The primary interest of this small collection lies in the connection of the Howe family with Edward Fitzgerald. During the decade before his death in June 1883, Fitzgerald lived at Little Grange outside Woodbridge, employing as housekeepers John Howe, a retired sailor (whom he had known since 1862), and his wife Mary Ann(e). The following documents concern this couple, their sons George Adams Howe and John Amos Howe, and Grace Howe, daughter of John Amos.

The Howe family of Woodbridge, Suffolk, were shipowners. Members of the family featured in the collection include Grace Maud Howe, housekeeper for Edward FitzGerald at Little Grange; John Amos Howe (b. 1840), mariner, and his wife Mary Ann, ne Lion or Lyon (b. 1842), whom he married on 29 December 1862; and Captain George Howe, who was engaged in shipping.