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The Florence Moss Smith Papers span the period 1916 to 1973 and consist almost entirely of correspondence. The bulk of the collection consists of letters exchanged between Florence and Frank Smith during their courtship and after their marriage between 1942 and 1945 when Frank Smith was serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. While this World War II correspondence forms the crux of the collection, the papers also chronicle Florence Smith's life from her undergraduate days at Duke University until the marriage of her children more than three decades later. One of the greatest research values of the collection, is its depiction of the impact World War II had upon families.

The Harry Slattery Papers span the period 1890-1953 with the bulk dated 1928 to 1944. They include correspondence, memoranda, writings and speeches, printed material, clippings, scrapbooks, and indexes. The collection chiefly concerns positions Slattery held during his years of public service and reflect his lifelong interest in conservation. Very few of Slattery's personal papers are included in the collection.

Personal and business papers of George Hoffman Slater of "Rose Hill," Upperville, Va., but also including papers of several other Virginia families, the James Lee family, and the Deatherage and Lake families. Papers of George Hoffman Slater include personal and business correspondence, school papers, bills, and receipts.

The Chris Costner Sizemore Papers span the time period 1952-1989, with the bulk of the papers dating between 1956 and 1979. The collection consists largely of correspondence; diaries and writings by Sizemore; publicity centered on film and book promotions or speaking engagements; materials related to her appearances; interviews and documentary materials (including film, video- and audiocassettes); and assorted materials including photographs, legal and financial papers. Most items relate to Sizemore's struggle with multiple personality disorder (dissociative identity disorder), both personally through letters, writings, and diaries, and publicly through interviews, documentary media, and news clippings. The papers provide an in-depth look into the life of a woman with a rare disorder who later came to clearly articulate her life to the public and become a mental health advocate. A biography was written by her doctors in 1957, Corbett Thigpen and Hervey Cleckley, called The Three Faces of Eve. It was turned into a film the next year. Under the pseudonym, Evelyn Lancaster, Sizemore co-authored The Final Face of Eve with James Poling in 1958. In 1977 she wrote, under her given name, the autobiography I'm Eve. The Correspondence Series is arranged chronologically, and consists primarily of incoming letters. Dr. Corbett Thigpen, the doctor to deliver the original diagnosis of multiple personality disorder, is prominent in much of the collection. This series documents his relationship to Sizemore during treatment and continuing well into the 1970s. He corresponded with Sizemore about his writings, revealing much about the publication of The Three Faces of Eve (book), and its subsequent movie release. The series also contains correspondence with other doctors, family members, Sizemore's editors and publishers, and organizations for which she lectured. The Writings Series is comprised primarily of the holograph manuscript, typescript, final galley proofs, and paperback edition of I'm Eve, the memoir written by Sizemore with the help of Elen Pittillo. This comprehensive view of the book's publication is represented from handwritten copy to final edition. The Writings Series also includes some short descriptions of Sizemore's life and examples of her poetry, as well as a few writings by others. There are six diaries in the Diaries Series, kept during parts of the 1950s and 1970s. Within these volumes, Sizemore discloses inner thoughts, which reveal very personal information about enduring mental illness and its effects on her family. The Publicity Series includes news clippings and journal articles about Sizemore and multiple personality disorder, as well as media related to her published works. The Events Series contains materials and ephemera related to Sizemore's public life of art shows, lectures, broadcasts, and appearances, often for mental health organizations. It also contains materials from her book tour for The Three Faces of Eve. The Photographs Series contains pictures from these events and of Sizemore's family life. The Additional Materials Series contains financial and legal papers, medical files, and identifying documents. There is also an Audio Visual Materials Series that contains interviews and documentary materials that again reflect the public's interest in Sizemore's life, as well as her own desire to document and share her experiences in writing, speaking, and art. Included is a documentary film by Dr. Thigpen, and video and audiocassettes of television interviews, other appearances, and of family members discussing a shared past (sound quality of some of the audiocassettes is very poor).

Correspondence, financial papers, and legal documents, concerning William Sims' extensive plantation holdings in South Carolina. Includes two account books. Correspondence is primarily related to business matters, including cotton trade and prices; the price and availability of slaves; and the beginnings of a textile industry on the plantation. Local and state politicians in South Carolina are often mentioned, as is the general economic plight of the Southern planter in the period (ca. 1819-1830), and currency problems in the state (ca. 1826-1830). One personal letter effusively describes newly settled land in Mississippi and the quality of the cotton grown there.

Correspondence, financial records, legal documents, clippings, account books, commissions, addresses and speeches, and a diploma. Correspondence concerns chiefly cotton growing, trade and prices; slaves who worked in cotton fields; financial matters; Washington, D.C. politics, with references to Henry Clay and John Calhoun; state and national politics; descriptions of newly settled areas of Mississippi and California; and a cholera outbreak in Charleston (1832). Civil War letters detail problems at Fort Sumter (1861), and often refer to economic difficulties and shortages in South Carolina. Other Civil War letters are also written from Manassas, Alabama, and Mississippi. One letter from Mississippi details the desperation of women left alone and unable to flee before the advancing Union Army. Post-war letters reveal the problems of Reconstruction in South Carolina. Many of the letters are to Sims' wife Jane Emily Sims (Farnandis).