Series II. Stephen Clarendon Phillips (1801-1857) Papers extends from 1820 to 1861 and consist of ships' papers, shipping and business documents, and personal and civic material. Subseries A. Ships' Papers, ranges from 1821-1851 and includes account books, accounts, protests, and correspondence with captains and merchant houses regarding individual vessels that Stephen Clarendon owned, mastered, or chartered. Of interest is a letter from Captain James Cheever of the bark Peru describing a revolution in Peru.

Subseries B. Shipping and Business Papers (1820-1856) contains materials associated with more than one ship or for cargo carried on non-Phillips vessels. Of interest is an item from R.B. Forbes in Boston discussing the status of the China trade. The business papers also include documentation of financial transactions conducted for friends and the papers of the Salem and Lowell Railroad, which describe some of the related planning efforts and land purchases of the 1840s.

Subseries C. Civic Papers (1824-1855) contains a significant portion of materials related to his work in the Massachusetts State House of Representatives (1824-1829) and Senate (1830-1834). The miscellaneous committee minutes and notes include materials related to the building of a bridge across the Charles River from Charlestown to City Square in Boston (1828). Other papers reveal Phillips' continued political work on the local level during his tenure in the State House. The political printed matter includes a number of interesting newspapers: The Free World (Salem, Mass., 1848), Free State Rally and Texas Chain Breaker (Dec. 6, 1845); Essex Register (Mar. 28, 1839, contains Phillips' Mayoral Address to Salem), and Manufacturers and Farmers Journal and Providence and Pawtucket Advertiser (Nov. 12, 1837). Other civic papers relate to Phillips' work with the Salem Lyceum, the American Unitarian Association, and the Sunday school.