Pendleton's tome is divided into six sections: (1) The Aboriginal Period, which focuses on the Pamunkeys, Chickahominy, and Mattapony in what would become Tazewell County, and their civilizations; (2) The Period of Discovery, which culminates with the settlement at Jamestown; (3) The Pioneer Period, which commences with the first settlements west of the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1732 and concludes with the creation of Tazewell County in 1799, encompassing the settlements launched in the Shenandoah, Roanoke, New River, Holston, and Clinch valleys, as well as in Kentucky; (4) The Ante-Bellum Period, from the organization of Russell, Wythe, and Tazewell counties to the onset of the Civil War; (5) The [Civil] War and Reconstruction Period; and (6) The Post Bellum Period, which emphasizes the development of Tazewell's mineral resources.