The Fabens Family Papers contain the shipping, business, legal, and personal papers of William Fabens (1759-1828), William Fabens (1782-1834), Benjamin Fabens (1785-1850), Samuel A. Fabens (b. 1812), Benjamin F. Fabens (1817-1912), Joseph Warren Fabens (1821-1875), Frank P. Fabens (b. 1869), and other family members. The collection is divided into eight series.

Series I. Benjamin Frank Fabens (1818-1912) Papers include ships' papers, business records, and personal papers. The ships' papers include over 20 vessels encountered by Fabens while in Zanzibar as agent for Bertram and Shepherd. These documents include information regarding voyages from Salem to Zanzibar, along with various ports such as Muscat, Aden, Majunga, Bombay, and Mozambique. Business records include house expenses, ledgers, day books, invoices, and accounts current, along with correspondence, contracts, and agreements with prominent figures in the Salem-Zanzibar trade such as Richard P. Waters, John F. Webb, and George West. Within personal papers is Fabens' personal protection certificate, which he earned in 1838, along with legal documents that reflect Fabens' appointment as power of attorney for Clara E. Fabens and Charlotte A. Fabens.

Series II. William Fabens (1759-1828) Papers include deeds, estate papers, and business receipts. Within the deeds and legal documents are the separation papers for the Morrow family and deeds including the names Callum, Gould, Perkins, Stickney, Raddam, Raddan, and Symonds. The business receipts reflect the joint business affiliations within the family.

Series III. William Fabens (1782-1834) Papers include ships papers, legal documents, and receipts. The ships' papers include privateer shares for the years 1812-1815 signed by William Fabens, and individual documents for various vessels. The legal papers include deeds for transactions between Joanna Phelps, Richard Lovering, Jr and William Fabens (1782-1834) for the purchase of land.

Series IV. Benjamin Fabens (1785-1850) Papers include business correspondence to and from William Fabens (1759-1828) and William Fabens (1782-1834) concerning interest in the Cayenne trade, personal correspondence to Benjamin's wife Hannah, and ships' papers for vessels owned and operated by Fabens. One volume contains the estate papers for Benjamin Fabens, which were administered by his son, Benjamin Fabens (b. 1809); included in the same volume is a list of stores for the fishing voyages of the Mary B. Smith owned by Charles H. Fabens and later, Benjamin Fabens (b. 1809).

Series V. Samuel A. Fabens (b. 1812) Papers includes six account books along with ships' papers for the Ship Aristo and lists of stores for various other vessels. One volume contains correspondence between Samuel A. Fabens and S. A. Gray, and F. A. Gray of Boston about business transactions during the years 1842-1853. Another volume contains chandlery and dimensions for the ships mastered by Fabens, such as the ships Challenger, Golden Eagle, and Ganges. This volume includes records from voyages to ports such as Calcutta, Callao, Chincha Island, Hampton Roads, Havana, Hong Kong, New York, Rio de Janiero, San Francisco, St. Petersburg, and St. Thomas.

Series VI. Joseph Warren Fabens (1821-1875) Papers include legal documents, correspondence, and business papers for the years 1840 to 1875, along with secondary research material concerning Santo Domingo from 1978 and 1989. Joseph Warren Fabens' personal papers include published works and manuscripts along with correspondence to his wife and mother. Business records include speeches on the political, social, and economic history of Cayenne, notes on the Fabens interest in the introduction of camels into the southwestern United States, and correspondence with leading figures of the day. This correspondence includes the appointment papers of Fabens to the position of United States Consul to Cayenne, signed by James Buchanan in 1848, a letter addressing the topic of the relocation of slaves from the United States to the West Indies, and multiple letters discussing the possible annexation of Santo Domingo.

Series VII. Frank P. Fabens (b. 1869) Papers include records from his years at Harvard College including entrance papers, indenture, and commencement exercises from 1884-1887, along with an inventory of his home at One Chestnut Street in Salem in 1891.

Series VIII. Fabens Family Papers include papers from various Fabens family members. This includes genealogies for the Bolles, Brooks, Endicott, Fabens, Foster, Frost, Frye, Hicks, Higginson, Jewett, Low, and Proctor families, photographs of various family members, and a folder of papers that includes newspaper clippings, wedding invitations, square dance directions, and wildflowers from the Holy Land including actual plant material preserved since 1892. Correspondence between Susan S. Fabens, and her children Abby Fabens and William P. Fabens discuss William's service in the 13th Co. Unattached, Co. I, 3rd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Heavy Artillery during the Civil War and his subsequent death during the Civil War.