The Atterbury family, specifically brothers John Guest Atterbury (1811-1887) and William Wallace Atterbury (1823-1911), and John's son William Wallace Atterbury (1866-1935), were descendants of a London bank house representative and Huguenot family. John was a lawyer and later a Presbyterian minister, as was William. The younger William was a career officer for the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Atterbury family papers consist primarily of the personal papers of the younger W.W. Atterbury as preserved by his family, along with a few items from his father and uncle.

William Wallace Atterbury (1866-1935) was a career officer on the Pennsylvania Railroad and its president from 1925 to 1935. The collection consists of photographs and other materials relating to William Wallace Atterbury. Many of the photographs are portraits and other pictures of Atterbury and his family, friends, and associates, including his Yale classmates, business leaders, and notable figures such as President and Mrs. Herbert Hoover and Charles Lindburgh.