The collection is comprised of letters written by Beverly Walter Henry and his family including his brother, Brice M. Henry; his wife, Sarah (Sallie); his daughter, Carrie Belle; and his cousin, Mattie Sue Molloy. The letters are arranged chronologically and date from 1848 to 1910 with the bulk of the letters dating from 1861 to 1862. There are several gaps with no letters dating 1849-1860, 1863-1874, 1876-1890, or 1893-1909.

Brice M. Henry served in Capt. Stapp’s Company, Illinois Mounted Volunteers, U.S. Army in the Mexican-American War. He reached the rank of sergeant. In his only letter to his father from Mexico in 1848, Brice expressed his displeasure at not receiving any letters from home for almost three years. He explained that he was part of the detail that escorted General Santa Anna on part of his journey to leave Mexico.

The letters from 1861 to 1862 were all written by Beverly Walter Henry while in the U. S. Army during the Civil War to Sallie (Sarah) Johnson, whom he married after his discharge. Henry signed his letters “Walter.” He often described the physical landscape where his company was stationed and the people that he met. On 25 May 1862, Henry anticipated the Battle of Corinth and, although, he didn’t believe he would die, he wanted to do so with honor. In his last few letters, Henry related the circumstances of his arrest by Gen. Jefferson C. Davis and his illness, which led to his discharge.

Five letters in 1875 were written between Sarah and Bev (Beverly Walter Henry) while she was away from home being treated by a doctor. It is unclear for what condition Sarah was being treated, but Bev mentioned a problem with her leg and expressed optimism for her recovery in his last letter. Belle went away with her mother while Waverly, who was approximately one year old, stayed with another family. Bev wrote to Sarah about visiting their youngest daughter.

The letters from 1891 and 1892 were written to Waverly (Wave) Henry while she studied at Hamilton College in Lexington, Kentucky. The first letter, from her older sister Belle, described a package that she sent and the menu at a tea that she attended. The second letter was written by her father on Waverly’s birthday. Beverly’s cousin, Mattie Sue Molloy from Tennessee, wrote the final letter in the collection about her Henry family genealogical research.