The American State Papers are official government documents that were printed long before the creation of the U.S. Government Printing Office. Although these documents cover a myriad of issues (e.g., foreign affairs, commerce, etc.), for genealogists the most important categories are "Public Land" and "Claims," and it is upon these categories that this volume is based. These records range from mere lists of inhabitants, to lists of claimants, to land surveys, and to rejected claims. In many cases we also learn the name of a spouse or other relative and a description of a lot, usually stating its proximity to (the owners of) other lots. Nearly 3,000 French and British pioneers are named in this work, all of whom may be found in one or more of the name indexes.