TheCompendium contains the lineage records of the first families of America, with records extending in both male and female lines from the earliest-known immigrant ancestor to the then (1925-1942) living subject of the record. According to the first census, there were about 650,000 families living in the United States in 1790, practically every one of which was of colonial or Revolutionary stock and thus entitled to be numbered among America's "First Families." Every lineage in the Compendium, therefore, spans at least eight or nine generations. While not all families are represented, almost every name distinguished in any way in the early history of the country will be found within its pages.

The Compendium was compiled largely from lineage records and manuscript genealogies submitted by individuals selected for inclusion, many illustrated with photographs, portraits, and coats of arms. Each record was checked and edited, then typed up in the form of a "proof" and returned to the submitter for final review before ultimately being printed in one of the volumes. Thus prepared at the great expense of time and labor, and with painstaking care, the seven massive volumes of the Compendium contain more than 54,000 lineage records, with indexes listing upwards of 425,000 names, making it, without doubt, the first reference and research source in American genealogy. While every genealogical line as published can scarcely be said to be correct, it still stands as the major published record of American ancestry and forms a complete genealogical library in itself. -- Source: Amazon