The Dr. Ernest Cleary Family Papers include a variety of materials and documents of and about Dr. Ernest Cleary and his family members. Though he was born in 1880, the collection consists of some documents that date back to 1850, giving insight into the lives of his parents and grandparents. Included are many journals kept by Dr. Cleary as well as his father Frank, his wife Mary Edna, and some by his children. In addition, there are many of Dr. Cleary’s personal writings (stories, reminiscences, poems, and more). His writings illustrate the experiences and memories of Dr. Cleary and his family in Coalinga’s oil fields, in Lindsay, in Sugar Pine, in Burlingame, and in other cities in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as in Lakewood, New Jersey, where Dr. Cleary served in the medical corps during World War I. Dr. Cleary was also a great keeper of records and inventory of his personal library and household possessions as well as his correspondence with others; these personal notes are included in the collection as well.

This collection also includes the correspondence of Dr. Cleary and his family, his friends, and colleagues. A great portion of the correspondence is between his wife, Mary Edna, and their eldest daughter, Mary Elizabeth. Included are letters written to and from his business associates, giving insight into his daily business as a doctor in various hospitals. Some official prescription licenses are included in the collection. There are also documents that describe his business partnership with his son, Frank Winton Cleary, and various other meeting minutes, memoranda, receipts and bills regarding hospital operations. Also included are some legal documents concerning property sales, his will and testament, and more. As an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Cleary wrote and gave talks and speeches on the subject numerous times; his publications are included in the collection as well as newspaper clippings about himself and his family members.

The photographs in this collection depict life in the Coalinga oil fields and include many portraits of family and extended family, and baby pictures of Dr. Cleary’s three children growing up together and then getting married and having their own children. The Cleary family enjoyed vacations and sight-seeing together; there are numerous scenic photographs from their various family trips, but there are also many photos that document their everyday life at home. Many of these photographs have corresponding negatives; there are also albums, glass plate negatives, and tintypes. Some hospital and medical operations were also photographed; these photos show the processes of orthopedic surgery during World War I and beyond, including some photographs of the apparatuses, gear, and equipment that Dr. Cleary used or designed himself.

Lastly, the collection contains memorabilia and ephemera collected over the years, like theater and musical programs as well as tourist pamphlets. Included are two scrapbooks that contain Dr. Cleary's and Mary Edna's keepsakes and memorabilia. Dr. Cleary’s World War I military insignia and other uniform pieces are included as well. The collection’s contents give accurate insight into Dr. Cleary as not only an orthopedic surgeon but also as a son, a brother, a young man, then older man, a husband, a father, a writer, a business partner, a photographer and traveler, and a friend.