Personal Correspondence, 1820-1916 and undated

The bulk of this series consists of letters between Madge, May, and William Preston. The letters between Madge and William begin in 1847, the first year of their marriage, when Madge went for an extended visit to her siblings in Mountain View, Pennsylvania. The correspondence continues between them as William often remained in Baltimore for his law practice leaving Madge and May at Pleasant Plains, through May's years at St. Joseph's Academy, and then her married life. The letters end with Madge writing to her grandchildren in 1894, just prior to her death in 1895.

William P. Preston wrote to and received correspondence from prominent Baltimore gentlemen including A. S. Abell, Zenos Barnum, Louis Kossuth, Judge John Legrand, and Archbishop M. J. Spalding. In his late teens and early twenties, William received letters from other men who wrote him concerning his health and employment. Madge's correspondents included the sisters at St. Joseph's Academy, Sophie Stout, Eliza G. Meigs, and Johns Hopkins. Hopkins was a family friend who wrote to May on her graduation from St. Joseph's Academy in 1867.

Among the many topics covered in the letters between the family members are the news of the day, the ever-present weather conditions, visits to and from friends, illness (all three suffered from frequent headaches), the sewing of clothes by hand and on a sewing machine by Madge for May and the grandchildren, gifts purchased and received, chess and backgammon games played and won or lost, and problems related to the Pleasant Plains management and their Baltimore residence. Madge wrote weekly to May while she attended St. Joseph's; these letters report family news of the day and occasionally political events. In a letter to May dated October 30, 1862, she wrote about "the drafting…." and "upholding the tyranny of the present government." On November 29, 1862, her letter mentioned the release of "respected but unfortunate 'fellow citizens'" Baltimore Mayor George Brown and Marshall Kane from prison for their participation in the Baltimore Riot of 1861.

William wrote to Madge of the overnight stay of President Franklin Pierce in Baltimore in a letter dated July 14, 1853. He attended a breakfast with the president and members of his cabinet, including Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War, with whom he was most impressed. A December 1, 1885, letter to Madge from May describes the funeral procession of Vice President Thomas Hendricks in Indianapolis.

The series is arranged alphabetically by recipient.