The early correspondence gives a description of Civil War fighting in Virginia and comments on the controversy following McClellan’s removal by Lincoln. The correspondence from the 1870s recounts Johnson’s efforts as Professor of Agriculture and deal with animal sales and purchases, grain tests, and other topics. Also included are lectures read by Johnson and Ray Stannard Baker’s student notebook of lectures given by Johnson.

The second portion of the collection contains the papers of Samuel Johnson’s first wife Eliza, second wife Sarah, daughter Alice, sons Henry and Philip and of the Wilderness Farm. This part contains correspondence commenting on routine events and personal feelings, diaries of farm life, student class notebooks, school district assessor records within Cass County, a military inventory and two documents related to a women’s school in Buckland, Massachusetts. It also contains a volume of messages received by a medium, Mrs. Denslow.