This collection contains the papers of two family groups, which were allied through marriage. The Lawton family papers primarily include the correspondence of Joseph Grellet Lawton with his wife and children, his eleven brothers and sisters, and their spouses and children, an uncle and aunt and cousins, and business associates and friends, and his wife's relatives. Lawton's daily journals and business and financial records also are included. The other major portion of this group contains the correspondence of Joseph's wife Ellen Virginia (Baird) Lawton with her husband, mother and uncle, her three sisters and two brothers, her husband's relatives, and friends. Through Ellen's family, the surnames of Baird and Carey are added to this group. Most of the Baird-Lawton family members lived in Pennsylvania and New York, with a smaller group located in the Green Bay area.
The second family group includes letters of the Arndt and Delany families. Charles Augustus Lawton, son of Joseph G. and Ellen V. Lawton, married Elcey Morgan Arndt, thereby establishing the connection between the families. Correspondence in this section includes letters of Elcey, her brother, Edward Wilcox Arndt and his wife, Ellen Delany Arndt; Ellen D. Arndt's sister, Alice Delany; brother, Edmund Delany, Jr.; and parents, Dr. Edmund Delany and Rhobe Ann Tallmadge Delany.
The collection is organized in two parts. Part 1 consists of papers received before 1979. They date 1833-1908 and consist primarily of correspondence, plus one diary and two ledgers of Joseph Lawon. Part 2 was organized in 1987. Its papers date 1842-1956 and consist of letterbooks, Lawton's daily journals, and more extensive business and financial records.
