The collection consists primarily of Eaton family correspondence; the diaries of Lucien Eaton, dated 1855-1862; the journals of George P. Eaton, dated 1878-1882; legal papers of Lucien Eaton; 37 disbound letter books of letters received by Lucien Eaton, dated 1858-1889; and eight volumes of letter books of letterpress copies of letters sent by Lucien Eaton, dated 1861-1889. These letter books primarily contain Eaton’s professional correspondence, but some personal correspondence is included as well. The aforementioned 37 letter books of letters received by Lucien Eaton were disbound for preservation purposes in 2002–2003. After being disbound the letters were retained in their original order, which was loosely chronological, and housed in folders in Boxes 10-50. With the exceptions of letter books number 6 and 9, the letters were paged, presumably by Eaton or his clerk, and the letter books contain an index at the back of the volume that refers to these page numbers. A cumulative inventory of these letter books was compiled in 2002–2003, and is available in a Microsoft Access database accessible in the “Finding Aids” directory at the Archives Reference Desk computer. This inventory includes the name of the correspondent and the date and location where the letter was written. The aforementioned eight volumes of letter books of letterpress copies of letters sent by Lucien Eaton each contain an index in the back of the volume. The Correspondence and Diaries Series consists primarily of letters of Lucien Eaton to his wife and children, dated 1877-1888; letters between Lucien Eaton and his son, George Partridge Eaton, dated 1878-1882; letters of Lucien Eaton and his wife to their son, Frank Eaton, dated 1885-1891; five diaries of Lucien Eaton, dated 1855-1862; and five journals of George P. Eaton, dated 1878-1882. The series also contains some other family correspondence. The Legal Papers Series contains papers relating to legal cases of Lucien Eaton; most notable are cases involving the Joseph Uhrig Brewing Company, the St. Louis Bridge and Iron Company, and E.A. Skeele. The Other Family Papers Series contains a miscellany of family papers. The Lucien Eaton Letter Books (Letters Received) Series contains 37 disbound letter books of letters received by Eaton (dated 1858-1889), most of which comprise professional correspondence, but the volumes also contain some family and personal correspondence. A cumulative inventory to these 37 letter books is available in a Microsoft Access database accessible in the “Finding Aids” directory at the Archives Reference Desk computer. This inventory includes the name of the correspondent and the date and location where the letter was written. The Lucien Eaton Letter Books (Letters Sent) Series contains eight volumes of letter books of letterpress copies of letters sent by Lucien Eaton, dated 1861-1889. Each volume contains an index.