The Leighton-Mount family papers are made up of incoming correspondence to Pearl Leighton and her husband, John L. Mount, of Otsego, Michigan. Other members of the Leighton and Mount families lived in various townships of southern Michigan, for the most part in and around Albion, Otsego, and Springport.
The collection also contains letters written by John Mount; by John Mount's father, George L. Mount (most from Concord, Michigan); by Pearl's father, Amos Leighton (a lumber manufacturer in Otsego, Michigan); by Pearl's cousin, Alva Sebring (in Utah and California); and by numerous Michigan friends of Pearl Leighton.
The most frequent writers in the Leighton-Mount family papers are John and his father, George Mount. John wrote about his relationship with Pearl, sermons and moral issues, work as a traveling salesman, and family-related topics, while George offered financial and family advice. Pearl's friend, Alice S. Beal, of Northville and Albion, Michigan, was a faithful correspondent, who discussed her own schooling and social topics.
The Leighton and Mount families lived in a variety of towns in south-central and south-western Michigan. Pearl Leighton attended school in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, and Albion College. In 1896, Pearl married John L. Mount, who had been educated in religious studies, and delivered sermons at a church in Springport, Michigan. Their daughter Helen was born in 1898, when John was the Superintendent of Orion High School in Orion, Michigan.
In 1900, John Mount began to travel as a "Royal Scrolls" salesman and field manager for Powers, Higley & Company (Valparaiso, Indiana), manufacturers and suppliers of "Educational Specialties." In this capacity, from 1900 to 1907, he traveled to Missouri, Idaho, Washington (state), California, Oregon, Oklahoma, and Texas, while his family remained in Michigan.