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This collection contains 63 letters written and received by members of the Hitchcock family of Strong, Maine, in the early 19th century. Edward K. Hitchcock received 40 letters from his parents and siblings, as well as 4 letters from cousins and other relatives, 12 from acquaintances, and 1 from the Maine Secretary of State. The collection also has 1 letter Edward wrote to his parents and 5 letters addressed to other members of the extended family. Edward's siblings and parents primarily provided news from Strong, Maine, in the 1830s and 1840s, and his other correspondents reported on financial matters.

This collection is comprised of 63 letters written and received by members of the Hitchcock family of Strong, Maine, in the early 19th century. Edward K. Hitchcock received 40 letters from his parents and siblings, as well as 4 letters from cousins and other relatives, 12 from acquaintances, and 1 from the Maine Secretary of State. The collection also has 1 letter Edward wrote to his parents and 5 letters addressed to other members of the extended family. Edward's siblings and parents primarily provided news from Strong, Maine, in the 1830s and 1840s, and his other correspondents occasionally reported on financial matters.

Edward K. Hitchcock most frequently received letters from his parents, Benjamin and Vaeilette Hitchcock, and from his siblings, including Alfred, Eunice, Vaeilette, and Mary Hitchcock. They wrote to Edward at Kent's Hill, Maine, in 1837 and 1838; at Houlton, Maine, from 1840 to 1843; at Rouses Point, New York, between 1845 and 1847; and at Strong, Maine, after 1847. Most letters contain family and local news from Strong, such as reports of marriages or deaths, as well as updates on the family farm and on a local mill. Several writers mentioned members of the Ellsworth and Stanwood families. Some family members, particularly women, discussed their education. Edward's mother and, less frequently, his siblings expressed concern about his health and commented negatively on the effects of their separation. Edward's sister Eunice reported on her life in Boston, Massachusetts, and his brother Alfred wrote of Boston's clothing industry and of his business affairs there. Alfred and others remarked about courtship and relationships between their acquaintances. Most of Edward's non-familial correspondents discussed financial matters.

In addition to Edward K. Hitchcock's incoming correspondence, the collection holds 1 letter he wrote to his parents, sharing news and offering to assist the family with their financial troubles (December 6, 1843). Other letters include 3 Marcia A. Stinson wrote to her "Aunt Delano" (1853-1854), and 1 letter addressed to George W. Ellsworth from Mary Jane Delano (February 19, 1843). Also of interest are a letter Edward's siblings wrote concerning a recent trip to Boston (June 23, 1844); Alfred Hitchock's thoughts on the election of Zachary Taylor (December 4, 1848); and two partially printed letters from P. C. Johnson, Secretary of State for Maine, appointing Ephraim K. Hiscock "justice of the peace and quorum" for Franklin County and appointing Edward K. Hiscock [Hitchcock] "justice of the peace and quorum" for Somerset County (both dated May 15, 1845).

The Richard P. Mallory sketchbook contains 80 pages of complete and incomplete sketches of various landscapes and buildings in Vermont and New York, drawn between 1855 and 1857.

The Richard P. Mallory sketchbook contains 80 pages of sketches of various landscapes and buildings in Vermont and New York, drawn between 1855 and 1857. Manuscript inscriptions on the inside cover indicate that the sketchbook belonged to R.P. Mallory and was rebound in 1888. A brief index is included in the front with the locations of many of the subjects in the sketches. The pages are inconsistently numbered, and not all pages contain drawings. Many of the drawings are incomplete. Captions and dates are included with most of the sketches, many containing the location of the subject in the drawing. These subjects are from various villages and cities in Vermont, including Burlington, Fairfield, Saint Albans, and Winooski. New York views include Dannemora, Keeseville, Malone, Ogdensburg, Plattsburg, Redford, and Rouses Point.

There are many detailed sketches of buildings: churches, schools, homes, hotels, banks, court houses, and train depots. There are also many landscape sketches, depicting farms, lakes, rivers, trees, mountains, and waterfalls. Of note are sketches of the Ausable River, including the Ausable Falls and Devil's Oven, on pages 74 to 87. Two ports are also depicted, Port Kent in Burlington and Port Jackson in New York.

Pages 30 to 44 are devoted to the Franklin sawmill in Plattsburgh, noted as the "largest mill in the state of New York." Included are views of the interior and exterior, and an introductory page with a history and details of the mill. Great attention is also given to the Clinton Prison and its related mining operations in Dannemora, New York, spanning pages 96 to 103. Of note are an overview of the prison facility and striking views of underground mining operations.

The style of the drawings throughout the sketchbook suggests the occasional use of an optical device such as a camera obscura.