Series IV. John Crowninshield (1771-1842) Papers extends from 1789-1897 and is divided into four subseries.

Subseries A. Correspondence, is almost entirely devoted to shipping and business affairs between John, his father, and his brothers. A series of original bound letters (letterbooks) include both incoming and outgoing correspondence. Some of these letterbooks were assembled by John's son John Casper Crowninshield (1820-1878) and were used as sources for his family history.

Subseries B. Shipping and Business Papers are generally comprised of administrative materials related to Crowninshield shipping activities and papers that document John's efforts at diversification through real estate investments in Maine and other businesses in New Orleans. The account book/letterbook contains further correspondence regarding the voyages of ship Belisarius to India and ship America to Mauritius and Sumatra. The accounts are primarily related to the crew of the Belisarius but also concern the cargo carried on that voyage.

Subseries C. Personal Papers includes Crowninshield's manuscripts "Salem to Pittsburg, "and "Vindication of the Seaman's Character," two navigation lesson books, accounts and receipts, and printed material.

Subseries D. Family Papers are comprised of materials relative to John's wife and children. Maria Crowninshield's correspondence is comprised of personal letters she received from John and her sisters. Maria Louisa Crowninshield's journal describes her summer vacation spent at Danvers and a number of day trips to other localities including Andover and Gloucester. There are embroidery letters sketched by Louisa Crowninshield Bacon (born 1842), and a photograph album. John Casper Crowninshield's papers are almost entirely made up of historical research on the family based upon his father's papers. "The Buried Treasure Found" is a novel depicting the discovery of treasure on an unknown island in the Pacific Ocean in 1784. Charles B. Crowninshield's papers include an essay on military fortifications and a scrapbook of orders, correspondence, and accounts from Company E, 1st Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers during the Mexican-American War.