Papers, 1727-1918, chiefly 1781-1875, of members of the related Overton, Ragland, Claybrooke and Hart families of Louisa County, Va. and Haywood Co., Tenn. The early papers are primarily legal documents, accounts and account books of John Ragland and Samuel Ragland and correspondence of the children of Samuel Ragland. After 1797, the collection concerns the legal and business papers of Samuel Overton, Thomas Overton, Waller Overton and Sally Overton Claybrooke. After 1810, the collection concerns the Claybrooke family in Tennessee.

There are also papers of James Malcolm Hart, farmer and schoolteacher which concern education, the Civil War and Reconstruction. Prominent correspondents include Peter Johnston, John Marshall, Dabney Minor, Garrett Minor, John Minor and Edmund Randolph.

There are accounts of Francis Jerdone and accounts concerning the boarding of horses; a legal opinion given by Edmund Pendleton; a letter of Jane R. Riordan concerning her learning the millinery trade; and a manuscript volume of distillery tax due in Spotsylvania County, Va. Some folder numbers were skipped when originally processed. In 2019, the collection was checked and all material has been accurately noted in the inventory.