This book is a work of over 30 years research of records of coalmining parishes of Scotland in the counties of Midlothian, Fife, West Lothian, East Lothian, Lanark, and Sterling; the counties of Northumberland and Durham in England, and a few areas of Australia.

The families include ANDERSON, ARCHIBALD, BLACK, BOYD, BROWN, CHEYNE, CRAWFORD, CUNNINGHAM, FLEUCKER, JACK, JOHNSTON, KING, LINDSAY, LOURIE, MILLER, MOFFAT, NEILSON, PENTLAND, PORTEOUS, REID, ROBERTSON, RUSSEL, SMITH, STEEL, WALKER, WILLIAMSON, WILSON, and others. Many of them are traced back well over 300 years. Each line, treated alphabetically, is fully documented with sources used, contains supportive evidence, and an index of complete names. Some information on Scottish family research, and on Scottish coalminers, is also given.

The book is 293 pages, hardcover, and is illustrated.