The Banks Family Papers collection consists of personal and legal papers of Robert Lenox Banks and his family, primarily his daughter, Mary Decamp Banks Moore. These include correspondence to and from the Banks Family by local businessmen, politicians, such as New York Governor, John T. Hoffman, and William Vanderbilt, President of the Hudson River Railroad. The documents are mostly personal in nature, describing the private life of a prominent local family of the 19th Century. Also in this collection are photographs, genealogical information, and other items relating to the Banks, Lenox, and Corning families.

This collection includes family papers for the Bedlow, Corpron, and McRae families, who were related through marriage and adoption. The Bedlow family was originally from Massachusetts before settling in Plattsburgh, then Champlain, New York. The collection contains correspondence, legal documents, financial documents, personal papers, ephemera, and photographs.

Records of the Center Square Association consisting of correspondence, meeting minutes, legal documentation, photographs, printed material and newspaper clippings re: to issues of concern to the Association, including zoning, code enforcement, parking, neighborhood and community affairs.

Adam Blake, Jr. (1830-1881) had a well-established career in the hotel industry prior to having the Kenmore Hotel built in 1878. The adopted son of a man who had been enslaved, Adam worked his way up in the hotel industry, and eventually opened the Kenmore, for which he spared no expense. Although Blake died before he could long enjoy the fruits of his labor, the Kenmore continued for many years, and was eventually purchased and renovated into luxury apartments.

Mary Palmer Calverley Byrne-Ivy (1870- ) was a singer, pianist and voice teacher. Mary's father was Charles Calverley, an artist who served as an assistant to Erastus Dow Palmer for a time in Albany, New York.

The Meadows collection is comprised of documents, papers, and photographs collected by the families that owned The Meadows mansion in Cazenovia, NY. These families include The Ledyards, The Hubbards, and The Oakmans, providing a snapshot of the personal life of an upper class family during the mid 1800s to the 1950s. Please see the scope and content note for a more in depth description of the collection.

Collection of correspondence, financial and legal documents, clippings, exhibition catalogs, poems related to Thomas Cole and family.

Will Hicok Low (1853-1932) was born in Albany, New York, and became an artist, muralist, and writer. This collection includes correspondence, personal papers, photographs, and reproductions of his work.

William Christian Bouck (1786-1859) was from Schoharie County, New York. He became a politician, serving as Sheriff of Schoharie County, terms in the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate, on the Erie Canal Commission, and as Governor of New York. He also served in the militia in New York’s 18th Regiment and rose to become Colonel. This collection includes correspondence, financial records, legal records, and photographs.