The Navy Department Library
The New York Public Library
New York, NY
The New York Public Library
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Room 328
5th Avenue and 42nd Street
New York, NY 10018-2788
Almy, John J.
Papers, 1857-1866
2 volumes
Ash, Michael W.
Papers, 1837-1840
Bancroft, George
Papers, 1832-1890
Collection consists of correspondence, dispatches, writings by Bancroft and others, legal papers and accounts, clippings, notes, photographs, and research materials. General correspondence, 1823-1890, contains Bancroft's correspondence, 1847-1849, as U.S. Minister to Great Britain with Cave Johnson, Postmaster-General of the U.S., concerning postal communications and postal treaties with Great Britain; correspondence, 1863-1889, of Bancroft and J. Dickinson Logan, with the librarian and historian, George Moore, on historiographical matters; correspondence, 1887, with J.G. Harris relating to the presidency of James K. Polk; and general correspondence with other political figures. There are also dispatches of the U.S. Legations at London, 1847-1849, and Berlin, 1867-1870, reflecting Bancroft's tenure as U.S. Minister to Great Britain and Germany. The bulk of the other papers concerns Bancroft's writings and includes some poetry, articles, addresses and notes, drafts, proofs, and various printed editions of History of the United States and writings about John Adams and Martin Van Buren. There are also a few photographs, clippings, book catalogs and lists, lists of source material in European archives, some legal papers and accounts, notes taken at Göttingen University, transcriptions of rare books, and materials relating to the San Juan water boundary dispute between the U.S. and Great Britain in 1872.
29 feet
Behm, Charles F. W.
Papers, 1826-1871
Charles F.W. Behm was a German-born merchant sea captain who served as a U.S. naval officer during the Civil War.
Collection consists of correspondence, naval orders, report, autograph album, photograph, and memorabilia of Charles F.W. Behm. Correspondence concerns Behm's appointments and promotion, naval etiquette, and personal matters. Of particular note are his report and correspondence about Civil War naval battles.
0.1 feet
Belton-Kirby-Dawson-Todd Family
Papers, 1763-1892
Collection consists of the papers of Francis Smith Belton, Harriet Kirby Belton, Winfield Scott Belton, and members of the Dawson, Kirby and Todd families who were related to the Beltons. Papers of Francis Smith Belton, 1818-1853, include correspondence with his wife, military papers (some are copies) and an autobiography. Papers of Harriet Kirby Belton, 1829-1854, consist mainly of correspondence with her husband during the period of the Mexican War. Winfield Scott Belton's papers, 1832-1887, include correspondence with his wife relating in part to his activities during the Civil War. Kirby family papers consist of correspondence of various family members. Dawson papers, ca. 1763-1813, include correspondence of Joshua Dawson who emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland. Todd family papers, 1819-1861, contain correspondence concerning naval service and political and military events during the Mexican War. Other materials include family and legal papers, certificates of commission, 1859 log, commonplace book from 1835 to 1842, photographs of family members, clippings, and issues of various newspapers.
1.8 feet
Berrien, John M.
Papers, 1829
Logbook of USS Guerriere and abstract of the log of USS Brandywine.
Blake, Homer C.
Papers, 1840-1871
Collection consists of correspondence and other papers relating to Commodore Blake's service in the United States Navy. Includes official letterbook relating to affairs in Africa, China, Cochin China, Japan, and particularly the American mission to establish treaty relations with Korea, 1869-1872; reports of actions of American naval forces against Korean forts; journal kept on board USS Alaska, with observations on currents, weather and other subjects, from New York to Korea via Africa, Cochin China, Japan, and China; scrapbook of clippings and other papers concerning action of USS Hatteras with CSS Alabama in 1862; scrapbook containing material on Homer Kirtland Flanagan Blake as a member of the Class of 1875 at Columbia College; and autographs of many United States Navy officers and other government officials.
0.6 feet
Blue, Charles
Papers, 1853-1856
Diary of Charles Blue while serving on board USS Vandalia.
Boston, USS
Records, 1840
Internal regulations of USS Boston.
Bowles, Francis T.
Papers, 1885-1896
Papers of Naval Constructor Francis Tiffany Bowles.
5 volumes
Brady, William N.
Papers, 1848-1860
125 items
British Navy
Collection
A number of items concerning the Royal Navy, some of which relate to the American Revolution and the War of 1812.
Burtis, William B.
Papers, 1867-1870
Journal kept while on board USS Delaware.
1 volume
Caldwell, Charles H.
Papers, 1815-1818
Logbook of USS Independence, USS Lynx, and USS Prometheus.
Chandler, William
Papers, 1832-1864
15 volumes
Church, William C.
Papers, 1863-1909
Collection consists of correspondence and records relating to the operations of the two publications edited by Church and his brother. Correspondence of The Army and Navy Journal includes materials depicting various battles and military personnel of the Civil War and letters written to Church from contributors, subscribers, sales agents, officials of government departments, and newspaper correspondents.The Galaxy correspondence contains letters from American and British literary contributors to the magazine. Also, records maintained by Sheldon & Company, publishers of The Galaxy.
2.1 feet
Clark, Charles E.
Papers, 1900-1913
Letters from Charles Edgar Clark, 1900-1913 to Silas Weir Mitchell. Found in the Silas Mitchell Papers.
24 items
Collum, Richard S.
Papers, 1885
1 item
Congress, USS
Records, 1845-1849
Log of USS Congress.
3 volumes
Conner, David
Papers, 1815-1856
The collection consists of correspondence and official papers of David Conner. The bulk of the collection is correspondence, mostly incoming, from Secretaries of the Navy, naval bureaucrats, ships' officers, crew members, U.S. Consuls, foreign diplomats, and captains of ships in Conner's squadron. Also, official Navy Department instructions, sailing orders, diplomatic papers, instructions, secret intelligence reports, records of courts-martial, crew lists, and other papers concerning preparation for combat, deployment of ships, political conditions, and naval routines.
5.7 feet
Craven, Thomas T.
Papers, 1868-1869
Papers of Rear Admiral Thomas Tingey Craven are found in the John Bigelow Papers and the Thomas Turner Letterbooks.
19 items
Creighton, James
Papers, 1813-1819
1 volume
Creighton, John O.
Papers, 1828-1829
The collection includes logs of USS Hudson and Boston.
1 volume
Dahlgren, John A.
Papers, 1829-1885
2 volumes
DeGrasse, Comte François Joseph Paul
Papers
Dewey, George
Papers, 1864-1898
2 items
Diggins, Bartholomew
Papers, 1862-1864
Collection consists of Diggins's recollections of the cruise of USS Hartford, Admiral David Farragut's flagship in the naval operations on the Mississippi River, in Mobile Bay, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, during the Civil War. Includes comments on Farragut's personality and plates clipped from magazines.
0.15 feet
Drayton, Percival
Papers, 1860-1865
115 items
Edwards, David S.
Papers, 1818-1865
David S. Edwards was a surgeon in the U.S. Navy and served on various warships. In 1857 he was appointed Surgeon of the Fleet for the Pacific Squadron.
The collection consists of a journal, orders and other papers related to Edwards's naval career. Journal, 1818-1824, describes his voyages to the Cape of Good Hope, the Caribbean and the western Mediterranean. Described are ports of call and places visited including Algeria, Charleston (South Carolina), Colombia, Gibraltar, Haiti, Italy, Morocco, and Tunisia. He writes about skirmishes with pirates, local customs, political matters, and social conditions. Collection also contains collateral naval papers, 1823-1865.
0.2 feet
Evans, Amos A.
Papers, 1815-1816
1 volume
Evans, Samuel
Papers, 1815-1825
1 volume
Farragut, David G.
Papers, 1863-1870
5 items
Footman, Harold
Papers, 1898
Letters of Yeoman Second Class Harold Footman while serving on USS Yankee during the Spanish-American War.
9 items
Foulk, George C.
Papers, 1883-1887
George Clayton Foulk (1856-1893) served as Naval Attaché to the first U.S. Legation sent to Korea in 1883 and was Chargé d'Affaires in Seoul from 1885 until 1887. Subsequently, he was a businessman in Japan and then a university professor of mathematics in Kyoto.
Collection consists of dispatches, correspondence, reports, notes, photographs, prints, and several documents. Dispatches, 1884-1887, are letterpress copies written while Foulk served at the U.S. Legation and describe current events in Korea. Correspondence, 1883-1887, both private and official, is from naval officers and others. Notes and reports concern Korea and affairs of the legation. Also, photographs of Foulk, prints of Korean ironclads, and Korean language documents.
1 foot
Franklin, Samuel R.
Papers
1 volume
Fulton, Robert
Papers, 1790-1813
Robert Fulton was an American inventor, civil engineer and artist. Although he did well as a landscape and portrait painter in Philadelphia, he became interested in canal engineering while in England and France. His inventions included submarine torpedoes and Nautilus (a "diving boat"). He returned to the U.S. and with the support of Robert R. Livingston designed and built various types of steamboats, notably Clermont, the first American steamboat to be commercially successful.
The collection consists of correspondence, notes, diary, manuscripts, legal documents, drawings, and related items. Materials concern the invention of the steamboat and the submarine torpedo, patent disputes, and commercial use of Fulton's boats. Also, original drawings, 1804, signed by Fulton; and copies of manuscripts and letters.
1.8 feet
Gill, Robert
Papers, 1800
Receipt book of Robert Gill.
1 volume
Goldsborough, Louis M.
Papers, 1821-1873
The collection consists of general incoming correspondence, 1821-1873, and official reports and letters received while Goldsborough commanded USS Congress during the Civil War, and while commanding the European Squadron, 1866-1867. Also, correspondence concerning the American ships Congress, Frolic, Kearsarge, Canandaigua, Augusta, Colorado, Shamrock, Swatara, and Ticonderoga; and personal and family correspondence of his wife, Elizabeth Gamble Wirt.
1 foot
Hanford, Franklin
Papers, 1860-1927
Franklin Hanford was an American career naval officer. Upon his retirement in 1903, he became a farmer in Scottsville, New York and pursued his interest in the history of western New York.
The collection contains personal papers of Hanford and clippings and ephemera he collected. Personal papers include correspondence, circulars and notebook on chemistry and physics. Bulk of the collection consists of clippings and ephemera, 1884-1911, concerning life in western New York, particularly Livingston and Monroe counties and the towns of Scottsville and Rochester.
1.5 feet
Hawkins, John T.
Papers, 1861-1864
The journal of Second Assistant Engineer John T. Hawkins includes an account of the voyages of USS Pensacola from 1861 to 1863.
1 volume
Hayden, Levi
Papers, 1864-1884
The collection includes material relating to his service in the Civil War.
4 volumes
Hughes, Aaron K.
Papers, 1839-1894
6 volumes
Inderwick, James
Papers, 1813
Journal of Surgeon James Inderwick, kept while on board USS Argus.
1 volume
Kearsarge, USS
Records, 1874-1875
68 sheets
Kunz, George F.
Collection, 1912
Collection consists of scrapbooks concerning the welcome for the North Atlantic Fleet of the United States Navy in October 1912, by a committee of citizens appointed by William J. Gaynor, mayor of New York City. Includes letters, invitations, addresses, photographs, clippings, and other memorabilia collected by Kunz.
6 volumes
Lewis, John R. C.
Papers, 1853-1855
Diary of Master’s Mate John R. C. Lewis kept on Perry's Expedition to Japan.
1 volume
Lincoln Jr., Levi
Papers, 1831-1832
Journal kept while serving on board USS Potomac.
1 volume
Lord, John
Papers, 1820-1840
Papers of John Lord and John Covington.
1 volume and 1 box
MacDonald, Gordon G.
Papers, 1745-1831
1 volume
McBlair Family
Papers, 1793-1874
Collection consists of correspondence and other papers of Captain Charles H. McBlair, United States and Confederate naval officer; his wife, Fanny Duncan McBlair; his mother-in-law, Margaret S. Duncan, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and Baltimore, Maryland; his brother, Thomas P. McBlair, purser in the United States Navy; and Alexander McDonald, merchant of Baltimore, Maryland.
0.2 feet
McLaughlin, J. T.
Papers, 1831-1832
1 volume
Merriman, E. C.
Papers
Watch, quarter, and station bill from USS Colorado.
Nye, Haile C. T.
Papers, 1872-1873
Logs of Ensign Haile C.T. Nye kept while on board USS Kansas and Richmond.
1 volume
Olympia, USS
Records, 1895-1896
Reports of Inspection.
Parrish, Joseph
Papers, 1846-1847
Journal of Midshipman Joseph Parrish kept while on board USS Congress.
1 volume
Passaic, USS
Records, 1862-1866
USS Passaic was an ironclad steamer in the service of the U.S. Navy during the Civil War. It took part in the bombardment of Charleston Harbor in April 1863. The hull was built by John Ericsson who was the builder and designer of the Monitor.
Collection consists of correspondence, court proceedings, official documents, and related materials concerning Passaic. Correspondence, 1862-1866, is from officials of the Navy Department and U.S. Steamer Sacramento. Proceedings of court-martial, 1863 on board Passaic. Official documents, 1862-1866, include abstracts of small stores, vouchers of clothing and money, officers' orders and accounts, reports, registers of allotments, receipts, ratings, and general muster book of Passaic.
1.2 feet
Paulding, Hiram
Papers, 1857
Report to the Secretary of the Navy on a Survey of the Isthmus of Panama.
4 pages
Perry, Oliver H.
Papers, 1813
Two letters and transcripts.
1 volume
Phillips, Dinwiddie B.
Papers, 1857-1858
Log of Assistant Surgeon Dinwiddie B. Phillips, including service on board USS Mississippi.
1 volume
Pierce, Frank H.
Papers, 1860s
A scrapbook of clippings and manuscripts relating to the battle of USS Monitor and CSS Virginia.
1 volume
Porter, David
Papers, 1803-1839
30 items
Read, George C.
Papers, 1846-1849
Collection consists of letters to the United States Secretary of the Navy and other naval officers, while Read was in command of squadrons off the west coast of Africa and in the Mediterranean.
0.15 feet
Rodgers, C.R.P.
Papers
Detailed Instructions for Seamanship...
Rodgers, John
Papers
Reply to Charges relative to His Conduct in the War with the Barbary Pirates.
Rodgers, Raymond P.
Records
Watch Bill of Raymond Perry Rodgers.
Ronckendorff, William
Papers, 1858-1861
Letterbook.
Ross, F.
Papers, 1813-1814
Journal of the voyage of HMS Tagus describing the capture of USS Essex.
1 volume
Sawyer, Herbert
Papers, 1810-1815
5 volumes
Secretary of the Navy
Collection, 1832-1863
The collection includes papers from Secretaries Woodbury, Paulding, Upshur, and Bancroft.
25 items
Shufeldt, Robert W.
Papers, 1871-1873
160 items
Southard, Samuel L.
Papers, 1823-1828
Samuel L. Southard was Secretary of the Navy from 1823 to 1829.
1 volume
Spanish-American War
Collection, 1898
Transcripts of logbooks of 11 U.S. ships when the fleet was off Santiago, Cuba.
2 volumes
Sproston, J. Glendy
Papers, 1851-1856
Journals kept while on board various ships, including USS Macedonian, describing Commodore Perry's second visit to Japan.
Stanfell, Francis
Papers, 1812-1831
1 volume
Stearns, Simeon A.
Papers, 1838-1841
Journal kept while on board USS Vincennes during the Wilkes Exploring Expedition.
1 volume
Stevens' Battery
Records, 1862-1871
Records relating to the ironclad steamer Stevens' Battery.
11 items
Stewart, H.H.
Papers, 1877
Report on the U.S. Ironclad Puritan.
Stone, George
Papers, 1861-1864
The collection includes Stone's account of the battle between USS Monitor and CSS Virginia.
23 volumes
Taylor, Paul F.
Papers, 1945
Narrative of a journey of USS Quincy.
Thompson, John
Papers, 1877-1881
Diary and letters kept while on board USS Alaska.
Turner, Thomas
Papers, 1858-1870
10 volumes
U.S. Navy
Records, 1898
Diary kept on board USS Massachusetts.
U.S. Navy
Collection
Miscellaneous materials relating to the U.S. Navy.
7 boxes
U.S. Navy Board, Eastern District
Records, 1778-1779
Letterbook.
U.S. Treasury
Records, 1861-1866
Register of officers and employees of the Boston, Massachusetts Naval Office.
Van Wyck, Pierre C.
Papers, 1837-1838
Logbook of Pierre Cortlandt Van Wyck.
Waldron, Nathaniel S.
Papers, 1828-1837
Papers of Marine Nathaniel Sheafe Waldron.
Washington Navy Yard
Records, 1861-1868
Daybook of articles ordered.
1 volume
Weaver, Ward
Papers, 1851-1887
77 items
Welles, Gideon
Papers, 1825-1878
Collection consists of correspondence, official papers and writings of Welles. Bulk of the collection is correspondence mainly related to his public life and duties. Topics include political issues, the Civil War, operations of the Navy Department, his political and literary endeavors, and family matters. Official papers contain memoranda, charters, contracts, and lists of ships and officers. Writings are drafts of articles, congressional reports, and notes on politics and the Civil War.
1.75 feet
Wilkes, Charles
Papers, 1838-1852
33 items
