Collection consists of an inventory of land locations for early settlers and inhabitants of Ops Township from the initial survey of the township in 1825 to 1872. It includes census information and assessments of households, various voter's lists, many Ops Township documents and one map for the 1839 Assessment Roll. The collection also includes a variety of cookbooks, recipes, food preparation manuals for specific cooking devices, and research notes.

The fonds consists mostly of Helen Marryat's (nee Helen Fowlds) personal experiences as a nurse in World War I, and her activities as a local historian. There are clippings of her articles in local newspapers, historical maps (drawn by Gerald Marryat) and other materials relating to settlement of Hastings and district such as education and nursing. Also included are the correspondence and photograph collections of her brothers, Donald and Eric (mostly from World War I), and material on Frederick Marryat (1792-1848), navy captain and novelist. In December 2001, Trent University Archives launched an online exhibit which depicts Helen Fowld's experiences in World War I. All her letters and diaries are transcribed and are found at the following site: http://digitalcollections.trentu.ca/exhibits/fowlds/ffowldswelcome.htm