Consists of a manuscript diary spanning forty-five years in the life of Helen "Nellie" Caroline Wordin (1842- ), an educated, single white woman living in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in the 19th century who attended school in Petersburg, Virginia, during the outbreak of the American Civil War.

Consists of a friendship album dedicated to Louise A. Woods, a young woman living in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in the 1850s. The first page contains a dedication from J. B. Gould, and entries comprise messages from friends, including religious sentiments and personal letters; drawings of ships; quoted poetry; and numerous news clippings related to the sea and adventure, which appear to have been primary interests for Woods. Clippings are related to whaling, expeditions to South America, tornadoes, the possible discovery of mermaids, and the anatomical dissection of newly discovered species, among other topics. There are also several engraved illustrations that appear to have been published with the album.