The papers of the Shippen family span the years 1671-1936. They consist of correspondence, diaries, account books, memorandum books, legal and business papers, indentures, and miscellaneous papers. Family members primarily represented include William Shippen Jr. (1736-1808); his wife Alice Lee Shippen (1736-1817); their children Anne ("Nancy") Home (or Hume) Shippen Livingston (1763-1841) and Thomas Lee Shippen (1765-1798); and William's father, William Shippen Sr. (1712-1801) Papers of the Nicholson family (1671-1860) are also included. The collection is organized in six series: Diaries and Journals, Correspondence, Family Papers, Miscellany, Nicholson Family Papers, and Oversize.

The papers chiefly document the family of William Shippen Jr. They reflect the family’s experiences during the Revolutionary War, their participation in the Philadelphia social circle that surrounded George Washington during his presidency, and the family’s engagement with national politics. They cover William Shippen Jr.’s medical practice, the family’s dealings in Philadelphia real estate, the administration of family estates, and the private lives of family members. The papers are notable for their documentation of the lives of the women of the family, in diaries, letters, and such ephemera as embroidery patterns. Correspondence with and material from members of the Carter, Lee, Nicholson, Roberdeau, other families, some of whom are related, is included.

Correspondents of note include Thomas Jefferson, Francis Scott Key (to Rebecca Nicholson), James Madison (1749-1812), Richard Rush (who appears to have administered the estates of William Shippen Jr. and his son, Thomas Lee Shippen), William Short, and George Washington (two letters to William Shippen Jr, May 3, 1777, and May 7, 1789).

Ann ("Nancy") Home Shippen Livingston’s life is documented by diaries, correspondence, and letterbooks. These document her romance with French diplomat Louis-Guillaume Otto, comte de Mosloy, her unhappy marriage to Henry Beekman Livingston, her separation from Livingston and loss of custody of her child, Margaret "Peggy" Beekman Livingston, her observations on women’s position in society, her life in and around Philadelphia, travels to New York to see her daughter, and more. Her correspondence is with her parents, husband, daughter, uncles Arthur Lee and Richard Henry Lee, and members of the Livingston family.

The diaries and correspondence of Thomas Lee Shippen document his travels in Europe during the 1780s, and subsequent family life until his death in 1798. Correspondence of his wife, Elizabeth Carter (Farley) Bannister Shippen, is also included. (A young widow at the time of their marriage, Elizabeth Shippen married George Izard after Thomas Lee Shippen's death.) Thomas Lee Shippen’s correspondence includes letters from Thomas Jefferson advising him on his European travels, including a detailed itinerary, dated June 19, 1788. There is substantial correspondence on political and family topics between members of the family and Alice Lee Shippen’s brothers, particularly diplomat Arthur Lee and Revolutionary War figure and United States Senator Richard Henry Lee. Alice Lee Shippen’s correspondence is largely to her children and to her niece, Lucy Carter.

Also included is a substantial group of papers of Joseph Hopper Nicholson (1770-1817), a Maryland congressman (1799-1806) and subsequently a judge; his wife, Rebecca Lloyd Nicholson; father, Joseph Nicholson Jr., and other members of their family. Joseph Hopper Nicholson’s correspondence includes letters from congressional colleagues, including Nathaniel Macon, John Randolph, and C. A. Rodney. There are also letters from Frances Few, niece of Hannah Nicholson Gallatin and Albert Gallatin.

Two oversized account books, 1763-1776 and 1776-1793, maintained by William Shippen Jr., contain, among his routine household accounts, records of his medical practice, including purchases of drugs and payments from patients with brief notes on their conditions. Shippen’s correspondence includes letters concerning his hospital post during the Revolutionary War, and exchanges with his children, Edward Shippen, and others.