The Jason Downer Papers cover the period from 1853 to 1883. The papers are in four groups: Correspondence, 1853-1883; Legal Papers; Financial Records; and Miscellany. The unbound correspondence has been arranged chronologically, followed by letterbooks in a second chronological series. Both business and personal letters are included in the Correspondence, the personal letters being primarily from members of his family and frequently referring to business matters.
The Legal Papers are also quite extensive, including office copies of documents prepared for legal cases, deeds, wills, leases, and other legal documents. The legal cases have been arranged alphabetically according to the case name. The Financial Records in the collection are made up of bills, receipted bills, cancelled checks, and books of check stubs. They have been filed by document type and then chronologically. Miscellany includes a history of the Catholic Church and other items.
