The collection consists primarily of a bound volume of 34 letters, the majority of which were written by Mrs. Kezia Payne DePelchin (1828-1893) of Houston, to her sister, describing her experiences as a nurse during the Yellow fever epidemic of 1878 in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. The volume also includes letters from E. Kate Heckle, a friend and fellow nurse, to DePelchin, describing some of her own experiences during the same epidemic.

The letters in this bound volume are presented in an alternative form, as individual letters with full transcription, at the Our Americas Archive project (oaap.rice.edu - search "DePelchin"). This pdf of the full volume is intended to show the volume in its entirety.

The archival finding aid for this collection is available at Texas Archival Resources Online.