The collection contains correspondence to William Avery Stratton from friends and family. Letters date from as early as the American Civil War (1864) to the year after Stratton's death (1940). For the most part, letters are about social and family news, though some of the early letters contain Civil War and post-bellum news from the South. Letters from friends in Oregon, Colorado, and Nevada also provide details on Indian affairs, railroad growth, and cattle in the West. The collection also contains a large number of wedding and graduation invitations for events in Oxford, New York, where Stratton spent much of his life.

A significant portion of the family correspondence shares news from places around the country. There is also an emphasis on family business (the selling of butter from the farm, land, and stock dividends, for example) and local politics. Stratton's extended family lived throughout central and eastern New York, as well as in other parts of the country, and appear often throughout the correspondence both as writers and topics. In addition to Strattons, other connected families include the Chases, the Robinsons, the Ten Brocks (Ten Broecks) and the Juliands. A list of major correspondents by decade is provided under "Series I: Correspondence" below.

Note: There is very little correspondence for the period of June 1882 through November 1890, and none for the period of 1920 to 1934.

In addition to letters, the collection also contains a series of wedding and graduation invitations. During the second half of his life, while living predominantly in Oxford, New York, Stratton appears to have been a popular invitee. Many of the graduation invitations are for his old school, the Oxford Academy. Other materials include miscellaneous photographs and business papers.