This work begins with a brief Introduction in which the compiler recounts the region's historic importance in the French and Indian War and in the Revolutionary War. There is also a special section on regional topography and the legislative origins of Albany County, in particular. Mr. Reynolds then devotes a separate essay to each family beginning with the venerable Van Rensselaer, Schuyler, and Livingstone families. Most of the family essays begin with an explanation of the geographical origin or derivation of the family's surname. Mr. Reynolds or one of his associates then traces the line forward from the oldest known ancestor to the principal subject of the essay. This is followed by a detailed biography of that person, often with his photo, as well as a breakdown of collateral lines related to the featured descendant. The index at the back of the final volume of the set identifies some 7,500 descendants of the main families in the work. The 600 principal families featured herein are listed next and, given the area's historic role as a colonial haven for Dutch, English, and Palatine German immigrants, this work promises to offer genealogical clues to a wide range of researchers.