The collection consists of two series, RECORDS and a CHRONOLOGICAL CARD INDEX. The RECORDS are arranged in file folders labeled by year. The papers are arranged randomly within the folders.
The portion of the collection which documents the partnership consists of correspondence, accounts relating to orders for iron and purchases of supplies and equipment, promissory notes, indentures, and agreements to hire slaves for labor. Evidence of trade in kind and cash sales involving other ironmasters and merchants is common, including particularly trade with W. M. Bryan at Vesuvius Furnace, James S. Dickinson at Bath Forge, John W. Jordan at California Furnace, William H. Jordan at Buena Vista Furnace, William Weaver at Buffalo Forge, Compton and Taylor, McDaniel and McCorkle, Montgomery and Irvine, and James M. Webb & Co.
The records from the period after dissolution of the partnership include five letters from William Davis' son, James C. Davis, 1862-1865, while he was a Confederate soldier. Included also are letters from Baptist ministers such as J. William Jones, and letters from W. A. Kuper and Mathew Pilson regarding the Howardsville and Rockfish Turnpike Company, of which William Davis was a director.
The CHRONOLOGICAL CARD INDEX describes each document in the collection. Each card contains the name of the person or business that created the document, followed by a description of the nature of the document, the recipient, if applicable, and the date of the document. The cards are arranged by year, like the records themselves, though the cards begin in 1829 so apparently describe some documents not now present in the collection. Though under tabs for each year, from 1829 to 1854, the arrangement under each year's tab is random, requiring that users browse all the cards in a given year to find a specific business or person. From 1855 to 1897 and Undated [No Date], cards under each year's tab have an alphabetical arrangement making it easier to find a business or person. To access an item listed in the index, match the date on the index card with a year in the records section.
