The William Holland Thomas and James Robert Holland Thomas collection consists of five boxes of materials broken down into two series. The collections spans the years 1812-1939. the first series contains William Holland Thomas's personal Bibles, correspondence, and business papers. The correspondence is one of the most interesting parts of the William Holland Thomas series. One of the more notable items in this series is the large bound letter book spanning the years 1839-1840, when William Holland Thomas was in Washington fighting for the claims of the Eastern Cherokee. The second series in this collection contains James Robert Thomas's personal items, business materials, legal documents, correspondence, maps, newspaper articles, and supplemental materials. James Robert Thomas's business papers and legal documents reveal the extent of the Thomas family's influence and land holdings in the Western North Carolina region.