The John Davenport papers provide an overview of the shipping activities of John Davenport (1776-1817), a Newburyport ship owner and shipping merchant. The paucity of records in this collection does not truly reflect the thriving business which he conducted with coastwise United States ports, the West Indies, and Europe. The papers also contain deeds generated by John's stepmother's family, the Greenleafs.

The ships' papers, arranged alphabetically by vessel, contain papers of ships owned by John or on which he consigned cargo (see Appendix I for a listing). Of interest is an inventory of Captain William Hunt's belongings on the brig Sally, made upon his death at sea in 1811. The shipping papers include outfitting and cargo bills as well as accounts of miscellaneous ships. The correspondence contains letters from merchants and John's partner, Joseph P. Russell, and correspondence regarding general financial business.

The family papers contain Newburyport real estate deeds from the family of John's stepmother, Catherine (Greenleaf) Davenport and a letter regarding the shipping activities of his father, Anthony Davenport (1752-1836).