The Polly Ashelman Collection on the John McLaren McBryde Family contains five personal items given to McBryde and his wife Cora, arranged chronologically. The first item is the McMaster Medal, presented to McBryde for Distinguished Service to Mankind awarded by his alma mater, the University of South Carolina, in 1911. Three items from the University of Virginia relate to the 1912 Confederate Veteran Alumni Reunion, including a letter from W. M. Thornton, a medal presented to the veteran alumni, and list of veteran alumni. The final item, a handwritten book of congratulations for John and Cora McBryde's 50th anniversary in 1913, is hand embossed and signed by the faculty who served under McBryde during his presidency at VPI. A printed "at home" card for Mr. and Mrs. McBryde is inserted in the book.