This collection consists primarily of letters that John Watkins, then serving with the 19th Ohio Light Artillery, wrote to his fiancee, Sarah Probert, and other family members. In them, he discusses his experiences in the Civil War, including his unit's participation in the East Tennessee Campaign and the Battle of Fort Sanders. Also included are photographs, reunion announcements, and letters written to Watkins by former wartime comrades.

Another series of the collection houses a group of family diaries and account books created by John Watkins, Sarah (Probert) Watkins, Cornelia G. Watkins, Emma Watkins, and George Probert. These items date from between 1857 and 1958 and were created in the Pittsfield, Ohio area.