The Coppenrath Collection of Voyageurs Contracts for the North West Company partners contains 52 contracts for the period from approximately 1800 to 1821. These document the terms of engagement for men going into the North West . Voyageur contracts are of particular interest for study of the fur trade, Canada's first major industry, because they document the conditions of employment for many of the journeymen ("engagés") involved in the trade, both those who worked on the Ottawa River and those who "wintered" in the North West. The contracts are dated from 1800 to 1821 with printed forms from before 1800 being used in some cases. A significant number of outfitters are included namely the firm of McTavish, McGillivrays & Co. with various partners including John Ogilvy and Thomas Thain, Pierre de Rocheblave and earlier partnership – McTavish, Frobisher & Co. As well, there are contracts with lesser known outfitters. These contracts provide not only the names of the "engagés" but usually their place of residence and the conditions and terms of their employment.

This collection consists of translations from Terence, begun in 1778, and correspondence on military, political and private matters, 1787-1821, mostly addressed to Thomas Coutts, banker.

This collection consists of lines on various subjects, 1815-1821.

This material documents the estate of Mrs. Charlotte Frobisher and includes a copy of her will and an inventory, 1820.

These are various business papers of Simon McTavish and include partnership agreements with William and Duncan McGillivray, William Hallowell, Roderick McKenzie, Angus Shaw and James Hallowell, 1806 and drafts of agreement for seven years between McTavish, Frobisher and Company and John Fraser of London, Simon McGillivray and John Tullon, 1805.

Collection of correspondence between the years 1818 and 1828, predominantly on the matters of The Society of Antiquaries of London, addressed to Daniel Lysons, a British antiquarian and topographer. Comprises 25 letters mounted on paper. The first letter of September 5, 1818, is addressed to Samuel Lysons (1763-1818).

Collection contains a manuscript note written by a doctor at Partridge Island, dated August 21, 1833, that a Mrs. Campbell is allowed to depart from quarantine; also includes a travel document for Mrs. Campbell and two other adults sailing from Belfast to St. John, NB.

Frobisher's papers comprise a letterbook of the North-West Co. containing copies of letters written by Frobisher from April 1787 to October 1788, two original letters to Simon McTavish, 1796, and one from him, 1787, business and legal documents, largely concerning the estate of James McGill, 1810-1834, and a diary, 1806-1810, mostly a record of where he dined.

The collection consists of 50 original illustrations created by Edward Lear (1812-1888) executed primarily in watercolour and pencil. These works are part of Lear's Fifty Original Drawings of Birds and a Few Indistinct Pencil Sketches, published between 1835 and 1836. The illustrations and sketches feature depictions of a variety of bird species, including raptors, parrots, cranes, and waterfowl.

Among the species illustrated are the White-tailed Eagle, Grey Parrot, Whooper Swan, Andean Condor, Peregrine Falcon, and King Vulture. The illustrations are often annotated with descriptive details about the colours and features of the birds. Some also include pencil sketches and test patches of color.

Some of the illustrations include unidentified species, including a raptor with prey, an owl, and various parrots. Several of the illustrations are signed and dated by the artist, with the majority titled in pencil at the bottom of each sheet.

Three letters from Seaton relating to the Rebellion of 1837, including a letter to General Fitzroy Sommerset about the capture of St-Eustache.