James J. Archer was a Maryland lawyer and officer in the Mexican-American War and American Civil War. This collection contains two decades of correspondence between Archer and his family and includes descriptions of Archer's life during wartime and his experiences as a prisoner of war prior to his death (1864-1865). Also included in the collection is various correspondence between other Archer family members.

Voluminous daily diary kept by Bel Air, Maryland resident George Lindenburger Van Bibber IV (1906-1979). He describes subjects such as meals, weather, conversations, parties, clothes, financial transactions, movies, books, radio and television programs, world affairs, and travels. The diary volumes are indexed in a card catalog system invented by Van Bibber in 1947.

Correspondence of the Hollyday family of "Ratcliffe Manor" and "Readbourne" estates on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The letters deal with family, business, legal, and land affairs.