The Fay Family: Books and Original Sources
   
THE FAY FAMILY PAGE

BOOKS!!! BOOKS!!! BOOKS!!!
   
        
Original Source Material At This Site
   
new   Solomon Caswell's Memoirs 1796 - 1880
   
1)   Fay, Orlin P., FAY GENEALOGY:John Fay of Marlborough and His Descendants, 1898.
   
2)   Jennings, Isaac, MEMORIALS OF A CENTURY. Embracing a record of individuals and events chiefly in the Early History of Bennington, Vt. and the First Church,    Boston: Gould and Lincoln, 1869. (thanks to Laura Greene)
   
3)   Pierce, Frederick Clifton (1855-1904), History of Grafton, Worcester County, Massachusetts, from its early settlement by the Indians in 1647 to the present time, 1879 : including the genealogies of seventy-nine of the older families.   Originally published: Worcester, Mass. : Press of C.Hamilton, 1879. (Courtesy of Dick Bolt)
   
4)   Hudson, Charles, HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MARLBOROUGH, Middlesex Co., from its First Settlement in 1657 to 1861, with a Brief Sketch of the Town of Northborough and a Genealogy of the Families in Marlborough to 1800, 1862.
   
5)   Fay, James M. G (Editor), Fay Family Papers, a periodical published irregularly in Montpelier, Vt. and South Barre, Vt., 1954-1956. See below.
   
6)   McMillan, W. F. and C. E. McMillan, McMillan Genealogy & History.  Courtesy of Michelle L. McKenzie
   

        


   
   Family Bibles
      town histories
         vital records of counties
            early genealogies
               deed records
                 letter collections
                  cemetery rubbings
                   -- where does one start??
   
The following is intended to be the beginning of a bibliographical list. It makes no claim to be complete.


Books and Papers listed in the Library of Congress

1) Papers listed in the Library of Congress (contributed by Laura Greene)

2) Books listed in the Library of Congress (contributed by Cathy Keebly)

Books: Family Genealogies

Fay, Orlin Prentice, Fay genealogy : John Fay of Marlborough and his descendants, Cleveland, Ohio : Press of J.B. Savage, 1898.

Fay, John W. (John William) , 1907- (Main Author), Fay, Orlin Prentice , b. 1820 (Added Author), Fay genealogy : John Fay of Marlborough and his descendants, Sedona, Ariz. : Creative Copy & Printing, c1992.

Ward, Harry Parker, The Follet-Dewey Fossett-Saford ancestry of Captain Martin Dewey Follet (1765-1831) and his wife Persis Fossett (1769-1849), Columbus Ohio, Champlain Printing 1896. Half title:Follett-Dewey Fassett-Safford Hopkins-Robinson-Fay genealogy and history. This is in the US Library of Congress

Fay, James M. G (Editor), Fay Family Papers, a periodical published irregularly in Montpelier, Vt. and South Barre, Vt., 1954-1956. Periodical for the collection and interchange of family history and genealogical data about Fay individuals and families within the United States. The editor includes much data about the history of the name in England, Europe and elsewhere. He also indicates that his own major collection of Fay family papers (indexed) was deposited with the Vermont Historical Association in 1953.

Brigham, Willard Irving Tyler, 1859-1904, The history of the Brigham family : a record of several thousand descendants of Thomas Brigham, the emigrant, 1603-1653. Microreproduction of originals published: New York : Grafton Press ; Rutland, Vt. : Tuttle, c1907-c1927. 2 v.

Spooner, Thomas , b. 1817, Records of William Spooner of Plymouth, Mass. and his descendants. This work is intended to supplement and complete the author's "Memorial of William Spooner, 1637" issued in 1871. Includes Bradford, Fay, Haskell, Hathaway, Ruggles, Wing and related families.

Martyn, Charles. The William Ward Genealogy, New York, 1925

Compendia/Collections

Virkus, Frederick A., The Compendium of American Genealogy: The Genealogical Encyclopedia of First Familes Families of America, volumes I-VII, (Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., of Baltimore, Maryland. Copyright 1968).

Mayflower Descendants: not a single title but a series of publications sponsored by various organizations and individuals. Although the Fays did not come over on the Mayflower, they did intermarry with those who did in the early years (and for that matter, later also). Thus the Eaton material, the Standish, the Alden, just for example, may contain interesting information on a Fay individual or branch.

There is a net source for the titles of and information about other family books. See Family History Library Catalog of the Latter-Day Saints, in the section called "Family Search." Press surname search, and enter FAY. You will receive a list of at least 48 items. Select the desired entry to view notes on the contents and use the instructions on the site for getting access to the material itself.
   
Town Histories and Vital Records

These books represent an excellent source for the researcher. Among those significant for the Fay researcher are: Middleborough, Watertown, Athol, Westborough, and, of course, the one from which the title page is pictured above, Marlborough.

Hudson, Charles, HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MARLBOROUGH, Middlesex Co., from its First Settlement in 1657 to 1861, with a Brief Sketch of the Town of Northborough and a Genealogy of the Families in Marlborough to 1800, 1862.

These books are mostly out of print, but copies can be found in Historical Societies and some libraries, and many are beginning to be reprinted or published on the web. See below.

An important online resource in this area is the site devoted to the History of Marlborough, Massachusetts, created by John G. Phillips Buczek. It is filled with information about Marlborough and its original settlers, including Fay families. Maps, early photos, vital statistics - one could spend hours there and just begin.
Online Sources for Research books and material

Higginson Book Company, Specializing in Genealogy & History. This online store has a well organized list of categories including Surname Books, and American Local & County Histories. If you look under the Surname category, you will find three entries, the O.P.Fay book, an index to that, and a history of the descendants of William and Elizabeth Fay. Under Local & County, you actually find a page that includes much more; check under Massachusetts, and you will find an almost overwhelming list of books.

It appears that Higginson prints ONLY to order; if you order the Fay book, for example, you are told that it will take about six weeks, up to 10 if you want a hard cover edition. They seem to have almost nothing in stock. They are one of the bookstores frequently mentioned in the forums, and opinions of them vary. But the possibilities seem excellent.

Essex Books. This store focuses specifically on Essex County, Massachusetts, but then broadens outward to include a great many other areas and entries within New England. Their material is much less comprehensive than Higginson's, but they seem to have more books in stock. There is an interesting title there which I think may be of interest to us: Surname Guide to Massachusetts Town Histories.

Essex Books are a division of Heritage Associates; and under the latter name, there is a good list of links.

GenealogyBookShop.com. Probably quite a bit less useful than the others, it might just have THE one book you are looking for. They, unlike Higginson, do not offer a 'reprint on order' service, but they do offer to let you know when an out-of-print book becomes available.

The New England Historic Genealogical Society. Check out their Publications for a short summary and their sales catalog for a full list organized by topics.

There is an attempt to put many of these older books, whose copyright has expired, on the net. See, for example, History and Genealogy Books Online Effort. One catch to this particular site is that your browser must be able to handle G4 TIFF format: there are full instructions for downloading free viewers and so on at this site.

Massachusetts Genealogy, part of the USGenWeb Project.
minor revisions 2007