PREFACE.

Less than nineteen years ago, the New England Historic-Genealogical Society was organized; and for seventeen years of its existence the Register has been regularly issued under its direction. The contribution that it has thus made to the historical and genealogical literature of our country is a just cause of pride. The seventeen closely printed volumes now before the public have preserved for future use many a valuable historical document that fire, vermin or the papermill had otherwise destroyed. But the preservation of the documents printed in its pages is only a small part of the service it has rendered to the cause of history. The taste for antiquarian pursuits that it has disseminated in the community has led to the preservation of a much larger number of documents which remain unpublished in private or public collections. The genealogical taste, too, that it has fostered among us has produced equally valuable results. The number of persons that it has directly or indirectly led to collect the scattered fragments of their ancestral annals would probably astonish most of us could it be known. The stimulus it has furnished to these inquiries was opportune. Aged people in whose memories were treasured the facts which explain records and supply omissions during the middle and close of the last century usually found the most difficult period for the New England genealogist were fast passing away. Many of the families whose record is now quite full, could not have been connected with the early settlers had research been delayed half a century longer, or even to the present time. Those who would like to know how much has been done, since the formation of our society, in collecting and publishing the genealogies of American families are

advised to examine the Handbook of American Genealogy by Mr. William H. Whitmore, a member of our present publishing committee. In addition to the published genealogies, there are, at this time, a very large number of family histories, the result in a great measure of the taste inspired by our society and its publications, which are wholly or partially prepared, but which have not yet appeared in print. Some of these it will be the work of the Register to bring to light and thus permanently preserve, while others no doubt will appear as separate volumes.

It will be observed that the Register was started soon after the formation of the society. Indeed, one of the three original members now surviving, Mr. William H. Montague, informs us that the publication of a magazine was one of the objects contemplated by its founders. But in the first "Circular" of the society, printed Jan. 28, 1845, just three weeks after its organization by the choice of officers no allusion to a periodical is found; though a "Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary or History of all New England Families" is there mentioned as in contemplation. The first action towards establishing a periodical that the records show was in the following autumn. On the 4th of November, 1845, on motion of Mr. Thornton, the recording secretary, it was voted: "That a committee of three be appointed to prepare a circular or prospectus for the publication of a journal under the auspices of the society, devoted to the printing of ancient documents, wills, genealogical and biographical sketches, and historical and antiquarian matter generally and to report at the next meeting." The committee then appointed, consisted of the Rev. Samuel H. Riddel and Messrs. Samuel G. Drake and J. Wingate Thornton. Additions to it were made at subsequent meetings, among those added being the president of the society, Mr. Charles Ewer. At the next meeting, December 3d, the Rev. Mr. Riddel, as chairman, made a written report which is now on file. The committee recommended the size and price which were finally adopted, namely, 96 octavo pages, quarterly, at two dollars a year; but the information then collected was not sufficient to venture an opinion whether subscribers enough could be procured to warrant commencing the publication. The committee was directed to continue its investigations. Later in the month arrangements were made with the Rev. David Reed, a member of the society, then and now the publisher of the Christian Register, a religious newspaper of the Unitarian denomination,- who agreed to issue a prospectus that the society might ascertain what encourage

ment, would be extended to the work. His prospectus for "THE GENEALOGICAL AND ANTIQUARIAN REGISTER, is now before us. It will be noticed that the words, NEW ENGLAND, formed no part of the proposed title. The document is not dated, but "Circular Number Two" of the society informs us that it was issued "on the anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims." This prospectus differs but little from that printed on the cover of the Register for January, 1847. The titles, as will be observed, are different. In the former prospectus, subscription papers are to be returned to "DAVID REED, Christian Register office, Boston;" in the latter to "SAMUEL G. DRAKE, Publisher, 56 Cornhill, Boston." Mr. Drake's prospectus, also, contains a few additions, and there are other slight variations.

The same day that this prospectus is said to have been put forth, December 22, 1845, a delegation from the society consisting of the Rev. Samuel H. Riddel and Messrs. Samuel G. Drake, Solomon Lincoln and Andrew H. Ward, attended, at Plymouth, the celebration of the 225th anniversary of the Pilgrim Landing. The subject of the proposed publication was brought to the attention of some of those present; and one of the delegates, we are informed, attempted to procure subscribers, but with small success.

On the 17th of January, 1846, another report was made to the society, and is preserved. The committee thought that a publication like that proposed, "if edited with the requisite labor and ability, and if issued by an enterprising publisher on his own responsibility" would "eventually secure an amount of patronage sufficient to render it a safe and successful undertaking;" and that the society "would have it in its power to render no inconsiderable encouragement * * * in ways not involving pecuniary responsibility." It seems that Rev. Mr. Reed soon relinquished the idea of publishing the periodical - of the success of which we learn he was never very sanguine,- for on the 4th of February, about six weeks after his prospectus was issued, the committee reported that "progress in relation to procuring an editor and publisher was for the present put off." During the year, however, "a considerable number of volunteer subscribers" was obtained.

On the 2d of December, 1846, a letter was read from the Rev. James D. Farnsworth of Boxboro', offering to edit the magazine, but no action appears to have been taken on the offer. About this time, or soon after, negotiations were commenced with the Rev. William Cogswell, D. D., of Gilmanton, N. H., as editor and Mr. Samuel G. Drake of Boston, as publisher. Rev. Dr. Cogswell was then editor and

proprietor of the New Hampshire Repository, an ecclesiastical and antiquarian quarterly, then in its second year, having been commenced October, 1845. It was supposed that by adding the subscription list of that work to the names that had already been obtained and that would be obtained for the new periodical, a liberal salary might be paid to an editor, and a suitable remuneration be realized by the publisher. Accordingly, on the 16th of December a contract was signed. Rev. Dr. Cogswell's salary was fixed at one thousand dollars. The January number was soon put to press, and was issued February 5th, 1847. The result of the first year's experiment, we are informed, was a loss to the publisher. Very few of the subscribers to the Repository continued to patronize the Register, the character of the two works being different, while the price of the latter work was double that of the former.

Mr. Drake finding by experience that the profits of the work were not sufficient to pay an editor an equivalent for his labor, took upon himself the editorial charge of the second volume. Two other members of the society edited portions of the third and fourth volume. With this exception, Mr. Drake edited and published the work to the close of the fifth volume.*

Having it in contemplation to remove to New York the following spring, Mr. Drake, after completing the fifth volume, in October, 1851, surrendered the Register to the society. The Publishing committee. then made arrangements with Mr. Thomas Prince, descended from the same family as the New England annalist and possessed like him of antiquarian tastes, to publish the sixth volume, the editors of which were to be chosen by the committee. The contemplated re

* The following facts relating to the Register may interest its readers. The editors have been as follows: 1847, Rev. Dr. Cogswell; 1848, Mr. Drake; 1849, Jan., Mr. Drake; April, July and Oct., William Thaddeus Harris, A. M.; 1850, Jan., Mr. Drake; April, July and Oct., Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, M. D.; 1851, Mr. Drake; 1852, Jan. and April, Rev. Joseph B. Felt, LL. D.; July, Hon. T. Farrar, A. M.; Oct., William B. Trask; 1853, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Mr. Drake; 1859, 1860, W. B. Trask, Wm. H. Whitmore and John W. Dean; 1861, Mr. Drake; 1862, Jan., W. B. Trask; April, Rev. Elias Nason, A. M.; July, Hon. Charles Hudson, A. M.; Oct., J. W. Dean; 1863, J. W. Dean.

The publishers have been; vols. I to v, Mr. Drake; vi, Thomas Prince; vi to x, Mr. Drake; x1, Charles B. Richardson; XII to xv. Mr. Drake, xvi and xvn, Joel Munsell. All of these are now living, and are members of our society.

A list of the Publishing Committees will be found in vol. xvi, p. 289.

The indices in vol. I were prepared by Rev. Dr. Cogswell. Mr. Drake prepared the indices of names in vols. II to IV, and the general indices in vols. I to v, and vi to XII, inclusive. The other indices are by Mr Trask.