The William Silver Papers consist of about 85 documents, the majority of which are correspondence between William Silver and his closest family members. The letters document William Silver's maturation from a young sailor to a successful sea captain, one who sailed from Salem for many years.

In Folder 1 are 26 letters plus one poem addressed to William Silver from his sisters, brother, cousin, brothers-in-law, and nephew. The letters convey love and support for William, particularly during his first overseas voyage on the ship Catharine in 1830-1831. They also include family news and descriptions of major events in Salem, including the murder of Captain Joseph White in 1830, the reception for President Jackson in 1833, and the celebration of President Harrison's inauguration in 1841 followed by his death only 32 days later. In Folder 2 are about 35 letters to William and Frances Silver from their daughter Susan (known as Tudin). These letters were written in 1867 while Susan and her husband Joseph Bertram toured England, France, Italy, and Switzerland. Folder 3 includes five miscellaneous letters.

The six letters in Folder 4 written by William to his father James during William's maiden voyage on the ship Catharine best reveal his emotions as a young sailor. While laid over on the South American coast, he writes of the "folly of going to sea", but by the time the ship reaches Calcutta, William is enthusiastic: "the sailor's life is pleasanter and more congenial...than I ever anticipated."In Folder 5 are two letters between William and his wife Frances. Folder 6 contains seven letters written between William Silver and Benjamin B. Neal from 1828 to 1831. The letters indicate a close relationship between the two young friends, one which terminated when Silver went to sea and Neal to the Cape Verde Islands.

Finally, in Folder 7 there is a mortgage deed in the collection from 1842 between a William J. Silver, presumably William Silver's nephew, and Andrew Roberts concerning land in Boston.