Source:Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England

CITATION

Savage, James, O. P. Dexter, and John Farmer. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862.

REPOSITORIES

• Transcribed and available online at http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/newengland/savage/

• May be read online or downloaded through Google Books

• May be ordered through the nearest Family History Center. See the Family History Library Catalog for film notes and different versions, including CD-ROM

• WorldCat search for copies in libraries throughout the United States

PREFACE

"In 1829 was published, by John Farmer, a Genealogical Register of the first settlers of New England. Beside the five classes of persons prominent, as Governors, Deputy-Governors, Assistants, ministers in all the Colonies, and representatives in that of Massachusetts, down to 1692, it embraced graduates of Harvard College to 1662, members of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, as also freemen admitted in Massachusetts, alone, to this latter date, with many early inhabitants of other parts of New England and Long Island from 1620 to 1675. Extensive as was the plan of that volume, the author had in contemplation, as explained in his preface, calling it 'an introduction to a biographical and genealogical dictionary,' a more ambitious work, that should comprehend sketches of individuals known in the annals of New England, and 'a continuation of eminent persons to the present time.' Much too vast a project that appeared to me; and the fixing of an absolute limit, like 1692 (the era of arrival of the new charter), for admission of any family stocks, seemed more judicious. I suppose nineteen twentieths of the people of these New England colonies in 1775 were descendants of those found here in 1692, and probably seven eighths of them were offspring of the settlers before 1642.

My scope is wider than that of Farmer, of course, as it includes every settler, without regard to his rank, or wealth, since we often find, in the second or third generation, descendants of the most humble (thank God we are all equal before the law) filling honorable stations and performing important services. But far more narrow is my plan than his projected dictionary, because, in a grandson of the first settler, it excludes every other incident after his birth..."

USAGE TIPS

See the preface for the scope of Savage's project--while he endeavored to cover all the settlers prior to 1692, he also narrowed the descendants of those who came earlier by not following beyond their grandchildren.

Savage is well-respected, often cited, and a good starting point for information on any New England family. However, he was working with the state of knowledge in 1860, and therefore there are many places where subsequent research has proven him wrong. His writeups sometimes conflate multiple men of the same name, or repeat old theories about immigrant origins or connections.

CITATION EXAMPLES

This is a multiple volume set where the pages are discretely numbered within each volume. There are also electronic forms which, while easy to search, are not easily traversed by page number. A completely useful citation therefore needs source volume, page, referenced dictionary entry, and enough of a content quotation to indicate what facts are being referenced. Good examples of use include:

* Person:William Brewster (3)

* Person:Thomas Arnold (5)