The papers consist of twenty-seven diaries kept by Mrs Ismay, 1881 to 1907. They also consist of four diaries kept on a voyage to South America in 1856 by T.H. Ismay and also diaries kept by his son, Joseph Bruce Ismay (1862-1937), on a journey round the world, 1887 to 1888.

Administrative / biographical background
Margaret Bruce married Thomas Henry Ismay (1837-1899) in 1859. At this time Ismay was running a fleet of sailing ships to the west coast of South America. In 1864 he became director of a steamship line trading between Liverpool and New York and in 1867 purchased the White Star Line, which ran fast sailing ships to Australia and New Zealand and which found itself in difficulties through lack of capital. Soon afterwards he set up the firm of Ismay, Imrie and Company and the partners and he established the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company (generally known as the White Star Line). In 1902 the Company was taken over by the new American Combine, the International Mercantile Marine Co., but their ships still sailed under the British flag.