While materials remain physically in the order in which they arrived at Spencer, this collection has been intellectually organized into several series, reflecting Grauerholz’s life in Kansas and in Odessa, Texas. These series include Correspondence and Personal Papers; Writing and Research; American Legion; Septagon Incorporated; Political Campaigns; Alvin Grauerholz Trial; and Oversize Materials.

The Correspondence and personal papers series contains correspondence to and from Grauerholz to various individuals. Materials in this series have been identified by the recipient or writer most prominently featured in this collection. The correspondence from his son James Grauerholz found in this collection mostly contains James' correspondence from childhood and adolescence. There are also materials relating to Grauerholz’s professional and personal life in this series, including some annotated volumes, textbooks and single volume books that Grauerholz heavily annotated during his studies or because of his personal interests.

The Writing and Research series covers Grauerholz’s work on a writing project titled Salamaua Soldiers: Americans in Australia's 'New Guinea Force' in 1943 and its related research and photographs. The American Legion series comprises materials Grauerholz collected or created during his time as a member of the American Legion.

The Septagon Incorporated series includes Grauerholz’s materials while working with Septagon Inc., an oil company in Eufala, Oklahoma. The Political Campaigns series contains campainging materials, either for Grauerholz's campaign for Lieutenant Governor or while campaigning for Harry G. Wiles for Governor of Kansas.

The Alvin Grauerholz trial series covers the State of Kansas v. Alvin F. Grauerholz trial, including materials that reference the trial and records from the trial itself.

Oversize Materials concern those materials which have been physically separated from the rest of the collection due to their special housing needs.

Terms and language used in the collection are representative of when the texts were created and have been replicated in this finding aid only when directly quoting from original captions and folder titles. Folder titles containing information in [brackets] is for additional information provided by Spencer staff beyond the folder titles provided by Grauerholz. Grauerholz frequently referred to himself by his initials, AFG; he and his son also referred to James Grauerholz by initials JWG.