The collection contains thirteen small diaries (1883-1897) of Milton Lehr, a farmer and school teacher in Sherwood, Branch County, Michigan. The 1884 volume entries from August to November describe a trip to the West Coast. While in the West, Lehr worked on sheep ranches and potato farms. November 3-7, 1884 entries tell of visits to the Wigwam, the Republican Party headquarters in San Francisco. At the back of each volume is an account of the year's income and spending.

Also included are two teacher's certificates belonging to Hettie Fulton (later Lehr's wife) from Leonidas Township, St. Joseph County, 1879 and Sherwood Township, Branch County, 1879. There is a November 15, 1866 teacher's contract from Sherwood Township, Branch County, belonging to Lehr. Also belonging to Lehr are a receipt from the Ward & O'Brien Employment Office in San Francisco (1884) and a tax receipt for a property in Sherwood, Michigan, 1890.