The bulk of the Tufts papers consists of extensive genealogical notes on the Tufts family as well as on the Chapin and Warren families in addition to other family lines. Also included is family correspondence; correspondence to James H. Tufts from Jane Addams, John Burnet, Mary Calkins, John Dewey, William James, Bertrand Russell, Josiah Royce and others; and scholarly articles by Tufts, chiefly on topics in philosophy and education.

This collection is organized into three series:

• 1. FAMILY PAPERS AND CORRESPONDENCE
• 2. GENEALOGICAL MATERIAL COLLECTED BY JAMES HAYDEN TUFTS
• 3. PUBLISHED ARTICLES BY JAMES HAYDEN TUFTS