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Persons of Quality: People who went from Great Britain to the American Plantations: 1600-1700 (S&N £19.95) was originally compiled in 1875 and is long out of print. It contains miscellaneous lists of early emigrants from England to America, Barbados and Bermuda (called the Summer Islands in the early seventeenth century). Despite the title, many emigrants came from relatively humble backgrounds, including servants. Others recorded in this publication were transported following the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion in 1865.

Some remained in the New World to found families; others returned to Britain, perhaps disillusioned by their experiences there. The descendants of some of these early settlers may have come back many years later when the American War of Independence (1775-83) tested their loyalty to the mother country.

Family historians may find the answer to a number of puzzles here, like what happened to an ancestor's brother or sister or where a particular family was for a generation or so. Those who went to the colonies were not all intent on building a new life but wanted to make money, which they often returned to Britain to enjoy.