The Reese family papers date from 1800 to 2009 and measure 3.7 linear feet. The papers are arranged in six series: Biographical history, Monona County, Business documents, Correspondence, Ephemera and Photographs.

The first series Biographical history (1878-2009) contains genealogical charts, family reunion correspondence and newspaper clippings. Birth, marriage, and death certificates are in this series. Leff Swedish heritage materials, are included, such as Olof Leff's personal documents including immigration and nationalization records, and Nellie Jo Leff's trip to Sweden in 1908 with her father is documented through her diary and postcards. Newspaper clippings and a photograph document Nellie's involvement with the Turin Bloomer Girls baseball team in 1904. Her autograph, birthday, and recipe books are also part of this series.

The second series, Monona County (1910-1987) contains flood photographs of Turin, Iowa from the 1950s, a collection of programs from all the funerals Howard and Jo Reese attended in the Monona County community and a souvenir letter from 1910, "The Men who built the Town of Turin," which includes references to Richard T. Reese.

The third series, Business (1870s-1970s) consists of contracts and deeds for large land and property purchases and the business documents of R.T. Reese between 1870s and 1890s from his red leather folding pocketbook. These documents are checks and receipts of business transactions made by R.T. Reese to local companies such as the Iowa Railroad Land Company and Freeland and Cleghorn, who specialized in lumber and farm machinery. There is also a general store ledger containing a list of customers and all of their purchases. Howard Reese business checks and public sale posters advertising the sale of livestock and farm tools and machinery are also contained. The Donald Reese farm records from 1940s to 1960s contain an assessment roll of the inventory of farm equipment, trade documents from the Farmers Union Live Stock Commission and a War Production Farm Plan from 1943.

The fourth series, Correspondence (1863-1953) includes letters and postcards to the Reese family from personal friends and other family members. Early letters are to R.T.Reese from California in the 1860s and postcards from Nellie's travels in 1910. Most of the letters and postcards are to Howard and Nellie Jo Reese from various family and friends from 1900s to 1950s. There is also a collection of letters from World War II to Howard and Nellie Jo Reese, from Donald Reese who served in the Navy as a pharmacist's mate first class until he was honorably discharged.

The fifth series, Travel Ephemera (1900-1935) consists of advertisements, postcards and documents relating to Howard and Nellie Jo Reese's travels around the United States. A polaroid photo taken in 1915, from America's Exposition in San Diego, California, is included as well as travel documents such as a personalized road atlas and National Park permits and souvenir tickets such as a "stratosphere flight" which Howard and Jo took in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Also, a postcard album of all the various places travelled, from Idaho to California, is included.

The sixth series, Photographs (1800-2000) contains photographs of different branches of the Reese and Leff families covering approximately two centuries. Most of the collection contains portraits of distant family members. There are photographs of early family members; early pioneers and railroad workers. Also, there are photographs of more immediate family; Nellie Jo Reese and her sisters, Howard Reese's brothers Henry and Dick Reese, their son, Donald Reese. Donald's wife Luella Sprague also has family photos in this collection. The Photograph albums consist of the Leff family album composed for reunions and the fragile Nordyke Reese red album has early pictures from the 1800s.