Fonds consists of sheet music, some of which is hand-copied. The items originated with Captain Charles Rubidge and penciled annotations suggest that he collected or hand-copied a number of them in the early 1800s for his wife-to-be, Margaret Clarke, before coming to Canada. "Mrs. Rubidge" is written in hand on some pieces. Provenance is indicated on some documents in layered notes made by family descendants across generations. Also included is information compiled by Laurie Lambe Wallace about the sheet music and its history within the Rubidge family.

In 2017, 29 additional pieces of sheet music dating to the early 1800s were added. This music belonged to Mary Catharine Dunsford, wife of Reverend Hartley. Some of the music includes handwritten notations with family names and dates. While the publications of some pieces may date to the early 1800s, the handwritten penciled dates cover a period generally between the 1830s and 1860s. The notations point to connections between the Rubidge, Dunsford, McEwen, and Boyd families of the Peterborough area. Included in this addition is genealogical information compiled by the donor.

Collection consists of two music books, the first being The Easy Instructor; or, A New Method of Teaching Sacred Harmony by William Little and William Smith, Albany, revised and enlarged edition, [1798], and the second being Songs of Victory, for Evangelistic Meetings Conferences The Home Circle and Christian Worship, 543 Hymns and 144 Choruses, large type edition, compiled by Andrew W. Bell, Glasgow, n.d.