This collection contains papers of Octavius Hileman, secretary/treasurer of the Luster Manufacturing Company. Written primarily by J. O. Luster, a manufacturer and dealer in tin and sheet iron ware in Fincastle, Virginia and president of Luster Manufacturing, the letters relate mostly to the company's business. He mentions the dissolution of the company and the unsettled accounts of stockholders. Luster writes that Hileman has not paid his salary and that he is prepared to take legal steps. The last letter relates to the sale of the company's machinery and Hileman's approval of the transaction.

The collection also contains letters from Alleghany County Treasurer Joseph T. Fudge, relating to Fudge's campaign for re-election and his party's slate of candidates. Fudge mentions his opponent's campaign, particularly among African American voters, and the people who are trying to defame him by publishing untrue allegations. Fudge ends with his capabilities and the reasons why people will vote for him.