This work was originally published by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1894 as Bulletin No. 116. It consists of some 5,500 designations of places and topographical features, each identified in relation to a town or county or other prominent location. Originally designed as a finding-aid to the atlas sheets published by the U.S. Geological Survey, it stands by itself as a gazetteer, assisting the genealogist in locating some of the obscure places mentioned in warrants, deeds, wills, and other records. The entries are arranged in strict alphabetical order, as the title of the work might suggest, and, for those interested in pinpointing the features designated, are keyed to the name of the U.S. Geological Survey atlas sheets.