The papers of James Chamberlin date from 1838 to 1897 and were given to the University of Iowa Libraries in 1971, by his great grandson, J. Gordon Chamberlin. The twenty eight items making up the collection include daybooks kept by Chamberlin from 1852 to 1890. There he reported not only his day to day activities, but also some financial transactions. There is an account book for the years 1838 to 1854, in which his expenses as well as earnings were itemized. A ledger of school records documents the formation of the school district for Penn township in Johnson County, Iowa. It also records the meeting relating to the building of their first school and later contains information about the students and teachers. Finally, a book of court records kept when he was a justice of the peace details his court cases and the resulting judgments.