It was a very Fallish day this past October when I joined my genealogy pal Barbara Poole in Boston. We had planned a trip to the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and we weren't going to let a pesky Nor'easter foil us.
After a brief tour for this first-timer, I set up my laptop and pulled out my notes. I wanted to take full advantage of this visit.
I came upon my note about a book that I wanted to look at. It was about the Archibald family in Nova Scotia. According to WorldCat, it was in only six libraries, and NEHGS was one of the six. So I approached the reference librarian with my note. Yes, she indicated, it should be in the stacks.
When I emerged from the stacks and headed back to my work area. I had a huge smile on my face! As it turned out, I had managed to find one of the largest, heaviest books in the NEHGS library.
The Archibald Family of Nova Scotia: No Reward Without Effort, written by Allan E. Marble, and published in 2008, is a massive tome of over 1000 pages, and requires both hands to carry to the table.
Up to this point, I had researched my Archibald line back to Thomas Archibald (ca. 1733-1796) and Jennet Orr (ca.1733-1784), my fifth great grandparents. So I turned to the very early pages, deciding which pages to photograph with my smartphone.
What I found invaluable in this book were the extensive footnotes. Included were not only references to the "Miller book" (Thomas Miller, Historical and Genealogical Record of the First Settlers of Colchester County, 1873), and Longworth's History of Colchester County, but also notations on gravestone inscriptions, and citations from the Nova Scotia Archives in Halifax. The Archives has county marriage and death records, county deed books, township books, estate records, and proprietors' books.
I've downloaded a copy of the Miller book, and purchased Longworth's History through Abe Books. My Canadian genealogy library is growing!
Love your photo in front of NEHGS!
ReplyDelete