The Cogswells in America - citizen hylbom blog

PREFACE.
Rev. William Cogswell, D. D. [411], as early as 1810, began to collect
genealogical data of the Cogswell family. At his death, in 1850, these data
were placed in the hands of Rev. Daniel Lancaster, late of New York City,
with a view to publication, but susequently returned to Rev. Dr. Cogswell's
brother, Francis Cogswell, Esq. [417], late of .-^ndover, Mass. A few years
prior to his death, Mr. Francis Cogswell gave these papers into the hands of
the son-in-law of Rev. Dr. Cogswell, with the hope that at some future time
they might furnish the basis of a published volume of family history. But
nothing further was done until sometime in March, i88i,when Mrs. Abey
P. Choate, of Salem, Mass., at the suggestion of her father, Hon. George
Cogswell, M. D. [ 418 1, of Bradford, Mass., who was the youngest and only
surviving brotlier of Rev. Dr. Cogswell, proposed that this genealogical work
be carried fr- ward to publication. Accordingly the materials gathered by Rev.
Dr. Cogswell, which could have been easily embraced within twenty or thirty
pages, were made the basis of further research, which resulted in the accumu-
lation of a surprisingly large amount of genealogical facts. The magnitude
of this work had been greatly underestimated, the impression being that the.
Cogswells in this countrj' were few, and that nearly all the materials for the
proposed publication were contained in the papers of Rev. Dr. Cogswell.
With this impression the work was entered upon, in the midst of a busy pro-
fessional life, as a matter affording recreation, and not demanding much time
or labor. There was contemplated nothing more than a small pamphlet, which
might be prepared and published at slight expense. But only after years of
wide research and the expenditure of thousands of dollars has the undertak-
ing culminated in the present volume of more than seven hundred pages.
The Cogswells in America embraces names, dates, and facts gathered
from various sources through the length and breadth of a continent. There
has been exercised in the editorial work a conscientious fidelity to the docu-
mentary statistics furnished ; so that any violence done to the orthography of
proper names, any inaccuracy of dates, and any incompleteness of details must
be carried to the account of those furnishing or failing to furnish the accurate
and needed data.