The largest series of the collection contains correspondence, diaries and other materials from Mitchell Dawson's extended family and ancestors going back to the early 1800s. The bulk of the series consists of Mitchell's father George Ellis Dawson's correspondence, diaries, writings, and genealogical research into the Dawson and Manierre families. Of particular interest in George Ellis Dawson's materials is the research he did into a Charles Fourier - inspired socialist community called the Integral Phalanx in Sangamon County, Illinois in which his mother Julia Meacham Dawson had been involved.

There are also extensive records from the Manierre family. Eva Manierre Dawson was the daughter of Edward Manierre, a noted figure in Chicago in the mid 1800s. He was an alderman and later Treasurer of the City of Chicago. Eva's sister Kate Manierre lived with the Dawson family throughout her adult life and was a prolific writer and artist who kept detailed diaries of life in the Dawson home and at "The Humps" (the Dawson family farm in Ludington, Michigan.)

Another of Eva Manierre's sisters, Fannie Manierre Ware, suffered the loss of her son Manierre Ware, who died tragically by friendly fire in World War I. There are several folders of correspondence and documents regarding his military company, death, and burial in France.

Also of interest are papers concerning Mitchell's sister-in-law, author Emily "Mickey" Hahn. Mitchell handled Hahn's finances while she was overseas in China during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Mickey Hahn became somewhat of a notorious character while living in China. She had an affair with a Chinese poet, developed an opium addition and eventually became pregnant with the child of a married British intelligence officer. Hahn remained quite close to Rose and Mitchell, and Mitchell appears in many of her autobiographical books.

A genealogical history of the Dawson family, written by Douglas Dawson and presented to the Newberry in 2018, is available in the Dawson info file in Special Collections.