This collection consists of five series: Books, Correspondence and Personal Papers, Ephemera, Objects, and Photographs.

The first series, Books, 1881-1921, contains scrapbooks, notebooks, and the log of Alice and John Drexel’s yacht, the Sultana, as well as two copies of Henry Troth: Sept. 4, 1794-May 22, 1842, a privately published book about Alice Troth’s grandfather.

The second series, Correspondence and personal papers, 1812-1975, contains mostly personal letters between John R. Drexel III, Alice Troth Drexel, Elizabeth Thompson Drexel, and John R. Drexel Jr. There are some legal documents to John R. Drexel III about his inheritance from his grandmother, and custody and divorce papers of his parents. There are also a few files on wills, probates and estate matters of Alice Troth Drexel, Anthony J. Drexel, and Emilia Brinton Grant, a relative of Elizabeth Thompson Drexel. Of note are letters concerning the last days of Anthony J. Drexel’s life from his attending physician Dr. A. Grunberger and his friend John H. Harjes.

The third series, Ephemera, 1886-1970, contains items such as postcards, magazine and newspaper clippings, wedding invitations, Drexel reunion programs and an open house brochure, and seal impressions, as well as an abstract of the Cristobal Colon ship’s log at the time of the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

The fourth series Objects, 1888-1988, contains items most likely belonging to John R. Drexel III and his father John R. Drexel Jr., as well as a medal belonging to his uncle Gordon Drexel. There are daguerreotypes, miniature portraits with locks of hair, coins and currency, keys, a coin purse, cufflinks, and pencils. Monogrammed with JRD and JRD III are a wallet, belt buckles, and a Zippo lighter. Also included in this series are medals and a bookmark from the beatification of St. Katharine Drexel in November 1988, and the seal of Drexel bearing the motto “Perserverando”.

The fifth series, Photographs, 1901-1980, contains black and white photographs of various members of the Drexel, Thompson, and Troth families. There is also a file on the portraits of John Roset and Mary Ann Laning, whose daughter Ellen married the banker Anthony J. Drexel. There are a few files of unidentified males, females, and children, as well as interior and exterior shots of a mansion. Formats for the graphic material vary as well, with cabinet cards, cartes de visite and a small painting.