PREFACE.

 

THE story in this book is not new; it is but a repetition of the story told “o’er and o’er” since man’s existence—” born, married, died.”

It is a plain record of the lives of a great many noteworthy plain people, as well as of a number of men and women who have distinguished themselves in their relations to life.

The faults or deficiencies of the subjects are not dwelt upon. “It is always fair,” Henry Ward Beecher used to tell us, “to credit a man at his best—let his enemies tell of his worst.”

The work contains many side lights on topics relating to the times in which its subjects lived, and glances at the early settlers in the beginnings of many of our States and Territories. Great pains have been taken to make the work historically accurate.

The fullness of the biographical sketches is a notable feature. I much regret that many individuals and families are mentioned only in the genealogical Line. This is because our information concerning them was quite incomplete, very few facts or none at all having been contributed. But no amount of painstaking can render a genealogical work perfect. The errors, especially in dates, are as frequently the fault of the contributors as of the editor.

I have from first to last had in mind the young people. There is already a whole generation of youths and maidens, whose activities and influence belong to the wider development of the twentieth century, now growing up in the remote new West and South under the onward progress and changes of the present period; they are found in the full tide of enterprise and eager desire of the American spirit, near rapidly built railroad lines, new villages and towns, oil cities, natural gas discoveries, elec­trical appliances, mines, and quarries. To these the old New England Puritan story of their grandsires is quite unknown; they read latter day publications and have scarcely been afforded a glimpse of the domestic portraits and life surroundings that made their ancestor human.

For such this book is written.

This work was first projected by Greenleaf IV. Higley of New York City, and was first begun without an idea of so extensive an enterprise as it has proved; indeed, when undertaken by the editor it was not intended to go beyond arranging, for print, some valuable MSS. and scraps of traditions which Mr. Higley had interested himself to gather, he having for some years been far from indifferent concerning his ancestors.

In its earlier prosecution, without the slightest expectation of pecuniary compensation, he took upon himself the entire expense incurred in gathering the material, till on account of failing health and other unavoidable reasons, he was reluctantly obliged to abandon the work.

To Judge Warren Higley of New York City is due the honor of assuming the financial responsibility of the publication of the book. From the beginning of the undertaking I was the recipient of his uniform kindness, cheerful encouragement, and practical co-operation; his due appreciation of the vast amount of labor imposed upon me in securing the facts taken from official records by extensive personal researd. as well as in handling the large volume of contributed matter, and answering hundreds of letters, was practically shown during the long interval till its completion, and justly deserves here to be recorded with honorable mention.

The pleasant duty is also mine of expressing grateful acknowledgements to others who have cheerfully extended every facility that could be àxtended, not only from time to time giving fresh impulse to the work, butwho have generously given of their time and labor toward collecting material and obtaining traces of lines of descendants not of their own. Among those whose names in this connection may be justly associated with this book, are Poineroy Higley of West Simsbury, Conn., Albert C. Bates of East Granby, Conn., Henry W. Goddard of Simsbury, Conn., all of whom reside in the neighborhood of the old ancestral localities; Thompson Higley of Windsor, 0., William A Higley of Windham, 0., Miss Emma L. Higley of Middlebury, Vt., and Milo H. Higley of Rutland, 0.

To mention some who have lent important assistance in furnishing material in their own lines of descent would be to the writer most gratifying.

MARY COFFIN JOHNSON.

BROOKLYN, N. Y., March, 1896.