Three major subseries, General Correspondence, Western Lands Correspondence, and T. G. Barland Personal Correspondence; and three smaller and more specialized ones, Julius Rosholt Correspondence, Bank of Shell Lake Correspondence, and Merchants Loan and Trust Company Correspondence, make up this series. Although the series contains most of the correspondence in the collection, substantial numbers of letters are also found in three other series. The LOANS and RENTALS series contain correspondence with loan recipients and renters respectively, and the BOND ISSUES series contains letters relating specifically to that phase of the business.

The General Correspondence and the Western Lands Correspondence are very closely interrelated. Until about 1932 the Union Mortgage Loan Company kept correspondence files relating to its Wisconsin business separate from those concerning Western (Montana and North Dakota) business. The General Correspondence includes correspondence with investors in Wisconsin lands, Wisconsin financial institutions, and others, mainly concerning business done within the state. The Western Lands Correspondence contains similar materials, but primarily for North Dakota and Montana transactions. The General Correspondence also covers overall administrative topics ranging from the company's credit relationship with major Milwaukee and Chicago financial institutions to routine matters such as ordering office supplies. The earliest General Correspondence is arranged by time periods of approximately a year in length, and alphabetically thereunder by the first letter in the correspondent's name. After 1913 the General Correspondence is in chronological order. Western Lands correspondence is arranged chronologically throughout. From September 1924 through December 1928 the Union Mortgage Loan Company employed T. B. Culver to oversee its Western interests and from January 1929 through February 1932 it employed A. R. Craft in the same capacity.

During these periods of employment nearly all the Western Lands Correspondence is to or from these individuals. After February 1932 financial conditions made it impossible for the company to retain a Western agent. Also after February 1932 they ceased filing Western Lands Correspondence separately, but included information on Montana and North Dakota business in the General Correspondence.

Separate correspondence files were maintained for the Bank of Shell Lake and the Merchants Loan and Trust Company, two financial institutions with which the Union Mortgage Loan Company had extensive dealings. The Bank of Shell Lake had a semi-exclusive arrangement to represent the Union Mortgage Loan Company in Washburn County. The bank received a commission on loans it secured for the company and received interest and principal payments for Washburn County loans. The Merchants Loan and Trust Company of Chicago frequently loaned operating capital to the Union Mortgage Loan Company.

The T. Gordon Barland Personal Correspondence includes letters to and from family members, correspondence stemming from the Union Mortgage Loan Company's management of property and investments of various members of the Schlegelmilch and Barland families, and information on T. Gordon Barland's personal investments. As such, the letters not only convey family news, but also closely parallel the affairs of the Union Mortgage Loan Company. Of particular value is the correspondence between T. Gordon Barland and his aunt Kate Schlegelmilch, his brother George, and his sister Agnes (Agnes McDaniel after 1933). Kate Schlegelmilch, the widow of T. Gordon Barland's predecessor as Union Mortgage Loan president, lived in Los Angeles but had substantial property holdings in Eau Claire and considerable stock in the company. She and, to a lesser extent, George Barland received frequent reports on the condition of the business and in the 1930's, on T. Gordon Barland's conflicts with the board of directors over how to handle the company's financial problems. Agnes Barland worked as a nurse in Siam (Thailand) for a period in the 1920's and again from about 1933 to 1938. Her letters often comment on her experiences and work in that country. T. Gordon Barland's personal financial dealings reflected in this subseries include commodity trading and oil interests in Montana and Oklahoma.

Researchers interested in additional T. Gordon Barland papers should see the Barland-Schlegelmilch Family Papers, 1851-1975 (Eau Claire Mss AG).