This collection contains the papers of James Hoge Tyler, Virginia state senator (1877-1879), lieutenant governor (1890-1894), governor (1898-1902), businessman, church elder, genealogist, and resident of Radford, Virginia. The collection includes Tyler's correspondence as governor, including a set of bound letter books. Also among the political correspondence are a set of subject files, largely relating to political appointments directly under the governor's control but also touching on some of the issues with which Tyler's administration was concerned. Complementing this official correspondence is a voluminous collection of incoming political correspondence, spanning the latter 19th and early 20th centuries, much of it devoted to Tyler's 1897 and 1899 campaigns, but also including references to the political atmosphere in Virginia and the national political issues of the day.

Within Tyler's personal papers are files relating to his involvement in the Presbyterian Church, particularly his service on the boards of various church-related institutions and in various church councils, as well as his leadership in Radford's Presbyterian Church. Tyler's interest in genealogy is documented in a small set of correspondence from other researchers, together with two of his own typescript manuscripts and printed materials. Also within the personal papers is a large collection of incoming correspondence to both J. Hoge and Sue Hammet Tyler. Much of this correspondence is from members of his very large extended Hoge and Tyler families and relates to personal matters, though many of the letters also touch on political and business matters. Though housed among the personal papers, a collection of scrapbooks provides an exhaustive chronicle of Tyler's political career, largely through newspaper clippings.

Tyler's business pursuits are well documented in a collection of correspondence, ledgers, and legal papers. Among these records are those of the Belle Hampton Coal Company and the Radford Development Company, together with records of Tyler's agricultural interests. Also among the business papers are documents relating to Tyler's personal financial activities, including such routine documents as personal checks and receipts.

Of the papers of Tyler's children, perhaps the most significant are those of Stockton Heth Tyler, an army paymaster during the Spanish-American War. In addition to S. Heth Tyler's personal papers are paymaster records which he retained after the war. The papers include payroll records for a number of units and individuals.

Also among the papers of Tyler's children are those of Edward H. Tyler, a Pulaski County, Virginia farmer; Belle Tyler McConnell, whose husband, Frank, was a prominent banker and businessman of Arkansas and Virginia; and Lily Tyler Wilson, whose husband, Henry, was a civil engineer and road contractor in Pennsylvania.

The collection also includes the papers of members of the Hammet family of Mississippi and Virginia. Among these papers are a number of items relating to the affairs of Lammermoor Plantation in Mississippi, including materials concerning the ante bellum operation of the plantation, and later, accounts with the freedmen employed there. Also included among the Hammet papers are the account books of James P. Hammet, a physician of Montgomery County, Virginia.

A small collection of papers belonging to the Sifford family of Pulaski County, Virginia, are included as well and relate to the family's personal activities and business/legal interests. Included among the papers is a small notebook providing the names and birth dates of slaves on an unidentified farm.

Completing the collection is a large collection of photos, including both studio portraits and snapshots of the Tylers, extended family members and friends.