The bulk of these papers deal with Miss Jarvis' work as the founder of Mother's Day, her attempts to persuade state governors to issue proclamations to establish the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day, and her later protests against the commercialization of the holiday, as well as the efforts of other organizations to promote Mother's Day.

There are a few papers of her father, Grandville E. Jarvis; some correspondence and legal papers concerned with the Jarvis coal and farm lands in Taylor County and real estate in Philadelphia, particularly the properties of her brother, Claud[e], owner of the Quaker City Cab Company. Some early papers document Miss Jarvis' activities in the Literary Department of a Philadelphia insurance company. There is one folder of her speeches, resolutions, and writings; a folder of newspaper clippings; and one group of photographs.

Correspondents include Chester H. Aldrich, Simon E. Baldwin, Robert P. Bass, B. F. Carroll, Robert O. Blood, Dwight F. Davis, J. O. Davidson, Sam C. Ford, L. G. Fouse, James Norris Gillett, C.N. Haskell, Mrs. W. R. Hearst, Spressard L. Holland, B. W. Hutchinson, Charles Lyman, John W. Mason, Charles C. McCabe, John T. McGraw, John A. Mead, William J. Mills, M. M. Neely, E. F. Noel, Ben W. Olcott, Culbert L. Olsen, Charles S. Osborn, Harvey Parnell, Walter M. Pierce, Aram J. Pothier, Jennings Randolph, Charles Seldon, Sumner Sewall, John F. Shafroth, Ashton C. Shallenberger, A. R. Talbot, M. E. Trapp, R.S. Versey, Fred W. Warner, Frank B. Weeks, Oswald West, and Daniel Willard.