Francis Bannerman Son was a major purveyor of military goods to sportsmen and collectors in New York City over three generations. The collection consists of Bannerman family's personal papers, correspondence, travel diaries, and financial documents concerning Bannerman Island.

Francis Bannerman Son was a major purveyor of military goods to sportsmen and collectors in New York City over three generations. The Francis Bannerman Son records demonstrate the operation of a small family business and a lack of formal structure. They document Bannerman's purchase of military goods from state and federal arsenals and their resale to individuals, with other regular purchases of arms and military antiques made on buying trips to Europe. The bulk of the collection consists of over 143 bound volumes of order books and outbound letters, and correspondence of incoming letters containing customer orders and inquiries. This collection would be useful to researchers interested in the resale costs and designs of military goods, especially arms and uniforms, as well as family-run small business performance and operations.