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INTRODUCTORY.
Now, I have reached the "Preface," which, in book making, is
always written last. This compilation has been a "labor of love"
for the family LEVERING. To them, individually and collectively, and to the
children's children, I dedicate it.
It is an aggregation of personal annals and sketches,
carefully woven, woof and warp, that makes a family history. History is fact;
other than fact is not history. The collection of family events is not
fiction, nor is it fulsome epitaph, though some inflated persons, whose
plebeian origin may be seen by a glance backward, without climbing a hill, or
even a ladder, would have "family dignity" emphasized.
This volume appears to be supplemental to "The Levering Family,"
as compiled and published in the year 1858, by my boyhood
friend, Horatio Gates Jones, of Roxborough (then called Leverington),
Philadelphia. When inaugurating my work, I contemplated an easy start in the
genealogical feature, by beginning where he ended, save supplying the poverty
of dates which characterized his publication. I found this a difficult
undertaking. A third of a century had elapsed since he gleaned the field. A
generation had passed away, and the scent had become cold. Notwithstanding
these disadvantages the emendations must be undertaken, as his work needs
clothing.
So, my first labor was expended in
dusting old bibles and family registers. Many of these revealed a condition
in the publication of 1858, that I had not anticipated, viz.: Want of names, as well as dates. Members of families, and whole
families of lineal descent, had been omitted. As instanced in my circular of
February 22, 1893, not one descendant appeared to No. 68 1/2. Mary Levering,
of the fifth generation, of Roxborough, Philadelphia, and she, being
designated by a half number, in the consecutive order, indicates that Mary
"came within (the half of) one", of being omitted altogether. After
months of labor I have credited Mary with more than 400 lineal descendants;
of these, about one-half were eligible to representation in "The
Levering Family." Like remarks will apply to his No. 5, Anna Catharine3
Frey,
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