The series contains some letters from family and friends in Scotland, and later, some correspondence with his son John William and his grandson George, but the bulk of his correspondence is concerned with his business interests and legal affairs. This includes deeds to land in Pictou, Nova Scotia, authorizations, copies of wills, and other legal documents; correspondence concerning publishing ventures and other money-making schemes, as well as government economic policy; and finally, bills, invoices with books titles and receipts from his book and stationery store. The series also contains correspondence, reports, and notes on Dawson's involvement in Bible and missionary societies. James Dawson also wrote two autobiographical works: a narrative diary from 1838-1861, and the more formal "Incidents of a Life," around approximately 1859.

This series contains records related to the various business ventures of J.W. McConnell.

The records are broken down into five subseries according to function: Company Promotions, 1900-1930; Commercial Trust, 1936-1972; Montreal Star, 1925-1971; St. Lawrence Sugar Refineries, 1912-1977; and Property Holdings (St. Lawrence Sugar Refineries), 1917-1962. Material found in this series includes ledgers, financial statements and reports, tax documents, meeting minutes, memos and correspondence.

This series contains ephemera and related photographs reflecting the McConnells’ elevated status in society and the various persons of royalty and in government with whom they socialized. The ephemera in the series was collected by the McConnells, mainly by Lily, from events in London, Canada and the United States which they attended.

The material in the series is extensive and includes records with the McConnells’ names listed as well as souvenirs from royal functions such as coronations (King George VI and, later, Queen Elizabeth II) and official dinners and galas. The ephemera in this series includes: place cards from dinners and luncheons, invitations and calling cards for social engagements in London from the 1930s; souvenir booklets and programmes of the coronation and royal visit of King George VI, 1936-1939; souvenir booklets, menus, correspondence and programmes of the coronation and royal visits of Queen Elizabeth II, 1951-1959; and crests of families of the peerage, on envelopes.

This series contains records of J.W. McConnell, and in some instances additional members of his immediate family, documenting their involvement in numerous fundraising and philanthropic works.

The records were divided into specific subseries (Hospitals and Health Care; Higher Education; War Efforts) to reflect the work of McConnell to meet the different needs of Montreal and communities abroad. The records consist of fundraising correspondence and requests from McConnell, photographs, artefacts, financial reports and statements from the McGill campaign and ephemera related to fundraising including a set of index cards that McConnell used to organize the McGill fundraising campaign. Specific fundraising inititatives include: McGill $5,000,000 Campaign, 1943/1944; Montreal Joint Hospital Campaign, 1927; Victoria Order of Nurses Pension Fund, 1944/1945; Victory Loan Campaign, 1917-1918; ‘Wings for Britain’ Campaign; and McConnell’s personal donation of $1,000,000 to create the McConnell Squadron of Royal Air Force Spitfires, 1941-1946.

This series contains personal and family records of the McConnells from 1898-ca1970.

Included in the records are copies of the McConnell family tree, household and property expenses (e.g. receipts and bills from landscaping companies, clothing and household furnishings retailers, employee pay stubs, and lists of household costs), a guestbook from Saran Chai, photographs of family vacations at Saran Chai and the McConnells’ Golden Wedding anniversary, individual portraits or scenes of J.W. and Lily McConnell and friends, films of McConnell family vacations in Canada and trip to England in the late 1930s), material from special events such as the wedding of Kathleen McConnell to Peter Laing, additional personal mementos such as passports and McConnell’s Hymnary, and Christmas cards.

This series contains journals, scrapbooks and numerous agendas and address books belonging to both J.W. McConnell and his wife Lily. This series also includes an agenda used by Kathleen McConnell Laing. The material in this series dates between 1887 and 1960.

The journals written by J.W. McConnell and his wife were almost all started before a major trip (e.g. the Coronation trip taken in 1952) but do not contain detailed narratives and were never continued for any lengthy period. The notes and entries that were recorded discuss both business and personal/family observations. The many scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings and letters concerning J.W. McConnell’s business interests, accomplishments, the Montreal Star and family members. The McConnells also kept many articles and ephemera related to British Royal Family members and the McConnells’ involvement in Montreal society and fundraising efforts. There also exists a significant scrapbook compiled after J.W. McConnell’s death containing obituaries from Canadian and international newspapers.

This series contains personal correspondence, mostly addressed to J.W. McConnell, with some letters written by him. The letters date between 1898 and 1970.

Correspondence is organized by ‘bundle’ according to specific recipient/author of the letters or by theme (e.g. Condolence letters) and period of time. Correspondence from specific people include letters writen between J.W. McConnell and his wife Lily, letters from their children (Wilson, John, Kathleen, and David), as well as many friends, particularly members of the British aristocracy and military officers and servicemen. Subject-based bundles include condolence messeges, correspondence about a fire at the McConnell home in Val David, congratulatory messages about anniversaries and career advancements, and material related to society events and charitable work.

This series consists of a small number of materials collected by Madeleine Parent regarding her husband, Robert Kent Rowley. The bulk of the series is correspondence to and from Rowley and writings by Rowley. Files include letters to Rowley from Parent, letters he received while detained in an internment camp during World War II, and letters related to his union activities. Writings include editorials and articles he wrote, complemented by several notes. There are also three files of Rowley's notebooks and eleven agendas from 1966-1978. Also included is a file on Rowley’s biography, published after his death and a file of tributes to him. There are also materials related to Rowley's death in the Family papers sub-series (A2).

This series contains materials kept or created by Madeleine Parent regarding various social justice causes. The documentation covers several topics such as workplace health and safety, free trade, nuclear disarmament, peace activism, and human rights violations.
Most files are topical, however, there is also documentation related to various organizations and groups. Examples of this include files on the Three Guineas Charitable foundation, which funded several causes, but most prominently documented is a campaign for nuclear phaseout. Also included are some files on Solidarité Populaire Québec, a coalition founded in 1985 to protect Quebec social programs. These files cover various topics such as education, social housing, workers’ rights, and free trade. Moreover, there are files on human rights violations and worker movements in Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Bolivia and files on the treatment of Chilean refugees and support for the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.

This series consists of various materials on women's activism kept or created by Madeleine Parent. A large portion of the documents relates to Parent's work with the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC), of which she was a founding member. However, the series also contains files on various women's rights initiatives and groups.
Topics covered include pay equity, pro-choice legislation, poverty and family allowance, and women workers in the textile industry, nursing, and food services. Several files document the NAC's work, including correspondence, reports, and meeting documentation. Files on the Gulf War, Meech Lake Accord, Federal constitution proposals, and free trade relate to worker's rights, peace activism, and the Canadian constitution from the perspective of the NAC.
Furthermore, there are materials from various groups such as the Fédération des femmes du Québec, Le regroupement de Centres de femmes, and Feministe Action féministe, as well as files regarding the Lea Robback foundation, which promotes education and provides scholarships for women. Several files relate to Indigenous women's rights, including materials on changes to the Canadian Federal Indian Act. Also included are files on Mary Pitawanakwat, an Ojibway woman unjustly dismissed from her job after filing a sexual harassment and racial discrimination suit against her employer, the Federal Secretary of State office in Saskatchewan, in 1984. The files include correspondence and various documentation on the case, Parent's notes, and two files on a biography project. Finally, there are files of correspondence and articles on various topics, including correspondence regarding Parent's speaking engagements and documentation on events and meetings.