This collection contains letters from Azariah Graves Thompson (1885-1963) to his family in Leasburg, North Carolina. Most letters are to his mother, Ella Williams Graves Thompson (1850-1914), concerning his life at the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (later North Carolina State University). Contained in these letters are many detailed descriptions of the school, the cow barns, the feed barns, academic and social activities, available modes of transportation, cost of goods, and work he performed on the campus's farm and in its dairy. Of particular interest is a printed hand bill titled "Regulations for Dormitories at the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts" dated 1905, which includes information about the rules and regulations students were required to meet.

Also included are a typed transcription of reminiscences written in about 1900 by Thompson's mother, Ella Williams Graves Thompson; and a typed transcription of "A History of Leasburg with Personal Recollections," 1960, written by his sister, Ella Graves Thompson; as well as typed transcriptions of the letters and some notes, 1997, on local and family history by Jeannine D. Whitlow.