This collection consists primarily of correspondence and financial records. The two folders of correspondence are written primarily by Brinley's son, Charles, a Philadelphia chemist and metallurgist, to his brother George P. Brinley, concerning the state and property holdings of their late father. Many of the letters refer to the sale of Paine Block and Brinley Block in Worcester. A few letters relate to family matters. The financial records concern rent collected for Brinley by his agent, James H. Wall, who also managed the Brinley estate in Hartford. Wall was involved after Brinley's death in the sale by the Brinley sons of holdings in Worcester and Hartford. The collection includes state inventories, tax payments, and other accounts. Also included is an 1838 handwritten essay titled "On the Principles of the Prussian System of Education Applicable to the United States of American".