The collection consists of the correspondence of members of the Stanford family. The bulk of the letters were sent to or by Lycurgus L. Stanford, his brother Eli, and his father Nehemiah. The letters date from 1858 through 1876. Pre-war letters include a letter from Nehemiah to Lycurgus Stanford that includes a Receipt for Consumption.

Many letters date from Lycurgus and Eli Stanford's time serving in the American Civil War. In these letters members of the family discuss the events of the war and express their belief in the Southern cause. Even when the situation in the south begins to deteriorate they express a desire for a swift victory. There is one letter written to Lycurgus during his imprisonment at Johnson's Island, two letters from after the war make reference to Lycurgus Stanford's time in prison and the efforts of Southerners to rebuild. The remaining letters date from the post-war period and relate mainly to Lycurgus Stanford's service as a representative of Georgia. The collection also includes court documents from a case relating to the hire of an African-American boy named Sam in 1878 as well as a brief biographical sketch of Lycurgus L. Stanford published in 1881.