author
Edmund F. (Edmund Farwell) Slafter
1816–1906
A 19th-century Episcopal clergyman turned respected historian and genealogist, he devoted much of his later life to uncovering early New England and colonial history. His books and society work helped preserve rare sources that might otherwise have been lost to time.
1 Audiobook
The Discovery of America by the Northmen, 985-1015
by Edmund F. (Edmund Farwell) Slafter
About the author
After graduating from Dartmouth in 1840 and studying at Andover Theological Seminary, he entered the Protestant Episcopal ministry. He served as rector of St. Peter’s in Cambridge and later St. John’s in Jamaica Plain, but ill health eventually pushed him away from regular parish work.
That change opened the way for the work he is best remembered for today. Slafter became deeply involved in historical and genealogical research, wrote on early American exploration and colonial history, and published family and regional studies including Memorial of John Slafter. He also edited and introduced historical texts, among them works connected with Samuel de Champlain and Sir William Alexander.
He was especially active in learned societies in Massachusetts. Records from the Massachusetts Historical Society and other archival sources show him as a longtime figure in the Prince Society, where he served in leadership roles and later became president, helping support the publication of rare materials relating to American history.