Records documenting the family of George Davidson and his wife Margaret Garden, their daughters Margaret Kempt and Elizabeth Roos, and Elizabeth Roos' daughter Florence (the future wife of Harvey Sims.) Although there are very few letters from George extant, they are enough to show his genial and good-natured love of family, his keen and self-deprecating sense of humour, and his stoic acceptance of circumstances beyond his control. He had an unspecified affliction that require him to walk with canes; and two letters from New York City in 1880 describe in vivid detail the treatments he is receiving, most likely some form of electro-magnetic therapy.
Records making up the series include correspondence from George to his wife Margaret, letters written to Margaret by her daughter Maggie Kempt in Glasgow, letters from family in Scotland and friends in Canada, correspondence from Margaret to her granddaughter Florence, ephemera, and printed music. Some of the correspondence concerns Davidson and Sims genealogy.

Records relating to the Harvey J. Sims' development of Chicopee, a 45-acre estate near Kitchener, Ont., where he built a home designed by Forsey Page and Steele, Architects, and designed and landscaped the grounds with the help of Carl Borgstrom of Carl Borgstrom and H.M.S. Carver, Landscape Architects. He was instrumental in the reforestation of the contiguous properties in Chicopee Hills, and in only a few years planted on his property more than 700 varieties of trees and shrubs.
Includes correspondence to and from architects, landscape planners, nurseries, and government agencies concerning the development of Harvey's house and grounds, also the reforestation of the surrounding area, dated 1927 to 1941. The correspondence files described in this series are together as found. Harvey's Personal Business Files in Series 8 contain a great deal of supplementary material in the way of correspondence, invoices, lists, time sheets, etc., with seed houses, nurseries, companies, and individuals supplying material and furnishings for the home and grounds, from water heaters and wiring to billiard table lights.
Harvey was particularly interested in collecting as many native species of trees and shrubs as would grow in this climate and his collecting activities are documented by correspondence with arboreta, university horticulture departments, government nurseries, and government officials and employees who were at that time developing botanical garden plans in Hamilton and Niagara.

Records relating to Harvey J. Sims' development of a library of books at his Chicopee home, in which he was aided by Adam Strohm, Librarian at the Detroit Public Library and Charles R. Sanderson, Chief Librarian of the Toronto Public Library. Harvey turned his planned billiard room into a library instead and set about filling it with books. Although this series contains only two files, it represents a significant activity in Harvey's life.

Files created and maintained by Harvey J. Sims in the course of daily household business relating to household expenses, personal expenses, and expenses incurred in planning and maintaining his property at Chicopee. These files were also used by Harvey for his personal interests and activities, such as clubs, memberships, investments, and circular letters. They contain correspondence, invoices, receipts, ephemera, and hand-written notes. Many invoices from nurseries or seed suppliers present here relate to those in series 6.

Correspondence to and from Harvey J. Sims and friends, acquaintances, and family connections written between 1927 and 1945.

Ninety pieces of correspondence, of which 73 are letters to Harvey J. and/or Florence Sims. Another letter is in Series 11, sending regrets for the invitation to the wedding of Kenneth Sims and Mabel Alguire Cameron.
William Lyon Mackenzie King, Prime Minister of Canada, was a boyhood friend of Harvey J. Sims, and consistently addresses him as "Peter" in his letters. The letters in this series range from Christmas greetings to political, literary and spiritual topics.
Letters in this series are both handwritten and typewritten. Letters from Mackenzie King to Florence Sims are usually handwritten.

Records documenting the family life of Harvey J. Sims and his wife Florence Katherine Roos, who married October 29, 1902. Correspondence to Florence is sparse but includes three letters from her old friend Isabel Grace Christina "Bella" King, sister of William Lyon Mackenzie King. Florence had a literary bent and some of her writing is present in the collection, including her biography of Sheriff George Davidson.

A quantity of letters from Peter H. Sims to his son Harvey are present from 1888 (when Harvey was 17) to 1912. Peter gives opinions, advice, and instruction on every aspect of Harvey's life. He attempts to guide Harvey through the narrow path to success in the legal profession, counselling frugality, moral rectitude, and duty to family above all. He even gives Harvey step-by-step instructions on cleaning and painting his basement to make it healthy.

Correspondence from Harvey's mother Jemima is not as sympathetic. In 1898, on hearing a report that Harvey had been struck by a ball, she advises him strongly to give up football as "beneath the dignity of a practising barrister." Harvey never took this advice as he had a strong interest in many sports and made his mark in all of them: football, curling, and lawn bowling.
Also present in this series is correspondence from his sister Rella and her family, legal agreements, ephemera, football ephemera, lawn bowling scrapbook and trip ephemera.

Small amount of material relating to the life and activities of Kenneth Sims, son of Harvey J. and Florence Sims. He married Mabel Alguire Cameron on June 28, 1930.
Includes a regrets letter from William Lyon Mackenzie King.

Records documenting the lives, activities and interests of Peter Harvey Sims and his wife Jemima Cook, of Peter's interactions with his father James Sims, mother Janet Harvey Sims, step-brother John Robertson, sister Janet McQueen, and business partners, and childhood records and young adulthood records relating to their children Harvey and Rella.
Letters from Jemima's sisters shed light on girls' and women's lives in the latter half of the 19th century, the activities available, the desolation of being socially isolated, detailed recounting of the deaths of loved ones, all interspersed with everyday news of family and friends.
In his letters to family, Peter displays an articulate and caring nature, a love of his children and family, and good sense of humour. He writes long letters; the larger the paper the larger his writing, and he never hesitates to offer Harvey advice and opinions on Harvey's actions and activities, most of which fall short of Peter's expectations. Whenever Peter and Jemima travel together or alone, Peter surveys the social, economic, cultural, architectural state of the place visited, the habits, dress and morals of the inhabitants, and its agricultural and business prospects.

Photographic prints and negatives. Prints include a ca. 1885 portrait of Peter H. Sims, three photographs of W.L. Mackenzie King given to Harvey by King, as well as negatives of Chicopee house and grounds, and of the Sims family.

Issues of local newspapers and printed material.