Lineage genealogy and the power of connection in early America
"Lineage tells the story of genealogy's attraction and power, for individuals and families and institutions alike, in 18th century British America. In early America people produced a profusion of information about their family connections, often because they were moved to write or create genealogies...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York, NY :
Oxford University Press,
[2025]
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| Summary: | "Lineage tells the story of genealogy's attraction and power, for individuals and families and institutions alike, in 18th century British America. In early America people produced a profusion of information about their family connections, often because they were moved to write or create genealogies but also because they were required to by their church or their local government or a court. They created all manner of textual genealogies on sheets and scraps of bound and loose paper, in account books and in the blank pages and margins of printed books, but also in images and using material from silk threads to stone carving. The power in family connections was governmental, legal, and religious, as well as cultural and social, echoing the structures of Britain itself- but in the American context it also structured slavery and freedom in which, despite the patriarchy of law and society, children's status was determined by their mother's. The twin forces of intimate meaning and instrumental purpose made genealogy in British America distinctly potent. In archives from across British America, from Georgia to Maine, the importance of genealogy is clear through family records, private and public material culture, court records, and more, created by people across the socio-economic spectrum, from enslaved people seeking freedom as well as "founding fathers" seeking status. While the American Revolution wrought change in American society, it did not change the signal importance of genealogy. Genealogy and the logic of lineage was a legacy from the colonial period that would continue to mark the United States in its early history and beyond. Understanding the deep history of genealogy helps us to better understand foundational features of American history"-- Provided by publisher. |
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| Physical Description: | xi, 358 pages : illustrations, map, genealogical tables ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780197553220 0197553222 |
| Author Notes: |
