66 bought a font of type and a hand press, learned the “ case," and printed the Corliss Genealogy, a book of 337 pages, and no one looking at the volume casually on the shelves of the society's library would suspect that it was the work of an amateur. In 1876 he determined upon the publication of a magazine which should be the means of preserving in permanent form the rich store of materials relating to the history of North Yarmouth, Me., and its offshoots. Through Arizona, California and Nevada, during the past eight years, he has transported his fonts and presses whenever his company has changed camp, and with irregular regularity the quarterly issues of Old Times" have greeted its constituents, bearing however the imprint of Yarmouthville, Me. Several years since the office of this unlocatable magazine was visited by the writer (then stationed at San Francisco), the publisher being on duty at Angel Island in the harbor. A little back room in his quarters contained his outfit, and there" Yarmouthville" loomed up in all its grandeur. This introduction to the public is necessary because the modesty of the Captain has hitherto made OLD TIMES a mystery, and its publisher almost a myth. Within the twelve hundred pages of the finished volumes, supplemented by a good index, may be found the Records of the North Yarmouth Proprietors, the Church Records complete, Abstracts of Deeds from County Registry, Biographical Sketches of prominent pioneers, including Walter Gendall, David Prince, Percy Drinkwater, Dr. John Hyde, the ministers of the churches, and the valuable reminiscences of old towns-people, to say nothing of the vast aggregate of notes and minor articles which preserve so many important facts for the future historian. The following named genealogies have been published in "Old Times : True, Greely, Prince, Bucknam, Drinkwater, Wyman, Mitchell, Corliss, Gray, Russell, Seabury, Field, Weare, Royall, Oakes, Humphrey, Bradbury, Cutter, Stockbridge, Soule, Hawes, Loring, Ring, Cole, Pettingill, Felt, Stubbs, Fisher, Mason, Fogg, Griffin, Elwell, Lufkin, Lane, Blanchard, Sweetser, Chandier, Storer, Winslow, Buxton, Hitchcock, Harris and Byram. It would be futile to attempt a catalogue of all the historical treasures of this trim little periodical, and we venture to say that no journal will be more missed by Maine historical workers than Captain Corliss's "OLD TIMES." Its discontinuance is to be regretted, but in parting with it we only voice the sentiments of its readers in expressing our deep sense of obligation to him for his unselfish labors in behalf of the history of Maine. We learn that his entire manuscript collections have been donated to the Maine Genealogical and Biographical Society. As an instance of apathy which Capt. Corliss has had to contend against in Yarmouth, we may state that he made a standing offer to the town authorities to print the ancient town records free of cost if he could be provided with the original records, or a copy of them, for the purpose, giving the town ten bound copies of the same when completed; but there was not enough interest or public spirit manifested to give his proposition any consideration. This statement will help the friends of the magazine to understand why the gallant Captain does not desire further to force historical literature down the throats of a people who either will not or cannot digest it. It was the intention of the publisher to continue this historical magazine under another title, The Westcustogo Chronicle," as stated in the April issue of this publication, but after printing a few pages the decision to discontinue the work altogether was reached, and the announcement made by us as to its appearance is therefore void. Those who have sets of OLD TIMES should secure these few pages of the projected magazine to bind in with the original book. By Charles E. Banks, M.D., Marine Hospital, Chelsea, Mass. Oration on the Completion of the National Monument to Washington, agreeably to the Appointment of Congress, February 21, 1885. By Hon. ROBERT C. WINTHROP. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. 1885. 8vo. pp. v.+40. This oration was prepared by our venerable and distinguished citizen, Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, for the occasion of the completion of the national monument to Washington, and it is unsurpassed in loftiness of sentiment and beauty and dignity of style. Illness prevented the orator from delivering the address with his own eloquent voice, as he had done thirty-seven years before, when the corner stone of this great monument was laid, but his words, read before a vast concourse, including the most distinguished citizens of the republic, by the Hon. John D. Long of Massachusetts, and reported in hundreds of newspapers, must have had an influence and made an impression throughout the whole land. Rich in noble tributes to him in whose honor the shaft was raised, there breathes in every sentence a patriotic love for our institutions, and for one common country. The dignified and touching allusions to the nation's days of trial and of triumph, to the glories of the Old Dominion and of our own Puritan Commonwealth, must inspire feelings of devotion to our country, and reverence for the founders of its government. The oration is prefaced by the joint resolution of Congress relating to the dedication of the monument, and by an explanatory note by Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. It was printed at the University Press, and it is hardly necessary to say that the printers have done their part in a satisfactory manner, and that the oration is presented in a most attractive form. By George K. Clarke, LL.B., of Needham, Mass. History of the Town of Richmond, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, from its first Settlement to 1882. By WILLIAM BASSETT. Boston, Mass.: C. W. Calkins & Co. 1884. pp. 578. For sale by George E. Littlefield, 67 Cornhill, Boston, Mass. Price $3. The township was granted in 1752 to Joseph Blanchard and others, and the first settlements were made in 1759. In 1762 a portion of the township was annexed to Swansey. Richmond was incorporated and organized under a municipal government in 1765. In 1773 the first census was taken, showing a population of 745. Its highest number was in 1820, when it reached 1391, since which time it has been gradually decreasing until 1880, at which time the census shows only a population of 669. This volume, which is a valuable acquisition to the department of local history, includes a map of the township, and is fully illustrated, having portraits of many of the natives of the town,-among them those of the eminent divine, Rev. Hosea Ballou, and Eliza Ballou Garfield, mother of the late President Garfield, and a large number of other illustrations illustrative of scenes and incidents of the town during its history. Nearly one half of the volume is devoted to genealogies of the families, and biographical sketches of the prominent citizens and natives of the town, arranged in alphabetical order, and showing a great amount of labor and research in their preparation, and form a valuable and interesting collection of family history. The work contains a list of the first settlers of the town, its town officers and representatives to the General Court. Also, an interesting account of the part taken by the citizens of the town during the Revolutionary War and that of 181215, and also that for the suppression of the rebellion. It also contains interesting notices of the different churches and their ministers, and also of the public schools and the manufacturing industries of the town. The author is entitled to the thanks of the sons and daughters of Richmond, as well as all others interested in the preservation of the local history of our towns, for the thorough and faithful manner in which he has done his work, the only deficiency being the want of a full and complete index, which every work should have. By N. J. Herrick, Esq., of Boston, Mass. The Genealogist's Guide, being a General Search through Genealogical, Topographical and Biographical Works, Family Histories, Peerage Claims, etc. By GEORGE W. MARSHALL, LL.D., of the Middle Temple, Barrister at Law. Second Edition. London: George Bell and Sons. 1885. 8vo. Price 31s. 6d. Dr. Marshall, the author of this book, was the projector and for seven years the editor of "The Genealogist," which has so frequently been noticed by us. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and has contributed valuable articles to his own and other antiquarian periodicals. He has also edited some of the volumes of the Harleian Society, of the Council of which he is a member. The first edition of the present work was issued in 1879 (REG. xxxiii. 440) and was welcomed by genealogists as a valuable aid in their researches. Indeed, so numerous have English genealogies and genealogical articles become, and scattered as the latter are in so many periodicals and works on local history, that such an index to pedigrees as this has become an absolute necessity. Our American genealogists who are seeking their ancestry in England will find Dr. Marshall's book indispensable to them." The author in his preface says: "It will be asked, and very properly, what kind of genealogy I have considered a pedigree of sufficient importance to be catalogued here. My answer is, that as a general rule, I have included any descent of three generations in male line. A pedigree, therefore, which sets forth the descendants of A in the families of B, C, and D, is referred to under such of the families of B, C, and D as happen to have three generations in male line given in it; if there be only two and an heiress, it is not noticed. Exceptions to this rule are, however, frequent in reference to works such as Peerages and Baronetages, my object being not so much to index every existing genealogy, as to place the intelligent student in a position to find out the sources from which he may obtain a clue to the particular pedigree he is searching for." A new feature is the references to "Notes and Queries." In fact about eighteen thousand references had been added to this edition. La Chaine D'Union de Paris. Journal de la Maçonnerie Universelle. Monthly: Feby. 1884, to April, 1885. 8vo. pp. 44. This Continental organ of the Royal Art has reached its twenty-first year, and is now permanently established at Paris, to which it was removed in 1869 from London, the home of its callow youth. It presents the news of the various orders up to the 33° from all parts of the world, and thus fills a want. By George A. Gordon, A.M., of Somerville, Mass. Mémoires de l'Académie des Sciences Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres de Toulouse. Huitième Série. Tome VI. Premier et Deuxième Semestres. Toulouse, Imprimerie Douladore-Privat, 1884. 8vo. pp. 200-324. This series consists of two volumes in which are given the addresses of the public session of the Academy, the prize essays of the past year, and a variety of remarkable biographical, scientific, historical and literary papers. These form an ample exhibit of the wonderful activity, in different fields of research, of the scholars and learned gentlemen of Southern France. Many of the papers are illustrated, and to us the monographs are especially interesting. By George A. Gordon, A.M., Somerville, Mass. The Celebration of the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town of Ipswich, Massachusetts, August 16, 1884. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 1884. 8vo. pp. 149. Fifteen Illustrations. "Chronicle" Report of the 250th Anniversary Exercises of Ipswich, Aug. 16, 1884. Together with a Few Sketches about Town. Illustrated. Ipswich Chronicle Press. 1884. 12mo. pp. 74. (Old Homes of Ipswich.) 1634. First Church, Ipswich. 1884. Anniversary Sunday. Morning Sermon, by 250th Birthday of Ipswich. By GILBERT CONANT. Essex Burnham's Job Print. 1884. 18mo. pp. 12. The titles above indicate the literary product of the Ipswich celebration. The occasion was a memorable one, and has been well reported in the REGISTER by the Hon. Mr. Safford, who attended it as one of the representatives of this Society. The first and largest pamphlet is the official publication, under the authority of the town committee, giving proceedings, oration, poems and addresses in full. The second gives a more condensed report from the Ipswich Chronicle, and adds notes, as they are modestly termed, of some "Old Homes," with illustrations of churches, houses and individuals. These notes are evidently from a careful and practised hand. The third records the celebration of the First Church on the Sabbath following that of the town. The value of the official record would have been increased if this sermon and address had been included, as might properly have been done; but the infelicity of this separation marked the arrangements for and conduct of the celebration, as well as its published results. The fathers united church and state; the children sometimes, as in this instance, push the divorce to an unreasonable extreme. The oration, by the Rev. John Calvin Kimball, of Hartford, Ct., is marked by breadth of thought and careful preparation; and was followed in its delivery, notwithstanding its length, by the close and interested attention of the great audience. Its rhetoric is not always faultless, as for example, in the long and obscure paragraph on pages 44-5; and it illustrates rather unpleasantly how hard it is for an old legend to die and be decently buried, to find so well informed a student repeating without a qualm the statement that the Rogers family of Ipswich were "descendants of the great Smithfield martyr." But such a trifle here or there cannot modify the judgment that as a whole the oration was the worthy utterance of a great occasion. The address of Gov. Robinson was well conceived and gave fit expression to the interest of the Commonwealth in one of her most unique municipalities; and the after-dinner addresses were in some cases quite happy. The two hymns of Rev. John P. Cowles, and the poems of Miss Dodge-" Gail Hamilton "-and Mrs. Harriet Prescott Spofford, deserve special mention for their literary quality; but as much cannot be said of the other versified products of the occasion. The long and miscellaneous rhymes, pages 16-25, are scarcely worthy of such a place. The sermon of Rev. Edwin B. Palmer, pastor of the first church, was an appropriate and suggestive discussion of God's Hand in our Beginnings. Dr. Tarbox's address on the Early Ministry of Ipswich," shows the skill of our well known scholar and antiquary in the enrichment of such a theme. .. The value of these local celebrations is measured largely by such literary results. These abide, while the impressions of the hour disappear. If the inspiration from which shall come a good history of Ipswich, gains a practical impulse from this celebration of her 250th birthday, this will prove its most important fruit. The material of such a history, of great value and interest, is abundant. Few New England towns would furnish a record more characteristic and instructive. It has been the home of many notable families, who in their dispersion through the world, reflect honor upon the mother town. The story of her famous Female Seminary and its world-wide influence should be told; and it cannot be done too soon. We are glad to be informed that arrangements have been instituted which may give us such a history, from a competent hand, at no distant day. By the Rev. Henry A. Hazen, A.M., of Auburndale, Mass. Proceedings of the New England Methodist Historical Society at the Fifth Annual Meeting, January 19, 1885. Boston: Society's Room, 36 Bromfield St. 1885. 8vo. pp. 36. The New England Methodist Historical Society is shown by the reports at the annual meeting of the various officers and committees, which are here printed in full, to be in a very flourishing condition. The librarian reports large additions to the Society's valuable collection of books, manuscripts and pamphlets. The whole number of volumes in the library in January last was 1318, and of pamphlets 6410. Special attention has been paid to collecting and preserving material for the history of Methodism in New England and elsewhere. The historiographer reports that biographical sketches of all the deceased members have been prepared and deposited with the society. Five members died last year, and twenty-seven have died since the formation of the society, of all whom the historiographer gives the dates and places of death and the ages. The other reports contain important matters relating to the society. A complete list of members is here printed. The annual address, "Three Reasons why we should recount the History of Methodism," by the Rev. William R. Clark, D.D., an able and suggestive address, is prefixed to the reporte. The president of the society is the Hon. Jacob Sleeper, and the librarian and treasurer is Willard S. Allen, A.M. Proceedings of the Fifteenth Annual Meeting of the National Board of Trade held in Washington, January, 1885. Boston: Tolman & White, Printers. 1885. 8vo. pp. 205. Commercial Conventions and the National Board of Trade, an Address. By HAMILTON ANDREWS HILL. Chicago, April 28, 1885. Boston: Tolman & White, Printers. 1885. 8vo. pp. 22. The National Board of Trade held its fifteenth session at Washington last winter. The session occupied three days, the 28th, 29th and 30th of January. Subjects of vital importance came before this convention, and were discussed with ability. The principal topics were Bankruptcy Legislation, the National Bank Act, Compulsory Coinage of Silver, Reciprocal Trade with Canada, Inter State Commerce, the Postal Telegraph, the Frequency of Elections, the Forms of Bills of Lading and the Liabilities of Common Carriers under them. Such meetings of business men for consultation and action on mercantile affairs are productive of much good. In April last the National Board of Trade was represented at the dedication of the Chicago Board of Trade building, a magnificent structure, which the wants of the business community required, the third structure erected within twenty years. Mr. Hill, a delegate from the National Board, opened the meeting with an address in which he gave a history of the National Board of Trade, organized seventeen years ago, and of the Commercial Conventions which preceded and led to it. Mr. Hill shows the use of such an organization and what it has already effected. Circulars of Information of the Bureau of Education, 1884. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1884. 8vo. No. 6, pp. 90. No. 7, pp. 158. Bureau of Education. Building for the Children of the South. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1884. 8vo. pp. 16. Under the efficient management of Gen. John Eaton, LL.D., the Bureau of Education is doing good service in advancing the cause of Education in the United States. By its Annual Reports, its Circulars of Information, and its other issues, it is diffusing through the land most important information on the present condition of the work of Education in this country and abroad, with plans and suggestions for advancing it. Of the pamphlets before us, Circular No. 6 has for its title" Rural Schools; Progress in the Past; Means of Improvement in the Future." And No. 7, "Aims and Methods of the Teaching of Physics, by Prof. Charles K. Weed, A.M., of the University of Michigan." As a friend of the education of the people of this country, we hope that General Eaton will long remain at the head of this important Bureau. The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft. History of Mexico. Vol. III. 1600-1803. San Francisco: A. L. Bancroft & Company, Publishers. 1883. 8vo. pp. cxii.+ 702. Vol. IV. 1804-1824. 8vo. pp. xiv.+790. Price per volume, in cloth, $4.50; in library style, $5.50; in half calf, half russia or half turkey, $8.00; in russia leather or tree calf, $10.00. Sold only by subscription and in complete sets, and delivered free of all expense, payable on delivery. In our April number notice was taken of volumes 1 and 2 of the above named history, being volumes 9 and 10 of the general work entitled History of the Pacific States. The volumes already noticed covered the period from the conquest of Mexico by Cortes down to the year 1600. The volumes now before us are the third and fourth of the Mexican history, the eleventh and twelfth of the general history, the third carrying the narrative forward from the year 1600 to 1803, while the fourth continues it from 1804 to 1824. The two volumes together make not far from 1600 octavo pages, through which the reader is borne along vigorously, and the way never becomes wearisome. Indeed, these are very remarkable volumes, and we trust that Mr. Bancroft may have life and health and means to carry out and perfect the immense plan which he has projected and which thus far has been prosecuted with immense energy. To have the whole broad field of our Pacific slope covered and comprehended in volumes so noble and worthy as these will be a blessing to the land through the long years to come. Few men would have the courage or the patience to attempt a work of such difficulty and cost. By the Rev. Increase N. Tarbox, D.D., of West Newton, Mass. The Irish and Anglo-Irish Landed Gentry when Cromwell came to Ireland: or a Supplement to Irish Pedigrees. By JOHN O'HART, Q.UI., Fellow of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland, &c. &c. &c. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son, 50 Upper Sackville Street, and James Duffy & Sons, 15 Wellington Quay. May also be had from the Author. 1884. 8vo. pp. xviii.+774. Price by post to America, not including duty, 13s. 6d. 66 This very interesting volume is, as the title states, a "Supplement to Irish Pedigrees," noticed REG. XXXV. 244. It is rich in material useful to the Americans of Irish or Scotch-Irish descent, who form so large and influential an element in this country. It contains copies of official papers bearing on the several invasions, partitions and forfeitings of estates in Ireland, by which so many prominent families were scattered, impoverished or exterminated, with lists of the English transplan tations into Ireland; Catalogue of the Commonwealth Records in Ireland ;" "Summary of the Commonwealth Records;""The Forty-Nine' Officers in Ireland;""Books of Surveys and Distribution' in Ireland;" also of the "Forfeiting Proprietors;" Grantees of their Estates," and "Purchasers of the same" under the Williamite Confiscations of 1702, &c.; "The Irish Brigades in the Service of France," and 'the Service of America" in 1775 and 1861, from Lieutenants to Generals, &c. &c. Among the various pedigrees are many American lines, viz. Bennet of New York; Cooke, Devine, Fitzgerald, Hart, Hawkins, of Wis.; Kilroy, Kershaw of Pa.; McGrath, Mackenna, Murphy of Canada; O'Brien of Thomond (American branch): O'Connor of N. Y.; Oulahan of Washington; Skipmith of Va.; Sweeney of Minn.; Atkinson of Va.; Bland of Va.; Bolling of Va. and Pa.; Claiborne of Va., Mo., Miss. and La.; Cleburne of Va.; Browne, : 99 66 66 |