Rev. Waldschmidt's entries, which pertain to the congregations of Cocalico (Swamp), Weiseichenland (formerly Sebastian Reicher's Church), Modecreek, and Zeltenreich, are arranged in four separate alphabetical groupings. The first part, baptismal records, gives the name of the child, parents' names, date of birth and date of baptism, and the names of sponsors. Marriages come next, and they state the name of the bride and groom, the date of the marriage, and, frequently, the name(s) of the parents. Each marriage is listed twice, alphabetically according to the surname of both the bride and groom. The third section of the book lists the various communion services performed by Rev. Waldschmidt, with the names of the communicants. Finally, a separate listing of brides and grooms from official Pennsylvania marriage licenses signed by the pastor between 1784-1786 concludes the volume.

Pennsylvania's role in the development of American culture and society has received an increasing amount of attention in the past two decades, as the tercentenary celebrations of the founding of the province led to a reexamination of the colony and state's contributions to the ethnic and religious diversity of modern America. With increasing pluralism, however, the religious group that was most prominent in the establishment of the province - the Society of Friends, or Quakers - declined in its impact and importance.