This work is the first of four volumes in a series of New England runaways, as identified in contemporary newspaper ads. The majority of the persons are runaway servants and slaves, but a number are runaway apprentices, both men and women, military deserters, and errant spouses. This work also includes individuals with New England connections who did not run away from those colonies.

In compiling this work, Mr. Boyle examined 23 newspapers from New England to Maryland, including The Boston Evening-Post, The Boston Gazette, The Connecticut Gazette, The New England Courant, The American Weekly Mercury, The Rhode Island Gazette, and The New York Evening Post. Each ad gives a number of details about the runaway and his/her master, including names and aliases of the runaway, physical description, personality quirks if any, location in New England (including the future states of Vermont and Maine), and where to contact the advertiser. In all, this book contains about 1, 500 runaway ads and names over 3, 000 persons with connections to colonial New England.