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Based on a long series of will abstracts that appeared over a period of 45 years in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, this work encompasses what amounts to the first 30 years or so of the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, estate records (1640-1670). Altogether, the series refers to some 12,000 persons with regard to family relationships.

Since this series of abstracts appeared in more than 60 issues of the Register, it has remained obscure and out of reach of the customary researcher. The virtue of this volume is that it gathers up the various installments and makes them accessible via an added index of names.

Genealogists researching the period 1640 to 1670 will find this a useful and informative reference tool, especially since some of the original Suffolk County wills are no longer available.