Aside from five (possibly six) negatives labeled "Dunlap negatives," four noted as "Beattie negs," and one "made by Strickland," all the glass plate negatives were probably made by John H. Ganner.

Most of the plates are not quite standard size. Measurements are given in inches, height first, then width. Although some of the plates actually contain two or more separate Images (usually multiple exposures of the same subject), each plate is numbered as one Image. A few of the plates are broken and stored in two separate envelopes; these are designated "a" and "b."

Identifications or descriptions in quotation marks were originally written on the plate itself or on the envelopes containing the plates. Those envelopes were crumbling and some were destroyed to free the plates. Many photocopies of envelopes are in Series 4 by Image number. Because the negatives are not generally available and so few prints have been made, descriptions of the Images are more detailed than usual.