The Jerome B. Hildreth Papers consist of correspondence, accounts, shipping papers, draft proposals for an engine propeller design, and deeds. They are organized into three series.

Series I. Personal Papers includes the letter and account books of Captain Hildreth. Some pages have either been torn or cut out of these books. The account book of steamship Fung Shuey, 1868, has a "United States Inspectors Certificate to Masters" dated July 8, 1874 affixed on the front page of the book, attesting to Captain Hildreth's skill as a "master of steam vessels." This account book also contains an index located on the last page. This series also contains a handwritten letter from the Pacific Mail Steamship Company outlining the company's rules and regulations, and a copy of Captain Hildreth's handwritten report regarding the shipwreck of the City of Guatemala (Steamship). An undated memorandum, written by Captain Hildreth on the backside of a log sheet, lists items of belongings left in the care of his guardian, Ira Wadsworth. Of particular note is the 1901 memoir handwritten by Captain Hildreth three years prior to his death. His memoir, which contains a brief genealogy of his family, mostly details his many years sailing around the world.

Series II. Propeller Vessel Project Papers contains draft proposals for an engine propeller design for Henry W. Hubbell and a draft contract between Mr. Hubbell and W. L. Whitlock, a shipbuilder from the city of Brooklyn, New York. A handwritten document entitled "Specification for Joiners Work and Material for a Propeller Vefsel" also contains a draft contract.

Series III. Deeds contains original mortgage deeds for the families of Orlinda Douglass, Frances E. Williams, and Frederick L. Leary. The "Discharge of Mortgage" in the settlement of the estate of Frederick L. Leary notes that the mortgage given by Frances E. Williams was discharged on April 30, 1914, but registered with the Hampden County Registry of Deeds on February 24, 1931. This series also includes a copy of a handwritten contract drawn by Fred L. Williams pertaining to the sale of chestnut and oak timber.