The collection of Vada Wolfe Derry consists of a photograph of "The Children of Isaac Clinton Wolfe" (circa 1908), a photo album, and a scrapbook. The photo album contains photographs, presumably of the family of Vada Wolfe Derry, dated 1927 to 1940. The album contains many pictures of Mervin, who was her son, from a baby through childhood. The album also contains photographs of Horsehead Lake, Michigan; Houghton Lake, Michigan; Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan; Traverse City, Michigan; Sault Sainte Marie locks; Niagara Falls; Pine River near Alma, Michigan; Mackinaw City and Island ferry called the Algomah II; and Castle Rock in St. Ignace, Michigan.

The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings pasted into a book. The clippings are from the Lansing State Journal, called the State Journal at the time, dated 1931 to 1936. Many of the clippings are of weddings and deaths of residents of Lansing, Ithaca (especially Ithaca High School students), and Gratiot County, Michigan. A few clippings concern items unique to the time period of the scrapbook, including an article about an Ithaca woman annoyed that she shares the same name as a character on the popular "Amos 'n' Andy" radio show; a satirical poem about the NRA, a New Deal program intended to help end the Depression; and an essay honoring Thomas Edison at his death.