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The Mary Avery correspondence consists of 28 letters written by Mary Avery, primarily to her mother, Susan C. Avery, from 1879-1881. In her letters, Mary described her academic and social life while attending Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

This collection contains 28 letters written by Mary Avery, primarily to her mother, Susan C. Avery, from 1879-1881. Mary described her daily life at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, mainly regarding her social engagements. However, in her letter of November 15, 1880, she discussed her charitable efforts for a school for African Americans in South Carolina, and mentioned her donation toward a scholarship for a potential student. She also mentioned aspects of her recovery from an outbreak of measles that had spread throughout the school, and told of her need for a pair of dark colored glasses (February 22, 1881). Her letters revealed much about her family's life, as well; for example, her father, a clergyman, was temporarily unemployed and her mother suffered from a medical ailment that was causing her vision to decline.