Series consists chiefly of 38 manuscripts related to the North West Company. Among the Masson manuscripts there are other series of letters; as well as journals kept by North-Westers and various business documents. Some of this material exists as originals; others are contemporary copies - the George Keith letters for example are contemporary copies on paper watermarked 1827. The collection also includes some duplicate texts - contemporary copies or later nineteenth-century copies that in some cases represent edited versions of the texts. Samuel Wilcocke's account of the death of Benjamin Frobisher exists in a draft original (or contemporary copy) and in a late nineteenth-century clean copy. Of course Benjamin Frobisher did not die in the dramatic circumstances as recorded by Wilcocke, but peacefully in Quebec City in 1821.

Series consists of approximately 300 culinary, medical, and household recipes dating from roughly the 1780s through the 1850s. Recipes are handwritten in multiple late 18th- and early 19th-century hands on papers of varying sizes, including many small fragments. Medical recipes consist of doctors' prescriptions and various formulae for making and using medicines. Household recipes and instructions are found for products such as polishes, cleaning solutions, and dyes, and activities such as clothes washing. Culinary recipes, the largest category of recipes, are found for a variety of dishes and ingredients, including multiple recipes for puddings, wines, jellies, cakes, gingerbreads, vinegars, biscuits, yeast, pickled dishes, and preserved fruits.
Many contain attributions by the recipe writers, listing the creator or provenance of the recipe. Some recipes also feature names of addressees. Many of these are addressed to Mrs. Warde and appear to be recipes that were either sent to her or solicited by her from friends and acquaintances. One document that postdates the rest of the items in the series is a bill (1950) addressed to Mrs. Warde-Aldam (MSG 1231-2-9).

Series consists of 15 bound volumes containing culinary and medicinal recipes, all created or collected in the Doncaster region of South Yorkshire. Two of the volumes are printed works by female authors devoted to cooking, confectionery, and household management (publication dates 1795 and 1814). The remaining 13 are manuscript notebooks. Two of the manuscripts feature attributions to Sarah Anne Warde, while one is attributed to Eliza Smithson. The manuscript attributed to Eliza Smithson contains an enigmatical bill of fare, or table setting riddles, penned by Smithson wherein in place of the name of a dish, Smithson provides an enigma.

This series contains personal diaries kept by Christina Barbara Hall, Benjamin Hall, and Charlotte Hall between 18 October 1795 and 8 May 1886. Christina Barbara Hall's diaries were written while she lived in Andover, Massachusetts, and in Montreal, Quebec. Benjamin Hall's diaries were written from Montreal and during a trip to London, England. Charlotte Hall's diary was written while she lived in Montreal. The diaries chiefly concern weather, news of family and community members, as well as occasional remarks about politics.

Each diary (or set of loose pages) was allocated a separate file because of the size and/or fragility of the volumes, and to maintain consistency within the series. Files in the series are arranged in chronological order. Diaries are mostly bound volumes, though Benjamin Hall's diaries are loose pages.

Series consists of theatrical portraits and coloured printed scenes, including some published by J. Redington and Épinal.

Series consists of various examples of modern fine printing using engravings of Bewick's. Most of the items are image proofs or printed keepsakes from printers such as Havilah Press, Anchor and Acorn Press, Eric Holub, and Gordon Williams. One file contains private press book prospectuses. Also included in the series is a 19th-century printing of a silhouette cut by Thomas Bewick.

Series consists of 12 watercolour paintings of flowers by Elizabeth Gwillim, created while Gwillim was living in Chennai, India (then Madras). The paintings are preceded by pages of brief notes by Casey A. Wood. The flowers are identified by small caption titles written in pencil on each painting.

The series consists of 121 watercolour paintings of birds, created by Elizabeth Gwillim while she was living in Chennai, India (then Madras). The birds were painted from life rather than from the skins or stuffed specimens used by many artists of her day. Many paintings feature their avian subjects within a full landscape. Some paintings contain inscriptions with species identifications and, occasionally, additional observations about the birds.

The series consists of 31 watercolour paintings of fish, created while Elizabeth Gwillim and Mary Symonds were living in Madras, India (modern-day Chennai). The paintings are preceded by an introductory page of notes by Casey A. Wood. The paintings were originally attributed to Gwillim by Wood, largely on the basis of handwriting, but have more recently been tentatively attributed to Mary Symonds approximately around the year 1805 on the basis of information found in the sisters' correspondence. The fishes depicted are identified by a handwritten caption in the margin of each painting. Approximately one third of the paintings also feature an additional caption written in an Urdu script. These paintings may be copies of Symonds' originals created by a local artist in India. Item 30 (Crocodilus palustris) also contains additional manuscript notes.