The first edition of this work was issued in 1862, the second in 1868, the third in 1875, the fourth in 1897.

The plan of the work is to give the title page of each book published on the genealogy of an American family, and the number of pages, together with other information.

This edition is arranged alphabetically, and where there is more than one book on the same family name, they are arranged chronologically.

The foot-notes of former editions have been omitted, and in their place we have embodied in the title page of each book, in brackets, such matter as seemed necessary to make the title of the book give an idea of the contents; generally the name of the American founder of the family and the place and date of his settlement here.

Many genealogies are published with title pages which give no idea whatever of the subject of the book.

No other important bibliography of genealogy has ever been published in America.

While our present work is designed to embrace only monographs of American families, yet we have included a few works relating to foreign families, where there has been a slight reference to American families, and we have also included a few biographical and genealogical works which were not strictly genealogies of American families. Such information is not within the scope of this work, nor is it designed to refer to town histories, biographies, periodicals and collective works, as all such are more appropriately found in our "Index to American Genealogies."

Notification of any errors or omissions in this work will be most thankfully received.