This collection consists primarily of correspondence of Samuel Holten of Danvers, Massachusetts, physician, statesman, and Essex County judge. It includes correspondence with John Avery, Secretary of State in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It also includes letters to Benjamin Chase and John Hancock; letters from Rufus King and John Lee; and bills and receipts.

Folder 1 contains letters from John Avery, the first Secretary of State of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, concerning appointments and government business. Also present are drafts of two letters to John Avery from Samuel Holten. Folder 2 contains letters to Samuel Holten from others, including Rufus King, John Lee, and Archelaus Putnam.

Folder 3 contains copies of letters from Samuel Holten to John Hancock, Benjamin Chase, and Aaron Wood, among others. Folder 4 contains three documents: a warrant for the County Tax due from Danvers (1769); a resolution in the Massachusetts House of Representatives concerning funding the Treasury (1781); and a copy of a letter from General Jabez Bowen to Governor John Hancock announcing the surrender of Lord Cornwallis (1781).

Folder 5 contains bills and receipts and Folder 6 contains biographical information about Samuel Holten and John Avery and also a postcard of the Judge Samuel Holten house in Danvers, Massachusetts, built in 1670.