The Putnam and Sewall Family Papers consist primarily of the correspondence, essays, and journals of Dr. Jeremiah S. Putnam, and the correspondence of Ruth Putnam and her Sewall family relatives. Also included in the collection are notes on the genealogy of the Sewall and Putnam families, receipts, and records from local York professionals. This collection has been arranged into three series.

Series I. Dr. Jeremiah S. Putnam Papers includes the correspondence, essays, speeches, memo books, annotated almanacs, and journals of Dr. Jeremiah S. Putnam. Letters to and from Dr. Putnam detail the social and professional relationships Dr. Putnam sustained with his siblings, the Sewall family, and the community of York, Maine. Dr. Putnam's essays and speeches address a wide variety of topics, ranging from his medical teachings, his involvement with the York School Committee, and his ideas on moral issues of the day.

Series II. Sewall and Putnam Family Papers consist primarily of letters written to Ruth Putnam, her sister Nancy Sewall, her children Mary H. Putnam and G. William S. Putnam, and her daughter-in-law Typhena Remick. Additional correspondence is arranged by family. This includes the Samuel Sewall family, the Captain Thomas Putnam family, the Enoch Remick family, and the Captain Paul Langdon family. This material has been arranged chronologically within each folder. These letters detail the lives of the extended Sewall family and friends in York, Maine for over 100 years. Genealogical material is also included for the Sewall and Putnam families.

Series III. York County Individuals consists primarily of the papers of individuals actively involved in local York county government during the late 1700s and early 1800s. This includes the papers of John Kingsbury and his son Benjamin Kingsbury, Samuel Derby, Collector of Customs, and Ruben Derby. Additionally, written notices and petitions, receipts, deeds, and bills of sale document local county life in York, Maine.