The Townsend Family Papers contain shipping and personal papers of shipping merchant Moses Townsend (1760-1842), his brother Penn (1772-1846), and their nephew Moses (born 1799). Also included are personal papers of Mary Townsend and Catherine Gardner (Green) Townsend. The collection has been divided into three series.

Series I. Moses Townsend (1760-1842) Papers contain shipping financial, legal, estate, and family papers. Subseries A. Business and Personal Papers include folders of ships' papers and account book entries which reflect Moses' career as a master mariner and shipping merchant. The bulk of the ships' papers contain records for two Elias Hakset Derby vessels which Moses mastered, the schooner Lighthorse and the brig Hannah. While the ships' papers include accounts and insurance on vessels Moses owned, his activities as a shipping merchant are revealed more clearly in his ledgers and daybooks. The Union Marine Insurance Company papers reflect Moses' term as president of the company for 38 years. They contain insurance records of the schooner Four Sons mastered by Penn Townsend (1772-1846).

Moses' financial records include daybooks and corresponding ledgers, bills, and receipts. The account books include entries for the shipping business, guardian or administrator accounts, and personal accounts. Filed with the bills and receipts are shipping and investment accounts.

The correspondence contains mostly letters from Moses' sons, Joseph L. and George Townsend. The legal papers include his account and probate records for the estates of Elizabeth Wellcome and Joseph L. Townsend, and guardianship papers for Isaac Very and the children of David Becket. Moses' estate papers contain correspondence between George Townsend and the administrator Joseph Gilbert Waters.

Subseries B. Family Papers includes a shipping account, bills and legal papers of Moses' sons George, Joseph, and William, and William's widow Mary Ann Townsend.

Series II. Penn Townsend (1772-1846) Papers contain mostly correspondence with his family, bills, and receipts. The legal papers include deeds and Penn's estate papers (William D. Waters, administrator). Family papers include personal correspondence, financial papers, and estate papers of Penn's daughter Mary (1796-1871).

Series III. Moses Townsend (b. 1799) Papers contain correspondence and bills of Moses and his wife, Catherine Gardner (Green) Townsend. Although the bulk of the correspondence is with family or friends, there are a few business letters and accounts generated while Moses was employed as a mate. Filed with Moses' correspondence are also accounts current with the owners of the Aral and the Empress. Many of the letters between Moses and Catherine were written during Moses' employment on the ship Sea, ship Aral, and bark Empress. The bills and receipts concern mostly household expenses. The relatives' papers contain bills to Catherine's parents, and correspondence and bills to Martha J.G. Townsend.