The Edward P. Stinson Papers document his life as a Maine ship captain and surveyor. The materials consist of letters, log books, account books, receipts, business paperwork, and insurance papers. Though siblings are mentioned throughout various letters in the collection there was no information available on them beyond what was found within the collection. The collection has been divided into two series.

Series I. Personal Correspondence has been divided into four subseries. Subseries A. Letters between Stinson and his wife, Emily contains letters between Edward and his wife Emily. Most letters to Edward talk about what was happening in Bath, Maine and Emily's daily activities. Edward's letters to his wife spoke often about where he was traveling and the next opportunity he would have to be home. Subseries B. Letters between Stinson and Family Members contains letters from Edward to and from other family members including his children, cousins, and siblings. Similar to Emily's letters, many of these letters described the daily activities of the people writing the letters. However, letters from the men often were concerned about business matters as many also served on ships. Subseries C. Correspondence and Receipts includes personal communications to Edward from the Richardson family, his nephew, and others outside of his family. Subseries D. Correspondence of Emily Stinson contains letters to Emily from people other than Edward.

Series II. Business Papers has been divided into three subseries. Subseries A. Correspondence and Receipts contains the correspondence and business receipts of Edward while he was away on voyages. Subseries B. Correspondence and Notes about Maine Ships contains the correspondence and paperwork of Edward's time as a surveyor for Bureau Veritas (a ship building company in Maine). The correspondence is mainly between him and the captains of the ships being worked on. This subseries includes bank notes found among the notes and correspondence. Subseries B contains ephemera that is located at the end of the first folder. Subseries C. Account Books consists of the account books for the various ships Edward was on, the time period he spent on each ship, and where the ship traveled.