--- title: A 'no brainer' description: I prefer to work on the Early New England Families Study Project (ENEF) sketches by myself, surveying literature, digging into primary sources, organizing, and immersing myself in the subject, so image: https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Alicia-Crane-Williams-Apr-21-2023-05-25-40-4736-PM.jpg --- # [Vita Brevis A resource for family history from AmericanAncestors.org](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/) - [Home](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/) - [About](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2014/01/generatio-longa-vita-brevis/) - [Authors](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/#) - [Robert Charles Anderson](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/randerson) - [Scott Steward](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/ssteward) - [Alicia Crane Williams](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/acwilliams) - [A-F](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/#) - [Robert Charles Anderson](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/randerson) - [Jason Amos](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/jamos) - [Emily Baldoni](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/ebaldoni) - [Sally Benny](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/sbenny) - [Nancy Bernard](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/nbernard) - [Lynn Betlock](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/lbetlock) - [Kristin Britanik](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/kbritanik) - [Laura Brown](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/lbrown) - [Stephanie Call](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/scall) - [Christopher C. Child](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/cchild) - [Ralph Crandall](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/rcrandall) - [Lael Dalal](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/ldalal) - [Marie Daly](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/mdaly) - [David Dearborn](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/ddearborn) - [Sheilagh Doerfler](http://http://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/sdoerfler) - Tom Dreyer - [Katrina Fahy](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/kfahy) - [Lindsay Fulton](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/lfulton) - [G-M](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/#) - [Zachary Garceau](http://http://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/zgarceau) - [Judi Garner](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/jgarner) - [Andy Hanson-Dvoracek](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/andyhd) - [Helen Herzer](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/hherzer) - [Henry Hoff](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/hhoff) - [Alice Kane](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/akane/) - [Johnna Kaplan](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/jkaplan) - [Andrew Krea](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/akrea) - [David Allen Lambert](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/dalambert/) - [Ann Lawthers](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/alawthers) - [Don LeClair](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/dleclair) - [Christopher Lee](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/cclee) - [Katherine Lonergan](http://http://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/klonergan) - [Judith Lucey](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/jlucey) - [Jean Maguire](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/jmaguire) - [Rhonda McClure](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/rmcclure) - [Anne Meringolo](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/ameringolo) - [P-Z](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/#) - [Eileen Pironti](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/epironti) - [Molly Rogers](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/mrogers) - [Deb Rossi](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/drossi) - [Timothy Salls](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/tsalls) - [Meaghan E. H. Siekman](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/msiekman) - [D. Brenton Simons](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/dbsimons) - [Susan Sloan](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/ssloan) - [Scott Steward](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/ssteward) - [Penny Stratton](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/pstratton) - [Sam Sturgis](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/ssturgis) - [Helen Schatvet Ullmann](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/hsullmann) - [Roger Thompson](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/rthompson) - [Leah Walczak](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/lwalczak/) - [Leslie A. Weston](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/lweston) - [Alicia Crane Williams](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/acwilliams) - [Ryan Woods](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/author/rwoods) - [Subscribe](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/blog/subscribe/) - [AmericanAncestors.org](https://americanancestors.org) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # A 'no brainer' [September 21, 2020](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/09/no-brainer) [Critical Analysis](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/critical-analysis), [Early New England Families Study Project](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/early-new-england-families-study-project), [Genealogical Writing](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/genealogical-writing), [American History](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/american-history), [Spotlight](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/spotlight), [Serendipity](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/serendipity), [Research Methods](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-methods), [Brick Walls](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/brick-walls), [Family papers](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/family-papers), [NEHGS Collections](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/nehgs-collections), [Great Migration Study Project](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/great-migration-study-project) [Alicia Crane Williams](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/acwilliams) [![](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Alicia-Crane-Williams-Apr-21-2023-05-25-40-4736-PM.jpg?width=200&height=260&name=Alicia-Crane-Williams-Apr-21-2023-05-25-40-4736-PM.jpg)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Alicia-Crane-Williams-Apr-21-2023-05-25-40-4736-PM.jpg)I prefer to work on the [Early New England Families Study Project](https://www.americanancestors.org/browse/publications/ongoing-study-projects/Early-New-England-Families,-1641--1700) (*ENEF*) sketches by myself, surveying literature, digging into primary sources, organizing, and immersing myself in the subject, so that I do not have to deal with teaching someone else to do things the way I want them done. However, a nice NEHGS member, Barry E. Hinman of California, Librarian Emeritus of Stanford University, recently donated access to his digital manuscript collection for use by NEHGS authors, including *ENEF* and the [Great Migration Study Project ](https://www.americanancestors.org/browse/publications/ongoing-study-projects/the-great-migration-study-project)(*GM*). Barry’s many credits include articles that have been published in the *New England Historical and Genealogical Register*.[[1]](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/09/no-brainer#_ftn1) The Hinman manuscript material consists of working drafts for his own ancestors. On his father’s father’s side, Barry descends from New England settlers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.[[2]](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/09/no-brainer#_ftn2) He has long been researching and drafting sketches for all his ancestors, but obviously those of particular interest to this writer are the drafts for nearly 600 of his New England forebears. Some of these families have already been treated in *GM*, and others will be treated in future *GM* volumes. Many of the rest fall under the *ENEF* umbrella. ### Barry’s generosity will save me *thousands* of hours of work. Having access to such a massive collection of documented genealogical research is a delightfully unexpected present, but Barry has extended his gift one more step by volunteering to update his sketches to include such things as sources published after his original drafts were made, and by rearranging his work into draft *ENEF* format. Barry’s generosity will save me *thousands* of hours of work. My job will be to take what he has done and develop it further into formal *ENEF* sketches. (I will, of course, be fact-checking all the information and sources, myself, but when they are laid out for me with volume and page numbers, what a joy it will be!) This all obviously puts a rather big twist into *ENEF* project plans. While I still have various sketches and “clusters” of families in progress that will not be abandoned, taking advantage of this significant pre-vetted research is a classic “no brainer.” I have already used Barry’s work in the recently posted *ENEF* sketch for Edward Bishop of Salem (which members of NEHGS can read [here](https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/early-new-england-families-1641-1700/RecordDisplay?volumeId=59093&pageName=1&rId=1428632433)). It is too early yet to say which families will be published as *ENEF* sketches, in what order, or when, but be assured they are coming. Thanks, Barry! ### Notes [[1]](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/09/no-brainer#_ftnref1) Barry’s articles published in the *Register* include “Untangling the Ancestry of the Two Men Named Abraham Andrews in Waterbury, Connecticut” (169 [2015]: 13-15); “The Burial of Stephen Goodyear 7 May 1658” (168 [2014]: 271); “Untangling Two Men Named Joseph Hastings in Watertown, Massachusetts” (170 [2016]: 233-36); “Edmund Yorke of Cotton End, Hardingstone, Northamptonshire, Father-in-Law of Gov. Thomas Dudley” (172 [2018]: 121-24); and “’Jedidiah’ Skidmore” (173 [2019]: 37-38). [[2]](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/09/no-brainer#_ftnref2) His father’s mother’s ancestors descend, as he says himself, from “the hill billy areas of the Appalachians and the Ozarks and the foothills of California.” His mother’s father’s ancestry “lies in the islands in the Kvarner Gulf that were (up until Napoleon) Venetian colonies, particularly Krk and Cres, and at Labin in the Istrian Peninsula of Croatia.” His mother’s mother’s ancestry “is in the village of Praputnjak on the mainland and in Bakar the city of which it was originally a part. These families are said to be Vlach and not Croatian in origin (i.e., they came from the south Balkans), and settled in the Bakar area, probably driven out of their original homeland by the Ottoman Turks, but when no one seems to know. To my knowledge, there is no other collection of such deep Croatian ancestry around.” ### Share this: - [mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/09/no-brainer](mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/09/no-brainer) - - - More - - ![Alicia Crane Williams](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Williams_Alicia.jpg) ## About Alicia Crane Williams Alicia Crane Williams, FASG, Lead Genealogist of Early Families of New England Study Project, has compiled and edited numerous important genealogical publications including The Mayflower Descendant and the Alden Family “Silver Book” Five Generations project of the Mayflower Society. Most recently, she is the author of the 2017 edition of The Babson Genealogy, 1606-2017, Descendants of Thomas and Isabel Babson who first arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1637. Alicia has served as Historian of the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, Assistant Historian General at the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, and as Genealogist of the Alden Kindred of America. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in History from Northeastern University.[View all posts by Alicia Crane Williams →](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/acwilliams) [← Matrilineal mergers: Part One](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/09/matrilineal-mergers-1) ['If only you wouldn't explain' →](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/09/if-only-you-wouldnt-explain) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ### Recent Posts [Stories of Black Life in Eighteenth-Century Boston](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/scipio-fayerweather-and-cuffee) [How Bronzed Baby Shoes Became More Than Just a Mother’s Treasure!](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/bronzed-baby-shoes) [Charles Bulfinch – A Father of Federal Style Architecture](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/charles-bulfinch) [Sailor Bill and His Forgotten Wife](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/sailor-bill-and-his-forgotten-wife) [Professor X](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/professor-x) ### Archives - [October 2014 (27)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/10) - [December 2015 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/12) - [July 2020 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2020/07) - [April 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/04) - [July 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/07) - [December 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/12) - [July 2015 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/07) - [March 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/03) - [May 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/05) - [August 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/08) - [January 2018 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2018/01) - [March 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/03) - [August 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/08) - [April 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/04) - [September 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/09) - [October 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/10) - [March 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/03) - [June 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/06) - [August 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/08) - [September 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/09) - [November 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/11) - [December 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/12) - [January 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/01) - [June 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/06) - [November 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/11) ### Categories - [Family stories (1261)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/family-stories) - [American History (1138)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/american-history) - [Critical Analysis (1126)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/critical-analysis) - [Research Methods (881)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-methods) - [Brick Walls (674)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/brick-walls) - [Object Lessons (617)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/object-lessons) - [Spotlight (617)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/spotlight) - [Genealogical Writing (554)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/genealogical-writing) - [Research tips (510)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/research-tips) - [Serendipity (479)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/serendipity) - [Road Trips (393)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/road-trips) ### Recent Posts [Stories of Black Life in Eighteenth-Century Boston](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/scipio-fayerweather-and-cuffee) [How Bronzed Baby Shoes Became More Than Just a Mother’s Treasure!](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/bronzed-baby-shoes) [Charles Bulfinch – A Father of Federal Style Architecture](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/charles-bulfinch) [Sailor Bill and His Forgotten Wife](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/sailor-bill-and-his-forgotten-wife) [Professor X](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/professor-x) ### Meta - [Log in](https://vita-brevis.org/wp-login.php) - [Entries RSS](https://vita-brevis.org/feed/) - [Comments RSS](https://vita-brevis.org/comments/feed/) - [WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org/) ### Subscribe to Blog via Email Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. ### Archives - [October 2014 (27)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/10) - [December 2015 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/12) - [July 2020 (24)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2020/07) - [April 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/04) - [July 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/07) - [December 2014 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/12) - [July 2015 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/07) - [March 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/03) - [May 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/05) - [August 2017 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/08) - [January 2018 (23)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2018/01) - [March 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/03) - [August 2014 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2014/08) - [April 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/04) - [September 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/09) - [October 2015 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2015/10) - [March 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/03) - [June 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/06) - [August 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/08) - [September 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/09) - [November 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/11) - [December 2016 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2016/12) - [January 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/01) - [June 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/06) - [November 2017 (22)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/archive/2017/11)