The collection includes letters by John T. Burns, 1858 - 1863 and records of his wife's family: Jeptha V. Harris correspondence, early legal documents, and letters among Mrs. Burns, her sister, Sallie, and her daughter, Martha, which document the disintegration of the family after the Civil War. Records contain additional Johnstone, Dickson, and Sanders family information, names of slaves in early records, and many graphics.

The collection includes letters by John T. Burns, 1858 - 1863 and records of his wife's family: Jeptha V. Harris correspondence, early legal documents, and letters among Mrs. Burns, her sister, Sallie, and her daughter, Martha, which document the disintegration of the family after the Civil War. Records contain additional Johnstone, Dickson, and Sanders family information, names of slaves in early records, and many graphics.