Fonds consists of notebook kept by Tetley chiefly during the Second World War, while on active duty with the Canadian Royal Navy. The first entry is dated August 14, 1945, and begins with Tetley reporting for duty. The diary records daily activities onboard. From February 21, 1946, entries describe daily life in Montreal and at McGill, with detailed impressions of friends and acquaintances, often with full names and addresses. The final full daily entry is dated February 28, 1946. Following that, entries record major events, such as moving to Quebec in summer of 1949 or convocation, with acquaintances made and Tetley's descriptions and impressions of them, often with names and contact information. Other events noted include Provincial Congress at Quebec, September 1950; "Soirée à la Marine," February 10, 1950; summer in the navy in England, 1951; Boy Scout Campaign, February 1952. Final entries are undated, but the journal appears to end in 1952. The fonds also includes some items previously laid in to the diary, including one black and white photograph of a coastline (laid in before entry dated Sept. 18, 1945), 2 loose leaves with lists of names and some addresses and a postcard, and 2 doctor's notes certifying Tetley's vaccination laid in between pages 92 and 93. Other items laid or tipped in include: invitation to McGill Founders Day Convocation 1950, with notes, and pages from address books.

Papers consist of personal correspondence, including substantial family correspondence, diaries, journals, engagement books, ledgers, menus, manuscript poems, galley proofs, lecture notes, scrapbooks, and photographs. It includes correspondence, 1874-1935; a diary of Drummond's trip to Great Britain, 1902; dinner menus, 1902-1903; engagement books, 1902-1906; galley proofs, 1905-1911; Journal of Impressions kept at Savanna la Mar, Jamaica, Windsor and Montreal, 1903-1911; lecture notes taken at McGill, 1878-1882; ledgers containing financial entries and patients' accounts during Drummond's practice in Knowlton and Montreal, 1885-1889; notebooks containing manuscripts poems, drafts and clippings, 1894-1909; scrapbooks related to literary topics, including clippings about Drummond's public readings, and book reviews, 1854-1907 and scrapbooks related to Drummond's dogs, 1890-1907. There are also some papers of Mrs. W.H. Drummond, including a typescript of her Life of W.H. Drummond; and diaries recording her trips to United States and Canada, 1892, 1903.

The fonds consists primarily of Logan's scientific work. A small percentage relates to the affairs of his family and to memorials to Logan after his death. The great majority of the papers consists of scientific correspondence from about 1820 to 1874, but mostly for the years following his appointment to the Survey in 1842. The letters deal with the collection, exchange and description of geological specimens, expeditions under the aegis of the survey, problems of research and scientific interpretation, scientific meetings, and visits by scientists. The number of correspondents, both individuals and learned societies, is very large, but the most substantial bodies of letters are from J.W. Dawson, geologist and Principal of McGill University, James Hall, paleontologist of the New York Geological Survey, Alexander Murray, Logan's chief assistant, and James Lowe of Grenville, Québec, who supplied Logan with specimens and appears to have been casually employed by him on surveying jobs and field trips. Other correspondents include Sanford Fleming, E.D. Ashe of the Québec Observatory, Thomas Sterry Hunt, and R.I. Murchison of the Geographical Society of Great Britain. Some letters pertain to political or social affairs, but usually in close connection with the scientific work of Logan or the Survey. These files contain copies of some of Logan's outgoing letters, as well as some letters addressed to other individuals, generally his assistants. Other scientific papers consist of field trip records (a journal kept during an expedition in 1845, a weather table kept on Lake Superior in the winter of 1846-1847, work records and astronomical readings for surveying projects, notes on mineral deposits, and lists of specimens), manuscripts of three scientific papers, as well as "Observations on the proposed Geological Survey", and manuscript and printed maps and geological schemata, including some by Logan of the Bay of Fundy, Labrador, and Hamilton, Ontario regions. Manuscript catalogues of specimens were prepared by Logan for the Paris Exhibitions of 1855 and 1867. Official reports include Logan's annual reports for 1842-1844, an overview of the work of the Geological Survey, 1866, two reports by Logan on prospects for mining on the north shore of Lake Superior, 1846, 1847, and one on mineral deposits around Rivière-du-Loup, 1853, as well as Logan's copy of his proposed Geological Survey Bill, 1844, and some copies of reports on mining and cartography prepared by others. Logan's financial records include expense accounts for Geological Survey expeditions, as well as other professional expenditures, such as books. His private and family life is reflected by a very brief diary of an Atlantic crossing in 1856, letters to and from his brothers James and Henry, his father, his uncle Hart Logan, and Hart Logan's partner John Fleming, covering the years 1772-1856. There are also baptismal and burial certificates, and legal documents, particularly bills of sale pertaining to James Logan's farm. Memorials to Logan after his death include J.W. Dawson's correspondence concerning the Logan Memorial Fund and Collection, 1881, and a manuscript biography by Alexander Murray. There is a chronological and author/recipient index to these papers.

Additional materials received from McGill Library's Rare Books and Special Collections consist of correspondence, 1837-1871; notices of admission to scientific and historical societies, 1842-1867; a history of the geological survey 1850; a report on mining locations addressed to B. Papineau, 1847; and correspondence with Robert Bell, 1861-1874.

The records of the Montreal-Ottawa Conference of the United Church are arranged in the following series:

1. Denominational records prior to Union, 1824-1925
   Records of each of the three parent denominations follow the same general pattern. There are minutes, usually printed, of the national executive body, and original minutes of the local unit corresponding to the geographical boundaries of the present Conference. Papers of associations at this level generally include the files of Sabbath School associations, ministerial associations, missionary societies, and theological colleges. A number of interdenominational clergy and mission groups are also represented; while a special series of correspondence, minutes, and conference reports covers the debates concerning union, 1906-1925. The Methodist materials begin in 1824, and the Presbyterian in 1841, and the Congregational in 1842.

2. Conference records, 1925-
   Minutes of the Conference, and of the Conference-based Women's Missionary Society, Women's Union and United Church Women, are extant from the time of Union. The Montreal Presbytery maintains a record of proceedings, and supports a number of groups and associations (Minister's Wives Association, young peoples' groups, camps, missionary societies, United Church Women) whose work is documented by minutes, financial records and, occasionally, correspondence files. Also included are records of the Joint Theological Colleges of McGill University and of the United Theological College, 1912-1948.

3. Local Churches, 1832-
   Many local churches retain their historical records, including civil registers. The Archives' holdings include records of approximately 75 individual congregations in the Montréal and Québec-Sherbrooke Presbyteries, consisting of minutes of governing bodies, communion rolls, minutes of organizations, accounts, annual reports, and occasionally photographs and architectural drawings. The most substantial and significant records are those of the Erskine and American (from 1832), including records of Canada Education and Home Missionary Society, 1833-1848, St James (from 1820), Zion Congregational (from 1832), and Odelltown (from 1829) congregations.

4. Missionary Work in French Canada, 1848-1861, 1876-1969
   The importance to the United Church and its parent denominations of mission work in French Canada is documented by minutes of the French Canadian Missionary Society (1848-1861), and papers, including sermons, notebooks and correspondence of the French Evangelical Church of Canada (1876-1969).

5. Papers of individuals, 1822-1925
   Papers of individuals include the correspondence, essays and sermons, 1870-1917, of Calvin E. Amaron; the Bieler Family; J. Armitage Ewing (largely concerning the controversies surrounding Union in 1925); William Mair, sermons, 1827-1855; Richard Robinson, diaries, personal records, sermon outlines, 1857-1912; Henry Wilkes, 1822-1878, and others.

The fonds documents Sharon Thesen’s personal and professional life as a poet, editor, and professor from 1961 to 1989. All records in the fonds were collected by Thesen herself, and are primarily composed of correspondence, journals, and creative work. Most of the creative work is composed of drafts and edited versions of Thesen’s own poetry, essays, and articles, but also includes work sent to her for review. While most of the records are textual, there are a small number of pictures and postcards that were sent to and taken by Thesen, and are mostly of a personal nature. Notably, a large section of the fonds is made up of letters that include correspondence between other published and acclaimed authors such as Michael Ondaatje, Christopher Dewdney, Lola Lemire Tostevin, Ken Norris, Judith Fitzgerald, Phyllis Webb, Gerald Burns, and others. Lastly, the fonds also includes Thesen’s journals from the mid-60s to the mid-80s which contain her daily activities, her personal thoughts, as well as some of her creative work.
The fonds is arranged into three different series, Chronological Files, Journals, and Personal & Professional Records, as per the internal organization of the records. The main forms of these records are textual records, but also include graphic/photographic materials and mixed media. The records are arranged chronologically and intellectually within the series.

The Ross family fonds consists primarily of records related to the student achievements of the Ross children and includes student notebooks, news clippings, convocation programmes, certificates, and memorabilia of the Red and White Revue such as songs, photographs and original songs. Edward Russell Paterson’s student notebooks in geology, petrography and English literature are included.

In addition, there are two diaries of William Stieven Paterson’s from his travels through Civil War battlefields in the southern USA and a trip to Cuba; 8 photograph albums depicting the Paterson side of the family; 3 scrapbooks of magazine stories for children, poems and household hints; and correspondence between Dorothy Jean Ross and the McGill University Archives.

Letters and diaries, including typescript transcriptions with photographs, newspaper clippings and ephemera.

Diaries with gaps for the years 1868 to 1910. Also included are a diary of a trip to Scotland and England in 1862 and a scrapbook which covers the years 1863-1869 as well as a catalogue of Wicksteed's library.

The D'Aigle papers fall into three series: diaries, correspondence and a scrapbook of photographs and memorabilia. The diaries (1912-1914, 1927, 1935-1952) are largely devoted to a day-by-day account of prospecting journeys. Correspondence with members of his family, partners, prospective financial backers and government mining bureaus covers the years 1900-1959. The scrapbook contains personal mementos, newsclippings about D'Aigle, photographs of his journeys, lists of supplies for prospecting trips, and maps, some drawn by D'Aigle himself.

A diary kept by Reginald Edward Thompson describes his journey to the Rockies with Viscount Milton.