The papers include Civil War letters of John, George, and Daniel Kendall, who served in the 18th New Hampshire Infantry, to their parents in Franconia, New Hampshire, and letters from family friends. Among them is a letter dated June 1, 1863 by William Houston, 24th Michigan Infantry, which describes the situation of Fredericksburg. Also found in the collection is a typescript (1962) giving a brief history of the Houston family.