Series consists of business records, correspondence and ephemera related to the life and activities of Louis Breithaupt and his family, first in Buffalo, N.Y. and then in Berlin (later Kitchener), Ontario from 1848-1881. The majority relate to the operation of his tanning business, and include account books, agreements, correspondence with family, friends, employees and business contacts, freight receipts, invoices, legal and tax documents. Included are records relating to Louis Breithaupt's tannery businesses in Buffalo and Berlin including documentation of his partnership and work with Jacob F. Schoellkopf. It also documents the sale of land by Jacob Hailer to Louis Breithaupt and Jacob Wagner and the subsequent legal documents necessary after Jacob Wagner's death. Includes financial records, agreements and records relating to property.

Also in the series are business and personal papers of Louis Breithaupt including business and personal correspondence, statements of accounts, freight receipts, notes payable, ephemera, etc. The correspondence is in both English and German and it is evident that Louis was comfortable using either language. Correspondents include relatives and friends, like his mother Catharina, and friends and business contacts like Charles A. Ahrens in Berlin, Ontario, and from from Jacob Hailer.