The collection contains biographical materials, correspondence, field notes, legal documents, receipts of the Sylvester Sibley family, along with a Speech of Hon. H.H. Sibley on the Territories and Our Indian Relations.
Jeffers papers consist mostly of diaries belonging to him, his parents, wife, and other relatives, describing their daily lives in Binghamton (New York), Lone Tree (Nebraska), and Palo, Michigan, as well as Ira’s participation in the Civil War and his work as a barber and furniture dealer.