The author traces his immediate ancestors from the present day to the early part of the 19th century, by using family oral history as the basis for a search of the historical records in several archival deposits in different parts of South Africa. He starts with his paternal ancestry and systematically describes various branches of the family and their interconnections, and then goes on to describe his maternal ancestors, tracing their family connections.

The author provides explanatory footnotes for those unfamiliar with the local South African colloquial use of both English and Afrikaans, and also to clarify ambiguities in the text. At the end of the book, there is a comprehensive list of archival sources and the location of documents consulted in the writing of the book.

The book is divided into chapters, and in the final chapter the author indicates areas that need further research.

There are several photographs throughout the book. The majority of them were made available by various family members, but many others have been destroyed by family members following a tradition, thankfully being abandoned in recent years in the community, of doing so when someone dies.