The Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research,
5th Edition, edited by Michael J. LeClerc is one of my most used books. I
received it as a belated Christmas gift from my parents, in 2012. It's hard to
believe it is ten years ago. I have ancestors that settled and/or lived in four
of the six states in the book, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and
Vermont. The other two states are Maine and Rhode Island.
I saw that a sixth edition was being
published, but I didn't know if I wanted to get it or not. I decided since I
use the fifth edition a lot, I better get the sixth and stay up to date on New
England Research. I am glad I did. The book is a must have one for those with
New England ancestry.
Browsing through the latest edition
shows more color making it easier to find the information needed. The Preface
of the book states that the resources, repositories, and organizations for each
state were updated because a great deal has changed since 2012, especially as
more resources become digitally available. An expert from each state reviewed
the chapter pertaining to their state to make sure the information was factual.
Other updates included making the
book user-friendly with color coding and tabs. State maps showing county
boundaries is at the beginning of each state section, which I like. A table of
contents was added at the beginning of the state sections showing page numbers
where each record group can be found. This will help me because I had a lot of
sticky notes in the previous version. The book updates the regional and
statewide collections of major repositories for each state giving you the
latest information. The preface says county maps show town boundaries and towns
in bordering counties, but I don't see a difference from the last edition. The
county information box was updated to include probate district and deeds. All
these updates make for a very user-friendly book.
The "Using This Book"
pages x-xii are great. Pictures of the pages are now included. Explanations of each
part of the state chapters are helpful for getting the feel of the book. The
uniformity in layout from one state to the other makes it easy to find
information no matter what state you turn to in the book.
Having the latest edition with up-to-date
resources helps those who have New England Research. This is a must have resource
for anyone researching the New England area.
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