This collection consists solely of correspondence, which has been arranged chronologically within two series: business letters and family letters. Although the business letters were written to Hayden by a variety of associates, the principal correspondent is Cornelius Moore, who was the editor of the _Masonic Review_. Moore's letters discuss the difficulties he encountered throughout the publishing of _Leaflets_: paper and labor shortages, problems with the binderies, successful advertising strategies, and the lack of reliable agents. Moore's letters also occasionally allude to the progress of Hayden's _Compeers_. Most of the other business correspondents are Masons whose letters discuss lodge affairs and Masonic publications. However, a few of the letters were written to Hayden by various publishers and bookdealers for whom Hayden was an agent. The family correspondence consists primarily of letters written between Florilla and Sidney while Sidney was travelling through the Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states as an agent selling both the _Leaflets_ and later, his own _Compeers_. Although the family letters date from 1855-1898, the majority are concentrated in the 1860s. Hayden's letters to his wife constitute a travel diary of sorts, recording the idiosyncracies of the people, and the character of various towns, and occasionally commenting on various Masons and old friends whom he encountered. His letters also keep careful record of his transactions with customers, publishers, and other agents. Of particular interest is one letter (August 29, 1864) written by Hayden following his tour of the Civil War battlefronts, where he met General Grant. Julius Hayden's letters to his parents also discuss matters pertaining to the Civil War. Julius moved to Alexandria and then Atlanta (c. 1864), where he worked as an agent for the Charleston-Memphis Railroad. His letters often refer to the effect of the war upon the operation of the railroad. His later letters (c. 1869) describe the racial problems that developed during the Reconstruction period. One letter also touches upon his difficulties with servants. In the 1870s, Charles Hayden moved to Holton, Kansas, where he opened a law and real estate office, Hopkins and Hayden, and ran unsuccessfully for public office. Most of his letters, written to his father and his brothers, Bert and Sidney, deal with his business ventures. One letter, which describes an encounter between Charles and a Pottowatomie Indian, provides some illuminating comments on the attitude of settlers toward Indians. Little can be determined about the activities of Hayden's other children from the family letters. However, there is some evidence that Sidney studied law before moving to Leavenworth, Kansas, and that Ruth lived in Holton, Kansas, near Charles, where she died c. 1880. Interspersed among the letters written between members of the immediate Hayden family are letters from Sidney and Florilla Hayden's brother and sisters. These letters, a kaleidoscope of rural life in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, c. 1866, and Georgia, c. 1868, include comments and anecdotes concerning family relationships, the death of a spouse (May 16, 1868; Nov. 22, 1872), religion (August 3, 1868), sickness (October 27, 1866), and occasional references to political events, specifically the Chicago Convention of 1864, the Johnson impeachment, and conflicts between Copperheads and Democrats. Letters written by Florilla's brother, Harry Miller (1807- ), while he was working in a hospital at Camp Butler (1862-1864) during the Civil War contain some interesting comments on the casualties, Black people, and the political aspects of the war. Sidney's brother, Julius Hayden (1811- ) also writes an illuminating letter (August 2, 1868) on the Reconstruction of the South.
