The collection contains several handwritten letters from individuals of the Calkins, Train, and Youngkin families or in an association with them. None of the letters show a relation to Genesee County or the city of Flint. Furthermore, none of the letters suggest relations among any of the families. The length of chronology for the letters is 1831 to 1910. All were handwritten, but some are photocopy and photostat reproductions of the originals. Registration records make no mention of the status of the originals during time of donation. The reproductions will be retained as part of the collection to ensure no context is lost of the lives of the correspondents.

The Calkins letters were written by Uriah Carson to a sister identified only as S. Calkins. He wrote in 1862 from Nashville, Tennessee that her husband had died of diarrhea. The other letter describes the inability of the husband to receive pay for nearly a year due to the actions of Confederate raids. The paymaster refused to travel there to distribute pay.

The Train letters are from 1865. They were written by one individual, Fred A. Patz, who wrote two letters to Lucy Train. He professed his love for her as a secret admirer in the first and later revealed himself in the second, continuing to profess his love, though apologizing for his deception.

The Youngkin letters stretch from 1831 to 1910. Authors remark about various family members, how they are, where they are living. There are no mentions of the ongoing Civil War in the letter from 1862. The letter from 1910 discusses the involvement of one woman of the family in the Detroit Women’s Club.