The Elvira Houston papers date from 1928 to 1984 and measure 15 linear inches. The bulk of the papers consist of the Houston family's account books, kept by Elvira Houston from 1928 through 1984. Though Elvira Houston died in 1981, her daughter Alyce Schavone continued to maintain an account book from 1982 to 1984 to comfort her father, Clifford Houston until his death. Several of the account books are handmade and bound with string Elvira Houston took from old corsets. The series of books reveals the financial status of the Houston family through the nineteenth century, beginning just before the Depression, continuing through World War II, the "prosperous" 1950s, and on through the 1960s, 1970s and into the farm crisis of the 1980s. In addition to the account books, the Elvira Houston papers also contain bank notes and Tama County tax receipts for the years 1928 to 1932, and the assessment roll for the years 1929 to 1933, 1940 and 1941. There is also a 1941 application for the homestead tax credit. Also included in the collection is a 1942 newspaper article regarding Elvira Houston's run for city council and a sample ballot with the election returns recorded on it.