The fonds documents Dorothy Duncan’s personal and professional activities as an American-born Canadian writer and painter, primarily between 1930 and her death in 1957. Duncan’s career as a writer is represented by scrapbooks, clippings, and photographs related to her published works, two unpublished manuscripts, and contracts and correspondence with publishers and her literary agent in New York. Her activities as a painter are documented in clippings, lists of paintings, and contracts with art galleries. The fonds also contains personal correspondence, including letters from friends, family, fans, and a significant number of letters from her husband, Hugh MacLennan. Duncan’s notebooks and diaries also attest to her personal and professional activities. They document her early adulthood in Illinois and her later life in Montreal, and include notes, agendas, and a ledger. The fonds also contains two albums of personal photographs.

Collection consists chiefly of an album of photographs and clippings compiled by Cecile (Burroughs) Masson. Captions date the photographs to between 1915 and 1940, with one earlier photograph from 1883 that depicts Cecile and Rodrigue Masson's wedding. Many of the personal photographs depict members of the Masson family taken in Terrebonne, Quebec (where the Masson family home was located), in Ottawa, and during travels to Italy, London, the south of France. There are 28 leaves of full page plates of travel photographs from France, Italy, and Africa. Also included in the album are postcards and newspaper clippings. One series of postcards depicts architecture in Terrebonne, Quebec. The clippings include a letter to the editor written by L. R. Masson (Mrs. L. A. Globensky) and published in the Montreal Star, 1939. Other clippings relate to the S-Plan, a bombing campaign by the Ireland Republic Army, in 1939, as well as the British royal family. The album is half bound in faux black morocco and pebbled cloth boards with the initials C. M. stamped in gilt on the front cover. A caption at the head of the second leaf reads "This album is for mother from Grace", with "mother" crossed out. An inscription on the first leaf reads "This is for my dear daughter Cecile. Many happy memories of the past - affectionately from Mother." The collection also includes two loose black and white photograph portraits, one of which is inscribed to Aunt Cecile.

Collection consists of an album of travel photographs (chiefly black and white, with some colour). Captions date the photographs to between 1946-1956 and then to between 1989-1994. The captions also include information about the photographs themselves. The first portion of the album contains photographs taken in Niagara Falls, Manitoulin Island, northern Ontario, Bermuda, the Maritime provinces, and the United States, including Howe Caverns, Fort Williams, New York, Yellowstone National Park, Plymouth Rock, Washington, New Orleans, and Mackinac Island, dated between 1946 and 1956. The second portion contains photographs dated from 1898-1994 and documents travel to Israel, Albania, the former Yugoslavia, Russia, Estonia, England, Greece, Costa Rica, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Ukraine. The album is cloth bound in blue with the title "Snaps" in black with painted tulips.

Collection consists of three albums containing photographs taken at Grenfell Mission and one framed photograph. Albums feature many photographs of St. Anthony and the region, its inhabitants, the medical staff at the Grenfell Mission, and activities such as dogsledding.

The series consists of records pertaining to Duncan’s published works and art work. The series contains four scrapbooks of clippings related to each of her published books: “You Can Live in An Apartment” (1939), “Here’s to Canada!” (1941), “Bluenose: A Portrait of Nova Scotia” (1942), and “Partner in Three Worlds” (1944). Duncan’s work as a writer is also represented by publishing contracts from houses in New York and London (1940-1946), a series of photographs and captions that were used in “Here’s to Canada,” and files of newspaper and magazine clippings of articles written by and about Duncan, including a feature that she wrote about Gabrielle Roy. Duncan’s work as an artist is documented by files of clippings and contracts with art galleries. There is also a list of Duncan’s paintings included in one of the notebooks in Series 5 Notebooks and Diaries (1931-1957).

The series consists of documents related to Dorothy Duncan’s personal life, including a copy of Dorothy Duncan’s birth certificate, clippings of obituaries from Duncan’s death, and two personal photo albums (1930-1940). The photo albums are a mix of family photos, personal travel photos, and commercial postcards and photos documenting Canada, the United States of America, and various European countries.

Collection contains primarily of 9 photograph albums containing 457 silver print photographs, and 4 printed items. It also includes records relating to Canadian railways and an export catalogue from the Canadian Car and Foundry Company.

This subseries focuses on the unpublished memoir of Casey A. Wood, which consists of manuscripts, typescripts, notes, research project notes and publications, correspondence (1888-1939), photographs, clippings and printed material, and journals (1891, 1930-1931) from approximately 1850-1939. Wood had assistance from family members, professional connections, and friends to compile his biographical information for the memoir. Wood was living in Rome during the mid- to late-1930s, so much of the Canadian research was conducted by family members Samuel Casey Wood III, Alan Wood, and Edith Hayes. There is correspondence between Wood and his family on the progress of the memoir, their family, and personal lives. The subseries consists of approximately 110 letters and 1 telegram with additional correspondence, clippings, and other materials integrated into the memoir’s manuscript and typescripts.
Individuals addressed within the correspondence and other materials include Alan Wood, Samuel Casey Wood III, George Iles, H. Clay Evans, Dr. George H. Mathewson, Francis J. Shepherd, Harvey Cushing, Dr. George H. Simmons, Casey Hayes, Josephine Seymour, Dr. Charles P. Small, Ms. Slaughter, Major J. C. Dawson, Dr. J. C. Simpson, J. R. Slonaker, Irving S. Cutter, Dr. H. D. Birkett, Dr. Franck Brawley, Dr. Maude Abbott, Elizabeth E. Abbott, Dr. W. W. Francis, Harry Harris, G. R. Lomer, Dr. Harry Vanderbilt Wurdemann, Dr. C. F. Wylde, V. C. Wynne Edwards, Dr. Andreas Nell, Sir William Osler, C. F. Wylde, Frank Allport, and Norma Shearer.
Throughout the subseries common topics include providing information for the memoir, travel, careers, education, Italy during the late 1930s, politics, ornithology, zoology, donations of materials by Casey Wood, family, Emperor Frederick II and “the Art of Falconry,” Emma Shearer Wood and Blacker Library collections, aviculture, John III, the Feather book, animal protection, history of medicine, “Coloured Plates of the Birds of Ceylon,” Ali ibn Isa, and Wood’s research, career, and health.
The printed material includes a variety of leaflets, brochures, cards, invitations, tickets, bookplates, booklets, clippings etc. from or about various current events, travel experiences, publications, etc.. Within the subseries' photographs are images of Dr. Thomas Woodruff, Emma Shearer Wood, Casey Wood, Marjorie Fyfe, James Shearer, Eliza Shearer, Dr. Richmond, Dr. Ridgway, other family members and friends, and from research trips. Places related to Wood’s life mentioned in this subseries include the United States, Canada, Germany, Sri Lanka, England, Italy, Ethiopia, Vienna, France, Afghanistan, British Guiana, Australia, Fiji, McGill and Emma Shearer Wood Libraries, Bishops’ College, Western General Hospital, Stanford University, and the Chicago Ophthalmological Society.

This subseries consists of many of Wood's major publications in various iterations such as manuscripts, typescripts, page proofs, and galley proofs. Additionally, this subseries contains other manuscripts, research notes, photographs, prints or illustrations, correspondence, book reviews, and other materials relating directly to Wood's research projects and publications. The material is dated from 1904-1942 but focuses predominantly from 1913- 1934. Much of the subseries is composed of bound volumes, some of which contain multiple record types, either bound or mounted within the volumes.
The research and writing projects focus on the following topics and geographic regions: ornithology, Fundus Oculi (1911-1934), Wood’s family history (1920-1940), South America (1920-1921), Fiji and Fiji Islands (1920-1931), fossil eggs (1923-1925), flowers and meadows in Switzerland (1924-1934), “An Introduction to the Literature of Vertebrate Zoology,” aviculture (1925-1928), New Zealand, medieval Persian manuscripts (1927-1934), Benevenutus Grassus’ de Oculis (1930), John III, Kashmir and North India (1921-1934), Ceylon (1925, 1928, 1934), "the Art of Falconry" (1938?-1942), and Ali ibn Isa (1935-1936).
Other contributors to some publications and manuscripts include Marjorie Fyfe, Alexander Wetmore, Wladimir Ivanow, Arthur William Head, Dr. Andreas Nell, W. J. Belcher, William C. Morgan, and Marion C. Tallmon.
This subseries also contains 145 incoming and outgoing pieces of correspondence including letters and notes. Some individuals addressed include Arthur William Head, Christopher Leggo, Lillian Bates, Elizabeth E. Abbott, Cora Raymond, Dr. Richmond, W. J. Belcher, C. S. Walis, Theodore Hamblin Ltd., James R. Slonaker, and R. R. Donnelley and Sons Co.. This subseries also includes photographs of Wood’s family, professional colleagues and friends, and research and publications.

This series consists of research, writing, and correspondence files relating to Casey Wood's major and minor publications and unpublished works, as well as, others assisting in Wood's publications, research, or writing about Wood. The majority of the research and writing materials for Wood's published and unpublished works were created between 1920-1940, while other materials collected during Wood's life, those associated with his memoir and obituary, date from approximately 1850-1943.
Some prominent writings by Wood include “Introduction to the Literature of Vertebrate Zoology” (1921-1956), his unpublished memoir (ca. 1850-1939), “Fundus Oculi” (1911-1934), Wood family history (1920-1940), “Birds of Fiji” (1920-1928), “Through Forest and Jungle in Kashmir and North India” (1921-1934); Persian, Arabic and Hindustani manuscripts (1927-1934); and “The Art of Falconry” (1942).
The series consists of many volumes and files containing a number of record types including manuscripts, typescripts, proofs, publications, photographs, correspondence, clippings, printed material, postcards, journals, administrative and financial records, and artwork. Some of the volumes are scrapbooks containing many of these materials mounted within, while others include similar materials bound within. These volumes do not necessarily have a clear organization but are sometimes arranged chronologically or by correspondent.

There are 2230 incoming and outgoing pieces of correspondence including letters, postcards, notes, telegrams, and cards. Subseries 1) Introduction to the Literature of Vertebrate Zoology includes 1313 pieces of correspondence, the largest number of correspondence within the collection.