The Cockfield Papers contain materials compiled by Cockfield during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, while teaching at Mercer University. The collection contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, items related to the business of the history department, minutes of meetings of the Board of Student Publications, and items related to the Faculty Welfare Committee and College of Liberal Arts. Jamie H. Cockfield gave the papers to the Archives in August 1996.

In 2015 three additional boxes were received. They have been arranged into boxes 2, 3, and 4 as SERIES 8 in this finding aid, and the materials are arranged chronologically by year. Folders contain primarily correspondence, which may not be in date order within a particular year. Other materials include committee reports, course and departmental documents, and scholarly research.