Covering an incredible 375 years, this book sets forth the genealogical history of some forty families who have their roots in Tidewater Virginia, families whose very history mirrors the social development of Virginia itself. Starting with the earliest colonial settler, the origins of the following Tidewater families are presented: Bell, Binford, Bonner, Butler, Campbell, Cheadle, Chiles, Clements, Cotton, Dejarnette(att), Dumas, Ellyson, Fishback, Fleming, Hamlin, Hampton, Harnison, Harris, Haynie, Hurt, Hutcheson, Lee, Mosby, Mundy, Nelson, Peatross, Pettyjohn, Ruffin, Short, Spencer, Tarleton, Tatum, Taylor, Terrill, Watkins, Winston, and Woodson.
All families tie in with the earliest Hutcheson, Peatross, Butler, and Lee settlers in the colony of Virginia, and in each instance the family history, its vital statistics, and the events of the time are reported, as are brief accounts of collateral issue in each generation. (Note that a family chart is included to make the progression from one generation to the next easier to follow.)