Treasured genealogy ‘dictionary’ still in print

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There are a few genealogical resources I consider so important that I have a copy both at home and at work.

They include the book that many of us refer to in shorthand as Noyes-Libby-Davis, the “Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire” by Sybil Noyes, Charles Thornton Libby and Walter Goodwin Davis.

Originally printed in five parts from 1928 to 1939, it is available in one volume from Genealogical Publishing Co. in Baltimore for $40 plus shipping. You can contact GPC at www.genealogical.com or toll-free at 800-296-6687.

I consider $40 an excellent price for a 795-page book that is an absolute treasure for those with early Maine or New Hampshire ancestors – pre-1699.

Let’s take the name Hilton, one that many Mainers have “way back.”

There are several Hilton entries in the book, about seven pages’ worth. How do you follow them back?

Let’s say you have as a forebear Richard Hilton, who had married by 1717 Elizabeth Wilson, and you find this Richard as a son in the Capt. Richard Hilton entry. Capt. Richard lived in Exeter, N.H., and was 72 in 1736.

To the right of “Capt. Richard” you will see this number in parentheses, (19). That means he is the son of No. 19, which we find to be an entry for a Capt. William Hilton. To the right of “Capt. William” we find (1), so he is the son of Edward Hilton, “the first permanent settler of N.H., son of William, of Northwich, co. Chester …”

Most of the entries have lots of interesting information on the family, including children and whom they married, if known.

Here are a few other old Maine names we find in the Genealogical Dictionary. Those listed are considered the progenitor (s) of their line in this country:

. Brackett, Anthony, 47 in 1660, was early at Portsmouth.

. Canney, Thomas, constable 1648, Dover, before 1656 had bought Thompson’s Point. This was the lower point at the mouth of the Cocheco River.

. Carr, Richard, came in the Abigail, 1635, Hampton, N.H., then to Salisbury, Mass.

. Durgin, William, his house at Lubberland was a garrison, was paid in 1695 for boarding soldiers. Lubberland was the region in Durham north of the Lamprey River.

. Littlefield, Edmund, Wells, came first to Boston, married to Annis (Austin).

. Locke, Capt. John, Rye, N.H. Also at Dover and Portsmouth, N.H.

. Moore, William, York, fisherman, ferryman. In 1655 he and Philip Adams had 80 acres at Hull’s Cove from Godfrey. This is probably my ancestor, the line down to Jotham Moore, born 1800 in York, moved to town of Mount Vernon and married Lovina Leighton. They moved to Parkman, and some of their descendants to Abbot. They are the English-descent Moore line, not the Scots-Irish Moore line of Abbot’s first settler, Abraham Moore.

. Moore, William, Exeter, N.H., shared in divisions of 1639.

. Moulton, Thomas, baptized 1608 at Great Ormesby, Norfolk, England. Came to Newbury 1637, then to Hampton, N.H., lived near older brother John Moulton.

. Phippen, Joseph, Falmouth, son of David of Hingham and Boston.

. Preble, Capt. Abraham, York, married Hannah Sayward.

You will find the Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire at several libraries, including Bangor Public Library and Maine State Library in Augusta.

The Penobscot County Genealogy Society will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, in the Lecture Hall, third floor, Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow St.

“We are very pleased to have Fran and Guy Grant discuss the first white settler on the Penobscot,” said program chairman John Van Dyke. “Instrumental in researching the location of this Revolutionary War veteran, they will discuss Lt. Joshua Treat. Come join us to hear this intriguing discussion. Refreshments will be available. Everyone is welcome.”

Fran Grant is a seventh-generation descendant of Joshua Treat, and she and her husband spent a lot of time looking for his burial place off Devereaux Cove in Sandy Point.

In July, a new granite stone was dedicated to mark the burial place of the Revolutionary War soldier. Treat was the great-grandson of Connecticut Gov. Robert Treat.

According to tradition, Treat paddled up the Penobscot River in 1759 with Gov. Thomas Pownall and acted as interpreter with the Tarratine Indians at Souadabscook.

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or e-mail queries to familyti@bangordailynews.net.