The Goodhue Family Papers contain the shipping, business, legal, and political papers of Benjamin Goodhue (1748-1814), his brother Stephen (1738-1809), and their father Benjamin Goodhue (1707-1783). Benjamin's (1707-1783) papers also include documents for his prosperous blacksmith business. Of interest in this collection is the political correspondence between Benjamin (1788-1814) and Stephen during Benjamin's years in Congress from 1789-1800. The papers range from 1684 until 1858; however, the bulk of the collection ranges from 1750 until 1820. This collection has been arranged into six series.

Series I. Goodhue Correspondence is primarily comprised of letters between Benjamin Goodhue (1748-1814) and Stephen Goodhue (1738-1809). It also contains Benjamin's (1748-1814) letters to business associates, Stephen's letter book from 1789 until 1797. Political actions and decisions of Congress, Goodhue shipping and business interests, and the family and personal life of the Goodhue family are among the topics in this series.

Benjamin's (1748-1814) letters trace the development and political struggles of the new government. Problems such as assumption of state war debts, establishing duties on imports, fishing rights, dealing with the capture of American ships, and seamen by England, France, and Algiers, and the turmoil in the West Indies are discussed. The interrelationship of political events, the Goodhue's business ventures, the opposition to John Jay's appointment as envoy to Great Britain, and the election of John Adams as President are all topics of the correspondence.

Series II. Benjamin Goodhue (1748-1814) Papers is arranged into two subseries: shipping and non-shipping papers. Subseries A. Shipping Papers contains papers for Fanny (Brig), Lydia (Brig), and Star (Ship); miscellaneous ships' papers; and shipping miscellaneous papers. The papers of Fanny (Brig), Lydia (Brig), and Star (Ship), which were partially owned by Benjamin (1748-1814), range from 1786 until 1805. The bulk of these records includes ships' accounts, receipts, and correspondence between owners and masters. Both the ship Star and brig Lydia were captured by the British. Included in to the brig Lydia's papers are documents for the spoliation claims and settlement between Great Britain and Goodhue in 1804.

The miscellaneous ships' papers are arranged alphabetically by the name of the vessel. For a list of the ships owned by the Goodhue family, see Appendix I. The majority of the papers are shipping accounts, receipts, and insurance policies. Included in these ships' papers are three privateers: Brandywine (Brig), Julius Caesar (Ship), and Tom (Brig).

The shipping miscellaneous papers contain receipts, accounts, correspondence, and legal documents which deal with more than one ship or unidentified ships of Goodhue and others. Included are Benjamin's papers while a merchant in Philadelphia, his insurance accounts with James King and William Gray, and account with John Norris, a business partner. Also included are documents declaring Stephen Goodhue (1738-1809) agent for Benjamin's (1748-1814) ships, Fanny (Brig) and Lydia (Brig).

Subseries B. Non-shipping Papers includes legal documents, Essex County papers, civic, domestic, and miscellaneous papers. Property deeds bought jointly by Benjamin and Stephen, as well as those purchased solely by Benjamin have been filed with Benjamin's legal papers. Placed here are the papers of Edward Tucker, while Benjamin served as his attorney, including legal correspondence and deeds between Edward Tucker of Salem and Francis Bayard Winthrop of New York City. Benjamin's 1810 will is also included with the legal documents. The Essex County papers contain many legal papers and correspondence acquired by Benjamin in his many public offices. The civic, domestic, and miscellaneous papers include receipts with the Salem School Committee, tax receipts, and accounts with local people.

Series III. Stephen Goodhue (1738-1809) Papers cover the years 1755 until 1809, and includes business papers from 1755 until 1808, account pamphlets from 1769 until 1808, two ledgers from 1760 to 1809, and legal, civic, and domestic papers from 1755 until 1806. The business papers include receipts, accounts, and correspondence for his blacksmith shop, general store, and shipping business. In addition, the account pamphlets record daily transactions for Stephen's blacksmith shop and general store. In 1789, Stephen began including Benjamin's shipping records with his own accounts. Included in this series is a 1793 pamphlet which contains Stephen's records as Surveyor for the town of Salem. There are two ledgers that recorded Stephen's business transactions from 1760 until 1809. The first ledger (volume 1) was originally used by his father, Benjamin Goodhue (1707-1783) until his death, and was taken over by Stephen to record transactions for his father's estate, and his brother's ships. Major ships included in the ledger are the brig Tom and the brig Lydia. The second ledger, 1760 until 1793 (volume 2), records Stephen's transactions for his blacksmith business and store.

The legal papers include deeds, land receipts, tax receipts, promissory notes, legal correspondence, and the Amos Trask estate papers. Stephen acquired the Trask estate papers and many of his deeds and business records, because he was attorney for the administrator of the estate of Amos Trask and guardian for Trask's daughter, Abigail.

Stephen's civic and domestic papers include the receipts, letters, and accounts with local people. Also included are oaths of allegiance that Stephen took when he was chosen as Assessor of the town of Salem from 1787 until 1789. Also included are the 1734 Harvard College Laws that Stephen copied while a student in 1755.

Series IV. Benjamin Goodhue (1707-1783) Papers are arranged into two subseries: shipping and non-shipping papers. Subseries A. Shipping Papers cover the years 1714 until 1784, with the bulk of the papers between 1750 and 1770. Most of the shipping papers are the records for the schooner Benjamin and the schooner Salem. These papers include accounts for the building of the schooner Salem, correspondence, receipts, portledge bills, and insurance policies. The remaining papers are filed alphabetically by ship name, and include mostly insurance policies and accounts. Any other shipping papers which refer to more than one ship or unidentified ships are integrated with the Benjamin Goodhue (1707-1783) business papers. These business papers include the correspondence, accounts, and receipts for Benjamin's blacksmith and shipping business.

Following Benjamin's shipping and business papers are his account books which range from 1722 until 1780. The majority of the account books record business transactions of Benjamin's blacksmith business; Volume 1 also records his shipping accounts. Volumes 15 and 16 are to be noted as the only account books that only record shipping accounts. Volume 15, which contains the schooner Sarah's accounts, lists many captains and voyages. Volume 16 contains the accounts for the schooners Benjamin and Salem. Two corresponding account books transfer the outstanding debtors from the ledger (Volume 9) to the daybook (Volume 8). Volume 13 is noteworthy as Benjamin's first daybook, which he used after his father's death, to list his many places of employment.

Following the account books are the legal, domestic, and civic papers of Benjamin and his family ranging from 1719 until 1806. Among the legal documents is: a 1729/30 summons for Benjamin to appear in court for nonpayment of a debt; the 1729-1730 estate papers for his mother Mary (Lowden) Goodhue; a 1730 document giving Goodhue permission to set up a blacksmith ship with Joseph Clough; a promissory note to Harvard College for his son, Stephen's, tuition; Benjamin's 1778 will; and a 1783 inventory of his estate. The domestic and civic papers include medical receipts, tax receipts, liquor licenses, and a 1756 copy by Benjamin, of the 1680 Church Covenant for the First Church of Christ in Salem.

Series V. Goodhue Family Papers includes family correspondence, Goodhue relatives' papers, Pickering and Orne family papers, and military papers. This series contains letters from Jonathan Goodhue (1744-1778) to his father while at Harvard, and letters from Benjamin (1748-1814) to his brothers. There is a letter to Stephen from his brother-in-law, James Prescott. The Goodhue relatives' papers contain documents from Goodhue family members and in-laws, such as James Prescott, Richard Wheatland, Isaac Pierce, and Gideon Tucker; includes a lock of hair. Included are Jonathan Goodhue's (1744-1778) 1768 diary of shipping transactions, Jonathan's 1760 copy of the 1734 Harvard College Laws, and some genealogical notes of the Goodhue family by Daniel Goodhue (1759-1803). The placement of the Pickering and Orne family papers in this series was determined by Benjamin's (1707-1783) relationship to them through his two wives. Noteworthy in these papers is a 1747 deed between Timothy Pickering, Timothy and Lois Orne, William and Eunice Pickering, widow Sarah (Hardy) Mansfield, Nathaniel and Seeth (Hardy) Phippen, Jr., Isaac and Mary (Hardy) Pierce, Edmund and Lydia (Hardy) Henfield, and Benjamin and Ruth (Hardy) Ropes, and Benjamin and his wife Martha (Hardy) Goodhue. This deed reveals the many in-law relationships between these people. Also included here are the shipping papers of Timothy Orne, and a 1738 property deed from Sarah Pickering to her grandson Benjamin Goodhue for a pew.

The military papers include muster lists and accounts and receipts of Salem and Essex County Regiments for years during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. Orders and bounty receipts for Captain Benjamin (1707-1783) Goodhue are the result of an expedition to Canada. Benjamin's (1748-1814) military and civic involvement in the Revolution is probably the reason for the documents relating to the Revolutionary War. Also included is a 1711 muster roll for the William Pickering Company, and a 1781 request by the men of Woodstock, Connecticut, in the Continental Army for pay.

Series VI. Miscellaneous Papers are comprised of Robert and Hannah Stone papers, Eleazar Giles papers, and any papers that apparently do not have any connection to the Goodhues. The Stone and Giles papers are mostly legal and estate papers. It is uncertain whether any of the Goodhues was an attorney to their estates, and therefore they have been included with this series. Also included in this series are two religious testimonies, miscellaneous deeds, and undated land description of the burying point, and a 1756 authorization from the King of England to make George Rankin governor of Bermuda.