General family correspondence, 1859-1929, mostly to A.L. Benedict; correspondence of A.L. Benedict as superintendent of the Division of Ethnology and Archaeology of the Pan-American Exposition, 1900-1902, as well as a map of the exposition grounds and notes on exhibits and concessions. Other papers of A.L. Benedict include writings on archaeology by Benedict and others, 1886-1909, medical and military certificates, and miscellaneous receipts and notes. Papers of N.G. and Gracia S. Benedict include estate papers, real estate records, and receipts for house construction, 1875-1912; estate papers of the Smith family, 1849- 1911, including papers of Lucy S., Sara M. and Kate M. Smith and others, and records of real estate in Buffalo and Clinton, N.Y. Also, notebooks of Charles W. Dobbins concerning archaeological and geological discoveries in Western New York, 1882-1886.

Includes letters thanking Riley for his assistance to the Santa Fe Company, 1829; bounty land certificate issued to Riley for his father's service during the Revolutionary War, 1838; invitations to public dinners in Riley's honor; an offer of a bounty for males captured or killed at Riley's post in Florida, 1841; letters and resolutions regarding presentations of swords and other commemoratives to Riley for his gallantry, service, and good conduct; two letters written to his parents by Bennett I. Riley while in military service, 1853; cadet appointment of Edward B. D. Riley, 1853; a letter and poem sent to Mrs. Bennett Riley on her husband's death; a letter to Edward B. D. Riley regarding a cane made by Bennett Riley; and biographical information on Bennett Riley. Also, eight military commissions of Bennett Riley, signed by various presidents and secretaries of war, 1820-1851.

Correspondence, invoices, records from the Boundary Commission between 1816 and 1828.

Erie County Survey Commission for reorganization of county government (Kenefick Commission): hearing transcripts and allied material, 1933-1935; letters and broadsides by Gerrit Smith, 1866-1869; letters of Booker T. Washington from the Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, 1908-1911; and letters and papers, 1932-1933, about the life of Jonas Harrison.

Collection includes histories of various Baptist Churches and prominent figures involved in the Baptist Church in the Western New York area.

Records of the Buffalo Board of Trade, 1863-1867 and 1880-1937, including membership lists and contracts; records of the Buffalo Merchants' Exchange, 1883-1910, including letters, notices and membership lists; records of the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, 1903-1951, including minutes, letters, and membership lists; and records of the Buffalo Manufacturers' Club, 1908-1912.

Includes city contracts, 1850-1915, for such work as dredging the Buffalo River, canal dredging, street lighting, and bridge construction; accounts and claims, 1863-1875, and powers of attorney and other documents, 1909-1910, concerning improving Elmwood Ave. and Morgan St.