The collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, documents, and photographs, chiefly form the third quarter of the nineteenth century. There are also letters from Fedor Chechulin to his wife, from 1856-1865, in Swedish with later Russian translations; documents and other correspondence from 1847-1877; a manuscript about the family by Ekaterina Maĭdel;́ several family photographs; and a memoir by Polina Petrovna Chechulina about her experiences as a physical development instructor for the family of Grand Prince Konstantin Konstantinovich from about the end of the nineteenth century to World War I.

Two typed memoirs of Zvereva. The larger (49 p.) discusses her family, childhood, and youth up to the time she emigrated. She discusses in some detail rural life around the turn of the century, including her father's estate and the 1905 revolution in the area. The shorter memoir (6 p.) concerns the aftermath of the murder of King Alexander of Yugoslavia in 1934. Also included are a handdrawn diagram and a photograph of Zvereva's father's house.

The collection consists of correspondence, manuscripts, subject files, photographs and printed materials, primarily booklets and clippings. The correspondents include Ivan and Vera Bunin, Mark Slonim and Petr Struve. Also included are photocopies of letters by Ivan A. Goncharov. By far the largest part of the collection is in the form of memoirs written by Valeriĭ P. Semenov-Ti︠a︡nʹ-Shanskiĭ, in which he dwells in detail on his ancestors, on the social and political life in Russian during the second half of the 19th century and on his public life in the emigration. The subject files deal primarily with Russian emigre organizations in Finland.