1. Manuscripts, ca. 1888-1925 (13 cubic feet) The series documents the writings of Charles and Alice Major. Types of materials include: manuscripts, play scripts, magazine articles, galley proofs, advertising materials, book jackets, poetry, rough drafts, published materials, and club reports. Materials in the series are arranged chronologically by author.
2. Theater and Motion Pictures, circa 1899-1923 (2 cubic feet) The series documents the theatrical and film productions of Charles Major's works. Types of materials include: play bills, box office receipts, reviews, royalties, and motion picture ephemera. Notable actors include: Mary Pickford, Marion Davies, Julia Marlowe, and Bertha Galland. Materials in the series are arranged alphabetically
3. Law, 1872-1893 (.50 cubic feet) The series documents the law and political career of Charles Major. Types of materials include: certificates, receipts, diaries, and date books. Materials in the series are arranged alphabetically.
4. Correspondence, circa 1870s-1925 (8 cubic feet) The series documents the professional and personal lives of Charles and Alice Shaw Major. Types of materials include: correspondence, invitations, announcements, greeting cards, telegrams, clippings, royalty checks, publishing contracts, motion picture ephemera, household correspondence, and fan letters. Major sub-series are: Charles Major, Alice Shaw Major, and Charles and Alice Major. The Charles Major series includes: fan mail, correspondence with publishers, theater owners, actors, and agents; and book sellers. The Alice Shaw Major series includes; personal mail, invitations, sympathy letters, and correspondence with movie producers, publishers, theater owners, actors, and agents. The Charles and Alice Major series contains personal correspondence between Charles and Alice Shaw Major Notable correspondents include: Julia Marlowe, Booth Tarkington, George Ade, President Theodore Roosevelt, President William McKinley, William Dean Howells, Edith Wharton, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), Purdue President Winthrop Stone, and Mary Pickford. Materials in the series are arranged alphabetically and divided between Charles and Alice Major.
5. Clippings, circa 1882-1924 (7 cubic feet) The series documents the professional career of Charles Major and the personal life of Charles and Ann Shaw Major. Types of materials include: newspaper clippings, magazine clippings, and clipping scrapbooks compiled by the Majors. Topics include: Charles Major’s literary career, law career, tenure as a Indiana state representative, member of Purdue University’s Board of Trustees, theatrical and motion picture productions, Charles and Ann Major’s home, travels, Charles Major’s death, Ann Major’s years after the death of Charles, and clippings regarding Shaw and Major relatives. Other subjects include: Indiana Society of Chicago, Shelbyville, Indiana; Julia Marlowe, Booth Tarkington, James Whitcomb Riley, George Ade, Meredith Nicholson, Marion Davies, Bertha Galland, and Mary Pickford. Materials in the series are arranged alphabetically by subject.
6. Household Accounts, circa 1874-1924 (1 cubic feet) The series documents the personal life of Charles and Alice Major. Materials include: receipts, ledgers, and banking records. Materials are arranged alphabetically.
7. Major and Shaw Families, circa 1847-1881 (.75 cubic feet) The series documents the lives and careers of Stephen Major, Daniel J. Shaw, Daniel J. Shaw Jr., and Eliza Shaw. Materials include receipts, letters, sermons, Sunday school lessons, and legal documents. Materials in the series are arranged chronologically.
8. Travel, circa 1899-1919 (1 cubic foot) The series documents the trips and vacations of Charles and Alice Shaw Major. Types of materials include: receipts, itineraries, printed ephemera, and guide books. Materials in the series are arranged alphabetically.
9. Postcards, circa 1900s-1912 (3 cubic feet) The series documents the postcard collection Charles and Alice Major. Materials in the series are arranged alphabetically.
10. Photographs, circa 1868-1920s (4 cubic feet) The series documents the life and activities of Charles and Alice Major. Notable people include: Mrs. Grover Cleveland, George Barr McCutcheon, Julia Marlowe, Marion Davies, Mary Pickford, and Bertha Galland. Materials in the series are arranged chronologically by type.
11. Artifacts, circa 1866-1923 (5 cubic feet) The series documents memorabilia from the lives of Charles and Alice Shaw Major. Types of materials include: printed ephemera, Charles Major souvenir type items, personal effects, portraits, magazines, and books. Materials in the series are arranged by type and size.
12. Miscellaneous, circa 1870s-1920s (1.5 cubic feet) The series documents the life and activities of Charles and Alice Major. Materials include: homework, calling cards, flyers, brochures, booklets, promotional materials, recipes, and stationary. Materials in the series are arranged alphabetically.
13. Oversized Materials, circa 1870-1906 (1 cubic foot) Addendum, circa 1892-1949 (3.5cubic feet) The series is broken into two subseries, Addendum and the Dorcas Campbell Papers. Addendum contains clippings and materials regarding Charles Major and his work collected by Purdue University librarian William M. Hepburn. The Dorcas Campbell Papers represents the materials and data regarding Charles and Alice Major collected by Dorcas Campbell in preparation for a proposed biography. Materials include Major memorabilia collected by Miss Campbell as a child and neighbor of Alice Major, correspondence with Major and Shaw relatives, interviews with surviving friends of the Majors, clippings, and articles. Files were left in their original order.