Consists of an assembled collection of correspondence, documents, and manuscripts related to Princeton University, its students, and its employees, some in an official capacity and others as personal or family records of those associated with Princeton University, or the College of New Jersey as it was known prior to the end of the 19th century. Materials span from the 1740s until the 1980s and shed light on the origination of Princeton University, the first presidents and trustees who raised funds to build the school, and on the daily life of the students who attended Princeton at the time through letters they wrote to their families or friends back home. The collection also contains material related to the Revolutionary War and the Civil War and the role of Princeton during both, as well as student riots that occurred on campus in the early 19th century. Included are receipts for salaries or for work done at the college, accounts, letters, minutes of meetings, charters, material related to the Princeton Theological Seminary, report cards, certificates, diplomas, prayers, sermons, orations, and other material related to commencement exercises, information related to building the library, some material of University faculty, and more.

Description provided at the file level was transcribed from handwritten information on old folders.