The papers were given to Yale University Library by Mrs. William Seward Webb, Col. G. Creighton Webb, F. Edgerton Webb, and the children of Alexander Stewart Webb in 1936. The papers were originally given as the Webb Papers. They have been divided into three collections: the Samuel Blachley Webb Papers, the Alexander Stewart Webb Papers, and the James Watson Webb Papers. Additional James Watson Webb papers were transferred from the Syracuse University Library in 1992 and Shelburne Farms in 2001.