on the early church history, with a cut of the Old South Church built in 1763; also remarks upon the various religious denominations at present represented in the city. The chapter devoted to the part taken by the town in the revolution is of special interest, and the more important facts are given in concise and fitting language. Educational matters, railroads of the city, and important business enterprises, are subjects of consideration, and receive such attention as the limits of the work will allow. A chapter is devoted to brief biographical notices of early residents and eminent citizens of the town; among them the Chandlers, Paines and Lincolns; Isaiah Thomas, Gov. John Davis, as also of prominent citizens now living. The closing chapter gives some account of the most important industries of the city, and also a good idea of its enterprise and business activity. The publishers have aimed to make the work a credit to the county and themselves, and have been successful in their efforts; it is also a valuable addition to our local histories. N. P. Private Libraries of Providence, with a Preliminary Essay on the Love of Books." By HORATIO ROGERS. Providence: Sidney S. Rider. 1878. [Square 8vo. pp. iv. + [2] + 255, Ill. and pl. Half calf. Price $6.00.] Sir Arthur Helps, in his "Spanish Conquest in America," testifies thus concerning collectors of books on this side of the Atlantic: "They are exceedingly liberal and courteous in the use of them, and seem really to understand what the object should be in forming a great library.' The context shows the immediate occasion of this testimony to have been the courtesy of one of the Providence collectors in furnishing him with material not accessible in England. That this instance, moreover, is not an isolated one, Mr. Rogers himself gives evidence. [See pp. 69-70, 104-105.] Eight of the most noteworthy of the Providence collections are here described, and, with nearly all, the owners' book-plate, and a view of the interior, are added. Besides the library of the late John Carter Brown (which is, perhaps, the best known of these private libraries), Mr. Rogers includes that of Mr. Caleb Fiske Harris, whose collection of American poetry was of such invaluable service to Professor M. C. Tyler in the preparation of his “History of American Literature," and which is pronounced by him the most extensive in the world; " that of Mr. John Russell Bartlett, which is essentially a working library, in the departments of geography and archæology; and of Mr. Sidney S. Rider, in whose specialty (Rhode Island history) his collection is not even surpassed by the state government. We may add that the entomological library of Professor A. S. Packard, Jr., whose richness is particularized by Mr. S. H. Scudder, in the 1880 Harvard College Library Bulletin [Jan. p. 21], has been transferred to Providence since the date of Mr. Rogers's work [1878]. The other libraries described are noteworthy for careful discrimination of editions, ownership of rare copies, and taste in binding. The book is an admirable representative of a class of literature which is surprisingly small; and, if executed with equal taste and judgment, it is to be hoped that similar works will be undertaken for other cities. The aggregate number of volumes in these eight libraries is more than 54,000, which, added to the more than 160,000 volumes accessible in the various public and semi-public libraries of the city, indicates a richness of literary resources. In respect of quality, however, which is, in the case of the private libraries, of immeasurably greater importance than quantity, doubtless these collections would compare very favorably with those of other cities of similar size. Mr. Rogers's work was limited to an edition of 250 copies, which is now entirely exhausted." W. E. F. A Genealogy of Benjamin Cleveland, a Great-Grandson of Moses Cleveland of Woburn, Mass., and a Native of Canterbury, Windham County, Conn. With an Appendix. Compiled by his Great-Grandson, HORACE GILLETTE CLEVELAND. [Motto.] Chicago Printed for the Compiler. 1879. [8vo. pp. 260. Price, post-paid, Cloth, with portrait and appendix, $5; without portrait, $4; paper, no portrait, $3. Address H. G. Cleveland, 76 Michigan Avenue, Chicago, III.] Memoir of the Gibbs Family of Warwickshire, England, and United States of America. Philadelphia: Press of Lewis and Greene. 1879. [Royal 8vo. pp. 52.] An Inquiry as to the heirs at law of Maria Stebbins, who died intestate in New York, April 8, 1875, leaving no relations nearer than Cousins. Compiled by A. S. .... * Helps's "Spanish Conquest in America" [English ed.], v. 3, p. 128. Wheeler, Brooklyn, N. Y. E. Eckler, Printer, 35 Fulton Street, N. Y. 1880. [8vo. pp. 20.] The Bicknells. Inscriptions on Tombstones in Barrington, R. 1. [8vo. pp. 16.] Genealogy of the Hill Family from 1632, Including a Biographical Sketch of Joel Barlow. Norwalk: The Hour Steam Print. [1880. 18mo. pp. 29.] .... The Eddy Family Tree. Compiled by CHARLES EDDY, M.D. Brooklyn, N. Y. [1880. Broadside, 163 by 22 inches.] The Line of Descent from Hugh Drury of Boston, 1640, to Edwin Drury of Wilmette in 1880. [Broadside, 11 by 17 inches.] Dolor Davis. [1880. Post 4to. pp. 2.] The Paine Family Records. Edited by H. D. PAINE, M.D., 26 West 30th St., New York. No. VI. February, 1880. Munsell, Printer, Albany, N. Y. [8vo. pp. 24.] We continue this quarter our notices of genealogies recently issued. The Cleveland genealogy is the complete work, the first portion of which was noticed in the REGISTER for July last (xxxiii. 376). The book, we are told in the preface, is the result of researches made in leisure hours while engaged in exacting business pursuits; but it appears to be as full and accurate as books to which an undivided attention is given. Those who wish to secure copies should order early. It is handsomely printed, with table of contents and index. The Gibbs volume, printed for the use of relatives, gives descendants of Robert Gibbs, a merchant of Boston in the seventeenth century. It seems to be carefully compiled, and much research is bestowed on the English pedigree. The author is J. Willard Gibbs, of Philadelphia. The book is based upon Family Notices," a pamphlet issued in 1845 by William Gibbs, of Lexington, and the researches of Prof. Josiah Willard Gibbs, of Yale College, both deceased. It is elegantly printed, and has a folding tabular pedigree. The Stebbins pamphlet is a genealogical table of the descendants of the two grandfathers of Maria Stebbins, daughter of Simon and Eunice (Whitlock) Stebbins, of New York, namely, Theophilus Stebbins and Robert Whitlock, both of Ridgefield, Ct. Miss Stebbins left real estate in Brooklyn, N. Y., and this pamphlet is issued for the purpose of perfecting the list of heirs-at-law. The Bicknell pamphlet was prepared, we believe, by the Hon. Thomas W. Bicknell, of Boston, editor of the New England Journal of Education, who has in preparation a full genealogy of this family in America. The Hill pamphlet is by the Rev. Moses Hill, of Norwalk, Ct., and gives descendants of William Hill and John Barlow, early settlers of Fairfield, Ct. It was printed for gratuitous circulation among relatives. The Eddy Family Tree gives descendants in several lines to the present time. It is well executed. The broadside of Mr. Drury, of Wilmette, is issued to obtain corrections and additions. He is preparing a genealogy of the Drury family, and solicits information from those interested. He will furnish blanks on application. The Davis Circular is by the Hon. Horace Davis, M. C. from San Francisco, California. It gives a chronological table of the events in the life of Dolor Davis, who came to New England in 1634 (see REGISTER, XXXIV. 98), and a record of his children. Mr. Davis intends to prepare a full sketch, and asks for any additional facts that may be known to his readers. The sixth number of the Paine Family Records maintains the interest of the work. The Historical and Genealogical Register Contains, besides these "Book Notices," a variety of valuable and interesting matter concerning the History, Antiquities, Genealogy and Biography of America. It was commenced in 1847, and is the oldest historical periodical now published in this country. It is issued quarterly (each number containing at least 96 octavo pages, with a portrait on steel) by the New England Historic, Genealogical Society, 18 Somerset Street, Boston, Mass. Price, $3 per annum in advance. Single numbers, 75 cents each. Historical and Genealogical Register. Illustration: CONTENTS-APRIL, 1880. Portrait of JOHN A. VINTON (to face page 127). I. SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF THE REV. JOHN A. VINTON, A.M. By the Rev. Increase II. BRISTOL CHURCH RECORDS, 1687 TO 1710. Communicated by George T. Paine' IV. WHO IS A GENTLEMAN? By John D. Champlin, Jr., A.M. V. HOW TO WRITE TOWN HISTORIES. By the Hon. Charles Hudson, A.M. VII. RECORD OF THE BOSTON COMMITTEE OF CORRESPONDENCE, INSPECTION AND X. SEALS IN THE COLLECTION OF MELLEN CHAMBERLAIN. By the Committee on XI. LETTER FROM THE EARL OF BELLOMONT. Com. by William B. Trask, Esq. XIII. LONGMEADOW FAMILIES. (Continued.) Com. by Willard S. Allen, A.M. XV. A SKETCH OF THE HOWLANDS. By L. M. Howland XVI. LETTER OF WALTER BARNESLEY OF LONDON, 1667, TO WILLIAM PITKIN OF XVII. DESCENDANTS OF BENEDICT ARNOLD XVIII. BIRTHS, MARRIAGES AND DEATHS IN DARTMOUTH. (Continued.) Com. by XIX. NOTES AND QUERIES: XX. Notes.-Hilton; Sanderson; Huntly; Phonetic Representation of Indian Replies.-Gray, 204; Batt; Colton or Munn? Hope-Hood; Baldwin, Shaw, Announcements.-Celebration of Discovery of Falls of St. Anthony; Massa- SOCIETIES AND THEIR PROCEEDINGS: 127 132 139 154 158 162 167 171 181 184 185 186 187 190 192 194 196 198 199-206 New England Historic, Genealogical Society, 206; Weymouth Historical So- William Turrell Andrews, A.M., 209; Hon. Isaac Livermore; Prof. John XXII. BOOK NOTICES XXIII. LIST OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS 209-213 213-234 234-236 236-238 New England Historical and Genealogical Register. TESTIMONIALS. From Harper's Magazine.-"It is an admirable repository of those family facts and details which are always interesting and useful, and an agreeable miscellany of all kinds of historical and antiquarian information. It has active assistance from historical and family students in all parts of the country." From Notes and Queries (London).-" Many of the papers are as interesting and important to English as to American readers, as they contain valuable details respecting several Anglo-American families probably not to be obtained elsewhere.” From the Western Christian Advocate (Cincinnati).-"It is the oldest work of the kind in the world, and yet is ever fresh and valuable. It is also one of the very few publications that increase in pecuniary value as they grow in age, every successive volume having a value, for permanent preservation, greater than the subscription price." From the Boston Daily Advertiser.-"We heartily recommend the REGISTER to all who are interested in historical studies." From the Danville (Va.) Times.-"Its pages are a continued conservatory of original documentary matter of the past, of inestimable value to the historian, and of deep interest to the general reader, presenting vividly successive pictures and phases of the varying manners, customs and traits of our forefathers, thereby furnishing a key to our national progress." From the Springfield Republican.-"The REGISTER always contains something specially interesting and valuable." From the New York Evening Post.-"It is full of matter interesting to inquirers into the early history of New-England, and the pedigrees of those who inhabit it." From the Worcester Daily Spy.-"The volumes of this periodical are now and will be hereafter of the highest importance to the historian and the genealogist." From the Boston Evening Transcript.-" Indispensable to the historian and antiquary.' From the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, Ph. D., of Boston,-" No other work is so rich in materials which give an insight into the history of New England, the manners, customs and mode of living in bygone days." From the Hon. J. Hammond Trumbull, LL.D., Hartford, Conn., Pres't of the Conn. Hist. Soc.-"Almost every week I find occasion to search the indexes for historical or genealogical material not to be found elsewhere, and which, but for the REGISTER, Would not have been preserved. The promises of its projectors have been more than fulfilled. Every succeeding volume enhances the value of the series as a work of reference. To students it is no longer merely a convenience; it has become a necessity." From Col. Joseph L. Chester, LL.D., of London, England.-"To me the work, of which I possess a complete set, is invaluable. I consult it constantly, not only for matters relating directly to Americans, but also in reference to English families of the seventeenth century, concerning whom these volumes contain a vast amount of information not to be found elsewhere. There are no books in my library that I would not sooner part with than my set of the REGISTER." From the late William Cullen Bryant, LL.D., New York.-" I think highly of the NEW-ENGLAND HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL REGISTER. It preserves many facts of interest which would, but for such a repository, be soon forgotten." From the Rev. Alonzo H. Quint, D.D., Dover, N.H.-"A single old document, recently discovered and published in the REGISTER, I should have counted cheap at the cost of the whole set." From the Hon. Chas. H. Bell, President of the New-Hampshire Historical Society."There is scarcely a work in the library of a historical reader which could not be spared with less inconvenience." From the Hon. John R. Bartlett, Providence, R.I.-"I consider it one of the most valuable collections of papers for the historian and genealogist that has ever appeared, either in the United States or England, and as such, that it deserves the encouragement of all interested in genealogical inquiries." From the Hon. Hiland Hall, LL.D., No. Bennington, Vt.-"It is an interesting as well as valuable periodical repository of historical and genealogical information. THE EDITOR requests persons sending books for notice to state, for the information of readers, the price of each book, with the amount to be added for postage when sent by mail. History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, containing Carefully Prepared Histories of every City and Town in the County, by well known Writers; and a General History of the County, from the Earliest to the Present Time. By SAMUEL ADAMS DRAKE, "Author of Old Landmarks of Boston," Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast," etc. Vol. I. Illustrated. Boston: Estes and Lauriet, Publishers, 301 Washington Street. 1880. [Royal quarto, pp. 505. By subscription. Price $7.50 a volume.] 66 It is unnecessary to spend words defining the position of Middlesex County in New England history, or to assert its preeminence over some of her sister counties of the commonwealth. The fact is that, not to mention Suffolk, three separate counties in Massachusetts are entitled to the distinction of historic counties," and to each of them belongs distinguished and peculiar honor for the parts they have severally borne in the civilization of New England, and in contributing to the patriotism, valor and intelligence of the century. Plymouth received the little company of May-Flower immigrants, and enjoys a reputation which no section can take from her; Essex witnessed the laying of the foundations for the colony of Massachusetts Bay, and was the scene of the great witchcraft delusion, while Middlesex treasures as its peculiar honor the memories of Concord, Lexington and Bunker Hill, and is the ground on which was formed the first assumption of government, under the royal charter, by men who brought with them to the New World the germ of an independent state." Middlesex cannot say, "Because the Pilgrims did not land on the shore of Charles River, therefore we are without honor; and Essex cannot say, "Because the first gun for liberty was not fired in Ipswich, therefore we are without honor." Each of the three counties is entitled to an honor all its own; they are a part of the commonwealth, and the commonwealth shares the honor with them; the commonwealth is a part of New England and the nation, and New England and the nation are richer and better for the spirit of the Pilgrims and the deeds of those men who fought at Concord and Lexington. And these three counties rightly indicate three historic eras. Not merely accidental collections of adventurers, they are the embodiment of great principles which in time became the ruling ideas of a nation. To New England they indicate not only the boundary between barbarism and civilization, but the centres from which most of her native-born population is derived." 66 Rich in historic associations, the county of Middlesex and the records of its men and events have been the subject of many volumes, essays and other writings. Of the fifty-six towns within the county, twenty-four, or nearly one half, have had their history published in separate volumes, many of which are elaborate and important works; while a complete body of printed information relating to these towns would comprise more than four hundred and fifty distinct references, a very |