Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700. Lineages from Afred the Great, Charlemagne, Malcolm of Scotland, Robert the Strong, and Other Historical Individuals, 8th edition

by Frederick Lewis Weis, Walter Lee Sheppard Jr., William R. Beall (Editor)

This is the eighth edition of the classic work on the royal ancestry of certain colonists who came to America before the year 1700, and it is the first new edition to appear since 1992, reflecting the change in editorship from the late Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr. to his appointed successors William and Kaleen Beall. Like the previous editions, it embodies the very latest research in the highly specialized field of royal genealogy. As a result, out of a total of 398 ancestral lines, 91 have been extensively revised and 60 have been added, while almost all lines have had at least some minor corrections, amounting altogether to a 30 percent increase in text. Previous discoveries have now been integrated into the text and recently discovered errors have been corrected. And for the first time, thanks to the efforts of the new editors, this edition contains an every-name index, replacing the cumbersome indexes of the past. In addition to Alfred the Great, Charlemagne, Malcolm of Scotland, and Robert the Strong, descents in this work are traced from the following ancestral lines: Saxon and English monarchs, Gallic monarchs, early kings of Scotland and Ireland, kings and princes of Wales, Gallo-Romans and Alsatians, Norman and French barons, the Riparian branch of the Merovingian House, Merovingian kings of France, Isabel de Vermandois, and William de Warenne.

Genres: History, Reference, Nonfiction

359 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1992

Reviews

[Michael Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published in 1950, Weis improves with each new edition. There’s hardly a noble family in Europe west of the Dnieper River that does not appear in this book. The plan is straightforward: Line 1 (of nearly 400) begins with Cerdic, King of the West Saxons, and follows his descendants, step by step, down to Capt. Edward Pelham of Newport, Rhode Island, who died in 1730. Most of the intermediate generations refer the reader to another line, and another descent (or several); in this first one, No. 30 is John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who becomes the root of another, different lineage. No. 14 is Æthelwulf, King of Wessex, who is the root of the next lineage (revised for this edition), and so on. The whole book becomes a cascade of the lineages of a relatively small number of colonial American "gateway" ancestors, most of whom interconnect among themselves by marriage -- usually several times. Each brief listing (this is not a narrative history) includes page-level citations to well-regarded sources, including published histories, journal articles, parish registers, the Complete Peerage, and others. Which means that if one can work one’s way back to one of the colonial gentlemen or ladies who anchor the lines in this work, one instantly steps onto the express highway to medieval Europe.

Dr. Weis died in 1966 and Sheppard, himself a renowned genealogist, undertook (successfully) to maintain his high standards, until his own death in 2000; the 4th through 7th editions were the result of his own editorial labors, after which the Bealls (who had been assisting Sheppard) took up the mission. Re-checking and verifying all the previously published lines against both the original sources and newer ones, they were able to extensively revise and extend more than ninety of them, add sixty entirely new descents (mostly Continental), and delete a dozen or so that had failed of sufficient proof. This edition is 100 pages longer than even the one just previous. This is a very inexpensive work indeed, especially compared to many of the other titles on this list, and it should be on every genealogist’s bookshelf.

[Scott Holstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the absolute best, most helpful resources I've been able to use in my research on older family ancestors. Helped both confirm some relationships I'd encountered elsewhere and opened up new lines of query regarding potential ancestors new to me. (Also helped close the door on some I wasn't sure about.) Definitely recommended with the caveat this is a reference source that won't be universally useful but for those with known or likely lineages in certain families, again, a very helpful resource.

[Shelley Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic and fascinating genealogy resource although figuring out how to use the format takes time. Useful if you are serious about genealogy research.

[Melissa Blanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many of my ancestors in this book - much more than I had thought! Very cool, and very helpful for this as a source.

[Cynthia Varady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative, if not a little tedious to navigate. This will be one I add to my permanent library in the future.

[Stephen Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating resource for anyone working on their family history.