This collection consists of letters, legal documents, account books, bank books, school exercises and journals dealing with the Hall and Wilcox families. These two families were connected by marriage: Mrs. E. E. Hall was the daughter of Earl and Mary E. Ferdon Wilcox. Documents originate from Canaan and Columbia Counties, New York; Connecticut; Ohio; Wisconsin; Michigan; and various points in the western states. Materials deal principally with personal matters, agriculture, health, social life, and the westward movement.

Items of special interest include:

• · A letter (Hall Family Letters, May 8, 1839) that comments on land speculation in Michigan
• · A journal of F. Lyman Hall (1840-1844) describing, in some detail, his travels through the Midwest
• · A letter (Hall Family Letters, July 24, 1858) commenting on pioneering conditions in Kansas
• · Letters (Hall Family Letters, 1859) from Denver, Colorado, during the gold rush
• · A poem (Wilcox Family Letters, 1859) written by Mary E. Ferdon titled "The Michigan Song" that satirizes various trials of mid-nineteenth century Michigan life
• · Several letters from members of both families concerning Civil War conditions on the front and in hospitals
• · A printed circular (Hall Family Letters, July 6, 1867) with information from the Franklin County (Kansas) Immigration Society, including a map showing railroad connections.