This 1922 local history is different in approach from the late-nineteenth century county histories that had established the genre. Earlier local histories were often narratives wrapped around the names and short biographies of pioneer settlers. In this case the history and biographies are in separate volumes, with Volume 1 containing the history and Volumes 2 and 3 containing only biographies.

Comparatively little of Volume 1 is devoted to the era before the Civil War. Also note that the chapters are more topical than chronological. The book contains a large number of photos and drawings.