The Howland-McIntosh Family Papers span the years 1713-1997, with the bulk of the papers being dated from 1830-1989. They chronicle the personal lives and business affairs of three North Carolina families: the Howlands, the McIntoshes, and, to a much lesser extent, the Dawsons. The Howlands settled in Carteret County in the early eighteenth century, buying properties in and near Beaufort and on the Shackleford Banks. Their occupations included sea captains, millers, carpenters, small farmers, and insurance agents. Howland descendants married members of the McIntosh family, who were then living in Moore County. Eventually, descendants of these families moved briefly into Durham County in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. The Dawson family represented in this collection is related by marriage to the Howland-McIntosh family, and a descendant still lives in Durham County. The collection is rich in documents relating to the history of Carteret County, N.C. from the early 18th to the late 20th centuries, especially relating to the Outer Banks, including Shackleford Banks, now part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore. Eighteenth and nineteenth century legal papers in the collection chiefly document early land ownership, and there are also many family wills.

The collection consists of correspondence, legal papers, financial papers, photographs -- including daguerreotypes, tintypes, and albumen prints, printed materials such as periodicals and posters, school records and compositions, scrapbooks, postcards, stereograph cards, and a few artifacts. The bulk of the collection is made up of correspondence and many legal papers, especially deeds and indentures. There is little material directly concerning the Civil War in this collection; however, information on the families' activities during this period can be found in 20th century sources in the genealogical materials folders.

Family relationships and daily personal matters are documented in the Correspondence Series, which includes a long series of love letters written from 1903-1904 between William F. Howland II and Mary McIntosh Howland. Another series of letters originated from Leland C. McIntosh during his military service in World War I, chiefly in France and Belgium. These mainly concern routine family matters, but give some insight into camp life and the effect of the war on the soldiers. Leland also sent home souvenirs of his stay, including a 1914 Iron Cross which is housed in the Artifacts Series, along with a 1893 pin from Grover Cleveland's presidential inauguration. Other principal correspondents include William F. Howland, Sr., Ralph Howland, and Emma J. Howland; the remaining correspondents include several other family members and friends. Other family correspondence is located in the Scrapbooks Series and the Shackleford Banks (N.C.) Legal Papers Series.

Documents pertaining to specific members of these families and their financial and legal activities, particularly land ownership and household expenses, can be found in two family series. The Howland Family Series contains folders for papers grouped by various family members: Ralph Howland (1793-1866) and his wife Eliza Bell Howland (1810-1883); Zephaniah Howland (1752-1834?); Levi C. Howland (1834-?); and Emma J. Howland (1851-1920). Contents include deeds, mortgages, indentures, bills, receipts, estate papers, and a few recipes for home remedies. The Zephaniah Howland folder contains three petitions (1832-33) relating to his request for a military pension based on his participation in the Revolutionary War; these documents contain numerous details of his service. The Levi C. Howland folder contains an oath of allegiance to the Union signed by William F. Howland in 1865. Another mention of the impact of the Civil War on the Howlands is a document in the Ralph Howland legal papers which records his petition in 1866 to have confiscated property in Beaufort town restored to his rightful ownership. Also in this series is genealogical information on the Howland family, who descended from Henry Howland, brother of John Howland, original Mayflower passenger. The McIntosh Family Series contains legal papers (chiefly deeds); McIntosh children's school records, including many compositions; numerous clippings; obituaries; a few wills; and other information on family members.

Further information on the Howland, McIntosh, and Dawson families can be obtained from the two albums in the Scrapbooks Series. A McIntosh album chiefly records through the medium of commercial postcards Leland McIntosh's travels in Europe during the period 1917-1919. Some offer scenes of military camp life in Camp Greenleaf, Ga., and in France; others display routine views of Belgium, and the Italian and French rivieras. There are also some greeting cards, chiefly from the 1920s. The second album belonged to the Howland family and conveys many insights into the family's lives during the 20th century. Several descendants were alumni of Duke University; their academic and social activities there are documented through clippings, commencement booklets, and other Items. Other materials mounted in this album include many pieces of correspondence, photographs, postcards, war ration booklets, and greeting cards. Many postcards in both of these albums present views of 19th and 20th-century N.C. coastal areas. Other postcards can also be found in the Postcards Series.

The Shackleford Banks (N.C.) Series concerns a lengthy legal process transferring ownership of the Howland property on Shackleford Banks, N.C. to the federal government. The series is divided into two subseries: the Legal Papers Subseries contains all legal files from the attorney's offices, while the much smaller Family Papers Subseries originated from the family's own personal files. The litigation began in 1959 and ended in 1985 with the inclusion of the Shackleford Banks in the Cape Lookout National Seashore, and is richly documented in this collection through attorney-client and family correspondence, many deeds, land surveys and appraisals, court records, genealogical records, other legal and financial papers, and clippings. Researchers interested in the history of the Outer Banks of N.C. will be interested to find many photostats and photocopies of early Carteret County deeds and other legal papers, including a Lords Proprietor land grant to John Porter dated 1713. Many of these Items have been stored in the oversize materials section.

The Photographs and Artifacts Series provides portraits of family members from circa 1860 to the mid-20th century, including some in Confederate uniform. Most of the individuals, however, are unidentified. Also included in this series are a small group of early twentieth century stereograph cards, and a few artifacts.