Photographs of the family of Portland businessman Simon Benson and his second wife, Pamelia Loomis, including sons Chester Simon Benson and Gilbert Thereon Benson, and grandchildren Gilbert Thomas Benson and Margaret Benson (later Margaret Maradudin).

Collection includes manuscript letters from H. B. Smith to his wife, May 11, 1855, regarding work in the Jacksonville mines; student relief pass-card, circa 1906, issued by Stanford University to students volunteering to provide relief to victims of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake; and an invitation to the Grand Anniversary Ball, July 4, 1856.