The Bryan mss., 1849-1863, are chiefly the letters of George Washington Bryan, 1825-1893, physician, exchanged with his wife, Alice (Calhoun) Bryan, during his period of service in 1862-63 with the Union forces along the Mississippi River on the steamers Glasgow, the Tigress, the P. J. Pringle, and at Young's Point, Louisiana.
The Butler mss., 1835-1937, includes papers, 1877-1937, of Amos William Butler, 1860-1937, zoologist, anthropologist, and sociologist, and a few papers, 1835-1871, of his father, William Wallace Butler, 1810-1903, merchant and farmer.
Consists of the papers of Charles Willing Byrd. A member of the prominent Virginia family of that name, Byrd became deeply interested in the Shaker movement, and one of his sons, William Silonwe Byrd, joined the Shaker community at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. For the years 1826-1828, a considerable portion of the collection consists of letters from this son, dealing with the beliefs of the Shakers and the affairs of Pleasant Hill. The collection also includes letters to Charles Willing Byrd from members of his family, in regard to family matters. Letters from an aunt refer to the death of Washington and to conditions in Philadelphia during the War of 1812. Some light on medical practices of the day is given in letters, 1826-1828, to Byrd from his physicians, prescribing treatment for him.
The Cookery mss., circa 1660–circa 1918, consists of bound and individual writings, often on the topic of cookery, of persons involved with cooking by practice or trade.
The Drake mss., 1848-1849, consists of the letters of physician Daniel Drake, 1785-1852, to his children, copied by U.S. senator Charles Daniel Drake, 1811-1892.
The Griffith mss., 1831-1881, consists of the papers of physician Thomas Jefferson Griffith, 1837-1924, and his wife, physician Martha Hutchings Griffith, 1842-1923.