The James Dewey family collection consists mainly of his parents' letters, papers, and photographs concerning their service in World War II. Dewey's father, Ernest Dewey, served in the army and his mother, Helen Scamell, in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). There are also two generations of family photographs from his mother’s side, including some items from his grandfather, Ralph Scamell, an architect in Topeka, Kansas.