This attractively produced and highly professional work is a rewrite of a genealogy of the Snedeker family compiled in 1970 by the late Harold R. Snedeker. The American progenitor of this family was Jan Snedeger, a soldier in the service of the Dutch West India Company, who came to New Amsterdam from Amersfoort in the Dutch province of Utrecht about the year 1639. In 1652, Snedeger was on of the original patentees of Flatbush, Long Island. Snedeger's descendants subsequently spread throughout the North American continent. The Book of Snedekers covers twelve generations of Snedekers in descent from Jan. 

Twenty-four years ago, the author of this revised genealogy, Walter C. Snedeker, was given by his father a copy of Harold Snedeker's genealogy. In that copy appeared handwritten information about his father's immediate relations, but there was no indication of any connection with persons in the printed genealogy. Walter Snedeker was able to make the connection between his father's relatives and those mentioned in the genealogy and in the process acquired a greater interest in his family history. After learning that Harold Snedeker was deceased and that additional copies of the book were not available, Snedeker decided to prepare a new version of the history, to revise errors in the original, and to include additional records. The revised work is a handsome addition to any library.

Though Snedeker uses a numbering system for individuals not frequently used by genealogists, he provides a detailed explanation of how to use his system. The index, which appears in the front of the work, is user-friendly. It breaks down individuals surnames into male, female, and intermarriage categories, which allows the reader to easily find allied family information. The index lists the individual's number in lieu of page numbers, which makes finding his other biographical information easy.

While the biographical data provided for each individual is generally brief, it is concise and provides more than adequate direction to other resources for those interested in following up on a particular person. Moreover, Snedeker includes enough detailed information, such as will probates, to keep one from making futile searches. Additional historical references also benefit further research.

I appreciate the author's enthusiasm for his family's history as well as the tremendous effort he put into his volume. A welcome feature to the publication is that twenty pages at the back are left blank. These are to be devoted to family history notes, enabling owners of the volume to add more of their family history over the years. On page 17, Snedeker requests: "fill in your information in the back of the book. Go ahead and write in it - that's what the blank pages are for. Send that information to the Author. Every effort will be made to include it formally in the next edition."

The Book of Snedekers is a good model for genealogical researchers, even if they are not members of the Snedeker family. A copy of this genealogy was given to the Holland Society library by the author. Copies may be purchased for $44.90 from Mr. Walter C. Snedeker, 9606 N.W. 36th Manor, Coral Springs, Florida 33065.

----- David M. Riker