The series contains some of the earliest letters written by Perkins in the collection. The letterpress books contain letters regarding routine railroad business and also the time during the 1870s when financier Jay Gould and Perkins battled over control of lines and pooling in Iowa and Nebraska. The title “Personal” in this case refers to a letter written from an individual (Perkins) rather that the company. Note: Volume no. 7 is missing. This material was originally given the call number C-O 1 P 4.1, Cunningham-Overton Collection.