The first part of the book lays out the genealogical information in tabular. These tables include thousands of names plus the dates for births, marriages, and deaths as well as listing the places where births and deaths occurred. The second half of the book contains more than 150 biographical sketches, which offer more genealogical information: ancestry, family details, occupations and avocations, land and other possessions, personal qualities, and the occasional anecdote. Prominent early family names include Barrett, Blood, Brooks, Bulkeley, Buttrick, Conant, Davis, Farrar, Flint, Hartwell, Hayward, Hosmer, Hubbard, Jones, Minott, Potter, Prescott, Wheeler, Willard, and Wood.