This book follows a book of a similar title by Catherine Knorr which covers the period from 1767 to 1805. The Williams book, offered here in reprint, extends Mrs. Knorr's period of coverage by a full twenty-five years and contains some 2,500 marriage records which, with parents, sureties, and witnesses, refer to a total of 7,000 persons. The sources from which this material derives include original marriage bonds, ministers' returns, and the marriage register at Chatham, Virginia, which in each case was checked for accuracy against the bonds and returns. The marriages are arranged throughout in alphabetical order by the surname of the groom, and each entry gives, besides the name of the bride, the date of the bond, the date of the marriage, the names of sureties and persons giving consent (usually fathers of brides), and the name of the person performing the marriage ceremony. Two indexes, one to brides and the other to sureties, furnish the researcher with a handy key to the text.