The Bell, Kent, Cloyd, Withrow Family Collection spans the dates 1780 to 1998. The collection contains the papers and business records of four prominent families from Montgomery County and Pulaski County, Virginia and Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Also included are documents relating to numerous other individuals and families from across Southwest Virginia and Southern West Virginia. Documents include correspondence, land deeds and warrants, as well as financial records including debt statements, receipts, account statements, and money orders. The collection is divided into thirteen major series: Gordon Cloyd Bell Sr. Papers, Edgar Withrow Bell Papers, Gordon Cloyd Bell Jr. Papers, David Kent Bell Papers, Bell Family Papers, James Withrow Papers, Edgar D. Withrow Papers, Annie P. Withrow Papers, Withrow Family Papers, Kent Family Papers, Cloyd Family Papers, Other Family Papers, and Other Materials.

Series I: Gordon Cloyd Bell Sr. Papers: This series spans the years 1917 to 1962 and includes personal correspondence to and from Gordon Cloyd Bell Sr. as well as business correspondence and materials from Bell's time as the President of the Bank of Dublin in Dublin, VA. The series also contains bank statements from 1940 to 1941.

Series II: Edgar Withrow Bell Papers: This series contains materials dating from 1919 to 1970, including a birth certificate for Edgar W. Bell. The papers are mainly personal in nature. There is extensive correspondence, dating from 1934 to 1970 as well as a scrapbook and some newspaper clippings. There is a limited amount of Edgar Bell's financial records including bank statements dating from 1942 to 1945.

Series III: Gordon Cloyd Bell Jr. Papers: these papers date from 1921 to 1967. These papers include a birth certificate and academic records, as well as, land deeds, tax documents, and financial records. Also included are materials from Gordon Bell Jr.'s time in the military including correspondence from the time of his service in World War II. World War II materials also include a "Save Conduct Leaflet." These leaflets were air dropped in Western Europe by Allied forces in order to aid in the surrender of German Soldiers, the leaflet in this collection was most likely the version distributed from December 1944 through April 1945, it contains both English and German text.

Series IV: David Kent Bell Papers: These papers date from 1925 to 1978. They range in scope from David Bell's birth certificate and education records to financial records and insurance documents. Also included is correspondence, some of which dates from David Bell's service in World War II. Also from this period are military documents dating from 1943 to 1948.

Series V: Bell Family Papers: This series is composed for documents from various members of the Bell family including James Bell, Mary Withrow Bell, Andrew Bell, Francis Bell, and Ellen Howe Bell Magill. These items range in date from 1834 to 1967. They include financial records for James Bell, along with correspondence from Mary Withrow Bell, Andrew Bell, and Ellen Howe Bell Magill. This series also contains information regarding the settlement of the estates of both Francis Bell and Mary Withrow Bell.

Series VI: James Withrow Papers: This series contains material ranging in date from 1848 to 1910. The bulk of the material in this series is financial records for James Withrow's business in agriculture, including contracts, correspondence, checks, receipts, money orders, debt statements, and account statements. Also present are documents relating to the settlement of James Withrow's estate.

Series VII: Edgar D. Withrow Papers: This series spans the dates 1864 through 1936. Included in this series are personal items including correspondence from Edgar Withrow's time as a Confederate Prisoner of War. Also included are records from the Greenbrier Light Infantry Grays of which Edgar Withrow was a member. The majority of this series is composed of financial records and business records from Edgar Withrow's business as an agricultural implements salesman.

Series VIII: Annie Primrose Withrow Papers: These papers consist of personal correspondence and items dating from 1889 to 1981, including land deeds and other legal documents as well as a 1908 "Greenbrier" yearbook from the Lewisburg Female Institute.

Series IX: The Withrow Family Papers: This series spans from 1870 to 1941, it contains materials from members of the Withrow family including business records from various businesses run by James Withrow and his son, Edgar, in addition to this are papers from Heber K. Withrow, Mary Renick Withrow, Helen Withrow, Mary E. Withrow, Mary J. Withrow, Letitia Withrow, and papers from Withrow Place as well as the Withrow Tourist Home.

Series X: The Kent Family Papers: This series includes materials dating from 1814 to 1881. The series includes the correspondence and financial records of two prominent Southwest Virginia landowners, James Randal Kent and David Fenton Kent.

Series XI: The Cloyd Family Papers: The Cloyd family papers include correspondence and financial records for Gordon, Mary, and James Cloyd. Also included are several land surveys done by Gordon Cloyd, a land surveyor for Southwest Virginia. These materials date from 1792 to 1866.

Series XII: Other Family Papers: This series is composed of land warrants and deeds, financial records, and personal correspondence from numerous individuals and families from Southwest Virginia and what is now, Southern West Virginia. These materials range in date from 1780 to 1998 and are dived into two categories, those materials sorted by individual or family and items organized by category.

Series XIII: Other Materials: This series is composed of magazines, booklets, brochures, and photographs that could not be identified as belonging to any one person or family. The series spans the dates 1901 through 1997.