This is an exhaustive study of the county from its infancy to the middle of the 19th century, with chapters on the early settlements and towns, churches, schools, businesses and industries, and sketches of the county's participation in the Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812. People who played a role in the development of the county are the mainstays of this book.

Genealogists will be delighted with the coverage given to Augustine Herman of Bohemia Manor and will also welcome the sketches of such early families as: Alexander, Carroll, Van Bibber, Leslie, Hall, Churchman, Evans, Mitchell, Mauldin, Gilpin, Rudulph, Rumsey, Hyland, Defoe, Ramsay, and Hartshorne. In addition, this edition contains a new name index compiled by the Genealogical Society of Cecil County.