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The McMillan family correspondence is made up of letters that members of the McMillan family in Iowa and Pennsylvania exchanged during the mid-19th century. Family members commented on their daily lives and on subjects such as health, religion, and farming.

The McMillan family correspondence is made up of 65 letters that members of the McMillan family in Iowa and Pennsylvania exchanged during the mid-19th century. Family members commented on their daily lives and on subjects such as health, religion, and farming.

Many members of the McMillan family and associated families lived in eastern Iowa, in towns such as South English and Washington, in the 1850s and 1860s. Others wrote from Bridesburg, Pennsylvania, and other locations in the Midwest. Most writers focused on family news and health, and several writers expressed condolences following the death of one of Mary McMillan's immediate family members in December 1865. Correspondents frequently discussed religious activities and similar subjects, such as the scarcity of regular preachers in rural Iowa, as well as local travel and farming. In one letter, Robert F. Stevenson wrote to his aunt about local debates over the "monopoly question" and the economic effects of unfavorable food prices (March 27, 1866). A few letters include content on food and cooking, and a letter Robert F. Stevenson received from his mother lists the food served at a wedding (February 13, 1859).