The majority of the collection revolves around the Series III. Civil Cases. The papers relating to these cases run from 1755 to 1840 and involve all aspects of the law. This series is further broken down into four subseries: Real Estate, Probate, Litigation, and Criminal. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically.

One outstanding criminal case is Pike v. Green, 1835. Pike was accused of physically abusing his seven-year-old housemaid Sarah P. Jay, and then abandoning her in the poorhouse. The case notes are quite extensive and include depositions, court proceedings, and newspaper accounts of the trial.

The litigation case of John Manning et al. v. The Fifth Parish of Gloucester (1824-1827) includes a notebook detailing the history of the parish from its separation in 1754 from the First Parish of Gloucester and its organization as an autonomous precinct. Included is a list of individuals who, with John Manning, left the Fifth Parish.