Collection consists primarily of Kennerly family correspondence, including several letters of George H. Kennerly to his wife and letters of Claude Saugrain Kennerly to his mother while serving in the army during the Spanish-American War, 1898. (Many of the letters in the collection are typescript transcriptions, not originals.) Also in the collection are a cash book of James and George Kennerly dated 1818-1823; a diary of William Clark Kennerly relating his experiences on an early buffalo hunt, 1843; reminiscences of William Clark Kennerly about his service in the Mexican War, dated circa 1900; and Kennerly family genealogical charts and forms. Collection also includes three diaries of James Kennerly dated 1823-1840. The first volume comprises the dates 1823-1826 (51 pages). The second and third volumes, 1826-1840, contain much information about business, political, and social life in St. Louis during this time. As William Clark's brother-in-law, Kennerly recorded news and activities of family members, mentioning specifically the spectacular funeral of William Clark on Sept. 3, 1838. He recorded experiences traveling in his duties with the 6th Regiment along the Missouri River and dealings with the fur trade and Indian affairs. Kennerly also noted local political campaigns, his plans to get his estate in trust for his wife and children, and social outings such as the theatre and a ball at the Missouri Hotel.