Family correspondence dates from 1810, prior to Tilden's birth, and continues through his death in 1886. His close relationships with family members are evident in the Family Correspondence, though this material tends to specifically reflect Tilden's youth and early adulthood. Letters between Samuel and his father, Elam, and between Samuel and his brother Moses are prevalent; also included are letters from other siblings, aunts and cousins. Of particular note is a folder of correspondence belonging to Tilden's nephew, Col. William Tilden Pelton. Appointed by his uncle to the position of military secretary during Tilden's term as governor, and later to the management of his presidential campaign, Pelton fell from grace during the vote-buying scandal of the "cipher dispatch conspiracy." The Pelton folder contains letters exchanged with Tilden, as well as with individuals involved in Tilden's and Pelton's political career in the 1860s and 1870s. Lastly, this series contains some drafts of Tilden's outgoing letters, though the recipients of these letters are not identified, and many exist only in fragmented form.