The letters in this collection were written to John Lloyd Stearns by various family members and friends between 1864 and 1888. They span his lifetime from age 13 to age 36, and primarily reflect the family's day-to-day economic concerns, their relationships with each other and with extended family members, their travels, their living conditions and their work situations. Also included in the collection are miscellaneous papers of Robert Lawrence Stearns, John's younger brother.