The Graham-Huston Family Papers document the lives of almost one hundred years of the extended Graham, Huston, McDonald, and Preston families in the Midwest and West of the United States.

The papers are comprised of correspondence and general papers, arranged as an alphabetical name file and a chronological file for unidentified correspondents. When both the writer and recipient of the correspondence were members of the family, the correspondence is filed by the surname of the writer. The majority of the correspondence consists of letters written or received by three generations of women between 1920 and 1980 (Martha McDonald Graham, her daughter Winifred Graham Huston, and her granddaughter Emily Leah Huston) and their interests in family life and finances, local and national politics, health and aging, social life, and religion.

Graham family letters constitute the earliest material in the collection. The early letters of Arthur and his parents Emma and John are scattered in coverage and mostly relate to Nettie Graham's illness and death in 1896. Also included here are Ernest's letters to his second wife Mattie and business letters to J. Cerneghan, Hans Fuley, and R.L. McCormick. In 1921, Arthur and Ernest both wrote recollection letters to each other describing their childhood and family farm in Minnesota. Ernest's papers also include notebooks and miscellaneous financial papers concerning his speculations in land and timber.

From about 1921 until her death, Martha McDonald Graham wrote detailed weekly letters to her daughter Winifred. This section of correspondence is largely complete.

The letters of Gertrude Holstein, the sister of Martha Graham, describe life and family friends in Hayward, Wisconsin, as well as financial and real estate matters.

Emily Huston's correspondence, almost all of it to her mother, reveals her girlhood, study at Marylhurst College, life at Madonna House, and her own spiritual life.

Leo Huston's letters relate to his work on various logging jobs and the difficulty of finding work during the Depression or lumber industry slumps.

Winifred Graham Huston's correspondence is the core of the collection. Her outgoing letters are voluminous and detailed, and she was a perceptive observer of her social and environmental surroundings and of her own spiritual life. The collection contains copies of virtually all of her correspondence received from the 1950s to 1986, together with copies of her letters sent to her mother and her daughter.

Winifred Huston also maintained a frequent correspondence with her cousin June Bean (primarily concerning the health of Martha Graham), her mother-in-law Alberta Huston, and her sister Hope Preston. Most of these letters concern day-to-day family life such as their children's activities, employment, illness, and major purchases. Winifred's letters from the early 1920s to her parents document college life at the University of Oregon. A few school friends also corresponded with Winifred in later years, primarily Louise Brownhill, Ruth Burke, Elizabeth DeCou, and Mildred Case Weisler. Correspondence during the 1920s and 1930s also includes letters from Winifred's “beaus.”

Other correspondents of Winifred’s include former colleagues in state government, mainly Irma Bolander, Stella Downing, Leah Ross Hogue, C.A. Howard, Beth Murray, Cornelia Marvin Pierce, and Beatrice Sackett. After her conversion to Catholicism, correspondents include many priests and nuns such as Fr. Heffernan and Fr. Kies and her distant cousin Sr. Mary Regina. After Emily joined Madonna House, Winifred also corresponded with its founder Catherine Doherty and with many other members including Esther “Aster” Jedynak. A number of Catholics Winifred met at church or while on retreat are represented, notably Ceal Bronson, Mary Z. Green, and George Pedekisky. The culture of 20th century Catholicism and its relationship to Protestantism, both before and after Vatican II are well documented. In addition, there are letters with friends and neighbors in Raymond, Washington, and from the MacKenzie River area including Lillian Stanley and Bertha Wheaton about their mutual friends and acquaintances. Her other correspondents of note include Ellen and Paul Goodale, who cared for Martha during her last years, and Leroy Guldan, a McDonald relative who shared Winifred's interest in genealogy.

Winifred's papers also include diaries and notes on religious retreats and other activities, papers concerning women's student government at the University of Oregon during the 1920s, and scrapbooks of sewing samples and postcards she collected during her youth.

The Huston side of the family, like the Grahams, kept up a regular correspondence. Alberta Huston frequently copied or added notes to letters she received from her son Edward or daughter Mary Orley and sent them to her other son Leo. There is also some scattered correspondence from Isabel Huston Townsend, Irene and Glen Huston, and Robert and Estie Huston and their daughter Margaret.

Also includes correspondence from members of the McDonald family in the collection including John “Jack” McDonald, a newspaper writer; Dan and Myrtle McDonald; Helen McDonald Ramsberg; Mary Fabiola “Faye” Stross; Charlanne Evans Muench; Gail McDonald Propst; Vivian McDonald Goodman; and members of the A.J. McDonald family. Of special note are Henry McCann's reminiscences of “Old Abe,” the Civil War eagle. The letters of Byron Marquis contain genealogical material on the Huston/Marquis branch of the family; especially his mother, whose maiden name was Marquis.

Correspondence with the Prestons concerns financial dealings and the settlement of the E.A. Graham estate. Letters from Hope Preston's son Graham include some descriptions of military life in Africa and Italy.

Photographs are arranged by personal name, with other photographs at the end of the list. Family members with the most representation are E.A. and Martha Graham, and Winifred, Emily, and Leo Huston, as well as Gertrude and J.J. Holstein. The majority of the prints consist of formal portraits, however there are snapshots of the Grahams’ life in Hayward and the Holsteins’ life in Ashland, Wisconsin, at the turn of the 20th century, and the Hustons’ early married life in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon during the 1930s. Also includes post cards, greeting cards, and other ephemera primarily religious materials, as well as a photo album/scrapbook of Winifred Graham’s high school years in the Pacific Northwest.