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by William Neal Jr. Hurley (Author)
The Trail descendants are the subject of the twenty-sixth book in this series on Maryland families, which is focused on, but not restricted to, those members of the family who have their origins in Frederick and Montgomery Counties. Divided into ten chapters, the first chapter discusses some of the earliest records of the Trail family found in Maryland references, including a line of descent from John Trale of 1475 through six generations, to David Trail, the Anglicized version of the name, born c.1695. Subsequent chapters follow various descendants, including James Trail (1730), James Trail Jr. (1748), William Trail, Susanna Trail, Nathan Trail, Edward Northcroft Trail, and Gulielma Maria Trail (1794). As an added guide, each chapter is preceded by a chart of the line of descent leading to the subject of the chapter. The final chapter includes some miscellaneous information that has not been placed within the framework of the families discussed in the main body of the text. The author has compiled an extensive source of information about the Trail families of Maryland using census information, court data, church and cemetery records, and many other resources available through the records of the Montgomery County Historical Society. The work exhibits a diligent effort to address conflicting information and when possible to resolve such conflicts. It includes when available, personal details of a descendants life such as place of residence, occupation, subsequent marriages, and cause of death. The author handily achieves his stated goal, which is to "gather all of the available material into one convenient package, which should be accurate enough to provide the casual reader with an insight into their family history." Any researcher interested in these family lines will find The Trail Families a valuable resource. A bibliography and a full name index are included.
