The David King, Jr. Papers consists of correspondence, agreements, reports, meeting minutes, essays, journals, and more. It has been organized into four series.

Series I. Correspondence includes three subseries. Subseries A. Business and Personal consists primarily of letters from King's business associates at Russell & Company: Edward R. Cunningham; H. H. Warden; Paul S. Forbes; John M. Forbes; William H; Forbes; and Warren Delano. The majority of the correspondence is from Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Warden, both of whom were at different times, the president of the Shanghai Steamship Navigation Company. It appears that even after King's departure from China in 1873 he was still in frequent contact with his former associates.

Subseries B. Family primarily consists of letters written by King to his parents during his years abroad. Also included is a letter from King's uncles Edward and William King regarding a $5,000 letter of credit. A December 13, 1876 letter from Francis R. Rives to Ella, King's wife, concerns a name for the King's newborn daughter, who apparently was without a name for two months after her birth.

Subseries C. Letterbooks contain copies of King's correspondence to a variety of recipients and covers a twenty-one year period from 1862 to 1883.

Series II. Russell & Company, one of the oldest American trading companies in China and Hong Kong,includes correspondence, partnership agreements, and account statements. There are articles of agreement and statements of business for the Yang-tze Insurance Company and reports of the Board of Directors and meeting minutes for the Shanghai Steamship Navigation Company. The Yang-tze Insurance Company and the Shanghai Steamship Navigation Company were subsidiaries of Russell & Company.

Series III. Writings includes King's childhood essays on Christopher Columbus, arithmetic, Rhode Island, and French lesson exercises. The journal dated 1858-1859 relates King's journey to the Far East and contains copies of letters he wrote to his uncle, Edward King. A few of the journal pages and the end pages contain sketch drawings by King. The journal from 1860 relates King's journey from Shanghai to the Gulf of Pechili, which is located in northern China, near the Yellow Sea. The back of this journal contains handwritten notes by King regarding exports and imports from Shautung. Sometime during 1917 and from the period 1924-1928, information regarding stocks and bonds was recorded by an unknown individual; some entries have been done in pencil. The journal entitled "Memoranda" includes entries written by King pertaining to ship sailings, merchandise, business notes, and excerpts from letters addressed to him.

Series IV. Miscellaneous consists of reports and minutes from organizations such as the Shanghai Racquet Club and the Shanghai Autumn Meeting [may be related to horse racing]. There is also a Deed of Settlement for the China Fire Insurance Company and articles of agreement for the establishment of an English Freemasons Hall in Shanghai. Of particular interest in this series are a promissory note issued by The Comptoir D'escompte de Paris, Shanghai, King's passport issued in 1878 by the Counsel of Spain in Nassau, old Chinese receipts, and merchant business cards. An unknown author of an untitled poem has been included at the end of this series.