Descendants of the ministers Increase and Cotton Mather have lived in Iowa since at least the middle of the 19th century. The Mathers in Iowa descended from Cotton Mather's brothers, the Reverend Samuel Mather and Atherton Mather. The collection contains correspondence, deeds, a family history, genealogies, and an artifact (metal box of "J. C. Mather") from both the Mather and Aplin families. The Civil War letter discusses the death of a family member, Davy. The history of the Mather family by David C. Mather was written to a Mather family member from the Samuel Mather lineage and explains the lineage of the Mather family and the origin of the use of the first name Cotton in the Mather family.

Family and descendants of the ministers Increase and Cotton Mather have lived in Iowa since at least the middle of the 19th century. Although the male line of Cotton Mather ended with him, the Mathers living in Iowa descended from Cotton Mather's brothers, the Reverend Samuel Mather and Atherton Mather. One of the first Mathers in Iowa was William Mather. William was the son of Daniel Mather and died in Jasper County, Iowa in about 1867. Dr. David C. Mather lived in Boonsboro, Iowa (Boone County) and died in 1899. Joseph Cotton Mather (1852-1917), son of Daniel Mather (1826-1898), married Emma Aplin (1855-1933) around 1879. The Aplin family had lived in Story County, Iowa since at least 1880. Joseph Cotton Mather and Emma Aplin had three children: Charles, Benjamin, and Elizabeth. Joseph and Emma both died in Ames, Iowa. Benjamin married Mary Claire in 1906 in Ames, Iowa. They had six children: Lawrence, Robert, Clarence, L. Lucille, Arthur Benjamin and Joseph. Lawrence. Benjamin and Mary Claire both died in Ames, Iowa. Their children Clarence, and L. Lucille both died in Ames, Iowa. Arthur Benjamin (1882-1967) moved to Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1938. Benjamin and his wife had three children: David A., John C. and Mary Clare. As of 2007, both David A. and John C. resided in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The collection (1844-1967, undated) contains correspondence, deeds, a family history, genealogies, and an artifact (metal box of "J. C. Mather") from both the Mather and Aplin families. The Civil War letter discusses the death of a family member, Davy. The history of the Mather family by David C. Mather was written to a Mather family member from the Samuel Mather lineage and explains the lineage of the Mather family and the origin of the use of the first name Cotton in the Mather family.

The collection is organized chronologically.