William Ivey Cranford was Dean of Trinity College. He resigned as Dean on June 4, 1917 and was succeeded by William H. Wannamaker. Collection contains notebooks, correspondence, notes, transcripts and manuscripts. Material ranges in date from circa circa 1889-1945, with many of the materials undated.

Collection contains correspondence, Cranford's notebooks from graduate courses at Yale University, transcripts and notes from articles on, mentioning, or by Cranford (with notes taken by H. E. Kolbe), transcripts and notes from papers and lectures by Cranford (notes by Kolbe), manuscripts, miscellaneous notes and drafts for articles and lectures, material collected by Kolbe on Cranford, and a school notebook (circa 1790s) which is believed to have been from the Edwards family. A bulk of the correspondence (primarily from 1893-1895 and 1905), is personal and includes letters written by and to William Cranford, including many to and from Nellie Edwards, who later became his wife. Also included are numerous letters from Mrs. Mary Jane Edwards (M.J.Edwards), Nellie's mother, to William Cranford while he was attending Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and letters to Nellie Edwards from a variety of close friends and former students. The correspondence is arranged chronologically. One folder consists of miscellaneous materials such as receipts, miniature sheet music, and samples of steel pens from Perry & Co's Steel Pens.

Much of the correspondence, loose sheets, and notebooks are fragile and should be handled with care. The material ranges in date from circa 1889-1934, with many of the materials undated.