Organized thematically, this book tells the story of the European encyclopedia from 1650 to the present.

The focus for this study is Connecticut and the city of Hartford. The text explores different themes and experiences of the elderly in Connecticut in the years between 1790 and 1830 The purpose of the book is to record and to illuminate the spiritual and emotional aspects of being elderly, the economic consequences of growing old, and the ways social experience changed with advancing years.