clan1 but  does  
it shine with the splendor worthy of our
 immediate ancestors8 ,is it  not almost
 hidden from sight among so many other  
lines8 ,and when we find  it1 is there  
anything more than a concise epitome of 
dry facts under the  name of each       
ancestor8    ,no doubt the              
tribe-embracing plan prohibits all else1

 but is this all we  want8 ,do we not   
desire a full history of each ancestor1 
with all the  interesting facts1        
traditions and illustrations which can  
be brought  together8 ,then let us set  
to work to gather these1 and to make our
 own  line the subject of the first     
monograph of a ,grafton genealogy1 which
  will show all the luxuriant branches  
of our particular family tree1 a  happy 
intertwining of many stocks and         
surnames1 of which we are the  final    
product4 ,those who work in the hope of 
realizing a profit from the  sales of   
the printed book should consider the    
possibilities of the  ,grafton          
genealogy4 ,what gives interest to a    
genealogy8 ,not the later  generations1 
but the earlier stems and origin of the 
tree1 ascertained  through historical   
research4 ,instead of presenting one    
such stem and  appealing to a single    
tribe1 why not exploit all the stems of 
one's  ancestry and appeal to as many   
great tribes of descendants8 ,the       

prospect  certainly seems as favorable  
for marketing a genealogy which sets    
forth  researches on the origins of many
 ,american stems as for the other kind1 
which only interests descendants of a   
single stem4 ,but whether the  finished 
work embodies the clan or the ,grafton  
plan1 its sale will  principally depend 
upon the application of proper methods  
in getting the  book before the public4 
,this subject will come before us a     
little  farther on4    ,we add a word on
 our right to assume the rle of         
godfather toward the  plan of genealogy 
discussed in this chapter4 ,we claim no 
patent-rights  over the bare idea of a  
work which traces more ancestral lines  
than one4  ,but where1 outside of these 
pages1 will the reader find a           
recognition of  the possibilities of    
such a work8 ,where else will he find   
its plan  developed and presented so    
that its advantages may at once be seen 
by  the ancestry-hunter8 ,the rights of 
occupation and colonization are         

certainly ours1 although we exercise    
them with a royal largeness of  heart6  
,we have developed this rich territory1 
only to throw it open to  the world4    
,having ourselves cultivated its fertile
 fields with pleasing  results1 and     
transformed a barren wilderness into a  
blossoming garden1  we now invite our   
friend1 the reader1 to step in and take 
full  possession6    ,,footnote3    #e  
,the chart-index and cover              
7copyrighted71 with notebook1 can be had
  for #a4be2 #ab copies for #ac4        
,additional sections of the notebook1   
#be  cents each2 #ab copies for #b4ej4  
,the chart-index alone1 #ej cents per   
copy2 #ab copies for #e4ej4 ,address1   
,the ,grafton ,press1 ,genealogical and 
,biographical ,department1 #gj ,fifth   
,avenue1 ,new ,york ,city4          ,,vi
    ,,the ,,printing      ,whether the  
offspring of our love and labor be a    
clan or a ,grafton  genealogy1 we will  
now suppose it has attained its         
maturity4 ,it will  grow no more4 ,not  

alone is the research complete1 but our 
data has been  compiled into a book in  
manuscript form4 ,what next8    ,we     
sincerely trust that no genealogical    
worker who reads these lines has  any   
other thought than that of giving the   
fruit of his labors to the  public4 ,the
 whole genealogical world protests      
against any other idea4 ,it  is a       
patriotic duty as well as a moral       
obligation to put it in print4  ,having 
ourselves profited from the printed     
pages of many a worker1 shall  we refuse
 to repay the debt8    ,we hope better  
things of every reader of this book1 and
 assume that all  his researches are to 
appear in print as soon as they can be  
put into  proper shape4 ,it matters not 
whether we have much or little1 one page
 or  a thousand1 enough copy for a      
chart1 a pamphlet or a volume3 it should
  be printed and published4 ,if we have 
worked out only a single ancestral      
line1 and have no leisure for further   
work1 or must turn away from such  labor

 for some time to come1 let us print    
what we have collected4    ,if we commit
 our manuscript to type1 we are quite   
likely to receive a  rich reward4 ,some 
one sees our production1 gets into      
communication with  us1--being          
interested along the same lines1--and   
very soon we find  ourselves learning   
things we long desired to know6         
,hundreds can tell of  such experiences4
    ,do not hesitate to print because   
your work is fragmentary or incomplete4 
,sometimes one strikes a genealogical   
snag1 and1 do what he may1 is  unable to
 proceed in the work of investigation4  
,under these  circumstances some        
genealogists become discouraged1 holding
 back their  entire work for years in   
the hope of solving their perplexities4 
,this is  the wrong way4 ,it is much    
better to print the work in its         
incomplete  form1 frankly setting forth 
the difficulties encountered4 ,this has 
many  times resulted in the solution of 
the problem4 ,some one1 somewhere1 may  

hold the key1 and as soon as our printed
 page catches his eye he will  supply   
the needed link4    ,sometimes two      
genealogists1 unknown to each other1 are
 at work on  intersecting lines1 which  
cause them the greatest perplexity1     
while each  has in his hands the precise
 facts which would solve the other's    
puzzle4  ,in this situation they may    
grope on for years without making       
material  progress4 ,if they would only 
print what they have completed1 each    
would  discover the complement of his   
work in the other1 and each could then  
go  on with his task rejoicing4         
,printing in itself is another reward4  
,the exultant thrill of actual          
authorship is only felt when we see our 
work in black and white on the  pages of
 the printed volume4 ,this is the true  
goal of literary desire4    ,but this   
leads us to warn all that only correct  
and tasteful printing  produces this    
result4 ,poor type1 incompetent         
proof-reading and inferior  presswork   

produce that which will be a perpetual  
eyesore and  humiliation4 ,when we have 
come to the point of printing1 we cannot
  afford to practice an undue economy4  
,it is not even good business to  do so4
 ,people do not like to add inferior    
specimens of book-making to  their      
libraries1 and every publisher knows    
that the quality of the  printing may   
turn the balance and make or mar the    
success of a book4    ,peculiar         
difficulties attend the printing of     
genealogies because of  their charts1   
names and dates4 ,we must have exact    
work as well as  tasteful work1 and     
neither of these things is found        
everywhere1 while  still less frequently
 are they found in combination4    ,in  
the first place1 we would say1 put your 
manuscript in the hands of  careful and 
responsible parties4 ,it is your        
treasure1 and you cannot  afford to     
entrust it to those who will not provide
 a safe place for it1  and guard and    
watch over it from beginning to end4    

,in the second place1 choose a printer  
who is accustomed to genealogical  work4
 ,this is always preferable4 ,only thus 
can we obtain the facilities  and the   
experience our book deserves4 ,when the 
manuscript is in the  hands of printers 
untrained to the peculiar kind of work  
needed1 one of  two results generally   
follows4 ,the book is inaccurate in     
matter and  slovenly in appearance1 or  
we may have to insist that much of the  
work  be done over4 ,a printer often    
trains himself at our expense1 his bill 
piling up far above his estimate1 while 
the book comes forth at last  with an   
unmistakably amateurish touch everywhere
 apparent4    ,but it is not sufficient 
to choose a printer accustomed to       
genealogies4  ,we know of some who have 
done this kind of work for many years1  
yet  scarcely ever have done it well4   
,their books are many1 but in wretched  
taste1 some of the volumes being a      
disgrace to the book-maker's art4       
,genealogy is worthy of better things6  

,choose a printer and publisher who has 
taste and enthusiasm1 who is  unwilling 
to resort to cheap material1 ordinary   
type1 and careless labor  for the sake  
of a wider margin of profit on his      
contract4 ,it is not  difficult to      
select the right man4 ,examine samples  
of his book-work1 and  see if all are   
attractive1 the lowest-priced as well as
 the expensive  editions4 ,if he is the 
right man1 a touch of taste and         
excellence will  appear in all his work4
    ,ascertain1 if possible1 the        
character of proof-reading you will     
receive4  ,the author1 of course1 will  
read his own proofs1 but even if he is  
an  experienced writer1 and has carried 
several books through the press1 he     
will be saved many a mistake by good    
proof-reading4 ,it is a peculiar  fact  
that a mistake which our own eye has    
once passed over in the  manuscript is  
likely to escape our notice many times4 
,but the fresh eye  of an expert        
proof-reader1 versed in genealogical    

work1 will detect many  of these        
mistakes1 and we will find ourselves    
deeply indebted to his  habit of        
questioning doubtful points for our     
reconsideration4    ,if the reader is   
not himself an expert genealogist1 or is
 printing his  first work1 the services 
of the right kind of proof-reader are   
still  more indispensable4 ,but1 in     
fact1 all writers are largely dependent 
upon  the printer and proof-reader for  
the systematic carrying out of a        
correct style of punctuation1           
capitalization and spelling4 ,how       
satisfying is the book which receives   
expert attention in all these  details6 
,finally1 choose a printer and publisher
 who is a book-making genius4 ,the      
author is dependent upon the printer for
 the best suggestions for style  of book
 within the limits of cost decided upon4
 ,there are masters of the  art of      
making books who1 having learned the    
author's mind as to price1  have an     
ability almost amounting to genius for  

suggesting the perfect  thing within the
 limit named4 ,they have the character  
of the work in  mind1 and they suggest  
an ideal combination of type1 size of   
page1  illustrations1 paper1 margins and
 style of cover4 ,such book-makers are  
readily recognized by the books they    
turn out4 ,the author cannot do  better 
than to follow their suggestions4    ,in
 a word1 let your genealogy appear in   
the most attractive dress which  you    
feel you can afford1 and you ought to   
feel that you can not  afford anything  
which is unscholarly or unsightly4 ,do  
you want a book  which will give you    
pleasure to the end of time1 or one     
which you cannot  hand to a friend      
without an apology8 ,we repeat again the
 maxim1 that the  stage of printing is  
no place for injudicious economy6       
,have we any practical help to offer in 
this chapter8 ,yes1 dear reader1  if you
 desire the kind of printer's service   
herein described1 it is  offered to you 
by the publishers of this little book4  

,let the reader  satisfy himself as to  
the quality of workmanship by examining 
the books  which bear the stamp of ,the 
,grafton ,press4 ,if these do not tell  
the  story1 nothing can4 ,this is the   
true test in every case4    ,we may add1
 however1 that the ,genealogical        
,department established in  connection  
with ,the ,grafton ,press was organized 
expressly to bring  together the expert 
co-operation necessary in order to lift 
every  feature of genealogical work to a
 higher standard of excellence than now 
generally prevails4 ,the supervision of 
this department extends to all  the     
genealogical printing done by ,the      
,grafton ,press4    ,in submitting      
manuscripts in order to obtain estimates
 of cost of  printing1 a general idea of
 the style expected should be given4    
,for  example1 let it be known which of 
the following three kinds of book is    
desired3    ,first1 the elaborate       
volume1 made for those for whom the item
 of expense  is not an important        

consideration4 ,this book is sumptuous1 
a thing of  beauty and a joy forever4   
,it is printed on fine hand-made paper1 
with a  handsome morocco binding1 and   
illustrations by the very best          
processes4    ,second1 the low-priced   
book1 very plain and strictly           
businesslike4 ,it is  as useful as the  
first1 but the cost is kept down to the 
minimum4 ,yet1  although plain1 it is   
good1 and in good taste4    ,third1 the 
book which has a place between the other
 two4 ,serviceable and  of moderate     
cost1 it is made very attractive and    
will give solid  satisfaction during the
 years to come4 ,this is the book chosen
 in the  great majority of cases4#f     
,all-important are the principles laid  
down in this chapter4 ,let the  reader  
regard his genealogical work as an      
offspring to whom he owes all  the care 
of a fond parent4 ,it is a question of  
proper clothes for the  child4    ,all  
this having been decided on1 another    
duty confronts the author while  his    

work is in process of transformation    
from a manuscript to a book4 ,he  not   
only has proofs to read1 but also an    
index to make1 or to have made  for him4
 ,we say nothing of an index of general 
subjects and places2 but  an index of   
names is indispensable in order to make 
the contents of a  genealogical work    
accessible4 ,if the work is a clan      
genealogy1 two  indexes are called for1 
one devoted to persons bearing the      
common  surname1 the other devoted to   
those of other surnames4    ,for        
example1 in ,the ,smith ,family we would
 have one index1 in which all  the      
,smiths are arranged alphabetically     
according to their baptismal  names4    
,the generation to which each individual
 belonged should be shown  by a small   
,arabic figure after his baptismal name4
 ,the other index  includes all the     
other persons mentioned in the book1    
with an  alphabetical arrangement of the
 different surnames4 ,the husbands and  
children of ,smith daughters are found  

in this index4    ,the index can be     
begun as soon as the page-proofs are in 
hand4 ,each  name1 with its page number1
 is generally written on a separate slip
 of  paper1 all the names under one     
letter being kept together4 ,when all   
are  written1 the names under ,a can be 
rearranged like a card catalog1         
according to the alphabetical order of  
the second1 third and fourth  letters in
 each name1 and when in proper order may
 be pasted upon sheets  for the printer4
 ,so we continue through all the letters
 of the alphabet4    ,,footnote3    #f  
,address1 on all questions of printing1 
,the ,grafton ,press1  ,genealogical and
 ,biographical ,department1 #gj ,fifth  
,avenue1 ,new ,york  ,city4 ,estimates  
given on any kind of manuscript1        
genealogical1  historical or            
biographical1 whether for chart1        
pamphlet or volume4 ,along  with        
estimates1 specimens of type-pages1     
paper1 binding and  illustrations will  
be cheerfully submitted when desired4   

,,vii    ,,publishing      ,the first   
copy of our book has come in1 crisp and 
fresh from the  binder's4 ,what a       
delight1 what a feast to the eye1 as we 
turn its  wholesome pages6 ,none can    
imagine the joy of this hour--it must be
  experienced4 ,it never fails us4      
,true1 we may be veterans1 who have seen
  many a campaign2 nevertheless1 each   
new battle thrills us afresh4 ,is her   
fifth babe nothing to the mother1       
because she has had four children8      
,just ask her1 dear reader6 ,and so is  
it with the joy of hailing our          
latest-born1 fresh from the press-room  
and bindery6    ,but already the reader 
begins to sigh4 ,now1 at last1 he cries1
 ,i have  exhausted the sensations that 
my book can give6 ,friend1 speak not so 
hastily4 ,have you forgotten the great  
joy of publishing8 the excitement  of   
getting the book before the public8 the 
sweetness of the hearty  congratulations
 of friends and fellow-workers8 the     
delight of reading  the press notices   

and the book reviews8 the pleasure of   
receiving your  publisher's smile and   
handshake as he tells you how well the  
book is  selling8 the deep satisfaction 
of banking the goodly checks which      
accompany his reports of sales8    ,the 
most substantial fruits of our labor are
 still untasted when our  book comes    
from the press1 and in order that these 
may be enjoyed to the  full by the      
reader we offer him the practical       
suggestions of this  closing chapter4   
,we assume that the garments of his     
offspring1 obtained  from the printer1  
are all that they should be4 ,otherwise1
 the pleasures  of publishing can never 
be realized4 ,neither our friends1 nor  
the  reviewer1 nor the great public1    
will enthuse over a shabby book4 ,why   
should they8    ,but the reader of these
 pages1 we trust1 will have had his work
 nicely  printed4 ,he is now ready to   
market his book1 and he desires the     
advice  of experience as to ways and    
means4    ,first of all1 choose a       

publisher4 ,have the imprint of a firm  
of good  standing1 furnishers of        
excellent books to the public1 upon the 
title-page of your volume4 ,this will be
 found to be a great advantage  even if 
the author expects to push and sell his 
own work4    ,in the second place1      
arrange if possible with the publisher  
to list and  handle the book for you1   
through the book and library trade4     
,have him  put it upon his catalogues1  
which are regularly furnished to the    
booksellers4 ,no individual can well    
attempt to handle this end of the       
business himself4 ,he does not know how 
to go about it1 and if he did1  the     
necessary machinery of manipulation     
would be too costly if set up in        
connection with a single book4 ,but the 
publisher has this machinery  already   
working in the interest of his other    
books1 and he only needs to  take ours  
on his list in order to give it the     
benefit of extensive  publicity4        
,other things being equal1 choose a     

publisher who is located in the  great  
book and literary centre of the country4
 ,no doubt the cost of  printing and    
publishing is a trifle more in a large  
city1 where rents  are high1 than in    
country or semi-country places4         
,nevertheless1 it is  worth while4 ,the 
prestige which goes with the right place
 of publication  is a satisfaction to   
the author and a substantial help to his
 book4    ,by all means1 if possible1   
commit the printing and the publishing  
of  your book to the same hands4 ,while 
the book is still in process of  making1
 the plans for bringing it before the   
public should be arranged4  ,preliminary
 announcements can be made1 and it can  
be put into catalogues  which it would  
miss if placed in the hands of a        
publisher only after the  printing had  
been done4 ,literary notes1 circulars1  
review slips1 and all  the paraphernalia
 of its announcement to the public can  
thus be  prepared1 and all be ready for 
the campaign as soon as the book comes  

from the press4 ,this is a very         
important point4    ,genealogical works 
should be committed to publishers who   
have already  had experience along this 
special line4 ,the sale of genealogical 
works  depends very largely upon a      
special kind of circularizing which will
  bring them to the attention of those  
particularly interested--public         
librarians1 historical and genealogical 
societies1 and special  collectors4 ,and
 whether the book be a clan or ,grafton 
genealogy1  there are many who will be  
anxious to own it1 on account of distant
  tribal connections1 and who can be    
reached only by the proper methods4     
,a little judicious advertising may     
prove a paying investment4 ,for this    
the author is altogether dependent upon 
his publisher4 ,he who ignorantly       
plunges into the luxury of advertising  
may readily sink a large fortune1       
without returns1 in a very short time4  
,or the little that he has to  invest   
will all be thrown away4 ,but the       

experienced publisher is like an  old   
fox that has learned the ways of hounds 
and hunters and is not  easily caught4  
,such a publisher knows the best        
mediums1 where a modest  notice almost  
always brings good returns1 and one     
cannot do better than  to reap the      
fruits of his experience4    ,if the    
reader desires to try his own hand in   
the work of publishing1 we  wish him    
well1 and advise him that the only way  
in which he may hope to  realize sales  
is by carrying out1 as well as he can1  
the regular methods  of the publisher4  
,the truth1 however1 is that the author 
cannot expect to do for himself1  even  
in a modest way1 much which the         
experienced publisher does for him4     
,the avenues to the book trade1 the book
 reviewer1 and therefore to the  general
 public1 are not really open to any of  
us who are not  publishers--as we can   
soon learn by making the attempt to     
travel1  unpiloted1 in these directions4
    ,the only genealogist who may hope  

for any measure of financial success  by
 his own efforts1 is the author of a    
clan genealogy who has  systematically  
gathered the names and addresses of the 
living  representatives of the tribe his
 book exploits4 ,these may be           
circularized1 and appealed to on the    
ground of family pride and of fair      
play4 ,the least they can do for a      
historian who has toiled for their      
glory is to take a copy of his book4    
,the plan commonly adopted is to make   
such works subscription books  from the 
beginning4 ,the author fixes a price for
 his forthcoming volume  and as he sends
 letters for information to living      
representatives of the  tribe1 he       
invites a subscription to his book4 ,but
 whether these  subscriptions have or   
have not covered the cost of production 
by the  time the book is ready for the  
printer1 why should the author not seek 
to realize all the additional profits   
which can be secured through the        
regular channels1 aided by a publisher8 

,the services of ,the ,grafton ,press   
can be secured as the publishers of  any
 good genealogy1 as well as in all the  
other capacities hitherto  mentioned4   
,probably such a connection would       
approach as near to the  ideal set forth
 in this chapter as any which it would  
be possible to  make4 ,added to all the 
rest1 it certainly would secure the     
hearty  co-operation of an experienced  
firm which pushes the works of          
genealogists with special zeal and      
enthusiasm4    ,the publishing of a clan
 genealogy will be cheerfully assumed at
 any  stage in the production4 ,if      
desired1 the subscription feature will  
be  taken in hand1 and that as soon as  
the author begins his work4 ,or if he   
has handled this feature during the     
progress of authorship1 every effort    
will be made to realize the further     
profits from a proper introduction  of  
the book to the public4    ,the service 
rendered may be in the capacity of      
publishing agents merely1  or that of a 

kind of partnership arrangement in      
connection with the  author's book2 and 
the work in question may be a chart1 a  
pamphlet1 a  volume1 or a work of still 
larger proportions4 ,the desire is to   
co-operate so as to give the worker all 
the fruits of his toil1 and  secure to  
him all the profits which the best      
business methods can  realize4#g        
,many readers will be glad to know what 
the general prospect is for the  sale of
 genealogical works4 ,in the matter of  
immediate sales1 such books  are not    
unlike others3 some have a good run and 
others sell more slowly4  ,nor can the  
author or publisher be certain in       
advance of the fate of a  book4 ,the    
favor of the public is a peculiar thing1
 and the quality which  makes a book    
popular is frequently beyond the power  
of analysis or the  ken of the prophet4 
,in the case of clan genealogies1 much  
depends upon the size of the  tribe1 its
 financial circumstances1 degree of     
family pride1 and proper  education in a

 genealogical direction4 ,the rest      
depends upon the author  and the        
publisher--upon the employment of the   
right methods in  presenting the claims 
of the book4    ,but in general1 and in 
the long run1 it is undoubtedly true    
that there  is scarcely another kind of 
book which enjoys the permanent         
popularity  and marketable character of 
the genealogical work4 ,immediately     
after  publication1 in the case of many 
subscription genealogies1 or in the     
course of a few years1 in most cases1   
the book is at a premium4 ,it does  not 
get out of date1 like books on other    
subjects1 but becomes more  desirable as
 a historical authority and treasure as 
time passes4 ,there  will be a demand   
for it fifty1 seventy-five1 or a hundred
 years hence4    ,this is what          
experience has shown4 ,genealogical     
works compiled on the  principles set   
forth in this little book1 with a       
permanent historical  value which can   
never be shaken1 because they set forth 

the proofs of  their statements1 will   
never lose their marketable value4      
,property  rights in such works by      
copyright and copyright renewals should 
be  secured by their authors4 ,the      
demand will last so long as ,americans  
take  an interest in the question of    
their ancestry1 and the price will      
increase as the copies become scarce4   
,in conclusion we will suppose that the 
reader has at length tasted all  the    
delights of research1 all the excitement
 of the discovery of  ancestors4 ,he has
 experienced the pleasure of compiling a
 ,grafton  genealogy1 and the joy of    
seeing it pass from the manuscript state
 into  that of the printed volume4 ,the 
triumphs of successful publishing1 the  
delight of reading the reviews and the  
satisfaction of realizing a fair  profit
 on the sales1 have all been his4 ,and  
now perhaps he sighs as he  thinks that 
nothing remains but the reminiscence of 
past enjoyment4    ,but here we offer   
the reader another suggestion4 ,would he

 have all those  pleasures and delights 
once more a reality1 and not merely a   
memory8  ,then let him begin again at   
the beginning1 and start another        
genealogy6 ,and when that is finished   
let him start a third one6 ,what a      
glorious prospect6 ,added to all the joy
 and excitement of each  achievement    
there is also the prospect of a little  
stream of checks from  the sales of each
 work--two1 three1 four or five streams 
instead of one6    ,,footnote3    #g    
,correspondence is invited with all who 
have a genealogy1 small or  pretentious1
 either in hand1 in preparation1 or in  
prospect4 ,address1  ,the ,grafton      
,press1 ,genealogical and ,biographical 
,department1 #gj ,fifth  ,avenue1 ,new  
,york ,city4