The papers revolve around three principals and provide a picture of Quakers in Palestine in the 20th century: Khalil Totah, his second wife, Eva Marshall Totah and his first wife, Ermina Totah. Khalil Totah discusses the situation in Palestine, primarily in the 1930s, speaks of his own life and aspirations, as when he became a Quaker minister. His diaries expand the picture, adding information about Friends Boys School in Ramallah (Palestine) and his understanding of the political situation, again primarily in the 1930s. The photographs add the dimension of geography, placing Totah at Oak Grove Seminary, Clark College and at the Institute of Arab American Affairs. Eva Marshall Totah has the largest quantity of correspondence, primarily 1920s and 1930s, which provides great detail to the life and work at the Friends School in Ramallah, the character and growing relationship with Khalil Totah and domestic issues. The papers of Ermina Jones Totah portray an earnest and dedicated teacher and wife, but carry little detail.
