The Derby Family Papers include shipping, legal, business, and personal papers of Richard Derby (1712-1783), his sons Elias Hasket Derby (1739-1799) and John Derby (1741-1812), and grandsons Elias Hasket Derby Jr. (1766-1826), John Derby (1767-1831), Ezekiel Hersey Derby (1772-1852), and Richard Crowninshield Derby (1777-1854). The bulk of the collection contains the shipping papers for the shipping business begun by Richard (1712-1783) Derby, John (1767-1831), and Ezekiel Hersey (1772-1852) Derby. These papers reflect the growth and diversification of a mercantile business that traded with the Orient, India, the East Indies, Russia, Europe, Africa, Canada, the West Indies, and coastwise America. Derby ships were involved in activities such as privateering, fishing, and East and West India trading.

The remainder of the collection concerns the personal and business papers of Richard (1712-1783), Elias Hasket (1739-1799), John (1741-1812), Elias Hasket Jr. (1766-1826), John (1767-1831), Ezekiel Hersey (1772-1852), and Richard Crowninshield (1777-1854) Derby. In addition, there are businesses and personal papers for Derby relatives and in-laws. The collection has been arranged into six series.

Series I. Derby Shipping Papers covers the years 1717 to 1827, and incorporates ships owned by, mastered by, or which carried cargo for Richard Derby (1712-1783), his son Elias Hasket Derby (1793-1799), and grandsons Elias Hasket Derby Jr. (1766-1826), John Derby (1767-1831), and Ezekiel Hersey Derby (1772-1852). The shipping papers have been arranged into three subseries.

Subseries A. Ships' Papers are arranged alphabetically, and contain ships' orders, accounts of sales, disbursements, invoices, merchant house correspondence, port ledge bills, and crew lists. In addition, there is some captains' correspondence, mostly from Derby family members, bills of lading, and miscellaneous accounts and receipts while in foreign ports. This subseries includes papers of the Ranger and Volant, both ships that were mastered by Richard (1712-1783), the Grand Turk, Astrea, Henry, John, and Peggy, as well as other less documented vessels (see Appendix I). Several Derby ships were captured during the French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, and before the War of 1812. The correspondence or documents related to these captures are located with the ship's papers, or with the folder of spoliation claims (box 9, folder 9). Papers of vessels captured by Derby ships are located with the Derby privateer or letter of marque. Included in this series are papers of the sloop Union, mastered by Richard's uncle Samuel Derby (1673-1728), and the Mary and Restitution, both mastered by John Derby (1767-1831).

Subseries B. General Shipping Papers include all documents that either could not be identified, or that are related to more than one ship. These general shipping papers include financial papers, invoice books, account books, and Customhouse bonds. Accounts of Derby family members with each other or with their captains are included in the folders of miscellaneous shipping accounts (box 8, folders 7 and 8). Elias Hasket's (1739-1799) outbound invoice books, volumes 2 and 3, contain invoices of cargoes on ships sailing from Salem while the inbound invoice book, volume 4, records cargoes on ships sailing from foreign ports. Volumes 2 and 4 contain detailed indexes that list ship, master, and destination for all entries. Within the folder of miscellaneous account books are two account books with entries for privateers, and one pamphlet that records fishing voyages in the 1750s. The folders of outfitting accounts (box 9, folders 2-5) include all accounts, receipts, and contracts made for the building, altering, or outfitting of ships.

Subseries C. Shipping and Merchant House Correspondence is organized into four sub-subseries. The merchant house correspondence contains correspondence, accounts, and ship's papers for cargo shipped by the house. The correspondence, arranged alphabetically by name of the firm, has been divided into the correspondence of Richard (1712-1783), Elias Hasket (1738-1799), and of the grandsons: Elias Hasket Jr. (1766-1826), John (1767-1831), and Ezekiel Hersey (1772-1852) Derby. The majority of the correspondence in the latter groups is to John, either while he was in business with Benjamin Pickman, John Prince, Samuel G. Derby, or by himself. One folder (box 14, folder 5) contains letters to John Prince and Benjamin Pickman, sons-in-law of Elias (1739-1799) and partners of the Derbys in many shipping ventures. See Appendix II for a detailed listing of major merchant houses that the Derbys employed, and their locations.

The miscellaneous shipping correspondence (box 9, folder 8) includes letters of instruction and captain's correspondence as well as letters regarding cargo and general shipping business. Correspondence that deals with more than one vessel or appears to discuss more than the specifics of a case is located in the folder of spoliation claims (box 9, folder 9). Of special interest among the spoliation claims is the correspondence with John Gardner, 1761-1765, which refers to the corruption in the claims court, and the protest from Elias Hasket Derby (1739-1799) regarding duties on tea.

Series II. First Generation Business and Personal Papers: Richard Derby (1712-1783) contains the papers of Richard Derby (1712-1783), and range from 1738 until 1783. They include business correspondence, distillery receipts and accounts, miscellaneous receipts, account books, and legal documents. The miscellaneous business correspondence contains primarily letters regarding the purchase or sale of goods or the settlement of accounts. The distillery owned and operated by Richard is reflected in the distillery accounts and receipts, 1760-1781. Included here are also two account books recording purchases of rum from 1767 to 1769. The miscellaneous receipts, 1731-1783, contain all receipts and accounts that appear to be of a non-shipping origin. The account book ledger, 1757-1776, 1786-1790 (Volume 1), contains not only entries for shipping and non-shipping business, but also accounts for the settlement of Richard's estate and a copy of his will (dated October 27, 1783). A duplicate copy of Richard's will as well as deeds, powers of attorney, summonses, and bills of exchange are located in the folder of legal documents (box 16, folder 4). Volume 1, which is a ledger book from the years 1757-1776, and 1786-1790, has been microfilmed (#184).

Series III. Second Generation Business and Personal Papers contains the records of Richard's sons, Elias Hasket (1739-1799) and John (1741-1812) Derby. Subseries A. Elias Hasket Derby Papers includes business correspondence, financial papers, account books, legal documents, and estate papers from 1761 to 1827. Purchase and sale of commodities, petitions for employment, settling of accounts, and transactions of business are included in Elias Hasket's business correspondence, which covers the years 1775 until 1798 (box 16, folders 5 and 6). The lengthy correspondence between Elias Hasket and Metcalf Bowler, from 1781 until 1786, concerns the purchase and payment of coal for the French army. A separate folder (box 16, folder 7) contains the correspondence, receipts, and deeds for land owned by Elias Hasket in Raymondtown, a township in the County of Cumberland, Maine. The bulk of Elias Hasket's papers comprise the miscellaneous receipts from 1761 to 1799, and accounts from 1762 until 1799. All of Elias Hasket's account books contain both shipping and non-shipping entries. The consecutive account book volumes, Ledgers B and C (Volumes 9 and 10), list name and occupation for account entries. A separate index is enclosed in the front of Volume 10.

The legal papers (box 18, folder 9) of Elias Hasket Derby include property deeds, promissory notes, agreements, a liquor license, stock certificates, and an inventory of goods and property deed for a farm in Wolfborough, New Hampshire. Of interest here is a list of furniture received by Elizabeth Crowninshield upon her marriage to Elias, and a bond between Richard Derby (1712-1783) and Elias Hasket for a gift to Elias Hasket's son, Richard Crowninshield Derby. There are also estate papers from 1763 until 1774, and a partial will for Elias Hasket's mother-in-law, Anstiss Crowninshield. The estate papers of Elias Hasket Derby (box 19, folders 1-2) include all documents that do not pertain to the shipping business. Of special note is the inventory of Elias Hasket's house and goods purchased from the estate, and the executor's accounts of the settlement of the estate. Two estate account books record the transactions of the estate following Elias Hasket's death.

Subseries B. John Derby (1741-1812) Papers contains correspondence to John (1741-1812) and Elizabeth Derby from 1786 until 1801 (box 19, folder 3). The majority of the letters are from either Sally (Gardner) Crowninshield or Martha (Derby) Prince. The letters relate the activities of their respective families.

Series IV. Third Generation Business and Personal Papers include the papers of Elias Hasket's (1739-1799) heirs: Elias Hasket Jr., John, Ezekiel Hersey, and Richard Crowninshield Derby. The deeds, accounts, and receipts for the Derby Wharf, owned jointly by Elias' sons and sons-in-law, precede their personal papers (box 19, folder 4).

Subseries A. Elias Hasket Derby Jr.'s (1766-1826) Papers contain documents of his wife, Lucy (Brown) Derby, as well as himself. The folder of miscellaneous letters, receipts, accounts, and legal documents (box 19, folder 5) includes papers of Lucy's before her marriage to Hasket. The letters from Hasket to Lucy were written during their courtship, and from on board the Mount Vernon and Mount Hope. There are also letters to Hasket and Lucy from their friends and relatives.

Subseries B. John Derby (1767-1831) Papers includes business and legal papers, miscellaneous receipts and accounts, and personal correspondence. The business papers contain correspondence between John and his brother-in-law and business associate, John Prince Jr. There are additional business letters as well as deeds and powers of attorney in the miscellaneous business and legal papers, 1791-1827. John's miscellaneous receipts, which span the years 1786-1817, include receipts for his children while they were minors. The folder of personal correspondence (box 20, folder 8), contains letters to John from his nephew John Clark Derby, sister-in-law Lucy, and brother-in-law Francis Coffin. There is also a letter to his daughter Sarah Ellen.

The bulk of Subseries C. Ezekiel Hersey Derby's (1772-1852) Papers concerns the building of a new south bridge, and the reclaiming of William Brown's tomb. The papers of the new south bridge include deeds, petitions, receipts, restitution, maps for the laying out of the new highway (Lafayette Street), and the building of a new bridge over the South River. There is an interesting series of correspondence and petitions by Ezekiel Hersey Derby, and the Bowditch and Sargent families for the violation of their ancestors' tombs in 1835. Deeds for property bought by Hannah Browne Derby comprise the majority of the legal documents.

Within Subseries D. Richard Crowninshield Derby (1777-1854) Papers are letters written by his wife, Martha (Coffin) Derby, while abroad. A December 29, 1802 letter describes her audience with the Pope, and a January 17, 1818 letter givers her observations of Paris.

Series V. Derby Relatives and In-Laws contains financial records, legal documents, and correspondence for additional family members, and individuals related to the Derbys by marriage: Alden, Brown, Freeman, Grafton, Greenwood, and Johonnet. Included here are papers of Richard's (1712-1783) mother, Martha (Hasket) Derby; Samuel Gardner Derby, a partner in many shipping ventures; Jonathan Derby, master of many Derby ships; and a will belonging to Sarah (Langley) Derby, dated 1789. The correspondence of Marianne Browne Derby and E. Hasket Derby (1803-1881) narrates their family history. There is also a bill of sale, dated February 14, 1839, from Elias H. Derby (1796-1840) to his cousin E. Hasket Derby (1803-1881) for machinery in a silk factory, and correspondence between Richard Henry Derby and Robert Rantoul regarding Rantoul's article on John Derby (1741-1812) and the voyage of the Quero. The majority of the documents for the Alden family are letters from Bradford Ripley Alden to his future wife, Anne Colemen. Records of Jonathan Freeman include papers for his mercantile business, Freeman and Vans, and an extract from his will. The business papers of Joseph Grafton are followed by correspondence from his wife, Martha Elkins, after his death. The papers of George S. Johonnet include estate papers for his father, Daniel, as well as his own business papers.

Series VI. Miscellaneous Papers contains notes on Derby family history and unidentifiable Derby or non-Derby material. Included in the non-Derby papers are miscellaneous shipping papers, letters, accounts, and insurance claims for the Essex Fire and Marine Insurance and Social Insurance Companies, correspondence and shares for the Essex and Salem Banks, and papers of James O'Dell.