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Around 1879-1883, John Hill Martin compiled The Philadelphia Bar, a list of lawyers admitted to the bar in Philadelphia between 1682 and 1883. His list includes the date of each man's admission and, less frequently, biographical information.

Around 1879-1883, John Hill Martin compiled "The Philadelphia Bar, Collected, Corrected, and Arranged by John Hill Martin, Attorney at Law," a list of lawyers admitted to the bar in Philadelphia between 1682 and 1883. The volume has partial lists of sources that Martin consulted (pp. 2, 4), a list of abbreviations (p. 5a), and a preface, in which Martin discussed other lists of Philadelphia lawyers that he consulted (pp. 3-4a). The list, which is organized alphabetically by surname, appears on recto pages numbered 6-138, with additional entries and/or biographical details written on most verso pages. Each name is accompanied by the date of admission to the bar, and some entries have additional biographical information. A list of lawyers admitted to the Berks County bar, with their dates of admission (2 pages), and a list of Philadelphia attorneys copied from the New Trade Directory of 1800 (2 pages) are pasted into the book's final pages.

The collection consists of five journals and one memoir that document Quaker missionary John Parrish’s travels throughout Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, and Ohio from 1773 to 1793, during a treaty negotiations between the U.S. government and the Six Nations Iroquois.

The Parrish journals consist of six volumes that document relations with several Native American tribes during and following the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). He was present during the creation of a series of treaties that attempted to end the conflicts over land ownership, such as the Newtown Point Treaty of 1791 and another treaty negotiated at Sandusky, Ohio, in 1793. Parrish’s journals provide a great deal of insight into the often hostile and tenuous relationship between White people and Native Americans, while at the same time giving an idea of what daily life was like for men and women residing in these much contested territories.

Written during the late 18th century, the five journals are dated 1791 (1) and 1793 (4). The sixth item in the collection is a memoir that describes events occurring in 1773, yet appears to be written much later, possibly as early as 1790. Parrish traveled through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan and encountered many different Native American groups. The tribes with whom he had the most contact were the Shawnee, the Wyandot, the Seneca, the Stockbridge, the Chippewa, the Delaware, the Tuscarora, the Miami, and the Oneida. He also encounters many Native Americans who belong to the Moravian sect. Many of these tribes were part of the Six Nations Iroquois present at the treaty councils.

Each journal varies considerably in content, yet all contain very detailed descriptions. The memoir, which describes events occurring in 1773, documents Parrish’s journey to Newcomers Town in Ohio to meet with members of the Delaware tribe, most importantly Captain White Eyes and Chief Netawattwaleman. Traveling with fellow Quakers Lebulon Heston and John Lacy, the men embarked on the journey primarily as missionaries. Despite their intentions, however, the men become embroiled in the political volatility of the time. On his way to Newcomers Town, Parrish encountered Chief Logan (1725-1780), a Native American of the Mingo tribe, whose family was killed in what is known as the “Yellow Creek Massacre.” Logan, who delivered a speech referred to as “Logan’s Lament,” is quoted by Thomas Jefferson in his Notes on the State of Virginia and likewise verbatim in Parrish’s memoir. In addition to the Delaware tribe, Parrish also met members of the Shawnee and Wyandot tribes. The memoir is thought to have been written sometime after 1773, the earliest possible year date being 1790, given Parrish’s reference to historical information occurring after this time, such as the “Yellow Creek Massacre,” Dunmore’s War, and Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State.

Parrish’s 1791 journal serves as a description of the Treaty of Newtown Point and the events leading up to it. Originally the council was to take place at Painted Post in New York, but was changed to Newtown Point due to the low water levels of the Tioga River. Over 600 Native Americans were present for the treaty, and Parrish faithfully records sentiments expressed regarding attitudes towards White people and land ownership. He was especially careful to document several interviews and speeches of prominent Native American leaders, such as the Stockbridge chief Hendricks, Pater of the Onieda tribe, the Seneca chief Red Jacket, and a chief named Cayasuter. In addition to describing Native American customs, attitudes, and the events that transpired during the council, the issue of alcoholism among the tribes proved to be a chief concern for Parrish. Consequently, he asked Col. Pickering to cease the distribution of whiskey at the council fearing that it was hindering the negotiation process while simultaneously making the Native Americans vulnerable and easily exploitable.

Ultimately the Newtown Point council was unsuccessful, and the three volumes dated 1793 relate another attempt by Pickering to secure peace with the tribes. Although the Six Nations had agreed with Pickering’s terms, the western tribes were still rebellious and discontented. This necessitated the scheduling of yet another council to form a treaty. In the first volume Parrish -- accompanied by Beverly Randolph, John Elliot, Joseph Moore, and Pickering -- traveled to Detroit as a point from which they could easily meet with several tribes, while being close to Sandusky on Lake Erie -- the site of the upcoming council. Parrish noted that the tribes insisted on Ohio as the eastern boundary for their lands, remaining persistent in their demand despite the abundance of gifts that Pickering bestowed upon them. The second volume is mainly a discussion of Native American customs and the problem of slavery, especially the multitude of white captives. The narrative of Parrish's departure from Detroit to attend the council appears at the end of the second and beginning of the third volume. This treaty too failed, the tribes rejecting Pickering’s gifts in lieu of the restoration of their lands. At the end of the third volume, Cornplanter (1750-1836) -- chief of the Seneca -- delivered a moving speech to President Washington on the selling of their lands. Parrish related how Cornplanter demanded of Washington, “Brothers of our Fathers where is the place which you have reserved for us to lie down upon?....all the Lands we have been speaking of belong to the Six Nations no part of it ever belonged to the King of England and he could not give it up to you” (1793, No. 3, p. 11, 13). The latter replied and a brief exchange ensued.

Parrish’s last journal entitled “Some Notes on Indian Affairs,” which also dates to 1793, seems to have been written after returning home from Detroit and Sandusky. Much of the information recorded serves as a summary of some of his work described in the previous journals, as well as commentary on the situation of the tribes. He discussed in particular the Gnadenhütten massacre. This massacre, carried out by Lt. Col. David Williamson (1749-1814) and 160 of his militiamen on March 8, 1782 near Gnadenhütten, Ohio, left approximately 96 Moravian Indians dead. Parrish deplored this and other crimes committed against the tribes.

Parrish wrote intelligently and clearly, alternating between descriptions of events and his personal thoughts. His religious beliefs figured prominently in his attitudes and opinions, and they informed his desire for social justice for Native Americans, as well as for African American slaves. Present in all these journals is his sympathy for the human suffering he encountered, which he hoped to see eradicated. These journals thus prove to be not only rich in historical information, but also detailed in the accounts of Parrish's quest for a more peaceful coexistence between whites and Native Americans.

The Joseph Paxton letter book contains over 350 letters that Paxton received between 1853 and 1856, most of which pertain to financial matters, property, and railroads in Pennsylvania. His correspondents included his father, Joseph Paxton, and his brothers Charles, Lloyd, and Frank.

The Joseph Paxton letter book contains over 350 letters that Paxton received between around January 26, 1853, and June 10, 1856. The individual items were once bound, and the collection includes Paxton's alphabetical index of correspondents. Most of the correspondence pertains to real property, finances, business matters, and railroads in Pennsylvania; some items concern personal matters, such as his brother-in-law's visit to Europe in 1853. A few items reflect Paxton's interest in books and music, and some mention the Seventy-Six Society, a group that published pamphlets and manuscripts related to the American Revolution. Paxton's correspondents included his father, also named Joseph Paxton, and his brothers Charles R., Lloyd, and Frank, who wrote from "Iron Dale" near present-day Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. The letter book includes a printed advertisement for a Philadelphia paper called The Fireside Visitor (p. 328).

This collection is primarily made up of letters that Joseph Stokes received while attending the Westtown School in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in the early 1840s. His parents, Nathaniel Newlin and Nancy Evans Stokes, wrote most of the letters, though he also corresponded with aunts, cousins, and friends. Most items pertain to family news from Westfield, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This collection is primarily made up of letters that Joseph Stokes received while attending the Westtown School in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in the early 1840s. His parents, N. N. (Nathaniel Newlin) and N. E. (Nancy Evans) Stokes, wrote most of the letters from their home in Westfield, New Jersey; N. N. Stokes also wrote from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After 1842, some of the letters are addressed to both Joseph and John Stokes; one undated item is addressed to Anna Stokes, who also attended the Westtown School.

The Stokes family letters largely concern personal news of family members and friends, including members of the Stokes, Bispham, Lippincott, and Sharpless families, some of whom lived in Moorestown, New Jersey. They reported on the state of their farm in Westfield, where they raised cattle and hogs, and grew wheat, oats, potatoes, and corn. Some of the letters contain academic advice for Joseph and, later, his brother John. As the eldest of his siblings, the parents encouraged Joseph to set a good example; they once chastised John for the content of a previous letter (February 16, 1844). The letter of January 28, 1842, includes a description of a recent episode in which several members of the Stokes family fainted as a result of a gas leak in their stove. Joseph's aunts, cousins, and friends wrote similar letters, requesting news of his time at school and discussing their lives in New Jersey and Pennsylvania; one cousin reported on his pet pigeons and squirrel. Some of Joseph's friends reminisced about their time at Westtown School.

The Joseph Story papers contain the incoming letters of Joseph Story, a Massachusetts state representative, United States Supreme Court justice, and Harvard Law School professor. The papers deal with a wide range of political and legal issues concerning Massachusetts and the United States in the first half of the 19th century.

The Joseph Story papers (685 items) consist of the incoming letters of Joseph Story, a Massachusetts state representative, United States Supreme Court justice, and Harvard Law School professor. The collection contains 672 letters, 7 financial bills, and five printed items. Included are nine letters written by Story, and four by wife Mary Story. The rest were all addressed to Joseph Story, with the exception of two that were addressed to his daughter Sarah Wetmore Story and 15 written to his son William Wetmore Story. Forty-three items are undated. The papers deal with a wide range of national and state political issues and legal matters.

The collection covers the years 1794-1806, 1819-1825, and 1839-1843, with only a few items representing the remaining years. Included are letters from United States representatives related to congressional news; letters from prominent lawyers, judges, and jurors concerning legal matters and cases; and letters concerning Harvard Law School.

• October 1833: Antoine F. Picquet v. Charles P. Curtis, administrator of James Swan
• October 1843: Augustus H. Fiske v. Lyman Hunt
• October 1843: Bankruptcy case against B____.

The 1794-1806 letters document Story's early days as a Massachusetts lawyer and the beginning of his career as a state representative. Of particular interest are 10 letters from Samuel Sewall, a Massachusetts representative and later Supreme Court chief justice, under whom Story studied law. These mainly deal with Sewall's law office in Salem, Massachusetts, but also contain advice to Story on his reading of the law. Also of note are 14 letters from Jacob Crowninshield, a congress member and later secretary of the navy, concerning legislation affecting Massachusetts, policies regarding the fishing industry, and the presidential election of 1804. Prominent Boston lawyer James Sullivan contributed five letters related to various legal matters of the day.

The 1819-1825 letters document Story's activities as overseer of Harvard University and Supreme Court justice, during which time he split his residency between Salem and Washington D.C. Of special interest are 18 letters from Massachusetts congress member John Davis, in which he discussed international maritime law. Other notable contributors include Simon Greenlead (12 items), who discussed court decisions in Maine; Isaac Parker (6 items), who wrote about legal cases in Boston; Bushrod Washington (4 items), who reported on his legal cases before the Philadelphia circuit court; and Henry Wheaton (10 items), who shared judicial matters about New York. Also of note are letters from 1825 that relate to the need for altering instructional methods at Harvard, and a controversial election of members to the Corporation of Harvard College.

The Story papers contain only 27 items that date from 1826 to 1838. Of these, six are from French jurist Jean-Jacques Gaspard Foelix containing requests for Story to contribute to his journal Revue du droit français et étranger.

The 1839-1842 letters document the end of Story's career as an active justice, scholar, and law professor. Story received letters from prominent lawyers and judges from Portland, Boston, Providence, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Story also received requests for speeches and was given honors from scholarly institutions throughout New England.

• John C. Calhoun (1 item)
• Henry A.S. Dearborn (9 items)
• William Fettyplace (7 items)
• Joseph Hopkinson (5 items)
• Susan Ledyard (12 items)
• Francis Lieber (10 items)
• Jeremiah Mason (10 items)
• Theron Metcalf (5 items)
• Richard Peters (15 items)
• John Pickering (8 items)
• John Pitman (20 items)
• William Prescott (5 items)
• Jared Sparks (5 items)
• Charles Sumner (8 items)
• George Ticknor (10 items)
• Bushrod Washington (4 items)
• Daniel Webster (3 items)
• Stephen White (16 items)
• Nathaniel Williams (15 items)

• September 12, 1796: Leonard Woods to Story concerning religion and containing maxims on happiness
• February 12, 1799: Samuel Sewall to Story concerning advice for reading law
• January 15, 1800: Samuel Sewall to Story concerning the death of George Washington
• April 3, 1800: Sewall to Story concerning advice for reading law
• February 13, 1804: Jacob Crowninshield to Story concerning the Louisiana Purchase
• February 26, 1804: Jacob Crowninshield to Story concerning the presidential and vice-presidential elections of 1804
• March 23, 1804: Jacob Crowninshield to Story concerning the sinking of the Ship Philadelphia off the coast of Tripoli and the Barbary conflict
• November 3, 1804: James Sullivan to Story concerning probate court decisions from 1776-1779
• January 28, 1806: Jacob Crowninshield to Story concerning Napoleon's victories in Europe
• April 20, 1811: William Vans to Story, giving an account of his activities from 1789 to the present; as a merchant in England, detention in France, appointment by President George Washington as consul at several French ports, arriving in New York in 1809. Is asking advice, since he has not paid taxes and has not "resumd. any of my Rights as a Citizen of America"--"what State do I belong to, or am I a citizen of the United States without belonging to any particular State-" Has been told he is a Citizen of Boston. Urgent matter, fearing if it is not addressed soon, it will be barred.
• April 13, 1819: Henry Wheaton to Story concerning an "Ann Act to protect Banks against embezzlement by their agents, Clerks, or servants, and for other purposes."
• January 15, 1821: Elizabeth H. Walker to Story concerning arguments against slavery in congress
• July 9, 1821: Henry Dearborn to Story concerning a military officer's trial before a Boston circuit court
• August 25, 1821: Theodore Lyman to Story concerning the constitutionality of new laws concerning slaves and abolition in Massachusetts
• December 10, 1821: Elijah Paine to Story concerning the selection of a president of Dartmouth College
• June 1, 1822: Benjamin Livingston to Story concerning William Johnson's Sketches of the Life and Correspondence of Nathaniel Greene
• June 11, 1822: Francis Scott Keys to Story, concerning Ralph Randolph Gurley and the American Colonization Society
• August 15, 1822: Ralph Randolph Gurley to Story concerning American Colonization Society and the "African cause"
• February 23, 1823: Sarah Dunlap to Story requesting help with her son will soon disgrace her family by marrying a divorced wife and profligate actress
• August 22, 1823: William J. Spooner to Story concerning Phi Beta Kappa
• December 7, 1823: John Mason to Story concerning the national debt and the Monroe Doctrine
• June 5, 1825: Massachusetts Governor John Davis to Story concerning the Corporation of Harvard College
• July 7 and October 24, 1825: Justice Smith Thompson to Story providing legal summaries of important cases appearing before Story
• August 20, 1828: Joseph Hopkinson to Story regarding thoughts on the presidential election between Jackson and Adams and on becoming a federal judge
• March 18, 1839: Charles Sumner to Story concerning Lord Brougham gifting Sumner his wig
• August 26, 1839: Charles P. Curtis to Story, proposing the appointment of Edward G. Loring as a master in chancery of the United States Circuit Court.
• January 7, 1842: H.G.V. Colby to William Wetmore Story concerning Colby's remarks in the case of Sampson vs. Stoddard
• March 19 and May 13, 1842: Alexander Maxwell & Son of London to Story concerning a bill for books
• June 7, 1842: Artist Augustin Edouard to Story concerning making a "silhouette likeness" of Story
• December 31, 1845: Harriet Martineau to Sarah Wetmore Story, concerning Joseph Story's death

This collection contains letters that Julia Ann Joy, a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, received in the 1840s and 1850s. Joy's personal and professional correspondence concerns topics such as her work as a personal shopper.

This collection (432 items) contains letters that Julia Ann Joy, a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, received in the 1840s and 1850s.

The Correspondence series (424 items) contains many letters that Joy received from acquaintances, cousins, and other family members, who reported on their lives in places such as New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and West Virginia. Correspondents provided personal and local news, such as an account of a 32-year-old man's marriage to a 12-year-old girl (April 13, 1845); at least 2 refer to strained relations between the North and South. Additional correspondence concerns Joy's work as a personal shopper: customers requested items, thanked her for her services, and discussed payment.

The Documents series (3 items) contains 2 invoices for goods that Charles C. Ingram purchased from L. J. Levy & Co. in 1847 and 1848 and a partially printed lease between the Moline Water Company and Andrew Anderson of Moline, Illinois (December 16, 1889).

The Poetry series contains 2 manuscript poems: one about martyrdom and one about a hunting trip.

The Ephemera series (3 items) includes a sticker with a picture of wheat and the caption "You deserve thrashing" (with a manuscript caption, "So does all good wheat!"), a printed advertisement for Julia Joy's personal shopping services, and an April 1891 issue of St. Jude's Parish News.

This letter book contains copies of Kenderton Smith's outgoing correspondence from the 1820s to 1840s. Smith, a lawyer, discussed legal issues with his clients and wrote about personal financial affairs, which included a claim against the United States under the Adams-Onís Treaty.

This letter book contains copies of Kenderton Smith's outgoing correspondence from 1822 to 1847. The first two letters relate to property owned by Smith's father prior to the purchase of Florida by the United States under the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819. On October 7, 1822, Smith wrote Robert S. Hollins about the matter, and on the same day advised his uncle, General Samuel Smith, that the estate had a $2,000 claim against the United States Government. Throughout 1823, he wrote former United States Representative Thomas Hill Hubbard about the inheritance of his aunt's estate. On January 31, 1823, he addressed Hubbard on behalf of Mrs. Nicholas O'Connor, whose widow's pension halted after the death of her husband. Smith addressed numerous legal topics in his correspondence with clients and others; many of his letters relate to inheritance.

These two volumes contain records of job seekers that hired the Keystone Employment Bureau of Philadelphia to connect them with opportunities. Proprietor Charles Bradley kept this documentation. Each entry contains one or more of the following types of information: source of the client, address or contact information, age, rudimentary physical description, personality, impression, job experience, type of requested work, type of work not wanted by individuals, desired wage, race, ethnicity, nationality, Christian affiliation, desired geographical location of the job, whether or not the client paid, and other remarks.

These two volumes contain records of job seekers that hired the Keystone Employment Bureau of Philadelphia to connect them with opportunities. Proprietor Charles Bradley kept this documentation. Each entry contains one or more of the following types of information: source of the client, address or contact information, age, rudimentary physical description, personality, impression, job experience, type of requested work, type of work not wanted by individuals, desired wage, race, ethnicity, nationality, Christian affiliation, desired geographical location of the job, whether or not the client paid, and other remarks.

Source of Client: Rarely, Bradley would note the names of persons or institutions (like the Christian Association) who referred the job seeker to him or whether they saw his advertising. Some women appear to have been homeless and others specifically noted that they came from foster homes. Each entry includes an address or means of contacting the client.

Women's Age, Physical Descriptions, Personality/Impressions: Terms used by Bradley include young, not young, middle age, oldish, steady, splendid, nice looking, fair haired, tall, settled, green horn, experienced, competent, reliable, willing, good, extra good, affable, strong, stout, neat, tidy, and more.

Men's Age, Physical Descriptions, Personality/Impressions: Terms used by Bradley include young, neat, strong, tall, athletic, willing, honest looking, smooth faced, and others.

Job Experience: Bradley would add "exper" (experienced) to many entries, but occasionally specified the individual's type of work background. Some examples include florist, farmer, cook, "can cook anything that ever was cooked," hotel, dressmaker, gardener, horse tending, mill worker, "handy with tools," cafe, one "Fresco Painter," and others. At times, he also noted if the job seeker had references.

Women's Types of Work Requested: "G.H.W." (general housework), cook, kitchen helper, waitress, chambermaid, "anything useful," "work of any kind," "Institution work," child's nurse or attendant, renting rooms, hotel, linen rooms, laundry, washing, ironing, milk dealer employee, restaurant, "1st class place," "housekeeping for a widower," shoe store, and others.

Men's Types of Work Requested: Bartender, "waiterman," "elevator," coachman, watchman, and gate tender.

Types of Work Not Wanted by Individuals: Examples include "no washing," "not too heavy work," "housework where there is no washing or ironing," "anything but head cook," and "anything except waiterman cooking or milking."

Wages: Rarely, applicants stated the wages they hoped to receive. For women, the ranges mentioned were between $2.00 and $5.00 per week; for men, the ranges were $7.00 to $10.00 per week.

Race, Ethnicity, Nationality: Terms used by Bradley include colored/col'd, German, Pennsylvania Dutch, Irish, Swedish, Polish, Scotch, English, and "American."

Christian Affiliation: Bradley frequently noted "Prot" (Protestant) or "Cath" (Catholic) as part of the descriptions of persons seeking employment.

Desired Geographical Situations: The various locations desired by clients included country, city, seashore, mountains, Atlantic City, "prefer city," "would go out on a farm," "no objection to country," "small farm," "not out of town," and others.

Additional Notes: Other qualifications, desires, and remarks include notes such as "speaks good English," "speaks German," wants to be able to go home at night, wants Sunday's off, "has sore finger," "deaf" (May 27, 1898), wants to work for "American women," marital status, child dependents, one married woman with her husband out of work, and more.

The Kittredge-Stone family correspondence is made up of 184 letters to John Theodore Kittredge of Framingham, Massachusetts; to his sister Ellen, also of Framingham; and to Ellen's husband, Dexter Stone of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The letters pertain to bereavement, finances, and family news from Framingham, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This collection is made up of 184 letters to Dr. John Theodore Kittredge of Framingham, Massachusetts; to his sister Ellen Kittredge Stone, also of Framingham; and to Ellen's husband, Dexter Stone of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The letters concern bereavement, finances, and family news from Framingham, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The collection also contains a few letters to the Stone family from other acquaintances, and an indenture.

From October 1825-November 1827, while attending Amherst College, John T. Kittredge received 7 letters from his parents, John B. Kittredge and Mary Kellogg Kittredge, and sister, Ellen I. Kittredge. The Kittredge family reported local news from Framingham, Massachusetts, and offered advice and encouragement. Between July 1830 and March 1831, Ellen Kittredge received 3 letters from Louisa J. Park, a friend who reported on life in Boston.

The remaining correspondence is mostly comprised of letters between John T. Kittredge, Ellen Kittredge Stone, and Dexter Stone, as well as letters from John B. Kittredge and Mary Kellogg Kittredge to their daughter and son-in-law. Dexter and Ellen Stone often corresponded during Ellen's visits to Framingham, while Dexter remained in Philadelphia. They discussed their separation, Kittredge family news, and their social activities. Dexter Stone also wrote to his daughters Mary and Ellen while they visited Framingham with their mother (August 8, 1842; July 16, 1844; July 20, 1845). During Dexter's final illness and shortly after his death in November 1846, Ellen received letters of sympathy from acquaintances. She occasionally received letters pertaining to finances, and the collection contains one indenture (October 4, 1854).

This collection consists of incoming letters sent to Mary Averell Knap of Brownsville and Ogdensburg, New York, between 1850 and 1862, and letters sent to her granddaughter, Lydia Averell Hasbrouck, of Ogdensburg, New York, in 1885 and 1886 by her cousin, Thomas Whitney Brown. The correspondence concerns daily life, occasional references to the Civil War, literature, and Brown's attempts to gain admission to the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University).

The Knap-Whitney family letters consist of approximately 88 letters. The correspondence addressed to Mary Averell Knap includes 4 outgoing and approximately 75 incoming personal letters dated between 1848 and 1864. Her parents, friends, cousins, and other family members commented on their daily lives, with occasional references to the Civil War. Mary Knap's father, Thomas Knap, informed his daughter about his life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1850, and occasionally discussed the sermons he heard. After 1850, Mary's correspondents primarily included her cousins and friends. In the mid-1850s, Maria M. Campbell (later Smith), a cousin, wrote about her education and social life at St. Mary's Hall, Burlington, New Jersey, and in October 1858 discussed her relocation to Fort Mason, Texas (resultant from her husband's affiliation with the United States Army's Second Cavalry). Susie P. Willene wrote of her life in "Frankford," and in one letter she shared her distaste for recent political developments in South Carolina, despite her southern heritage (June 22, 1855). Other friends reported social news, such as marriages and, in one instance, the author's secret engagement. Knap also received letters from several men, including one written in German.

Though Mary Knap continued to receive letters throughout the Civil War, her correspondents primarily focused on personal matters, such as her cousin Will's efforts to establish a forge at Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania. Others described a visit to an army encampment in Washington, D.C., and mentioned a soldier's aid society.

Mary A. Knap also wrote 4 letters to George Whitney in 1857, about her life in Brownsville and his unreciprocated romantic advances.

The correspondence sent from Thomas Brown Whitney of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to his cousin, Lydia Averell Hasbrouck of Ogdensburg, New York, includes 8 letters dated from 1885 and 1886 and 1 letter dated in 1940. He shared family news and stories, and commented on his daily life. An avid reader, he frequently discussed literature and literary figures, such as Lords Tennyson and Byron, and occasionally copied poetry into his letters. Whitney enjoyed fencing, and drew several figures fighting in his letter of December 26, 1885. After September 1885, the letters concentrate on his desire to attend College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), and he wrote of his studies, college entrance exams, and classes in Latin. On April 6, 1886, he voiced his concerns about "hazing and general fighting" at Princeton. His letter dated March 23, 1940, reflects on a bout of "grippe" and attitudes towards the Second World War, including German anti-war sentiment.