I love resources like this which contain books that are difficult to find because they are out of print, printed in small quantities, or never distributed widely. This CD contains seventeen volumes, six of which are local histories, the remainder which are family histories and genealogies.

The actual images of the books are included, not just the text, which references approximately 192,000 individuals who lived in Massachusetts and surrounding areas. As with other CDs, there is a comprehensive electronic index to make searches quick and easy. The following books are included here:

• Centennial History of the Town of Millbury, Massachusetts Including Vital Statistics, 1850-1899
• Descendants of Nicholas Cady of Watertown, Mass. 1645-1910, by Orrin Peer Allen, 1910
• The Descendants of William and Annis Chandler, Who Settled in Roxbury, Mass. 1637, by George Chandler
• The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong of Northampton, Mass., Volumes I and II, by Benjamin W. Dwight, 1871
• The History of the Descendants of John Dwight, of Dedham, Mass., Volumes I and II, by Benjamin W. Dwight, 1874
• History of Newburyport, Mass. 1764-1909, Volumes 1 and 2, by John J. Currier, 1906 and 1909
• History of the Origin of the Town of Clinton Massachusetts 1653-1865, by Andrew E. Ford, 1896
• History of the Town of Canton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, by Daniel T.V. Huntoon, 1893
• History of the Town of Duxbury, Massachusetts, with Genealogical Registers, by Justin Windsor, 1849
• The Pickering Genealogy: Being an Account of the First Three Generations of the Pickering Family of Salem, Mass., and of the Descendants of John and Sarah (Burrill) Pickering, of the Third Generation, Volumes I-III, by Harrison Ellery and Charles Pickering Bowditch, 1897
• Some Descendants of John Endecott, Governor of Mass. Bay Colony, by Mabel McFatridge-McCloskey, 1943
• Thomas Butler and His Descendants, by George H. Butler, M.D., 1886

June 30, 1999

Related Data on CD-ROM • Connecticut • New York • New Hampshire • Maine More Articles • Finding a Marriage Date • People as Sources for Family History • Oral Histories Helpful Web Sites • Massachusetts On the Message Boards • GenForum: Massachusetts

Local histories are particularly useful to researchers because they often include maps and information about specific landmarks, as well as prominent businessmen, pioneers, and individuals who had an impact on the area. Such books offer researchers the chance to glimpse the past, and see what the location was like when their ancestors lived there, and I applaud their inclusion alongside the genealogy books — the combination of the two give researchers a good background on the times and people who inhabited that area.

Discover More About Local and Family Histories: Massachusetts, 1620-1930 (CD 207) Purchase CD 207 for only $29.99!

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