This series contains approximately 500 letters arranged alphabetically by correspondent. This is largely Miss Gilman's incoming letters, but some outgoing letters to family members and a few friends are included. Letters to her parents in 1900 describe an ocean crossing and a stay in Italy. Miss Gilman's letters to her sister, Alice, and her Aunt Louise, 1917 to 1919 describe her service with the YMCA in France during World War I. The incoming correspondence is less personal and reveals more of her life-long interest in social issues. Some of the letters are concerned with fund raising for organizations with which she affiliated, and others deal with arrangements for problem-solving programs. Correspondence with James G.P. Stokes in 1917 establishes Miss Gilman's religious inspiration for Socialism. Other notable figures of this period who shared Miss Gilman's political persuasion are represented including Norman Thomas, Scott Nearing, Vida Scudder, John Dewey, Jane Addams, and Edward Keating. Correspondence with the American Friends Service Committee, the American Association for Old Age Security, and the Baltimore Urban League indicate support for her political campaigns. In the mid-1930s, Miss Gilman sought a biographer to chronicle her father's life and work at The Johns Hopkins University. Letters of H.M. Kallen indicate that several authors were considered. A letter of John Dewey, July 5, 1935, included with Kallen's letters indicates his (Dewey's) interest in the matter. It was Abraham Flexner who eventually undertook the project, and his letters are part of this series. Dr. William H. Howell corresponded with Miss Gilman regarding the biography, and his personal reminiscences of Daniel C. Gilman are included in the Personal Series.

The printed material collected by Miss Gilman which forms this series reflects her political beliefs, her commitment to social justice, and her hope for peace in the years preceding World War II. Like other persons in the 1920s and 1930s who had become discouraged in the aftermath of World War I, Miss Gilman believed something could be learned from the Soviet system. This series contains pamphlets, clippings, and notes relating to Russia and assembled at the time of Miss Gilman's fact-finding trip to the Soviet Union in 1930. Pamphlets are also included from organizations concerned with civil liberties and disarmament such as the A.A.U.W., the A.C.L.U., the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Peace Patriots. Other pamphlets in this series relate to labor problems prevalent in the 1930s and were compiled by well-known Socialist writers: Scott Nearing, I.M. Rubinow, Edmund Chaffee, and David P. Berenberg. Miss Gilman's own philosophy of Socialism was closely associated with her personal principles of Christian thought. As social and political events accelerated in the 1930s, Miss Gilman apparently adopted the pacifist outlook. Other printed material in this series was produced by the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, the National Council for Prevention of War, and the War Resisters League. The final items in this series relate to the Spanish Civil War and a peace movement in the United States. Included are copies of Spanish war photographs, an American Students Union Bulletin outlining a student strike for peace, April 27, 1938, and a notice of a peace strike organized at The Johns Hopkins University.

This series is composed primarily of Miss Gilman's writings and speeches at the time of her quest for political offices in Maryland. A smaller amount of material centers on her YMCA work in France. Her autobiographical sketches, and some early childhood writings are included in the Personal Series. Subject matter centers on issues suitable to the Socialist Party in the 1930s: workers' security, relief needs, women in industry and a Schoeneman Company strike. Some material by other Socialist speakers is included, notably, James Frederick Green and Louis Waldman. Miss Gilman's articles which describe her work with the YMCA in France, 1917-1918, are rich in detail. They describe the canteens, holiday celebrations, and the routine duties to which she was assigned. Miss Gilman's bibliographic notes and a brief, historical outline of The Johns Hopkins University are the final items in this series.

The items in the Personal Series include family letters, biographical sketches, photographs, diaries, notebooks, and albums. A substantial amount of the material reflects the early life of Miss Gilman. A charming, autobiographical sketch entitled "A Patrim" describes her life in Baltimore after 1876 when Daniel C. Gilman was inaugurated president of The Johns Hopkins University. Travel diaries and scrapbooks record her earliest trips to Europe, 1883 and 1889. Some correspondence is included in this series since the letters were written to Miss Gilman when she was a child. Most of this personal correspondence was written by Louise Gilman Lane for special occasions such as birthdays and confirmation. This particular group of letter, 1872-1877, was originally grouped together and noted, "Letters from Best Friends." A scrapbook kept by Miss Gilman demonstrated her childhood enthusiasm for Sarah Coolidge, a writer of children's literature. Miss Coolidge was the sister of Miss Gilman's stepmother, Elizabeth Dwight (Woolsey) Gilman. The scrapbook contains a photograph of Miss Coolidge and clippings of her published stories and poems. One autograph album, 1878-1902, in this series was signed by many visitors to the Gilman home including W. M. Ramsay, James Cardinal Gibbons, Charles W. Eliot, James Russell Lowell, and Francis Child. In 1935, Miss Gilman contacted Dr. William H. Howell who shared his reminiscences of Daniel C. Gilman for a projected biography. A typescript of the reminiscences is included here, and Dr. Howell's holographic notes are included in the Correspondence Series. Of particular interest in this series, is the scrapbook (1928- 11935) which documents Miss Gilman's political career in Maryland. Her appearances and speeches were covered by most Maryland newspapers, and the scrapbook offers an overview of those issues important to the Socialist movement in the 1930s. Other items which complete this collection are photographs from a Socialist delegation to Vienna in 1931, certificates and regulations related to YMCA service in France, and Miss Gilman's diploma, 1921, from The Johns Hopkins University.