The collection has been attributed to John Ralph Murray, based on the clippings that were saved. It is not known if he also compiled them. An assumption has been made that the few earlier clippings from 1875 concerning Charles H. Murray (M.D. -1876) meant that he was a relative of J.Ralph Murray. All the rest of the clippings are from the years 1881-1886. They cover a variety of subjects including examination results, articles concerning the admission of women to the University, the transit of Venus in 1882, reports of societies at McGill or in Montreal and articles from the student newspapers of other universities .
The John Henry Rogers fonds contains 9 certificates awarded to John Henry Rogers between 1876 and 1887 by McGill University, Methodist Book and Publishing House, Model School Montreal, Academy School Montreal, Bar of the Province of Quebec, Pfficers teachers of St. James Afternoon Sabbath School and Lillic. In addition, the fonds contains a Prince of Wales Medal with Prince Albert's profile on the abverse and the McGill crest on the reverse.
The Lafleur fonds comprises of twelve certificates and diplomas (1876-1887) relating to his education and teaching positions, seven manuscript poems (1903-1909), and a letter announcing his appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Logic, Rhetoric and English at McGill University (1886).
Fonds consists of papers reflecting Hall’s involvement in the debate over whether a B.A. degree ought to be a qualification for the study of law. They consist of a memorandum on the B.A. program (1889), reports on failures in the program (1882-1887), petitions on the law qualifications question from McGill faculty members, and correspondence from J.W. Dawson to Hall, Dean Alexander Johnson and Hon. W.W. Lynch, M.P., and to Lynch from Joseph Duhamel and George Lampson, all concerning this topic (1887, 1889).
Chamberlain's papers consist of the following: medical certificates, 1827, 1851, 1853, two bound collections of sheet music with annotations, ca 1850; photocopy of a printed letter from Henry Lyman concerning the surgical instruments of Chamberlin, 1880s.
The Kyle-Addie Fonds consists of records created by Mary Elizabeth Kyle and George Kyle Addie and includes three letters of recommendation for Mary Elizabeth Kyle from Professors Hicks, Robins, and Darvey of the McGill Normal School; a certificate of honour awarded to Mary Elizabeth, 1862; Mary Elizabeth's teaching diploma, 1862; a handwritten song by George Kyle Addie; 3 photos owned by George Kyle Addie of members of science class, 1889; 1 B.A.Sc.diploma awarded to George Kyle Addie, 1889.
The A.E. Sanderson fonds contains student notebooks which belonged to A.E. Sanderson. They include English literature (poets of the nineteenth century, 1889-90, taught by Professor Charles E. Moyse), History of English literature (January term, 1889) and Botany (1888-1890). In addition, two exams, unworked from April 9th 1890 (English literature - A midsummer's night's dream, English literature - The leading poets of the nineteenth century) are included in this fonds and were placed in the Printed Collection in 1998.