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The collection consists of one letter: dated Sparta, Hancock County, Georgia, February 7, 1846, addressed to Mrs. Jane D. Anderson, West Windham, New Hampshire, in Care of Francis D. Anderson, signed "Your affectionate nephew, S. M. B." (The writer's name is inferred from a reference he makes to "Mother Bass.") The author writes " …this is a day of high-pressure engines, Magnetic Telegraphs, Iron War Steamers, etc., etc., not to mention the various isms of our time such as Mesmerism, Mormonism, Millerism …" He also writes about his life at the Academy, his rooms, and his neighbors.

The collection consists of papers tracing theater life of the Smedley family from 1898-1919. In his diary, Edwin A. Smedley writes about time spent in New York and Providence. New York entries regard interviews, agents, looking for work, rehearsals at Carnegie Hall, Amateur Night, C.S. Church, and several visitors. Entries from Providence regard family activities, relaxation, spending time on the beach and boat, and ball games. Most entries begin with a weather update, and the final pages include addresses of friends and family members, and travel and performance schedules. Journal B contains several newspaper clippings regarding Ellis Smedley, Edwin Smedley, Kate Douglas Wiggin, Mabel Tailaferro, Edith Taliaferro, Archie Boyd, the Smedley Sketch Club, and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. The collection also includes some photographs, The Little mother script by Katherine Stagg, broadsides, programs, and memorabilia from the theater.