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This collection contains letters from brothers William Edward Caton and Albert Robert Caton to their family in Illinois as they travel and work in Iowa, the Dakota Territory, and Colorado. This collection offers insight into daily life and the economic growth of the Western frontier.

The Caton family papers consist of 112 letters, 5 financial and legal papers, and 1 item with genealogical content.

In a series of letters to their parents and sister, William Edward (Ed) and Albert Robert (Bob) Caton describe efforts to establish themselves economically in Chicago, Iowa, the Dakota Territory, and Colorado. The letters from Edward describe his business activities in Iowa and the Dakota Territory, and discuss in detail his speculation in land sales and leasing.

Bob Caton, whose letters cover the years 1876-1882, writes of his time in the Dakota Territory, and later describes working as a miner and living in Colorado. His letters contain more details on living conditions and daily activities than his brother's business-oriented correspondence does.

The Financial and Legal Papers series holds five items: William P. Canton's Cook County mortgage from 1849, a building receipt enclosing a two cent bank check stamp, and three records of loans. The Miscellaneous Papers series holds an index card with information on W.P. Caton, copied from the Will County Pioneers' Register.

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).