The bulk of the materials in this series pertain to William Brown, who was a merchant mariner sailing out of Salem and Boston ports. These materials include invoices, receipts, bills of lading, and ships' manifests. Included in this material are accounts of Brown's confrontation with and defeat of Malay pirates, in 1805 on the Ship Putnam. Other materials include correspondence between members of the Brown and Baker families and other family members, personal and school writings, and financial and legal documents.