Erin's Sons extends the period of coverage to 1858 and lists approximately 7,000 additional Irish-born residents of Atlantic Canada. Like the other volumes in the series, it is based on a wide variety of genealogical sources, including church records, cemetery inscriptions, marriage and burial records, newspapers, census records, and ships' passenger lists. Scattered throughout the volume there are out-of-the-way records pertaining to rescued and quarantined passengers, deserters, and runaways; and equally obscure records of individuals who suffered from anti-Irish prejudice during the 1840s. Many entries date from the 1850s, with earlier years showing up in land records, passenger lists, and military records.