The papers consist of typed up copies of business and other papers, relating to the careers of Thomas Henry Ismay and Joseph Bruce Ismay, made by Mrs Matilda Constance Ismay. Mrs Ismay's order and foliation has been retained and it must be noted that several duplicates exist within the files. The dates of the original papers are c.1841 - 1937. The papers include a significant amount of information relating to the TITANIC disaster, such as copies of the report of the inquest, press cuttings and letters of support to Bruce Ismay etc. They also include files of typed up copies of press cutting, relating to ships and other rival companies, in particular the Cunard Lines, with which the White Star Line eventually merged. Copies of correspondence and notes relating to business matters and also to the family's history can also be found within the papers.

Administrative / biographical background
Thomas Henry Ismay (1837-1899), the son of Joseph Ismay, a shipbuilder and shipowner, from Maryport, Cumberland, was apprenticed to Imrie Tomlison, a Liverpool firm, in 1840. Afterwards he went into business as a shipowner and bought the House Flag of a bankrupt sailing ship company, the White Star Line, in 1867. Two year later, he started a new Trans-Atlantic company, the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company. Thomas' firm, originally known as T.H. Ismay & Company, became Ismay, Imrie and Company, when William Imrie transferred his business to T.H. Ismay in 1870. Joseph Bruce Ismay (1862-1937), Thomas' son, became the head of the business and formed the International Mercantile Marine company in 1901, having been approached by American interests to form an international shipping company. Bruce Ismay (as J.B. Ismay was known), reluctantly became the head of IMM Company in 1904. He resigned his position in 1912, along with the chairmanship of the White Star line and was succeeded by H.A. Sanderson. Ismay held various other positions, such as chairman of Asiatic Steam Navigation Company. He inaugurated the cadet ship, MERSEY, for training officers in the merchant navy, and also founded a fund to benefit widows of seamen, who had lost their lives afloat. To some extent, Ismay never recovered from the bad press and resulting stigma, surrounding his survival of the sinking of his own ship, the TITANTC, in 1912.