GEN-MAT-L Archives

From: "Jamie Crossley" <>
Subject: [GM] The Genealogies & Estates of Charlestown, Massachusetts 1629-1818
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 08:54:58 -0400

The Genealogies & Estates of Charlestown - in the County of Middlesex and
Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1629-1818 $125.00 (very hard to find)
By Thomas Bellows Wyman
New England History Press 1982 reprint of the 1879 edition
(From the forward) “A little over a hundred years have passed since the
first publication of Thomas Bellows Wyman's The Genealogies and Estates of
Charlestown in 1879. Its broad scope, the thoroughness of its scholarship
and the meticulousness of its detail have made it an indispensable tool for
the student of history, and the genealogist alike. It has continuously
enjoyed the reputation of being one of the best and most accurate books of
its type. Long out of print, it is once again available in this new edition.
Charlestown is particularly fortunate in that almost all of its early
records have survived, despite the burning of the town by the British in
1775. What makes The Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown superior to most
other works of its kind is that the author utilized not only obvious sources
of information-town and church records-but other types of documents as well,
particularly the deeds, and probate and court files of Middlesex County. For
over thirty years Wyman collected material from many sources relating to
Charlestown's inhabitants from its earliest settlement to 1818, carefully
sifting them for their genealogical value. Correlating the facts from these
sources and weighing the evidence in his typi­cally impartial manner, he
produced a book whose accuracy has stood up to a century of scrutiny. The
result is a monumental genealogical compendium of all families and
individuals for nearly the first two centuries of the town's existence.
As one of the older settlements in New England, Charlestown is
genealogically one of the most significant. Many well established families
trace their be­ginnings to Charlestown. From this base people settled all
over New England and beyond, and today thousands of Americans can trace
lines of ancestry back to its early families. Thus, the book's importance
reaches well beyond Charles­town's borders. In addition to being a "parent"
town, Charlestown was a major seaport, attracting a constant stream of
merchants, mariners and seamen, some of whom intermarried with the local
populace and added to the blend of surnames.
The most remarkable feature of the book is Wyman's complete lack of
dis­crimination between the distinguished and less distinguished town
residents. Most town histories written before or since typically devote most
of their space to prominent individuals or families or those of
long-standing residence while only mentioning briefly-or omitting
entirely-the lesser lights. Wyman's method allowed for no such distinction.
He was fond of saying that the persons and families eminent in social
station or political preferment were sure of recog­nition in a thousand ways
not open to their less fortunate neighbors, and that his aim had been to
gather the scattered memorials of the many, rather than to write panegyrics
on the few....
The book's plan is straightforward, and the alphabetical arrangement of the
genealogies does away with the need for a name index. For the larger
families an index for the heads of each individual family group is provided
at the beginning of the family sketch. Each sketch is divided into two
parts: the genealogies and the estates. It is this latter section in which
the author makes his most valuable contribution. By making these records
readily available, the need to seek out the often inaccessible or
deteriorating originals, is eliminated....
Besides the genealogies and estates, several other features contribute to
the book's usefulness. Among these arc the chronological schedule of
conveyances to 1818, a schedule of the ancient colored inhabitants on record
prior to 1800, and an 1818 map of the town.
Wyman's great work has been out of print for many years, and what's more, it
was printed on very poor quality paper; thus most copies are in an advanced
state of deterioration. The reissuance of this classic book once again makes
it available to both the librarian and the genealogist.”
1060 pages, hardcover, good condition, spine has faded, owners bookplate
inside front cover. 

Shipping & handling is $3.75 for the first book & $0.50 for each additional
book. I usually have only one copy so please e-mail me at
and I will hold the book for seven days. I will
e-mail you the address to send the check to or you can go to the web site
below and print out the order form and mail it.

Jamie MacKenzie Crossley
Bookseller
Hudson, Massachusetts USA

Broad View Books
<http://broadviewbooks.com>;

Your Source for Used Books Pertaining to:
Genealogical Research, Town Histories, Vital Records, Magazines and More.
With a Special Interest in Massachusetts and New England

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• [GM] The Genealogies & Estates of Charlestown, Massachusetts 1629-1818 by "Jamie Crossley" <>