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The Ashbaugh family papers consist of the incoming correspondence of Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Ashbaugh of Brown County, South Dakota, written primarily by their children and other family members in Iowa and throughout the Midwest. The letters provide detailed depictions of daily farming life near Sac City and Terril, Iowa, in the first decade of the 20th century.

The Ashbaugh family papers consist of the incoming correspondence of Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Ashbaugh of Brown County, South Dakota, written primarily by their children and other family members in Iowa and throughout the Midwest. The letters, written from a number of Iowa locales, chronicle farm life in the early 20th century, and include detailed descriptions of a number of farming activities as well as news of the family, which remained close despite being somewhat scattered. Many of the Ashbaugh family members planted corn, and the letters reveal a good deal about the intricacies of growing and harvesting in the region. Several later letters in the collection originated from the South Dakota Ashbaughs' grandchildren, who provided delightful updates on their lives, including the games and other leisure pursuits that occupied their time away from school. The collection also includes several documents licensing E. E. Ashbaugh as "an Exhorter in the Methodist Episcopal Church" in Sac City and Fort Dodge, Iowa, from 1885-1889.

This collection contains 3 letters written by members of the Coon and Howard families in Lakeview, Michigan; Waukee, Iowa; and Orchard Park, New York, in the late 1800s. The women of the Howard family contributed to each of the letters, describing their farms and sharing aspects of their everyday lives.

This collection contains 3 letters written by members of the Coon and Howard families of Lakeview, Michigan; Waukee, Iowa; and Orchard Park, New York, in the late 1800s. Hiram Cornwell of Lakeview, Michigan, wrote the first letter to his sister-in-law, Jane Coon of Belleville, New York, noting the difficulties of earning a living in Michigan (November 11, 1877). Phebe Howard contributed to the letter, suggesting that Jane move to Michigan, where land was cheap and weaving work was available.

Ida H. Elliott wrote the second letter to her mother from Waukee, Iowa, on September 22, 1889. Elliott discussed her work tending the house and farm, her children's school, her sale of chickens, and the quantities of crops they had stored, including potatoes, sweet corn, and apples.

Lena B. of Orchard Park, New York, sent the final letter to her sister, Miss E. Blanche Coon of Sandy Creek, New York (postmarked March 24, 1890); she commented on the family and described a trip to Buffalo, New York, including the cost of velvet and a photographer's rates.