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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This book, published in 1889, traces the history of the Backus family from their roots in colonial America to the early days of the settlement of Ohio. In addition to genealogical information, it includes firsthand accounts of life on the American frontier, making it an invaluable resource for anyone interested in early American history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

William (or Stephen) Backus emigrated from Norwich, England to Saybrook, Connecticut in about 1637. He married Sarah Charles and Anne Bingham. He died in Norwich, Connecticut in about 1659. He was survived by two sons and three daughters. Descendants and relatives lived mainly in Connecticut, New York and Ohio. Includes Chandler, Griswold and related families.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Excerpt from A Genealogical Memoir of the Backus Family: With the Private Journal of James Backus, Together With His Correspondence Bearing on the First Settlement of Ohio, at Marieta, in 1788 This little volume, although primarily a family memorial, will nevertheless be interesting to the general reader, from the fact that many letters, documents and other articles are inserted, illustrating the spirit and character of the times in which they were written. Of these, the private journal and correspondence of James Backus is, perhaps, the most instructive and interesting. The journal, with a few breaks, covers a period of about three years, and was written on the spot where occurred one of the most important events in the country's history, - the settlement of Ohio, at Marietta, April 7, 1788. The journal, and also the correspondence, is full of interesting facts connected with this event, James Backus being one of the first settlers. The papers of Elijah Backus, bearing on another critical time in the country's history - the period of the Revolution and the period just before - is also very interesting. We see by these papers the character of the people who secured for us our independence, and the trying times through which they passed. Elijah Backus seems to have been very active at that time, and his papers throw a strong light on the character of the people and the times. These papers have been lying idle for a hundred years and more, and it is one of the objects of priming this book to preserve and make public these records, which, although they may not give any new points on the history of the country, yet may serve to corroborate the statements of other historians, and serve to fix some of the uncertain points. As a family memorial, this volume docs not pretend to be exhaustive. In fact, within the limits of this little book it would be impossible to even mention every member of so large and widely a scattered family So it has been thought best to follow the Norwich branch, that of the second William. Of his two children who settled in Norwich, we have followed only the line of Joseph. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.