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The records of the English High Court of Admiralty have much to tell us about the early colonizing activities of the great London trading companies as well as the ventures of private companies and individuals involved in assisting trade and emigration to the New World. In this work Mr. Coldham has succeeded in bringing into view the host of people and events chronicled in these records during the period 1609 to 1660. Carefully selected and condensed, the abstracts refer only to cases brought before the court concerning colonial America. Therefore, we find in this work the names of hundreds of merchants, passengers, mariners, and adventurers who had some connection with the settlement of the original colonies. Certainly not all those named here settled in the colonies or even journeyed there, but a fair number did, and these abstracts may provide the long-sought proof of their emigration. For those who may miss a specific genealogical link, there is still enough fresh information in these curious records to sustain an unusually high level of interest. With an index to more than 2,500 adventurers and emigrants.

See also English Adventurers and Emigrants, 1661-1733.