Primarily correspondence (129 letters) of Illinois farmer and Civil War soldier Carlos W. Colby, written between 1862 and 1865, to his sisters, brother, brother-in-law, and niece, plus a dozen Civil War letters written by Colby’s future brother-in-law James Rowe. Also includes Colby’s reminiscences of his boyhood and his service in the 97th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, some family correspondence, genealogical material and a few photos.

Malone and Finnerty family correspondence and documents pertaining to deaths from 1862 to 1941. Early correspondence from the Civil War is from James W. Finnerty, a soldier, to his mother and sister. The Civil War letters describe Finnerty's experience traveling with troops through St. Louis, where rebels captured two steamboats in Duck River Bend. Also includes funerals directors’ invoices and correspondence about headstones.