The Luella Dodds papers consist of materials that primarily document her family, her personal life as well as her activities related to her work with the Ellsworths.

The papers include some background/biographical materials, handwritten recipes, and miscellaneous notes and correspondence. Receipts of Mrs. Fowler (Luella's grandmother) are also included.

Many of the papers relate to Luella's service with the Ellsworths. The collection includes three of Luella's journals that she kept for a period of 10 years (from 1920-1929), probably while she was working for James Ellsworth. The 1920 journal appears to have been used more as a notebook than a daily journal. The notebook includes Luella's various notes, an inventory of Villa Palmieri, and travel itineraries. There are also 2 line-a-day books, which maintains five entries per day, one for each year. While it only tracks a sentence or two about each day, it gives insight into Luella's day-to-day activities, social engagements, and travel with the Ellsworths.

The Luella Dodds papers include an extensive photograph collection consisting primarily of cabinet photographs of various individuals. Many of them are local citizens that Luella knew, others are family members, including Luella's parents. Other images in the collection include photographs Luella, family and friends, interior and exterior photographs of Luella's Owen Brown St. home, Villa Palmieri, and negatives of an unknown wedding. A photo album scrapbook is also included, which features photographs of family members and others. Identified individuals include Mary Fowler Woods (Luella's mother), Mr. Battels, Cora Friller, Mrs. Ross, Georgia Bristol, Mrs. Chittenden (nee Markillie), Mrs. Clark, and Mrs. Blackman. A photograph of John Markillie's photography studio is also included in the album (p.30).

The collection also includes a scrapbook (assembled by Luella), which includes photographs of various locations including Villa Palmieri, Schloss Lenzburg and a few of Evamere as well as individuals including, James and Julia Ellsworth, Luella Dodds, possibly one of Claire and Lincoln Ellsworth as well as friends.

Note that the photographs are arranged by general series only. Photographs have been individually cataloged in the historical society's photograph database (see library staff for assistance).