Sonia Murray has devoted most of her adult life to the extraction and transcription of records pertaining to Belize (formerly British Honduras). In this, her fifth work of transcription, she has extensively researched the British National Archives at Kew, the Belize National Archives in Belize City, and the Belize City Registry as well as many other archives and private record collections.

The scope of this work covers wills of the Mosquito Shore and Belize; original wills at the Belize National Archives; wills and estates at the Belize City Registry and at the Archives; private records that include wills, estates, deeds, and manumissions; magistrate's minutes such as court records, estates, and manumissions; extensive records and journal articles on ending the slave trade; shipping lists; the Abolition Act of 1833 and the records created from it; slave registers and sales 1823-1830; index to the 1834 registry of slaves; Belize slave compensation claims and awards; Belizeans in British censuses; the Honduras Land Titles Act; the lost 1861 census; baptisms at St. John's parish 1868-1880; notes on early families; index to the registry of wills 1760-1900, and a comprehensive index to persons mentioned in the records.

In this work, Mrs. Murray has not only transcribed the source material, she has also added lengthy and erudite annotations that shed light on the events and persons who figure in the records. This work is especially valuable for everyone who holds a serious interest in Caribbean history and the genealogy of Belize.