Whether you're a practiced hand at genealogy or searching for information on previous generations of family members, <i>A Genealogical Register of the First Settlers of New England</i> is an unmatched resource providing details necessary to piece together the history of America's first frontier. The register is written by John Farmer who dedicated his life to the accumulation of this data that he considered to be of utmost importance. In the preface of the work, Farmer insists, "there is a satisfaction in recogising [<i>sic</i>] our first ancestor from the European continent; in knowing from what part of Great-Britain he came; where he settled, and the circumstances and conditions of his family." He truly believed that to know one's past was to know oneself and offered this book up as an opportunity for all of America to become familiar with their colonial roots.<br><br>Literally an encyclopedia of 'first families', this register contains tens of thousands of entries with names, dates of settling, marriage dates, children and dates of birth, and dates of death. Any significant information Farmer uncovered on a specific individual is also listed and the lengths of entries differ greatly as a result (i.e. John Adams' listing is several pages but William Abington only warrants a single line). Sometimes feeling overcrowded and chaotic, the sheer amount of information compiled in this register is enough to stagger even the most optimistic audience.<br><br><i>A Genealogical Register of the First Settlers of New England</i> is, in it's purest sense, a massive family tree of every family that populated colonial America. Containing an astounding amount of information, this book is a must-use reference for anyone researching the history of a particular line back to New England. Perfect for colonial scholars, amateur and professional genealogists, and any curious reader who would like to see a glimpse of the thousands of men, women, and children that make up the settlers of America.