The Fowler Family papers contain the business, civic, and personal papers of shipwright Samuel Fowler (1748-1813), his son Samuel (1776-1859), grandsons Samuel Page (1800-1888) and Henry (1810-1881) Fowler, and great-granddaughter Harriet Putnam Fowler (1842-1901). Also included are papers of their wives and children, other relatives from the Fowler, Putnam, and Du Bois family branches, and miscellaneous items. The collection has been divided into seven series.

Series I. Samuel Fowler (1748-1813) Papers contains deeds and legal papers documenting his many land transactions in the Danvers area. Also found here are accounts and receipts, a bill of sale for the schooner Industry, estate papers, and an 1847 estate inventory for his wife, Sarah (Putnam) Fowler. Of note is a document listing the rate of exchange between paper and silver dollars from 1777 to 1781. Also included in this series is a sketch of Sarah Putnam Fowler (1755-1847) and papers belonging to John Fowler (b. 1778)

Series II. Samuel Fowler (1776-1859) Papers contains shipping, business, legal, and civic papers. The shipping papers include insurance policies, accounts, and receipts for vessels Fowler owned or on which he commissioned cargo, and correspondence from merchant houses. Insurance policies, correspondence, orders, and accounts for his mills and ships are located in the business papers. Also found there are accounts and receipts for Fowler's share in the Danvers-Beverly Iron Works and the New Hampshire Iron Factory. The correspondence includes pleas for assistance from Danvers citizens as well as business notes from H. Putnam. The bills and receipts include business, household, and personal transactions.

The legal papers contain land and pew deeds, maps, partnership agreements with Israel Hutchinson, Sr., Israel Hutchinson, Jr., and Ebenezer Putnam for ownership of grist and bolting mills, and indentures to hire workers for building a mill. The civic papers include Fowler's military papers, accounts with the Danvers school committee, papers recording Fowler's involvement with the First Baptist Church of Danvers, and petitions to build a road from Topsfield to Danvers. This series also includes school workbooks that belonged to Samuel's children, Clarissa, Rebecca, William, Eliza, and Augustus Fowler. These workbooks are mostly of penmanship, but there are a few of arithmetic.

Series III. Samuel Page Fowler (1800-1888) Papers documents Samuel's involvement in Danvers political and civic affairs. Included are Danvers school committee and selectmen records, religious and moral societal papers, fire club records, notes and minutes taken a secretary of civic groups, and his notes from addresses and lectures he gave or attended.

Fowler's correspondence discusses his civic and business activities. Samuel's other business papers include bankbooks which record his shares in local banks, a rent book, and accounts with a local grocer. The Fowler-Dorman trustee papers contain receipts for Fowler and Moses Dorman while they acted as corporation trustees. The personal correspondence includes a marriage proposal and letters from Samuel's father and wife. There is a folder with notes on the witchcraft trials and local history, and a miscellaneous folder with some legal and financial papers.

Also included in this series is Samuel's wife, Harriet Putnam Fowler's papers. These papers contain correspondence, the majority of which is to Mary C. Skerry, her will and miscellaneous papers. Samuel Page Fowler Jr.'s (1838-1915) papers are a part of this series, and include papers relating to his military service and correspondence.

Series IV. Henry Fowler (1810-1881) Papers contains papers from Henry, his wife Sally Herrick Putnam (b. 1816), and some of their children. This series has been divided into two sub-series. Subseries A. Papers of Henry and Sally contains the papers of Henry and his wife Sally. Henry's papers include a folder of school workbooks, correspondence, and financial papers. Subseries B. Papers of the Children of Henry and Sally contains correspondence of Henry and Sally's children. The children included in this series are: Henry Putnam Fowler (b. 1839); Addison Webb Fowler (b. 1841); Adelaide Fowler (b. 1843); Sarah Putnam Fowler (b. 1853); and Betsey Putnam Fowler (b. 1846); Eliza Page Fowler (b. 1849). The majority of Eliza Page's correspondence is from William M. Sanger.

Series V. Harriet Putnam Fowler (1842-1901) Papers contains one folder of correspondence, part of a newspaper article about Harriet's will, and 30 scrapbook volumes relating to genealogy and local history of Danvers and Salem, including family papers, research, photographs, and newspaper clippings, that Harriet donated to the Essex Institute. At the beginning of the series are three indexes to the volumes and a notebook containing a list of books belonging to the library of Harriet P. Fowler. It should be noted that the date(s) listed with the scrapbooks are the date(s) of when the scrapbook was compiled or presented, as noted in the scrapbook; it does not necessarily reflect the date(s) of the materials within the scrapbooks. Manuscripts relating to the Salem Witchcraft trials were removed from the volume "Book of Old and Rare Papers No. I" (box 22), and added to the Salem Witchcraft Trials Records (MSS 401). Photocopies of the manuscripts were placed as surrogates in Fowler's scrapbook.

This series also contains a number of photographs of places, items, and people. Originally part of Fam. Mss. 337, these images appear to have been collected by Harriet as part of her research, as most of them have detailed descriptions, and reference to specific scrapbook volumes. The photographs have been divided into places and things, and gravesites and people; both of which have been organized by the family with which they are associated. If the image is associated with multiple families, it has been organized according to the first family's name that is listed in the description.

Series VI. Other Family Papers contains business, legal, and personal papers of individuals related to the Fowlers included in the above series. Included in this series are business and legal papers of John Fowler (1778-1827), and correspondence to or from Fowler family members whose identity could not easily be determined, and some Fowler family account books. Also included in this series are business, legal, and personal papers of Fowler in-laws from the Putnam, DuBois Proctor, and Page families. The folder of Proctor and Page family papers (box 33, folder 8) contains photocopies of two items; it is unclear where the original items are. Also included in this series is a typescript of Alexander Edison Du Bois' diary; it is unclear where the original item is or if this is a complete volume.

Series VII. Other contains a number of miscellaneous items that were found in the various collections, that appear to somehow relate to the Fowler family or their relatives. Included in this series are Danvers civic and legal papers, such as deeds, records of town and selectman meetings, real estate valuations, property lists, pamphlets, and printed works. In the folder titled "Papers about various individuals" there are memorials, portraits, and biographical notes about various people. Of note are letters, legal, estate, and financial papers of Peter Clark, minister of the First Baptist Church of Danvers. This series also contains pamphlets and newspaper clippings.