This work concentrates upon families with a strong connection to Virginia and Kentucky, most of which are traced forward from the eighteenth, if not the seventeenth, century. The compiler makes ample use of published sources some extent original records, and the recollections of the oldest living members of a number of the families covered. Finally. The essays reflect a balanced mixture of genealogy and biography, which makes for interesting reading and a substantial number of linkages between as many as six generations of family members.

John Turner (1796-1861) was born in South Carolina, and was probably a son of Benjamnin Turner of the Pendleton District. John married Hetthe Rives about 1808/1810 and lived in the Charleston District until they moved to Georgia about 1820. By 1840 they were living in Cass (later Bartow) County, Georgia. Descendants and relatives lived in South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas and elsewhere.

The bibliographic holdings of family histories at the Library of Congress. Entries are arranged alphabetically of the works of those involved in Genealogy and also items available through the Library of Congress.