The first portion is a chronological record of William Ames' career from his graduation in 1905 to his last ministerial duty in 1964 at Lawrence, Kansas. Included in these records are church bulletins, documents and correspondence relating to Ames' ministerial accomplishments. The latter portion of the collection contains the drafts for a number of sermons, prayers, and speeches delivered by Ames throughout his career. In addition there are miscellaneous papers on Haskell Institute and Ames' work with the Lawrence Writers Workshop.