Primarily correspondence, writings, and other personal materials related to E.W. Blatchford, which were removed from the Newberry Library Archives and added to the Blatchford Family Papers.

Correspondence covers E.W. Blatchford's work with the Chicago Academy of Sciences, the Chicago Manual Training School, and a variety of his missionary and religious contacts. E.W. Blatchford was heavily involved in the Chicago Academy of Sciences in the 1870s-1880s, and the collection includes his expedition notes from a trip to the Dry Tortugas in Florida, notes for an address, and photographs, as well as bulletins and reports of the Academy.

Also included are drafts of E.W. Blatchford's "Reminiscences" and some genealogical research, correspondence and biographies of Reverend Rensselaer Winchell and his family, of whom E.W. Blatchford had a particular interest, and correspondence and memorials related to the death of Henry H. Belfield, director of the Chicago Manual Training School.

There is a small amount of material related to other Blatchford family members, including an early diary by Mary E. Blatchford detailing her religious convictions, and some religious writings by John Blatchford. Scrapbooks are primarily collections of memorials and obituaries, including Rev. Richard Salter Storrs and Nicholas Senn.

The cornerstone box was contained within Ulmenheim, the Blatchford family home located at 1111 N. La Salle St., and held family materials placed there in 1875. Items include a letter written by E.W. Blatchford and signed by the rest of the family, a bible, a history of Ulmenheim, a current newspaper, and some family photos. The cornerstone was removed in 1929 when the house was demolished.