Correspondence, diaries, accounts, guardianship documents, and estate settlement papers of William D. Fairley (d. 1871) and his wife Catherine (later Mrs. Melvin James Stevens). Included are letters from James Stalker, describing hospital conditions during the Civil War; Mrs. Fairley's sister, Mrs. Hugh Moore, Nashua, Iowa; her son Charles Fairley, Nebraska; the Copeland family, other relatives, and friends; and letters to Charles from his mother and stepfather. Also, documents relating to Mrs. Fairley's guardianship of her minor children; diaries of Catherine Fairley, Fannie Fairchild Fairley (later Mrs. John L. Dillon), Charles Fairley, and William D. Fairley; receipts, bills, and other items of John and Hugh Fairley, Jr.; recipes, Civil War songsheets, clippings, and miscellany from Salem, Washington County, N.Y.