The collection contains approximately 835 letters (unbound) resulting from the daily correspondence of the Commission. The letters are, for the most part, those received by Commission members; however, correspondence among members and some letters from members to other individuals are also included. Among the letters are a few telegrams and a number of other documents such as invoices, receipts, bills of lading, accounts and market price quotes. All items are arranged chronologically. The letters are in good condition with the exception of a few that are faded and difficult to read.

In every folder there are letters requesting aid. The requests, often from individuals seeking assistance for themselves and their families, tell stories of devastation and despair. Many requests are less personal in nature, asking for help in a specific geographic area or for a specific group of people. Lists of names are sometimes included, with information concerning family size, occupation and current situation. There are also quite a number of letters describing the overall living conditions. The Commission corresponded with local government officials and other reliable sources, asking that they confirm the severity of the situation; they had also advertised in newspapers, asking that individuals come forward with anecdotal information. Responses to these requests, along with the many applications for aid, paint a vivid portrait of the South in 1867.

The rest of the correspondence falls into such categories as requests for information and copies of the Commissions circulars; donations; logistics (corn prices, purchasing, shipping, distribution mechanisms, problem resolution, etc.); formation of similar groups and their activities; offers of services (free shipping, discounts on supplies, etc.); events held to raise funds; concerns and suggestions; complaints of inappropriate allocation; and reports of floods and disease exacerbating the already grim picture.

Beginning in March, 1867, letters acknowledging shipments and reports of corn distribution indicate the progress of the Commissions work. There are many letters of thanks; however, most of them suggest that more help is still needed. Towards the end of the letter collection, one begins to see hopeful reports of the coming harvest and a sense that the crisis is lessening.

Among the business records are both bound and unbound items including committee minutes, reports of the treasurer, an accounting of large donations, cash flow documentation and records of supplies received and purchased. Together, they describe of the inner workings of the Commission and its specific activities.

Box 3, Folder 14, Executive Committee Minutes, contains drafts of meeting minutes and other items for potential publication. There are a few letters that relate to meeting times and attendance. Much of the material is informal, some written on scraps of paper. Newspaper clippings are attached to a few of the draft minutes. A more formal representation of committee minutes may be found in the bound volume, Minutes of the Executive and Standing Committees of the Famine Relief Commission 1867.

A series of reports from the Commissions treasurer, James M. Brown, outline income and expenses between March 18 and May 15, 1867. Other items include a report of contributions from other entities, a list of corn purchases, several distribution reports, and two reports from the Department of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, dated September 1866 and enumerating the numbers of refugees and freedmen in South Carolina (Box 3, Folder 15). Financial information is also contained in most of the bound volumes.

Among the miscellaneous items (Box 3, Folder 16) are several appeals one to the citizens of Providence (May 22, 1897) and one, in draft form, asking the clergy of the United States to assist the cause with a general collection to be made on April 14th, the anniversary of Lincolns assassination.

There are two almost identical volumes listing donors of $250 or more. One has an incorrect title (Subscriptions to the Southern Famine Famine Commission) and is missing two entries. The other (Subscriptions to the Southern Famine Relief Commission) appears to be the more accurate. The volume titled Supplies Purchased for Distribution by the Southern Famine Relief Commission includes a copy of the Final Report of the Treasurer, September 4, 1867 a complete description of the Commissions financial status as its activities came to a close.

Two bound volumes provide copies of letters one, of those sent by the Commissions General Agent, John Bowne, and the other, Corresponding Secretary, Edward Bright. Each volume is arranged chronologically but has an alphabetical index of addressees. Many of the letters in the volume of Bowne letters are difficult to read due to fading of the ink.

A third volume lists letters received from January 22 through July 30, 1867. For each letter, the senders name and address, date sent, summary of contents and disposition are outlined. This volume identifies a large number of the unbound letters contained in Series I although there are items in the list that are not among the letters and many letters that are not reflected on the list.

A large scrapbook of newspaper clippings provides an account of the activities of the Commission as well as a picture of Southern conditions and Northern sentiments. Most of the clippings are dated and are annotated with an abbreviated publication name. Examples include World, Times, Sun, Observer, Tribune, Evening Post, Express, Mercury, Evangelist, Brooklyn Daily Union, Rahway Republican, Commercial Advertiser, Norfolk Virginian, San Francisco Bulletin and a few that are identified in a general way, such as New Orleans Paper or Richmond Paper. The clippings are generally in chronological order although there are exceptions. Although the volume itself is in good condition, a few of the articles have been affected by the underlying adhesive and are somewhat difficult to read.

Beginning in January, 1867, the clippings describe in detail the establishment of the Commission and continue, through September, 1867, with reports of its activities, its subscribers and special events sponsored by the organization.

Vivid descriptions of the distress in the Southern states are included as are letters and editorial statements that reveal a wide range of opinions and attitudes concerning an appropriate Northern response. In a series of articles from April, 1867, The Herald gives state-by-state accounts of the Progress of Reconstruction and there are many clippings that describe floods in the South and an epidemic of yellow fever.

By May, articles begin analyzing the positive Crop Prospects for 1867. Southern papers acknowledge the benevolence of New Yorkers; the Mobile Times in its May 3rd article describes cheerful evidence of fraternal fellowship which shines out like a star of hope on a long night . One of the final articles describes the donation of surplus Commission funds to assist those suffering from yellow fever in Galveston, Texas (September, 1867).

At the end of the scrapbook are publications of the Commission (flyers, circulars, advertisements) and several of other groups such as the New York Ladies Southern Relief Association.