The Ruth Hager Cousin papers date from 1914 to 1985 and measure 5 linear inches. The papers include an oral history conducted and transcribed by Helen Cousin Schneider, Ruth Hager Cousin's daughter. The interview covers Cousin's teaching and nursing careers prior to the Depression and some of her husband's experiences as a banker during the Depression.

The papers also include photocopies of some newspaper clippings, including an article about Cousin's sister, Thora Hager, and her 1914 Hardin County girls basketball championship team. There is also an article regarding the effects a nurse's hair length has on patient care and a copy of a playbill for "Lysistrata" starring professional actor Thais Lawton, a cousin of Cousin's husband, Walter Luin Cousin.

A photocopy of a scrapbook spans the years 1920 to 1985 and includes items relating to Cousin's marriage, her career in school nursing and her membership in the Order of the Eastern Star. A photo album provides a glimpse of the early decades of the twentieth century with photographs capturing early school days, scenes from World War I, Cousin's experiences at the Illinois Training School for Nurses, her 1923 honeymoon, and outings with friends and family.