This work compiles a record of some of Rev. Leonard Metcalf's descendants, mainly those of his son Michael Metcalf, who emigrated from England to Dedham, Massachusetts, in 1637. The compilation includes some 11,700 of those descendants. (The Rev. Leonard probably has at least 800,000 descendants alive today in the United States alone.) Encompassing nine generations, the period covered extends to the beginning of the 20th century. Equal attention has been paid to progeny of female descendants. As a result, five out of six descendants recorded in this book in the seventh generation, those of age around the time of the Revolution, do not carry the surname Metcalf. The most frequent (more than 100) descendant surnames appearing in this volume are Carpenter, Metcalf, Sweet, Walker, Ware, Webster and Wheeler. The preface includes several illustrations: a map of Massachusetts and its neighboring counties; a map of the migration over 200 years from Dedham to Natchez of the author's Metcalf ancestors; photographs and write-ups on the author's great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, great-grand uncles, and grandmother. The main portion of this book is organized according to a variation of the Register System. A summary of boundary and population changes of various New England towns of interest is included, as well as a bibliography containing full citations of source works (short citations are given in the register) and an index. Women are indexed under both their maiden and their married names.
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