This collection includes letters, diaries, notebooks, and early photographs, relating primarily to the Wister family of Germantown and Philadelphia. Much of the correspondence concerns domestic news and consists of letters from or to Sarah Wister. These include interesting observations on Germantown and Philadelphia society from other families as well, such as the Bayntons and Bullocks. There are numerous letters from various Wisters, including Casper, Charles Jones, Elizabeth (including a journal of a trip to Bristol, 1783), Hannah, John, Owen Jones, and others. There is also poetry by Sarah.

These two diaries were kept by Amelia Smith Calvert on trips to Europe with her husband Philip Powell Calvert. They record little scientific information, although there is mention of some of the entomologists and scientists whom they met (e.g. Professor Robert Newstead of University of Liverpool). In general, her observations are those of a literate and passionate sightseer who records travel events in great detail. The British diary (1912) includes descriptions of Liverpool, Edinburgh, York, Lincoln, Cambridge, Oxford, and London, and observations of the entomological specimens they saw in London. The Europe diary (1929) includes descriptions of Antwerp, Brussels, Amsterdam, Lucerne, Venice (of particular interest), Padua, and Milan. There is a description of P.P. Calvert's examination of insect specimens in the collection of Baron de Sélys-Longchamps in the Institut royal des sciences naturelles de Belgique.

Robert Cushman Murphy (1887-1973), one of the twentieth century's great ornithologists, was curator of mammals and birds at the Brooklyn Museum (1911-1917) and was curator of birds and later chairman of birds at the American Museum of Natural History (1917-1973). The world's foremost authority on sea birds, in 1936, he penned Oceanic Birds of South America, a two volume set. An ardent traveler and explorer, he kept copious notes of his travels, which he typed up, illustrated and had bound. The APS library owns forty-two bound journals. Murphy was made an APS member in 1946. A pioneer in the study of the ecology, a louse, fish, plant, lizard, an Antarctic inlet, spider, and two mountains have acquired his name. This collection contains diaries, journals, articles, addresses and observations of Murph;, generously illustrated with newspaper clippings, photographs, letters, sketches, maps, and charts.