Fonds consists of primarily financial and legal records related to property transfers and the estates of members of the Dawes and Leishman families. It includes land sale deeds, court documents, invoices, receipts, and wills. Business and legal affairs of James P. Dawes, his wife Elizabeth Leishman, and their son Albert F. Dawes are represented in the fonds. Business deals associated with James P. Dawes include with Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada. Many legal documents in the fonds are related to land holdings and property in Lachine, Quebec.
Madame Desrivière's diaries describe social, family and economic life in Montréal and Stansbridge, Québec. The first (1843-1846) and last (1853-1854) volumes are in French, the others in English.
Two general orders of the British Army's Forces in North America that are related to two fires that occurred in Quebec City on 28 May 1945 and 28 June 1845. The general orders contain reports detailing the sequence of events leading up to and during the fires, as well as the actions of the soldiers fighting the fires, and the damaged caused by the flames. The orders also include messages of thanks to the soldiers and their commanding officers from community leaders. Major-General James A. Hope was in command of the soldiers at Quebec City and submitted the reports to the Commander-in-Chief, the Duke of Wellington.
The fonds documents Swain's career at the Deputy Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, including his role in the standoff at Oka, Quebec, in 1990. One series also consists of research materials collected during the writing of Swain's 2010 books, Oka: A Political Crisis and its Legacy.
Fonds contains bound manuscript entitled "Pictorial stories of the Professions" by Miss M. Sinclair. The manuscript is written in brown ink in a cursive script and illustrated with cuttings from contemporary comic books, some likely hand coloured.
Collection contains two financial documents related to McGill College. The first is a memorandum between the College and its creditors in which the College agrees to pay out dividends and pay in installments towards the balance of the College's debt. It is signed by the individual creditors as well as by the principal of McGill College, Edmund A. Meredith. The memorandum contains a list of creditors of McGill College with their names and occupations listed, including William Lyman, druggist, Robert Abraham, printer, John Keller, merchant, and many others. A note dated 24 March 1847 with a response from representatives of the creditors is pasted on. The second document is a ledger sheet dated from 1844 to 1847 with the caption: "The Directors of McGill College to Joseph Hitchens."
