Books published by Heritage Books

This is the second in a series of new genealogies about the Dudley family, and follows the same format as the first. This compilation follows the branch of Dudleys that sprang from Concord, Massachusetts, and is quite unique in that almost nothing is known of its founder, Francis Dudley, who is first mentioned in Concord in 1663. It is also one of the first branches of the Dudley family to follow the Westward Expansion, moving to Wisconsin, Ohio, Washington State, and California. They tended to have more farmers, and for the most part, fewer scholars than the previously covered branch from Guilford, Connecticut. It is, then, more middle class than some of the other branches of the family. The descendants of this line are traced through eleven generations, up to the 1990s. The monumental History of the Dudley Family was published by Dean Dudley in eleven volumes during the years 1886-1894. These new Dudley genealogies are based upon his work, but use currently available materials to clarify, substantiate, and correct that complicated history. Best of all, each of the new volumes deals with only one branch of the family in one volume. In the older work, information on the various branches was spread throughout all eleven volumes. Additionally, all information in this volume has been checked against town vital records to ensure its accuracy, and is supplemented by an extensive bibliography. This work follows the Register format most familiar to genealogists. It is divided into generations for ease of use, and a full-name index is included.

From the Compiler's Notes: "The information listed in this publication was compiled from numerous sources plus contributions from many individuals, including members of the Hanson/Henson/Hinson/Hynson Research Associates. This database contains information from available source documents and family history records, mainly pre-1850, although some records later than that date are included. Much of this information has been gathered by various individuals over more than thirty years of research and I am deeply grateful to them for their contributions." This collection is arranged in an easy-to-use format. "All of the Hxnsons are listed alphabetically by firstname, by state, and then by event date, county/parish, and then city. All of the allied family names are listed in the index." Each entry contains, when known, the surname spelling variation, given name, father and mother, event and date (birth, death, marriage, etc.), city, county, state, and source. This volume focuses on the Midwest and Southwest states of: Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, and Texas.

This volume continues to focus on families living in Kent County and Sussex County, tracing lineages of early settlers into the early 1800s. The primary sources of information are court records (probate and orphans' court), land records, and church records. Many of the early settlers in these counties were Quakers.

The study of family history strengthens our feeling of connection to long ago events that might otherwise seem remote and irrelevant. It gives us a long view of the human condition and its cycle of life, struggle and death.Stories heard at his grandfather's knee about his father's life as a Texas Ranger and frontier doctor sparked the author's childhood fascination with that era. This aroused the author's curiosity about how his ancestors lived, which ultimately inspired this absorbing narrative of our nation as it was experienced by the first ten American generations of his Wright family.Chapters include: Philadelphia Freedom, Carolina Bound, The Spirit of '76, In the Land of Cotton, Secession and Reconstruction, Joining Captain McNelly, The Battle at Palo Alto Prairie, The Raid on Las Cuevas, Keeping the Peace in Nueces Country, Gone to Texas, The San Diego Years, and, Harry Lee Wright and John Wesley Wright, Jr. An Epilogue; Chapter Notes; Selected Bibliography; an index to full-names, places and subjects; and dozens of illustrations add to the value of this work.

This volume includes a wealth of information gleaned from baptisms, marriages, burials and wills from the Leeds Parish Church Registers: First and Second Books.The first baptism entry for the first book is dated 15 May 1572; the last entry is dated 2 April 1589. The first baptism entry for the second book is dated 4 April 1589; the last entry is dated 7 April 1612. Baptism entries are listed chronologically and contain date, given name of child, full name of father (a few include the full name of the mother), and town of residence. The first marriage entry for the first book is dated 3 June 1572; the last entry is dated 11 February 1588-9. The first marriage entry for the second book is dated 7 April 1589; the last entry is dated 25 February 1611-12. Marriage entries are listed chronologically and contain the date of marriage, groom's full name, and bride's full name. This section also includes a few Register of Seats entries. The first burial entry for the first book is dated 14 May 1572; the last entry is dated 30 March 1589. The first burial entry for the second book is dated 4 April 1589; the last entry is dated 9 April 1612. Burial entries are listed chronologically and typically contain date of burial, full name of deceased and place of residence. Entries pertaining to children contain the given name of the child (if known) and the full name of the father. Entries for women contain the given name of the woman and the full name of the husband; the full name is listed for widows. Some burial entries contain addition tidbits of information such as name of child, "singlewoman," "poore beggar," etc. The last section is devoted to extracts of wills which vary in length. Wills offer a rich source of names, relationships, and dates. Extensive footnotes and a full-name index add to the value of this work.

Picking up where Volume One left off, typical information in the entries includes type of transaction (most are deeds but there are also quitclaims, mortgages, etc.); grantor(s) and grantee(s) with place of residence for one or both of the parties; the section, township and range of the property; date of the transaction and date of the recording; signers and witnesses; and miscellaneous tidbits such as "Final payment due," "no wife's signature" and "Land now lived upon by." The Miami University Land Leases were copied from two original ledgers that are part of the Havighurst Special Collection, King Library of Miami University. Three types of lots were available: the Oxford town inlot; the larger (four or five acre) outlot adjoining the town; and the farm or country lot, which averaged 100 acres. These lease records contain the lot numbers and the names of the leaseholders in chronological order. Like Volume 1, this work includes a brief history of Butler County, with maps of Symmes' Miami Purchase of 1788 and the Congressional lands of 1800 as contained in early Butler County, and the Butler County townships. The appendix explains some of the terminology used in land records, including the "Military Range" and "School Lands." An everyname index is included. Maps and an appendix enhance the text.