Founded primarily on town, church, and charter records, Wheeler's History of Stonington is a harmonious blend of history and genealogy. The work is divided into two main sections: the "History of Stonington" and the "Genealogical Register of Stonington Families." Commencing with a survey of the founders and early settlements, with a glance at the original town patents, the first section deals at length with the history of Stonington in the various wars and includes lists of officers and men developed from the most reliable sources. The genealogies in the second section generally begin with the immigrant ancestor and continue through six or seven generations in the direct line of descent, providing a progression of names and dates of birth and marriage, with incidental references to places of residence, land holdings, and probated estates. Even though the genealogies are arranged in alphabetical order by family name and therefore are easily accessible, all names cited therein are included in the index, which has more than 12,000 entries.