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The Edson family papers are made up of letters that Hanford Wisner Edson and Elmer Rockwood Edson wrote to their parents and sister while attending and teaching at Philips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, and Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in the late 1880s and early 1890s. The brothers wrote of their coursework, social activities, acquaintances, and finances, and responded to news from home, particularly information about their sister Helen's frail health. Printed programs are also present.

The Edson family papers (110 items) are mostly made up of over 100 letters that Hanford Wisner Edson and Elmer Rockwood Edson wrote to their parents and sister while attending and teaching at Philips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, and Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in the late 1880s and early 1890s.

Elmer Rockwood Edson discussed his social life, leisure activities, and classes at Phillips Exeter Academy (1886-1890) and Williams College (1891-1894). He frequently mentioned his limited finances, and sometimes attached receipts or noted recent purchases, especially of clothing. Additionally, he wrote about his regular attendance at church services and his occasional games of tennis. On December 12, 1891, he sent a four-page letter to his sister Helen in which he described the developmental stages of tadpoles and frogs, illustrated by two drawings.

Hanford Edson wrote about his experiences while attending and teaching at Williams College and while teaching at Robert College in Constantinople, Turkey. He discussed his participation in Williams College's glee club, his decision to move to Turkey, and his life in Williamstown, Massachusetts, after his return from Eurasia. Both brothers commented on the frail health of their sister Helen.

• 13th Annual Contest for the Graves Oratorical Prize (June 22, [1889])
• Commencement Concert by Williams College Glee and Banjo Clubs (June 24, 1889)
• Junior Preliminary Moonlight Contest (March 13, 1894)

This collection is made up of letters that Phil Clifford, a student at the Phillips Exeter Academy, wrote to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Clifford of West Medford and Boston, Massachusetts, and to his sister, Lizze. The letters detail Clifford's academic and monetary struggles.

This collection contains 62 letters and 2 postcards that Phil Clifford, a student at the Phillips Exeter Academy, wrote to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Clifford of West Medford and Boston, Massachusetts, and to his sister, Lizze, from October 16, 1914-May 13, 1917. During his time at the school, he assured his parents of his efforts to raise his grades, seldom higher than Cs, and discussed leisure activities such as attending football games and visiting the area around Exeter, New Hampshire. In his second year, he joined the school's Kappa Delta Pi fraternity. Along with academic troubles, Clifford faced persistent financial difficulties and frequently asked his parents to send him money and postage stamps. On several occasions, he provided itemized lists of recent expenses. In his final letter (May 13, 1917), he mentioned his fraternity's financial shortfall, caused by the loss of several members to the United States Army after the country's formal entrance into World War I. Two postcards have images of the academy's chapel and library, respectively, and two advertising cards promote Arthur Clifford's produce company, A. Clifford & Co.