Collection primarily consists of original letters of the Donovan and McCarthy families, Irish immigrants who settled in Haverhill, Massachusetts in the late nineteenth century. Topics consist of family affairs in both Ireland and Massachusetts, including community events and gossip, health updates, potato farming difficulties, and more. The donor, Patricia Trainor O'Malley, transcribed the letters and provided indexes with item-level dates and correspondents listed for each letter. Transcriptions also contain brief histories of the two families, which include personal anecdotes from O'Malley's time spent in Ireland conducting research.

Papers also include biographical materials such as baptismal records, deeds, and financial papers, as well as ephemera like autograph books, household bills, and a scrapbook. Photographs document family members in Haverhill, Massachusetts and in Ireland, as well as unidentified Irish immigrants in the late nineteenth century.