This collection of home movies was shot by Illinois family members James Stokes Dame, John Stevens Dame, Byron Francis Stevens, Charles Francis Stevens and Cynthia Charlotte Stevens. The films shot by John Dame document his childhood in Elmhurst, Illinois, his wife and her family, his extensive travels, his love of aviation and filmmaking, and his passion for sailing. The home movies taken by Byron Stevens record family life in Elmhurst Illinois with his wife, Charlotte Huntington Wood Stevens, and their children (Gloria, Richard, Charles, Elizabeth and Cynthia) and their vacations, including regular trips to the lake cottage at Lac Courte Oreilles near Hayward, Wisconsin owned by his father Francis Oscar Stevens. Charles Stevens’ home movies depict family life in Villa Park, Illinois with his wife, Mary Stevens (formerly Burlie), and their children (Stan, Mark, Sharon, Marcia, Scott and John) and their travels. Cynthia Stevens’ home movies document family life in Waukesha, Wisconsin with her husband, Gary and their children (Elizabeth and Rebecca), and their travels. John Dame and the Byron Stevens children attended York Community High School in Elmhurst (Charles Stevens also attended Wayland Academy in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin and the Missouri Military Academy in Mexico, Missouri). Many of the family’s movies document life in Elmhurst, including community parades, graduations, weddings and high school football games. The collection also includes two films showing family member Kathryn Joan Schmidt competing in javelin at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada.

The Richard J. Finnegan collection is a series of home movies, travelogues and amateur shorts shot by Chicago Sun-Times editor Richard J. Finnegan between 1929 and 1953. Many of the films in this collection creatively meld narrative inter-titles with non-fiction footage, and employ cinematic conventions such as slow motion and narrative-style editing. Subject matter spans trips to Yellowstone, Eureka, Bermuda and various parts of Northern and Southern California, personal films of notable events such as the 1929 Olympics in Los Angeles, and "classic" home movie family films of vacations, holidays and events, including birthday parties, baptisms, a wedding, Christmas and Halloween celebrations.

Series III includes home movies shot by Charles Stevens. They include films documenting his travels and family life, the majority of which were filmed in the 1950s and 1960s. The series also includes two films documenting Kathryn Schmidt competing in the javelin at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.