Series I. Shipping Papers include ships papers, correspondence, ledgers, journals, memoranda, and notes relating to Michael Shepard's trading activities in Padang and Zanzibar. Although the majority of the ships papers concern Michael Shepard's shipping activities in East Africa from 1835-1855, some shipping material from 1852-1856 was actually produced by Shepard's son Michael Webb Shepard (born 1826) during the period when his father battled various illnesses. Shipping correspondence after 1865 is almost entirely comprised of letters to Michael W. Shepard from William. H. Nichols III, who acted as his agent in Zanzibar during this period.

The ledgers and journals in the collection are associated with Shepard's relations with a number of partners, agents and ship masters. Some of these volumes were started by Michael Shepard and continued by his son. Other volumes were kept by Michael W. Shepard even though some of the shipping information concerns events during his father's lifetime.