This collection houses the papers of Tennessee educator, journalist, and politician John Eaton Jr. The collection consists mainly of letters and correspondence addressed to Eaton; topics include the U. S. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands; the U.S. Bureau of Education; Eaton's newspaper The Memphis Post; and personal matters. Also included are many items of ephemera, newspaper clippings, and an undated notebook belonging to Eaton.