Excerpt from Memorial and Family History of Erie County, Vol. 1: New York

History, as the word was once understood, applied almost exclusively to the transactions of nations. Historical narrative was a panorama, wherein the details were lost in the general efiect. As history has become less of an art and more of a science, there is an increasing tendency to dwell on local environment, and to amplify the intimate, personal relation of men to events. This is a significant truth. It shows that the advanced intelligence of mankind cannot rest content with the worn-out notion that any existent condition of affairs, any given state of civilization, is due to a few great men, and to a small number of important episodes. Just as the victories of war are won by the rank and file, rather than by the generals, so the triumphs of progress are gained by the many. As the family is the unit of the town, so the individual is the unit of the family. So widely are these considerations accepted, and so firmly have they become established, that a large share of the most careful current historic research is devoted to locali ties. Specialization of this character logically leads to emphasis on the influence of persons. Thus the boundary line between history and biography disappears, and the dry bones of facts are vitalized by human interest.

The purpose of the memorial and family history or erie county, new york, -is concisely expressed by its title. In the scheme of narration, the publishers have not circumscribed the plan of the work by any sharply defined limits. While the sketches of individuals are, it is hoped, terse enough to preserve the quality of readability, they are more than a mere statement of facts and dates. Living characterization has been kept in view, and it has been sought, in each instance, to grasp the salient traits of the subject and to show, in a clear light, the chief points of his career.

A special feature of these volumes, is the genealogical department, giving condensed accounts of ancestries, which have the uses but not the cumbersomeness, of works purely devoted to genealogy, and may serve as a basis for genealogical research. It is believed that, apart from the natural interestindividuals have in preserving some reliable history of their families, these volumes may often be profitably consulted by the lawyer, the conserver of public records, the examiner of titles, the editor and the general business man.

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