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Fifty-four letters of and pertaining to members of the Ellison family, chiefly those of Colonel Robert Ellison to his brother Henry Ellison dealing with the former's military activities abroad and in America, 1733-1748, and the letters of Henry to his sons, Henry and Robert, mostly treating the political news of the day in England, 1759-1774. Also the diary of Robert, son of Henry, and various documents.

The papers relate chiefly to the business, financial, real estate, military, civic and personal activities of Nicholas Fish. There are letters from various military figures concerning army provisions during the Revolution, letters relating to lands given to Fish for his services during the war, twenty letters from various individuals to George Clinton (1739-1812), and ten letters to DeWitt Clinton. The Hamilton Fish letters deal with business matters of his father, Nicholas, after his death. There are a few personal letters from several family members and a diary of Nicholas Fish from 1784. The documents consist of real estate and financial matters of the family as well as various petitions on matters of a civic nature

Letters, manuscripts, documents, and letterbooks of Jay and of many members of his family. The letters touch on every aspect of American life and government of the period, and contain correspondence from such prominent individuals as John Adams, George Clinton, James Duane, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Rufus King, John Paul Jones, Marquis de Lafayette, Robert B. Livingston, William Livingston, Gouverneur Morris, Robert Morris, Edmund Randolph, Philip Schuyler, and George Washington. There are approximately 500 letters from Jay, primarily drafts of correspondence to the persons listed above, as well as his correspondence as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, 1784-1789. The manuscripts and documents include many reports, commissions, and diplomas, as well as a draft copy of THE FEDERALIST Number 5 and Jay's oath of office as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court; also included are manumission documents, and a group of documents from Trinity Church, where his father was a vestryman from 1715 to 1785. The collection includes copies of Jay's letter book as Secretary of State, 10 Oct. 1788-25 Dec. 1792, and of four letters from John Armstrong, 19 June-27 Dec. 1810; and a commercial copy of the pair of silverplated candlesticks from the Treaty of Paris, 3 Sept. 1783, reproduced by the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Office records for the publication project, and photocopies and microfilm copies of Jay letters and related documents.

Papers, including both personal and business communications. The bulk of the latter are from his term as Sheriff.

The collection is equally divided between letters written by members of the Otis family and letters and documents relating to them. The earlist item is a 17th century marriage settlement and there are a few letters written in the 19th century. The bulk of the collection, however is from the second half of the 18th century. The largest number of letters were written by Joseph Otis (1726-1810), his brother Samuel Allyne Otis (1740-1814), and their father, James Otis (1702-1778). There are a few letters from and relating to Joseph's more famous brother, James Otis of Boston (1725-1783) who was one of the more colorful and incendiary figures in pre-revolutionary New England. Also, letters and documents of George Washington, John Bradford, Josiah Quincy, and Edward Wigglesworth. The letters deal largely with legal and business matters, but there is some comment on events of contemporary interest.

Correspondence and legal and business papers of Peter Van Schaack and his family. The collection includes letters to and from Egbert Benson, Henry Cruger, James Duane, William Laight, Theodore Sedgwick, Peter Silvester, John Vardill, and many others. The letters deal with such subjects as taxation, the siege of Boston, George Washington, Tories, the Jay Treaty, Shays' Rebellion, and the many prominent people with whom Van Schaack was acquainted, including the Jay family and Gouverneur Morris. There is a large number of letters to and from his brother, Henry Van Schaack (1733-1823). The correspondence contains many political and social opinions regarding America and England before, during, and after the Revolutionary War. Many of the legal documents concern the disputed claims to the Van Rensselaer properties in Claverack and Westenhook, N.Y., as well as land claims around Kinderhoek, N.Y. Henry Cruger Van Schaack added to the collection more letters from well-known people as well as legal and family papers. These are mostly dated in the mid-19th century, and deal in part with the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, the Berkshire Iron Works, and similar business ventures. Many documents are Colonial-era deeds or concern early land disputes such as the New York-Massachusetts boundary dispute.