Collection consists mainly of the correspondence of Major John Dougherty in relation to sutling at Fort Kearny, Nebraska, and government transportation of freight between Fort Kearny and Fort Laramie, Wyoming, in the 1840s and 1850s. Also includes numerous bills of sale of slaves; correspondence and reports regarding Indian affairs, including a report from Leavenworth, March 9, 1832; land documents; and correspondence regarding land claims. Correspondents include Dougherty's son Lewis B. Dougherty, Robert Campbell, Henry S. Turner, A.G. Reed, Major C.F. Ruff, and Col. Thomas Swords. Collection also includes two diaries, 1869-1879, and a ledger, 1851-1852, of the medical practice of Dr. William Wallace Dougherty, a Liberty, Missouri, physician and nephew of John Dougherty. The diaries include material on the family.