Harris's biographical history of Lancaster County, with articles arranged alphabetically by surname, contains nearly 2,000 biographies of early settlers and eminent men and refers in total to an additional 10,000 related individuals. Emphasis is placed on citizens who were born, reared, or who resided in the county, whose works have enrolled them among the premier citizens of the nation. Almost all the biographies contain substantial genealogical data, including critical dates and places of birth, marriage and death, names of children and family members, places of residence, and, in the case of immigrants, countries of origin and dates of settlement in the county. The material is wide-ranging and anecdotal, what is more, enabling descendants to ascertain something of the manner and habits of their ancestors.