Fonds records Murray’s university education, and his teaching and literary activities from 1869-1904. The papers (originals and photocopies) also reveal his interest in the history of his family, and contain a very small number of personal items. Clark's student days in Glasgow and Edinburgh are documented by six lecture notebooks for classics, languages, theology and courses on philosophy by P.C. MacDougall and Sir William Hamilton. Eighteen essays on logical and theological themes, as well as five exegetic exercises and homilies, some delivered in Paisley, are also included. From his sojourn in Germany (1856-1857) come address books, course announcements, and a registration book showing courses, professors, and fees paid.

His activities as a teacher are represented by 22 notebooks of lecture notes on logic, ethics, metaphysics, church history, and topics in the history of philosophy. Some are for courses delivered to the Montréal Ladies' Educational Association. His literary endeavours consist of manuscripts of Christian Ethics (published in 1906), drafts and a fair copy of a tragedy entitled Judas of Kerioth, and The Industrial Kingdom of God (ca 1887). There are also notes and proofs for an article on women's rights.

As private records, Murray left a scrapbook of clippings of his articles (1862-1917), an album of photographs of friends and students (ca 1860-ca 1900), a bundle of press clippings on his retirement from McGill, a letter and some press clippings about his Introduction to Ethics (1891) and two letters from former students who became missionaries.Family history materials fall into two groups: genealogical tables and questionnaires concerning the Clark family, with a few letters; and the papers of David Murray, father of J. Clark Murray and, for many years, provost of Paisley. The later documents comprise 4 cm. of correspondence, largely on political matters, with the Home Office, Robert Peel, Lord Shaftesbury, Lord Dufferin and others. Also included is a scrapbook of invitations and news clippings relative to David Murray’s provostship, and to the career of his son (1833-1878), and some letters from his brother John, written in London in August 1843 shortly before John mysteriously vanished.