The Silsbee Family Papers contain the personal papers, business papers, and shipping papers for four generations of Silsbees. The collection includes the shipping papers of Nathaniel Silsbee (1748-1791). It also includes the papers of: his sons, Nathaniel (1773-1850), William, and Zachariah; grandson Nathaniel (1804-1881) and; great-grandsons Nathaniel D. (b. 1830), William Edward, Francis Henry, George Z. and Edward Augustus. The papers have been organized into four series.

Series I. Nathaniel Silsbee (1748-1791) Papers consist of his shipping papers. Of special note are the records of the Ship Grand Turk, and several Revolutionary privateers including the Schooners Congress, Lexington, and Pembroke and the Brigs Fame, Monmouth, and Roebuck.

Series II. Nathaniel Silsbee (1773-1850) Papers include his autobiography, correspondence, legal documents, congressional papers, and shipping papers. The series has been organized into three subseries.

Subseries A. Personal Papers include Nathaniel's autobiography, correspondence, eulogies and obituaries, and legal papers. Of particular note is a journal containing Nathaniel's autobiography; written in his own hand it records events in his life from 1782 to 1836. The journal has an appendix listing the bills of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate that were of interest to Nathaniel during his term in office. Also included is a handwritten transcription of Nathaniel's autobiography which was probably created by Mary Anne C. Devereux, wife of his son, Nathaniel. Nathaniel's correspondence reflects the change in his career from shipping captain and merchant to politician. Of special interest are letters from Nathaniel's brother-in-law, Benjamin W. Crowninshield, Secretary of the Navy. In addition to the discussion of political and social events in Washington, these letters contain references to Nathaniel's memorial regarding the Brig Edwin. Also included in the correspondence is an 1819 resolution from the Town of Salem to the federal government in favor of prohibiting the extension of slavery. Correspondence commemorating Nathaniel's life, including a signed letter from James Buchanan, is filed with the obituary notices of his death. The bulk of the legal documents include deeds for land in New Orleans sold by John Crowninshield to Nathaniel and a Michigan land deed signed by Martin Van Buren. Subseries B. Congressional Papers include copies of bills, remarks, or speeches made by Nathaniel before Congress. All matters covered by either House or Senate for a given session are filed together. Bills, remarks, or speeches, which could not be identified with specific sessions have been filed separately. Subseries C. Shipping Papers document Nathaniel's career first as a ship master and later as a shipping merchant. Papers for the Ship Benjamin, owned by Elias Hasket Derby, cover Nathaniel's captaincy from 1792 to 1795. Papers for the Ship Herald include letters from Zacharia F. Silsbee, master of the Herald to his brother, Nathaniel. The bulk of the papers for the brig Romp concern the memorial to Congress on the Romp's capture by the French (1809). Account books for the ships Benjamin, Betsy, and Herald are also included in this subseries. Miscellaneous shipping papers document Nathaniel's partnerships in the shipping firms of Stone, Silsbee, and Pickman and Silsbee and Devereux. Additional documents are included for the brigs Edwin and Malay and the ship Mary Ann.

Series III. Edward Augustus Silsbee Papers include his correspondence, notes and articles reflecting his literary activities, and his shipping papers. The series has been organized into three subseries.

Subseries A. Personal Papers include Edward's correspondence, memorandum books, invoices and receipts, and passport. The bulk of his correspondence, which is undated, concerns activities of friends, travels abroad, or literary and poetical themes. A large number of the letters sent are Edward's copies, which do not bear a salutation or closing. Of special note in the folder for Letters/diary is Edward's account of an early shipping venture for Neal & Company. The memorandum books, 1854 to 1896, contain not only daily reminders but Edward's personal observations and thoughts on a variety of subjects. Also included in this subseries are invoices and receipts for purchases made in Boston and abroad and Edward's passport which documents his travels from 1854 to 1862. Subseries B. Literary Activities includes Edward's essays, notes, abstracts, and quotations on literary figures and subjects. Literary figures mentioned include Shelley, Tennyson, and Lessing. The bulk of Edward's literary pursuits are represented by the notes and drafts of articles or lectures, many of which appear to be incomplete or in random order. Therefore, the original order in which Edward's notes were received has been maintained. In addition, miscellaneous notes include portions of writings that are not easily identifiable as letters, articles, essays, or lectures. Subseries C. Shipping Papers contain papers and memorandum books. The memorandum books are lists of goods, invoices, and observations made by Edward while in foreign ports. Edward's shipping papers pertain to the ships Syren, Columbia, and Windsor Fay. Of note in the shipping papers is a letter from Edward to Neal & Company relating damage which occurred to one of their vessels.

Series IV. Family Papers contains business and personal papers of additional Silsbee family members and relatives. William Silsbee's business and estate papers include an invoice for goods consigned to Nathaniel Silsbee on the ship Mary & Eliza as well as an account book for the settlement of his estate. Zachariah Silsbee's personal account book reflects his partnership in the shipping firm Stone, Silsbee, and Pickman. A letter from Zachariah to his niece, Mary Sparks, is located in Zachariah's correspondence. George Z. Silsbee's invoice book contains invoices and accounts for vessels he mastered, including the ship Syren owned by Stone, Silsbee, and Pickman. The family papers also contain letters from Nathaniel D. Silsbee (b. 1833) and William E. Silsbee to Robert Rantoul discussing the publication of their grandfather, Nathaniel's (1773-1850), autobiography and donations to the Essex Institute. There is also a typewritten autobiography of Nathaniel Silsbee (1804-1881), a diary of a journey kept by Francis H. Silsbee, and Francis Boardman's shipping account book.