Fonds consists of a one document, a manuscript of reminiscences of Charles James, born in Montreal in 1835. The document is internally dated in April 1915. James describes his childhood as the son of a carriage and sleigh builder born in England who conducted much business for the British military stationed in Montreal. The family resided on Craig Street. Reminiscences include descriptions of Montreal, the building of the locks on the Lachine canal, a trip up the Ottawa River to Bytown (Ottawa) and then to Kingston, where the family resided for a time. James joined his father in the trade of carriage trimming as a young man before becoming a Baptist minister in Stratford, Canada, and later Wellesley.

Fonds consists of six autograph signed letters written at Montreal by Ann Adams, dated between 24 March 1834 to 26 December 1937, to her son Edward H. in Providence, Rhode Island, and Philadelphia. Letters contain local news (churches and organs built, the railroad to St. Johns, fires, printing and publishing, cholera, etc.), observations on the worsening tensions between Papineau and the "Canadiens" and the "Loyalists," and accounts of preaching by an Indigenous convert to Christianity.

The fonds documents John Mappin’s occupation as an independent antiquarian book seller, his personal interest in the history of print and Canadian politics, and his personal achievements as an author. The wide variety of subject files found in this collection are almost entirely North American based and span from 1733-2004. These records reflect Mappin’s particular focus on Canadian authors and Canadiana in general.

A collection of documents from the life of Simon McTavish including a letter to his creditors and a series of legal opinions on the estate of Simon and William McGillivray. Documents' informational value is largely financial in nature.

These papers comprise office files for the Parks and Playgrounds Association from 1902 to 1972, and for the Community Garden League from 1933 to 1959. The records of the Parks and Playgrounds Association include administrative and financial records, scrapbooks, photographs, public relations material and information files. Administrative records consist of general and committee minutes, 1902-1972, annual reports, 1902-1964, personnel files, 1937-1947, files of correspondence and memoranda on individual sites as well as themes, e.g. water pollution, 1906-1972; and various surveys and studies, 1912-1967. Financial operations are documented by budgets, 1960-1971, financial statements, 1948-1967; ledger sheets, 1951-1961; and invoices, 1939-1957, 1967. Scrapbooks of newsclippings cover the periods 1902-1904, 1916-1932, 1935-1937, 1939, and 1949-1964; some scrapbooks are thematic, e.g. one on the Mount Royal tram line. Over 1,000 photographs taken ca 1906-ca 1960 show parks, playgrounds, landmarks, street scenes, recreation activities, and the work of the Association. Public relations files, 1937-1952, 1955-1962, contain press releases, briefs, petitions, legislative bills, and correspondence related to lobbying and public awareness. Information files contain largely printed material on parks and recreation in Canada and the United States, 1935-1968. Administrative records of the Community Garden League include minutes of its general committee, 1934-1952; annual reports, 1933-1959; correspondence and information files (1938-1949), and notices, 1938-1953, 1959.

The administrative records of the MCSA contain annual reports, 1921-1968; minutes of annual meetings, 1956-1971; minutes and correspondence of the Board of Governors and its Executive Committee, 1953-1972; files on budgets and staffing, 1962-1973; and documents on the merger with the Conseil de Développement Social. The operations of standing committees (Committee on Committees, Admissions and Standards, Nominating, etc) are documented by broken series of minutes from 1937 to 1971. Far more extensive are the papers of special committees researching social problems such as school leaving, 1934; single parents, 1949; housing and urban renewal, 1967-1971; dental services for children, 1950-1961; and low-cost medication, 1970-1971. These files include case work studies, correspondence, minutes and reports. The question of day care is particularly well covered, both through committee materials and through the files of Barbara Heppner, MCSA Day Care Coordinator, 1969-70. Correspondence files contain letters and reports from member agencies, university schools of social work, co-ordinating bodies such as the Canadian Welfare Council and the Conseil de Bien-Etre du Québec, various citizen's groups, and government bodies. A large percentage of this material consists of information files, containing reports of, and studies by, American and Canadian social agencies, conference and workshop proceedings, and materials on social legislation.