Original manuscripts, 1773-1838, mingled with Draper correspondence, 1839-1870, and miscellany. Among the early original papers are a list of Kentucky stations with their locations; land surveys (1773) on the Licking River by William Thompson; a letter (1787) on the issue of United States and Spanish navigation rights on the Mississippi River signed by J. Brown, Harry Innes, George Muter, and Benjamin Sebastian; a letter (1789) on a law suit written by John May to Robert Patterson; records (1809-1817) of a Purviance family law suit over land sales in which Henry Clay was one of the attorneys; a letter (1811) by Humphrey Marshall to Samuel McDowell about Marshall's historical research; and a congratulatory letter (1812) by Governor Charles Scott of Kentucky to Governor-elect Isaac Shelby; an autobiography dictated in 1832 by James Galloway (1750-1840) to his grandson, Albert Galloway (See also another copy in Volume 8 J and note in 4 B 61). Also found are extracts copied in Philadelphia from the autobiography of John Fitch describing his trip to Kentucky in 1780, his capture by Indians on the Ohio River in 1782, and his subsequent captivity among the Indians and British; biographical sketches of John Buchanan, of Nathaniel Gist, and of Matthias Denman, with a small photograph of an 1810 portrait of Denman; and James Taylor's manuscript biography of Charles Scott written in 1838 for Daniel Drake.

Letters to Draper touch on many other persons and events, including: Matthew Arbuckle and his son Charles; George D. Blackmore; John Blair; William and Willie Blount; the Indian chief Blue Jacket; Robert Hays and his family; Richard Henderson; Thomas Johnson; James Ore with anecdotes about his courageous wife; the Point Pleasant battle (1774); James Robertson; the elder John C. Symmes; Anthony Wayne's campaign (1794); and James Winchester. Miscellaneous materials include a handbill (1816) calling for formation of the Kentucky Bible Society; several handbills and broadsides issued in 1816 in the contest between John Pope and Henry Clay for a seat as representative in Congress; a leaflet (1847) on the Louisville and Lexington Telegraph Line; a copy of the proposed new constitution of Kentucky (1849) with autograph signatures of the members of the 1849 Kentucky Constitutional Convention; and an undated manuscript by Anthony New on the effect of alcoholic beverages “upon the body and mind of man ... and his condition in society.”