The collection consists of papers of Thomas Cumming and the Cumming family of Augusta, Georgia from 1794-1954. The earliest letters are between Thomas and Anne Cumming and their relatives and children, particularly Joseph who resided in Savannah. Letters after 1830 concentrate on Henry Hartford and Julia Bryan Cumming and their children. Of particular interest are letters (1857) from their son Alfred, a West Point soldier, who was in the Utah (Mormon) Expedition. Alfred describes his journey to Salt Lake City; meeting Brigham Young and his followers; and encounters with his uncle, Alfred Cumming, the new territorial governor. Joseph Bryan, on a three-year grand tour of Europe, also wrote to his parents describing his travels. During the Civil War, the correspondence contains letters from Alfred Cumming (10th Georgia Infantry Regiment) mainly from Virginia, Joseph Bryan Cumming (5th Georgia Infantry Regiment) mainly from Mississippi, and from Julien (48th Georgia Infantry Regiment) in Virginia during the Peninsula Campaign, Seven Day's Battles, and later as a prisoner of war on Johnson's Island (Ohio). Julien's prison letters are addressed to family members and to Henry W. Hubbell of New York and discuss prison life, his health, and supplies he needs. Collection date span: 1794-1954