Benjamin III's accounts include receipts for and records of his household expenses, particularly during the time he lived at Cliveden with his mother, Katherine (Banning) Chew. A substantial portion of the correspondence subseries is made up of letters to Benjamin Chew III from his father, Benjamin Chew Jr., while Benjamin III was living in Pittsburgh. In other letters, Benjamin III and his correspondents frequently discussed lands, business, and legal cases. After Benjamin Jr.'s death in 1844, Benjamin III's involvement in these issues often related to his father's estate. The estate administration includes records relating to William Tilghman (1756-1827) and Samuel Chew (1795-1841). Much of the correspondence that is not related to Henry B. Chew's claim relates to legal cases Samuel Chew was working on at the time he died. Most of these letters are from lawyers involved in the cases requesting documents from Benjamin III. Included in this subseries are agreements, deeds, inventories, and descriptions of land; surveys; and papers related to the Bird farm in New Jersey. Many of the papers in the land subseries are related to land transactions documented in Series 4 (Benjamin Chew Jr.), Series 7 (Henry B. Chew), Series 19 (Pennsylvania Land Papers), and Series 21 (New Jersey Land Papers). The cases in the law subseries primarily involve Benjamin Jr.'s and Samuel's estates. Benjamin III's will and other estate documents are included here. Miscellaneous materials document Benjamin Chew III's involvement in the Pennsylvania Militia, his memberships in numerous organizations (both political and philanthropic), as well as his short political career. Also included here are architectural drawings, notes, genealogical materials, clippings, and directions for his son Alfred Jones' schooling and upbringing. The Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal Company subseries includes correspondence, agreements, minutes, reports, clippings, surveys, and other materials related to the planning and construction of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal.
