This volume is a rich and engaging history of the vast territory, from the Alleghenies westward to the Mississippi River, detailing the early settlements along the New River, and encompassing the present-day counties of Mercer and Monroe, West Virginia, and Tazewell and Giles counties, Virginia. Covering the period 1654-1905, the narrative is replete with descriptive accounts of historical occurrences and incidents, as well as the individuals who participated in these events, many of whom are well-known to historians and genealogists of the region. The book, roughly, consists of three parts: A detailed history of the area prior to the Civil War; the Civil War era; and, appendices, which provide genealogies and biographies of early settler families, lists of governmental officials, judges, chancellors, magistrates, justices of the peace, court clerks, sheriffs, state representatives, attorneys, Civil War rosters, and numerous other lists. Following are the genealogical and biographical summaries contained in Appendix C: Bailey, Bane, Belcher, Black, Barnes Bowen, Burke, Calfee, Caperton, Chapman, Christian, Cecil, Clay, Cloyd, Davidson, Emmons, French, Gillespie, Hale, Hare, Hoge, Howe, Johnston, Kirk, Lybrook, McClaugherty, McComas, McDonald, Meadows, Napier, Pack, Peck, Pearis, Peters, Shannon, Smith, Snidow, Straley, and Witten. Paperback, (1906), repr. 2011, Illus., Index, 563 pp.