The Harriet Lake Correspondence consists mainly of correspondence, along with envelopes, a photograph, and several promissory notes. There are fifty-one letters, with thirty-one being recipient copies to Hattie Lake. The remainder are between extended family members. Ten of the letters were transcribed by the donor and are indicated by an asterisk (*).

Correspondents include Lake’s mother, Eleanor (Henderson) Lake (1809-1898), her sisters Mary “Minnie” Elizabeth (Lake) Burns, 1828–1908, Sarah Jane "Sadie" (Lake) Brown, (1833–1905), and Rebecca (Lake) Fortson (1843-1895); cousins Nancy Anne Tolbert (1845-1901) and Thomas J. Tolbert and uncle Thomas Stalworth Henderson (1820–1900).

The collection is arranged in date order.