The Lucy Stone Robinson Papers consist of letters sent to Lucy Stone during various periods of her life as well as letters she wrote to her fiancé, John Robinson, during their engagement from 1837-1839, when he was in Canton, China.

The bulk of the collection consists of letters written by John and Lucy to each other. John Robinson wrote most of the letters to Lucy Stone during the two-year period he spent in Canton, China, where he served as a supercargo. She was living on the corner of Chestnut and Summer Streets in Salem and describes the social life of the period in her letters to him. He wrote 43 letters to her; the collection contains 15 letters that she wrote to him. Letters from New York City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire from 1839 to 1844 show that John Robinson still traveled often after the couple was married.

The miscellaneous letters include one letter written in 1824 to Lucy and her brothers. It came from their father, John Stone, and describes a trip he and his wife took from Salem to Worcester, Massachusetts. One set of letters from various correspondents was addressed to Lucy Stone at the time of her wedding in 1839. These accompanied wedding gifts. Also in this folder is a letter of certification dated April 28, 1837, written by John Robinson that states his intention to marry Lucy P. Stone.

The last set of letters indicate sorrow at the death of John Robinson in April, 1846, and joy at the birth of the couple's son, John, in 1846. John Robinson's eclectic taste in reading is illustrated by a lengthy list of books read on his voyages to and from Canton, China. He lists the Sir Walter Scott novels, a biography of Patrick Henry, and a memoir of Aaron Burr among his favorites.