Papers documenting the lives of Doc and Katy Abraham, including Doc's military service in Africa during World War II and their joint horticultural careers. Files include correspondence, clippings, research notes, and drafts of both their gardening articles and books and the book based on Doc's experiences in Africa, "Belles of Shangri-La."

African World War II documentation also includes spent shells and dog tags, and, most significant, Doc's photographs recording images from West and North Africa (Ghana, then known as the Gold Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, and Egypt, Eritrea, and Ethiopia) and U.S. involvement there during World War II. Subjects of the photographs include Africans at work, in daily life, and in rituals and dancing; the practice of cliterodectomy; medical conditions and treatments including malaria, elephantiasis, filariasis, steatopygia, leprosy, and snakebite; animals including chimpanzees, baboons, monkeys, giraffes, dogs, cattle, donkeys, snakes, vultures; landmarks; soldiers in the integrated units; military training, equipment, and repair; and prostitute camps for U.S. soldiers. The descriptions of the photographs were largely supplied by Doc. Also included are books relating to the war, tribal markings, airlines, Liberia, tribes, tribal medicine, geography, photography, and Africa as well as unidentified films about Africa and films labeled Africa 1943-1944, Accra, and Red Sea.

Their horticultural work and garden advice that appeared in newspapers, radio, and television under the title "The Green Thumb" from 1960-1999 are documented by correspondence from 1979 to the 1980's, clippings and drafts, teaching materials, thank you letters, awards, agreements and contracts, subject files, radio program scripts, and book reviews. The collection also contains a small amount of personal material, such as a file of their obituaries and memorials and a scrapbook containing Doc's Cornell diploma and clippings regarding Leanna's marriage.