The focus of the collection is the series of Cornelius Hedges diaries (1849-1857, 1863-1893, 1906-1907). The rest of the collection, particularly the incoming correspondence, the financial records, and the legal documents, is supplementary in nature. The collection also contains materials of other members of the Hedges family, including: Cornelius Hedges' parents, Dennis and Alvina Hedges, his sister, Frances Atwater, his brother-in-law, Asa B. Clarke, his wife, Edna Smith Hedges, his sons, Wyllys, Henry, and Cornelius Jr., and his daughter, Edna Hedges Palmer. Other subgroups in this collection include materials for the Bald Butte Mining Company (during its period of receivership) and the Masonic Order.