The records of Hertford County were destroyed by arson in 1830, and again by Union soldiers during the Civil War. Piecing together what he could from his father's old deeds, various records of other families, and the surviving will and court record books, the author compiled this history to preserve forever the valuable information remaining. The volume begins with a brief overview of U.S. history, then Carolina history, and lists many names of early political figures active before the American Revolution. The book is organized by decade, and works its way through fifteen decades, from 1760-1770 all the way to 1900-1906. All the historical facts that could be found are in this book. Following the history are lists of Hertford County public officials. Finally, there is a sizable list of miscellaneous information, including population, dates of incorporation, and typical climate of North Carolina and its counties; some more general U.S. history; and some useful rules for the farmer and businessman, such as how to keep hams, how to mix a durable whitewash, how to look after young chickens, and more. An every-name index has been added to this work.

Judge Benjamin Winborne, motivated by the destruction of most of Hertford County's early official records, collected a lifetime of information of his home county and ultimately published it in 1906. The work itself spans a period of fifteen decades, within which compass it makes a survey of the early settlers, soldiers, churchmen, and politicians and examines with considerable circumspection the early courts and government, in short dwelling on all persons, places, and events instrumental to the growth and development of the county. Nor does it neglect Hertford's participation in various wars, for a great number of colonial, Revolutionary, and Civil War officers and soldiers are identified and permanently memorialized.