The John Rae collection is organized into 15 series. There is a large diversity of materials most of which he used to write his books on Morris County history and the arrangement of the collection closely corresponds to that. In addition to the manuscript material Mr. Rae also donated his extensive collection of books on Morris County history. These books have been independently cataloged and housed separately though the titles can be found in the finding aid.

This series contains material produced by Rae including newspaper articles, manuscripts, an unpublished manuscript entitled , and a term paper written for a class. In addition to printed material, the photographs and scanned photographs utilized for his books are included in this series. The focus of Mr. Rae's work, Morris County and its wealthy residents, is reflected in the material of this series. This series provides the researcher with a relatively complete sampling of Mr. Rae's writing and research skills.

This series contains publicity, book reviews and correspondence in reference to Mr. Rae's books. Material labeled publicity includes items such as posters and handouts promoting the publication and sale of the books. There are also announcements advertising speaking engagements and correspondence confirming dates and places at which Mr. Rae spoke. The majority of the material pertains to Rae's first book . The correspondence included in this series is both personal and professional. There are also several photos of John Rae as a youth.

This series contains much of the material that Rae collected or created as he wrote his books. It includes the original summaries written by Rae detailing the histories of the estates as well as the biographies of the owners. These summaries later became the basis for his book. This series also includes Rae's photograph index for his works.

Mr. Rae collected records and information from numerous sources including Frederick Barbanes, a Morristown real estate agent who did assessments for many of the estates in Morris County. These assessments were done for several reasons including the settling of an estate after a death, tax purposes, and sales. Barbanes career spanned over forty years. Few of the assessments in the collection are complete but they do offer a unique look into the histories of some of the estates. They largely consist of maps, drawings, value quotes, and a few contain photographs of the estates. It is arranged alphabetically according to the name of the estate owner.

Starting around the mid-1870's a new breed of inhabitant found their way to Morristown. Once an agricultural community, these new residents transformed Morristown into a Mecca for the wealthy. Attracted by its seclusion, as well as easy rail travel to New York City, millionaires began to purchase large tracts of land in the county. By some historians' count there were over 90 millionaires living in the town and surrounding area at the turn of the century. Many of the mansions have either been destroyed for development or were consumed by fire, though some have been converted into nonresidential usage. Florham, the estate of Florence Vanderbilt and Hamilton Twombly, now serves as a campus for Farliegh Dickenson University.

The vast majority of this series is made up of real estate advertisements from the 1930's to the 1950's though few of the estates still exist. Some of the file folders contain other records including newspaper and journal articles. The series has been sorted alphabetically according to the owners last name. If estates have had multiple owners the most prominent or original owner was used. The real estate ads were printed by The National Real Estate Clearing House and they offer an unparalleled glimpse into the value and beauty of the estates that have been destroyed. Where applicable and possible the name of the estate has been provided alongside the name of the owner. There is some overlap between series IV and V where materials from an estate may be included with Barbanes and vice versa. The estates and Barbanes series comprise the vast majority of the collection.

Some of the most prominent names in the nation participated in this influx into Morristown. Families such as the Dodges, Rockefellers, Kahns, Vanderbilts, and Twomblys all bought large tracts of land and built luxurious, grand estates modeled on the homes of the European gentry. Material pertaining to the Dodges and Twomblys comprise the majority of this series though there are some newspaper reports referencing other prominent families. There is also an unfinished photograph manuscript detailing the Otto Kahn estate in New York called in addition to material referring to both Kahn's New York and Morris Township estates. This series is arranged alphabetically. There are Barbane assessments in this series as well referring to the Dodge estate. Much of this series deals with the auctions and estate sales that accompanied the end of the Gilded Age.

Morris County has played an influential role in American history in many aspects. Morristown was of strategic importance during the American Revolution and it continues to play an influential part in the development of business as the headquarters of some of the nations largest companies. Many of the homes and buildings of the county are registered as historic landmarks. Both private and public institutions are included on the registry such as the County court house and the Morris County Country Club, established by the new residents at the end of the nineteenth century. The county has placed tributes to events and places throughout its boundaries and Mr. Rae collected photographs, pamphlets, and ephemera from many of them. Mr. Rae was also interested in historic preservation and addressed this issue particularly as it related to Morristown. This series contains photographs, newspaper and journal articles, and post cards containing images or stories to many of the county's more important buildings or areas.

This series contains newspaper and journal articles referencing different politicians and township initiatives as well as original material including town budgets, studies and analyses conducted by township governments, census data, tourist information, annual reports, and indentures for property sales. There is material from several different towns surrounding Morristown to include Mendham, Madison, and Chester.

John Rae collected published material from the towns, county, state, and National Park Service that were meant for public consumption as well as national and local magazines that highlighted New Jersey Society. Some items have been placed in the oversized boxes to accommodate size. Items written by government agencies include brochures written by the Morris County Chamber of Commerce hoping to entice business owners to relocate to the area, tourist brochures, and historical pamphlets. The magazines include a 1933 , magazine from 1947 with Whitney Vanderbilt on the cover, magazine 1908-1912, and from 1937. This series also contains journal articles detailing the architectural history of estates not otherwise found in this collection.

It was not just on the estates that the wealthy spent extravagantly. They formed clubs, hosted lavish parties, and paraded about town. Through newspaper and journal articles John Rae sought to capture the daily life of Morristown's most esteemed citizens, in their largesse as well as in their infamy, including business scandals. A notable file folder in this series contains original invitations and programs to parties and events.

Cartoonist Thomas Nast, one of Morristown's most famous residents had a profound impact on the political climate of the nation. This series contains the material Mr. Rae collected as he conducted his research for his book . This series contains reprints of Nast drawings, photographs of the Nast house, newspaper articles referencing the Nast family, and a copy of dated 1881.

The Gilded Age collapsed with the stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent depression that followed. No longer able to maintain the estates the residents sought to unburden themselves either by subdividing the land or by selling the properties and houses to institutions and businesses. Many of the estates were razed to make way for businesses and a few others were burned down. This series contains material that details this decline. With newspaper articles, notices for public auctions, correspondence referencing public auctions, and obituaries Rae captures the decline of these elaborate estates.

Rae collected street and geographic maps of the county and state from different publishers including companies Esso and Opdyke, as well as maps published by towns. The series also includes maps of the New York City subway and street maps of New England. Many maps detailing estates have been removed from the collection for treatment and storage. Please refer to the items removed list for further information.

As custom dictated seasonal homes in many locations, many families had estates in New York, Long Island and Newport R.I., as well as the summer home in Morristown. John Rae collected information referencing these houses as well. This series contains newspaper and journal articles, real estate brochures, and notes on individual families.

Though there are photographs throughout the entire collection those in this series do not neatly fit any other category. These photographs detail construction, industry, commerce, and individual portraits. Larger photographs have been housed in oversized boxes.