The collection consists of forty-six letters written to or by members of Alexander and Elizabeth McDougall's family from 1793 to 1857. Approximately fifteen of these letters were written to Elizabeth from her Campbell family members in Scotland. From 1819 to 1825, Allan wrote five letters to Harriet Campbell before returning to Scotland to marry her. Other letters consist of correspondence to Allan McDougall from an aunt and uncle in Scotland, as well as letters written between McDougall siblings and their spouses. The collection also contains a promissory note from Allan McDougall to James Anderson (16 November 1847), and notes for a letter to Ms. Myers, donor of this collection, regarding the area in Scotland from where the McDougall family emigrated.