The fonds consists of photographs and textual records spanning the period 1710-1984, predominantly 1850-1940, related to business and personal lives of five generations of the McLennan family (immediate and extended), as well as to the work of Montreal lawyer, Frederick Griffin. McLennan family materials consist of photographs; incoming and outgoing correspondence; genealogical information and family histories; diaries and remembrances; newspaper clippings and ephemera; official documents; obituaries and tributes; drafts of writings, research notes, and sketches; and other documents.

The McLennan family materials includes a series reflecting William McLennan’s writing career, personal interests, and family life. William McLennan’s materials include full and partial drafts of published and unpublished works; research and reference materials; incoming and outgoing correspondence; legal and official documents; collected historical materials and documents; notes; sketches; journals; newspaper clippings and ephemera; photographs; and other materials.

The fonds also consists of a series reflecting Frederick Griffin’s occupation as a lawyer and his role as founder of the Canadian Loan Company. Frederick Griffin’s materials include incoming correspondence and draft responses; various financial and legal documents; legal research notes and drafts of legal documents; memoranda; meeting minutes; land and property documents and surveyors reports; newspaper clippings and ephemera; and other documents.

Finally, the fonds contains a series consisting of William Durie McLennan’s records, which were primarily created between 1914 and 1915 and pertain to his military service during the First World War. Record types in this series include the following: a handwritten, personal notebook; a typescript of this notebook; correspondence; service records from the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Forces; news clippings; black and white photographs; collected signatures from Canadian dignitaries; and materials from the 5th Battery Association of 1914.

The sub-series consists of textual records related to William McLennan’s work as a writer from the 1880s-1903. The series includes full and partial drafts of published and unpublished articles, short stories, novels, and non-fiction works; research and reference materials; incoming correspondence; and other materials. Writings are primarily about Montreal, including its history, physical environment, and historical figures. Historical figures treated include Raphael-Lambert Closse, Bénigne Basset, François Dollier de Casson, George Hardy, Pehr Kalm, Medar Jalot, Louis Juchereau de Saint-Denis, Richard Hamilton, Louis de Montéléon, Marie-Anne-Josette L’Estringant de Saint-Martin, Jean-Baptiste Migeon de Branssat, Daniel Greysolon Dulhut, Benedict XIII, Octave Crémazie, James Johnstone, and John McDonell. Research and reference materials include notes from historical sources, character sketches and timelines, and copies of archival documents, as well as original historical documents. Among the historical documents, the series includes a copy of Daniel Greysolon Dulhut's will and testament dated 1710 and signed by Dulhut. Correspondence relates to the writing, research, and publication of McLennan’s works. Notable correspondents include Jean Newton McIlwraith, co-author of "The Span o’ Life: A Tale of Louisbourg and Quebec," historian Joseph-Edmond Roy, archivist Douglas Brymner, journalist and historian Ernest Myrand, and John S. McLennan, among others.

The series contains photographs, textual records, and original artwork spanning the period 1710-1904, predominantly 1880-1903, related to the personal lives and interests of William McLennan and his family, including interests in family and Canadian history. Additionally, a sub-series contains records related to William McLennan’s work as a writer from the 1880s-1903.

Materials include full and partial drafts of published and unpublished articles, short stories, novels, and non-fiction works; research and reference materials; incoming and outgoing correspondence; legal and official documents; collected historical materials and documents; notes; sketches and a sketchbook; journals; newspaper clippings and ephemera; photographs; and other materials. Notable correspondents include Gustavus George Stuart, Marion Paterson McLennan, William Durie McLennan, Edward William Thomson, Pemberton Paterson, John Stewart McLennan, Francis McLennan, Bartlett McLennan, Neil Stewart, Hugh McLennan, William Kingsford, and the Royal Society of Canada, among others. Legal and official documents include copies of wills, notarial exams, and a certification of graduation.

Collected historical materials include ephemeral materials such as plates of historical figures and plans of famous battle locations, as well as tracings of famous Canadian autographs, bookplates, and reproductions of historical documents. Many of the original historical documents are related to the McLennan and Stewart families, including correspondence, business and financial documents, and ephemera related to Neil Stewart (1793-1881) and legal and financial documents related to John McLennan (1789-1866). The historical documents related to John McLennan are primarily agreements for land sales in Glengarry County, Ontario, where McLennan was a conveyancer. Other historical documents do not appear to have any particular connection to the McLennan family but may have been collected out of general historical interest. These documents include correspondence, loan agreements, commissions, land grants, letters patent, and a journal / memoranda book. While many of the documents relate to individuals of limited historical importance, others are related to more notable historical subjects including François Desjordy Moreau de Cabanac, Sir John Johnson, Joseph-Maurice Lamothe, Francis Baby, Jenkins Williams, Herman Witsius Ryland, Pierre-Amable De Bonne, John Mure, William Bacheler Coltman, John Stewart, John Gray, and Thomas Dunn.

The series consists of photographs and textual records spanning the period 1850-1984, predominantly 1880-1960, relating to the McLennan family as arranged by Hugh McLennan (1927-2004). The series also comprises records related to Hugh McLennan's work as a camp counsellor north of Montreal during the early 1940s.

The series includes photographs; incoming and outgoing correspondence; genealogical and family information; diaries, including World War I diaries, and remembrances; newspaper clippings and ephemera; official documents, including wills and marriage certificates; obituaries and tributes; drafts of writings, research notes, and sketches; McLennan's coil-bound notebooks about canoe trips, a typescript of one of McLennan's camping journals and accompanying photographs; a letter to a family member regarding McLennan family genealogy; and photocopies of birth, marriage, and death notes in the family Bible. Family members prominently represented include Hugh McLennan (1825-1899), John Stewart McLennan (1853-1939), Francis McLennan (1857-1940), Bartlett McLennan (1868-1918), Isabella Christine McLennan (1870-1960), Hugh McLennan (1887-1915), and William McLennan (1856-1904).