Correspondence among members of the Medill, Patterson and McCormick families, chiefly involving Joseph Medill (managing editor of the Chicago Tribune) and his wife, Katherine Patrick Medill.

Letters to Joseph Medill (managing editor of the Chicago Tribune), some of Medill's early writings, and documents related to Joseph Medill and Katharine Medill

The Eleanor Medill (Cissy) Patterson Papers consist chiefly of Medill, McCormick and Patterson family correspondence, Joseph Medill business and political letters, Chicago Tribune historical material, and a collection of letters of Joseph Medill and others to and from important people. The papers cover the years 1846-1910, approximately, with most of the material falling in the 1850-1899 period