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Thousands of Americans are direct descendants of Samuel Appleton (1586-1670) of Ipswich, Massachusetts, who had royal and noble connections to William the Conqueror, and of his wife Judith Everard, whose ancestors included William's sister Adelaide, as well as Louis IV, King of the Franks. Following the format of The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, this third volume of Marston Watson's Royal Families series covers five generations (with their sixth generation children) of Samuel and Judith Appleton descendants, carrying them up to the period of the Revolutionary War and beyond.

The purpose of the book is to provide a genealogical history with documented sources (using vital records primarily) for the descendants of Samuel and Judith (Everard) Appleton. Where possible, the identity of the parents of each known spouse is also provided, along with relevant biographical, genealogical, and historical details. Americans linked to Samuel and Judith Appleton will find near or distant cousins among such distinguished individuals as President Franklin Pierce, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, Jr. Other descendants include "signer" William Whipple, Jr., Mrs. John Singleton Copley, James Russell Lowell, Francis Parkman, Jr., Phillips Brooks, Josiah Quincy, Jr., and poet Robert Frost.

The book concludes with an index of over 3,000 entries and a comprehensive bibliography. It should be noted that men named in the fifth or sixth generation often saw service in the Revolutionary War, and the royal connection of many of these individuals through the Appleton line is well documented. In addition, the author has appended a Lineage Society Index which lists ancestors through whom descendants can claim eligibility for hereditary societies that honor Mayflower passengers, Revolutionary War soldiers, colonial governors, and physicians.

See also:
Royal Families: Americans of Royal and Noble Ancestry, Volume One
Royal Families: Americans of Royal and Noble Ancestry, Volume Two