The Brown Family Papers consist primarily of family and personal correspondence of Francis (b. 1815), Ellen (Appleton), Annie B. (b. 1847), and Sarah H. Brown (b. 1845) of Salem, Massachusetts. Also included are papers of Francis' parents, Ammi (1776-1827) and Hannah (Baker) Brown (b. 1788), and his grandmother Hannah (Newhall) Baker. This collection contains very few shipping papers of Francis Brown, who was a noted Salem shipmaster.

Francis and Ellen Brown's correspondence documents their 1874 excursion to London, Pairs, Brussels, Interlaken, Vevey, and Liverpool. The correspondence includes letters to and from their children, Ellen, Frank, Susan, and Annie. Sarah Brown travelled with her parents (see Sarah's 1874 correspondence in B2 F1). Francis' business and personal correspondence contains travel arrangements and letters of introduction for the European trip, personal correspondence from Edward Brown of Chicago, and business correspondence from the Salem Lead Company (of which Francis was treasurer).

Receipts and an account book document Francis' shipping career. The account book includes accounts of four vessels which Francis mastered between 1840 and 1848: bark Brazil, ships Caroline and Ann Maria, and brig Rattler.

Annie B. Brown's personal correspondence contains letters from friends, her cousins Joseph and Edward O. Brown, and her sisters Susan and Nell (Ellen). Nell's letters include news from St. Louis and Chicago (1865-1866). Sarah's correspondence contains letters to her siblings, written during the 1874 excursion, and correspondence received from friends and relations. Of interest are descriptive letters from Sarah's friend Lois Harrison in California during the 1890s. Ammi Brown was the keeper of the Ipswich jail and possibly a court clerk. His account book includes household and court entries. The 1821 letter, written by convict Moses Read, mentions his jailer, Ammi. Hannah (Baker) Brown's receipts contain household receipts and accounts for Ammi's estate and Francis' education. Hannah (Newhall) Baker's personal correspondence was written to her cousin, Catherine Sargent.

The miscellaneous papers include a deed for land in the estate of Col. Abraham How Jr. of Ipswich (1803), a court document regarding the murder of Thomas Branagan (1822), essays, poetry, and word games.