Series 53. Naval History Society records (1907-1943; bulk 1909-1936)
Scope and Content
The series consists of the Naval History Society's organizational and financial records (including account books, checks, and receipts). They document the establishment and administration of the Society from its foundation until it ceased independent operations: its formation, officers and bylaws, membership, finances, library and manuscript collecting activities, and its editing and publication of volumes based on materials in its manuscript collections. It shows the context of naval and maritime collecting by the Society through its officers' correspondence with members and other collectors, authors, historical societies and repositories, and the Office of Naval Records, Washington, DC; as well as the organization's internal governance and workings.
Historical Note
According to the 1915 catalog of the library of Naval History Society founder John Sanford Barnes (see Series 3), "The Naval History Society has been established for the purpose of publishing and preserving manuscripts, documents, and writings relating to our naval history, naval art and science, and the surroundings and experiences of seamen in general and of American seamen in particular."
The Naval History Society Collection began with the donation to the Society in 1915 of Barnes's personal collections by his son, Col. James Barnes (see Series 4). The donation included library materials now cataloged in the XN classification in the New-York Historical Society Library, artifacts now included in the New-York Historical Society's museum collections, as well as the manuscript materials described in Series 1-52 of this Collection. The entire collection was donated to the New-York Historical Society, where the Naval History Society collections and office were then located, in 1925. Additional materials were donated by Naval History Society members and others or acquired by purchase after that date, some from the Naval History Fund established at the New-York Historical Society from the Naval History Society's monies.
A chronology of the Society's publishing activities is provided in Subseries VI. Manuscript collections and Society publication records.
Chronology of the Naval History Society
1909: Meeting convenes at the New York Yacht Club to discuss formation of a naval history society. Attendees include Admiral Caspar Goodrich (see Series 21), William Conant Church (biographer of John Ericsson [Series 16]), Col. James Barnes (see Series 4), and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who serves as the meeting's secretary. John Sanford Barnes is unanimously elected president and Robert Neeser secretary-treasurer. A committee is authorized to inquire if the New-York Historical Society would serve as the Naval History Society's home.
1911: John Sanford Barnes dies.
1912: Naval History Society incorporated. Its offices are located at 247 Fifth Avenue, although some early meetings are held in Washington, DC.
1915: James Barnes donates the collections of his father John Sanford Barnes to the Naval History Society in June. They include original manuscripts, letters, and logbooks as well as published books, pamphlets, and prints (approximately 3,570 volumes and separate items). The Society rents space in Aeolian Hall on West 42nd Street to house the collection.
1915: Secretary Robert Neeser corresponds with New-York Historical Society President John Abeel Weekes in May to ask if the Historical Society is interested in acquiring the Naval History Society collections and providing a room where it can be preserved for research and exhibition. Naval History Society, "being primarily a publication society...has...no habitat or place where these priceless and unique books could be preserved."
1915: New-York Historical Society Executive Committee responds to Neeser's request: "Owing to the crowded condition of the present building, the Captain Barnes collection was respectfully declined as a deposit."
1915: The John S. Barnes Memorial Library is transferred to the Naval History Society in September.
1916: John S. Barnes Memorial Library of the Naval History Society opens January 10 in Aeolian Hall. Marie Bayless serves as librarian.
1916: The Society holds an exhibition of the Library's books, prints, and manuscripts of John Paul Jones [see Series 28] in April, and in May of its Gustavus Conyngham memorabilia [see Series 10).
1917: The Society holds an exhibition of its Revolutionary War books, prints, and manuscripts in March, and in April on the War of 1812.
1918: Col. James Barnes elected President, a position he holds until his death in 1936.
1920: Alice M. Kyte becomes librarian.
1923: Franklin D. Roosevelt is deputized by the Building Committee to contact New-York Historical Society about collaborating on space and collections.
1925: Naval History Society relocates to New-York Historical Society, which was expanding its storage and exhibition spaces, and its members automatically become Associate members of New-York Historical Society. The $15,000 Naval History Fund is also transferred, to be used to purchase additional materials for the collection.
1930: Naval History Society participates in the restoration of gravestone for William Paul (brother of John Paul Jones; see Series 28), in St. George's Churchyard, Fredericksburg, VA.
1932: Naval History Society materials are represented in New-York Historical Society's "Ships and Steamboats" exhibition.
1936: Collection of dues and publication activities are suspended following the death of Col. James Barnes and insufficient Naval History Fund monies to purchase additional materials.
Arrangement
The records are arranged in seven subseries:
Subseries I. Administrative records
Subseries II. Correspondence
Subseries III. Membership records
Subseries IV. Library records
Subseries V. Financial records
Subseries VI. Manuscript collections and Society publication records
Subseries VII. Ephemera
Within each series materials are in chronological order unless otherwise noted; original order within folders has been retained.
Subseries I. Administrative Records (1909-1938)
Scope and Content
The subseries includes records of the founding and administration of the Society, its various locations, and officers. The President's reports (1928-1935, by Col. James Barnes) provide details of manuscript acquisitions and provenance, and the Society's publications for each year. The Secretary's reports (1926-1929, 1931-1935) focus on membership news: new members gained and those lost through death or resignation. The Treasurer's reports (1925-1936 by Robert Neeser) include information on the Naval History Fund, which was used to purchase additional library and manuscript materials.
The original certificate of incorporation is signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, before he became Assistant Secretary of the Navy, in his position at the Society's Secretary. The 1923-1924 Annual reports include James Barnes's own annotated copy. This edition includes a complete history of the Society to date: founders, minutes of annual meeting, resolutions, details on the collections and publications, and information on memorial activities in 1924 honoring Rear Admiral Thayer Mahan.
Arrangement
Printed letters sent to all members were moved to Subseries II. Correspondence, and arranged there chronologically.
Bylaws, proposed bylaws, certificate of incorporation, 1909-1910, undated
History of the bill to incorporate the NHS, 1912 May 1-Aug 1
H.R. 24026: A Bill to Incorporate the Naval History Society, 1912 May 7
Lists of officers, 1911, 1935-1936
Drawing and camera-ready art for Naval History Society seal, [1912]
Annual reports, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1917
Annual reports, 1919, 1922, 1923-1924
President's reports, 1928-1935
Secretary's reports, 1926-1929, 1931-1935
Treasurer's reports, 1917-1922
Treasurer's reports, 1925-1936
Meeting minutes, 1909 May 8
Meeting minutes and notices: Board of Managers, annual meetings, 1912-1919
Meeting minutes and Treasurer's reports, 1920-1924
Meeting minutes: annual meetings, Executive Committee, 1926-1926, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1938
Leaflets about the Society, undated
Embosser, undated
Seals, undated
Minutes, 1909-1916
Subseries II. Correspondence (1909-1943)
Scope and Content
The Society's correspondence includes incoming and carbon copies of outgoing letters, primarily to and from Secretary Robert Neeser and librarians Alice Kyte (Naval History Society) and Dorothy Barck (New-York Historical Society). Also represented are Col. James Barnes when he was active as President of the Society, Treasurer Grenville Kane, and attorney Herbert Satterlee. The correspondence documents all aspects of the Society's functions, including membership dues notices, publication of Naval History Society editions by The DeVinne Press and others, cataloging of Naval History Society publications by the Library of Congress, payment for or receipt of publications by members, research requests, and payment and other banking transactions. Contact with the New-York Historical Society begins in 1915 with formation of a Building Committee and discussion of a possible move of the collections from rented space in Aeolian Hall to the Historical Society's location, culminating in the move in 1925. Among that correspondence is a letter signed by Franklin Roosevelt. A November, 1936, letter to the membership announces the end of the publication program due to insufficient monies in the Naval History Fund.
Arrangement
Most of the correspondence was originally bundled in multiple envelopes for each year, usually organized alphabetically by last name of correspondent. Exceptions included envelopes for 1909, which were arranged chronologically in one envelope; 1917, which began as an alphabetical run but sometimes included correspondence dating to 1923; 1920, which was bundled together with 1924; and various years for which there was only one envelope containing all correspondence, especially later in the Society's history. Some large runs of correspondence to one recipient or on a particular subject were labeled as such and stored together. Those divisions have been retained, but folders have been arranged in chronological order.
Correspondence, 1909 February - June
Correspondence, 1909 July - October
Correspondence, 1909 November - December
Correspondence A, 1910
Correspondence B, 1910
Correspondence C, 1910
Correspondence D, 1910
Correspondence F, 1910
Correspondence G, 1910
Correspondence H, 1910
Correspondence J-L, 1910
Correspondence M, 1910
Correspondence N, 1910
Correspondence P-R, 1910
Correspondence S, 1910
Correspondence T-W, 1910
Correspondence A-C, 1911
Correspondence D-G, 1911
Correspondence H-M, 1911
Correspondence N, O, 1911
Correspondence P, Q, 1911
Correspondence R, S, 1911
Correspondence T-Z, 1911
Correspondence Misc., 1911
Correspondence A,B, 1912
Correspondence C, D, 1912
Correspondence E-G, 1912
Correspondence H-J, 1912
Correspondence K-M, 1912
Correspondence N, O, 1912
Correspondence P-R, 1912
Correspondence S, 1912
Correspondence T-Z, 1912
Invitation to join Naval History Society, [1912]
Correspondence A-D, 1913
Correspondence E-G, 1913
Correspondence H, 1913
Correspondence I-K, 1913
Correspondence L, 1913
Correspondence M, 1913
Correspondence N-O, 1913
Correspondence P-Q, 1913
Correspondence R, 1913
Correspondence S, 1913
Correspondence T-Z, 1913
Correspondence A, B, 1914
Correspondence C, D, 1914
Correspondence E, F, 1914
Correspondence G, 1914
Correspondence H, 1914
Correspondence I, J, 1914
Correspondence K, L, 1914
Correspondence M, 1914
Correspondence N, O, 1914
Correspondence P, Q, 1914
Correspondence R, 1914
Correspondence S, 1914
Correspondence T-Z, 1914
Correspondence A, 1915
Correspondence B, 1915
Correspondence C, 1915
Correspondence D, E 1, 915
Correspondence F, 1915
Correspondence G, 1915
Correspondence H, 1915
Correspondence I, J, 1915
Correspondence K, 1915
Correspondence L, 1915
Correspondence M, 1915
Correspondence N-Q, 1915
Correspondence R, 1915
Correspondence S, 1915
Correspondence T, 1915
Correspondence U-Y, 1915
Correspondence A, B, 1916
Correspondence C, 1916
Correspondence D, 1916
Correspondence E, 1916
Correspondence F, 1916
Correspondence G, 1916
Correspondence H, 1916
Correspondence I-K, 1916
Correspondence L, 1916
Correspondence M, 1916
Correspondence N, O, 1916
Correspondence P, 1916
Correspondence Q, R, 1916
Correspondence S, 1916
Correspondence T-Z, 1916
Correspondence about John Paul Jones, 1916-1931
Correspondence A,B, 1917
Correspondence C-G, 1917
Correspondence H, 1917
Correspondence I-K, 1917
Correspondence Grenville Kane, 1917
Correspondence L, 1917
Correspondence Library Rent Fund, Library Fund, 1917
Correspondence M, 1917-1923
Correspondence N, 1917
Correspondence O-Q, 1917
Correspondence R, 1917
Correspondence S, 1917
Correspondence T, 1917
Correspondence X-Z, 1917
Correspondence A, B, 1918
Correspondence C, D, 1918
Correspondence E, F, 1918
Correspondence G, 1918
Correspondence H, 1918
Correspondence I-K, 1918
Correspondence Grenville Kane, 1918
Correspondence L, M, 1918
Correspondence N, O, 1918
Correspondence P, Q, 1918
Correspondence R, 1918
Correspondence S, 1918
Correspondence T-Z, 1918
Correspondence A, B, 1919
Correspondence C, D, 1919
Correspondence E, F, 1919
Correspondence G, H, 1919
Correspondence I-K, 1919
Correspondence Grenville Kane, 1919
Correspondence L, 1919
Correspondence M, 1919
Correspondence N, O, 1919
Correspondence P-R, 1919
Correspondence S, 1919
Correspondence T, 1919
Correspondence U-Z, 1919
Correspondence A, 1920
Correspondence B, 1920
Correspondence C, 1920
Correspondence D, 1920
Correspondence E, F, 1920
Correspondence G, 1920
Correspondence H-J, 1920
Correspondence K, 1920
Correspondence L, 1920
Correspondence: Library rent fund, 1920
Correspondence N, 1920
Correspondence O, P, 1920
Correspondence Q, R, 1920
Correspondence S, 1920
Correspondence T, 1920
Correspondence U, V, 1920
Correspondence W, Z, 1920
Orders for Vol I Fox papers, 1920
Acknowledgments Vol I Fox papers, 1920
Correspondence to Board of Directors, 1920
Acknowledgments Vol II Fox papers, 1921
Correspondence A-D, 1921
Correspondence E-H, 1921
Correspondence K-R, 1921
Correspondence S-T, 1921
Correspondence U-Y, 1921
Acknowledgments Garnerey's print of Constitution and Guerriere, 1921
Resignations, 1922-1923
Correspondence A-D, 1922
Correspondence Barnes, 1922, undated
Correspondence E-H, 1922
Correspondence K-R, 1922
Correspondence S-T, 1922
Correspondence U-Z, 1922
Correspondence A, 1923
Replies to annual meeting notice, 1923
Correspondence, 1924
Correspondence B, 1924
Correspondence C, 1924
Correspondence D, 1924
Correspondence E, F, 1924
Correspondence G, 1924
Correspondence H-J, 1924
Correspondence K, 1924
Correspondence L, 1924
Correspondence M, 1924
Correspondence N, 1924
Correspondence O, P, 1924
Correspondence Q, R, 1924
Correspondence S, 1924
Correspondence T, 1924
Correspondence U, V, 1924
Correspondence W-Z, 1924
Isaac Hull manuscript donation: Correspondence with executors of Charles Allen Munn, 1924
Correspondence, including to Col. Barnes, 1925
Letter to Barnes from New-York Historical Society, 1925 May 20
Letter to members about New-York Historical Society move, 1925 June 25
Letter to members about associate membership in New-York Historical Society, 1925 October 21
Letters from members accepting associate membership in New-York Historical Society, 1925
Resignations and deaths, 1925
Correspondence, including to and from Col. Barnes, 1926
Correspondence, 1926
Correspondence, 1927
Correspondence, Col. Barnes, 1927
Correspondence, 1928
Correspondence, Col. Barnes, 1928
Correspondence, 1929
Correspondence, 1930
Correspondence, Barnes-Barck, 1930-1932
Barnes-Andrews correspondence about frigate Constitution, 1930-1934
Correspondence Barnes, 1930-1936
Annual meeting notices; notification of Garnerey print, 1930-1933, undated
Correspondence, 1931
Acknowledgments "Rope Yarns", 1931
Orders: "Rope Yarns", 1931-1932
Correspondence, 1932
Acknowledgments "Life of Wm. Bainbridge", 1932
Acknowledgments Rodney books, 1932 Oct-Dec
Resignations, 1932
Correspondence, 1933
Correspondence, 1933
Barnes-Gurn correspondence about John Barry, 1933-1934
Correspondence, 1934
Acknowledgments: Gurn's "Life of John Barry", 1934
Correspondence, 1935
Correspondence, 1935
Correspondence, 1936
Correspondence, 1936
Correspondence: Col. and Mrs. Barnes with Miss Barck, 1936
Correspondence: Office of Naval Records, 1936
Acknowledgments: "Quasi War with France", 1936
Letter to members, 1936 November 16
Correspondence, 1937
Correspondence, 1938
Correspondence, 1939-1943
Blank stationery: cards, letterhead, envelopes, bookplates, Undated
Subseries III. Membership records (1910-1943)
Scope and Content
The membership records include lists of members in various categories (individual, life, honorary, resigned, died), signed cards noting acceptance or decline of membership, members' war service records, records of dues payments, and proxies for meetings; as well as newspaper clippings of members' obituaries. The mailing list for a proposed Marine Museum of the City of New York was probably used as a source of addresses for potential Naval History Society members. Also included is a guest book of signatures, perhaps kept at annual meetings. Additional information on membership can also be found in some of the Annual Reports (Subseries I. Administrative Records), which include lists of current members for the year; and in account books in Subseries V. Financial Records.
Arrangement
Correspondence sent to all members was moved to Subseries II. Correspondence, and arranged there chronologically.
Membership lists, 1910, 1911, 1916, 1919-1923
Membership acknowledgments, 1910-1919
Membership lists, 1926-1936
Biographical accounts of members of the Naval History Society: newspaper clippings, obituaries, 1928-1937
Biographical accounts of members of the Naval History Society: newspaper clippings, obituaries, 1928-1937, 1958
Mailing list: Marine Museum of the City of New York, 1931 April 1
Clippings: newspaper obituaries of members, 1935-1943
List of members to receive volume "Quasi War with France", 1936
Printed notices of nomination to Society, undated
Stubs for dues; signed note on question of increasing dues; signed proxies for annual meetings; returned bills for dues paid; account of dues paid, 1915-1931
Member cards; war service records, institutional members, life members, around 1917-1926
Returned and paid notices, annual dues, 1929-1936
Signatures [Guest book], 1916 June 10-1924 September 10
Subseries IV. Library records (1907-1943)
Scope and Content
The library records include acquisitions lists, library catalog cards, publishers' catalogs, clippings regarding books of interest for possible acquisition, photographs of the installation of items from the collection at an unspecified location, various unorganized research notes in different hands on subjects including the Lloyd family of Long Island, and the library accession book. The latter documents acquisitions of both published books and manuscript materials, by date and donor, prices paid for items bought, as well as the library's classification system.
Historical Note
The Library was formed originally from the collection of John Sanford Barnes, donated to the Naval History Society by his son, James Barnes, in 1915 and included in the New-York Historical Society's library's collections in 1925. These volumes are now cataloged under the XN call number. Materials were added to subsequently, by donation or purchase, with monies from the Naval History Fund.
Arrangement
Loose materials originally inserted in the Library Accession Book, including a 1933 rare book auction catalog, details of the Meade donation (see Series 30, Series 31), and a list of portraits of John Paul Jones, have been arranged here chronologically in separate folders.
Notebook: "Desirable Books on Naval History", 1907
Booksellers' advertisements (1 of 2), 1917-1938
Bookseller's advertisements (2 of 2), 1917-1938
Booksellers' catalogs, 1919-1930
Materials separated from Library Accession Book: Miscellaneous notes and printed items, 1920-1940, undated
Clippings on naval literature, 1921-1943
Booksellers' catalogs, 1931 (1 of 2)
Booksellers' catalogs, 1931 (1 of 2)
Booksellers' catalogs, 1932
Materials separated from Library Accession Book: Rare Americana auction catalog, Charles Heartman, 1933 January 28
Booksellers' catalogs, 1933-1935
Materials separated from Library Accession Book: listing "Books and manuscripts from the library of Richard Worsam Meade (4th)", 1934
Meade donation bookplates, 1934
Booksellers' catalogs, 1936-1937
Booksellers' catalog, 1938-1943
Materials separated from Library Accession Book: "Prints, Portraits and Memo. of John Paul Jones", Undated
Booksellers' catalogs, Undated
Booksellers' catalogs, Undated
Booksellers' catalogs, Undated
Booksellers' catalogs, Undated
Booksellers' catalogs, Undated
Booksellers' catalogs, Undated
Photographs of library collection installation, Undated
Research materials; library catalog cards, undated
Research materials; "Ships of US Navy Built in NY", "US Navy Officers Born in NY State", Lloyd family of Long Island, miscellaneous notes, undated
Library Accession Book, 1916-1941
Subseries V. Financial records (1910-1936)
Scope and Content
The Society's financial records include receipts, vouchers (deposit slips and receipted bills for office expenses and rent), returned checks, checkbooks, account books, information on holdings of securities, and deposits of membership payments. The checkbook stubs document the Society's expenses, while the account books include membership information such as annual dues paid and lists of members.
Arrangement
The folder titles are taken from the original envelope titles and are not consistent.
Bank book, 1910
Checkbooks, 1910-1912, 1926
Bank statements and returned checks, 1920
Bank statements and returned checks, 1921
Bank statements and returned checks, 1922
Bank statements and returned checks, 1923
Bank statements and returned checks, 1924
Bank statements and returned checks, 1925
Bank statements and returned checks, 1926
Vouchers, 1909-1910 Nov 1
Vouchers and receipts, 1912
Vouchers and receipts, 1912, 1921
Vouchers and receipts, 1913
Vouchers and receipts, 1922
[Bills for office expenses: rent, telephone], 1922
Vouchers and receipts, 1924-1925
Receipted bills, 1925
Member donations to the Building Fund, 1910-1925
Leases for office in Aeolian Hall, 1915-1925
Rent receipts for Aeolian Hall office, 1916, 1919-1925
Sale of Barnes's securities, 1921
Securities holdings, 1921
Checkbook, 1912-1916
Checkbook, 1916-1917
Checkbook, 1917-1918
Checkbook, 1918-1919
Checkbook, 1919-1921
Checkbook, 1921-1923
Checkbook, 1923-1925
Account Book, 1909-1912,1932-1936
Account Book, 1909-1916
Account Book, 1916-1924
Account Book, 1920-1924
Account Book, 1924-1926
Subseries VI. Manuscript collections and Naval History Society publication records (1909-1939)
Scope and Content
The Naval History Society's publications were based on its manuscript collections, which it acquired by donation and by purchase, beginning with the collections of John Sanford Barnes. The records consist of acquisitions lists, information on donations received, lists of volumes published by the Society, and a bound volume of Naval Records. Its inclusion here is unexplained. Additional information about manuscript acquisitions is included in the Library Accession Book in Subseries IV. Library records.
Chronology of Naval History Society Publications
1911: First volume of Naval History Society publications issued to the subscribers: "Logs of the Serapis, Alliance, Ariel Under the Command of John Paul Jones, 1778-1780," edited by John S. Barnes, and printed by DeVinne Press, New York (see Series 49).
1912: Second volume: "Fanning's narrative: being the memoirs of Nathaniel Fanning, an officer of the revolutionary navy, 1778-1783," edited and annotated by John S. Barnes, and printed by DeVinne Press, New York.
1913: Third volume: "The Dispatches of Molyneux Shuldham, Vice-Admiral of the Blue and Commander in Chief of his Britannic Majesty's Ships in North America, Jan-July 1776," edited by Robert W. Neeser and printed by DeVinne Press, New York (see Series 22).
1914: Fourth and fifth volumes: "The Out-Letters of the continental Marine Committee and Board of Admiralty, 1776-1780," Vols I and II, edited by Dr. Charles Oscar Paulin and printed by DeVinne Press, New York (see Series 22).
1915: Sixth volume: "Letters and Papers relating to the Cruises of Gustavus Conyngham, a captain of the Continental Navy, 1777-1779," edited by Robert W. Neeser and printed by DeVinne Press, New York (see Series 10).
1915: "Catalogue of the books, manuscripts and prints and other memorabilia in the John S. Barnes Memorial Library of the Naval History Society".
1916: Seventh volume: "The Despatches of Thomas Graves, R.N., 1781," edited by Rear Admiral French E. Chadwick, U.S.N. and printed by DeVinne Press, New York.
1917: Eighth volume: "The Papers of Francis Gregory Dallas, U.S. Navy. Correspondence and Journal, 1837-1859," edited by Gardner W. Allen and printed by DeVinne Press, New York (see Series 12).
1918: Because of the war and accompanying paper shortages, no publications are issued for the year.
1920: Ninth and tenth volumes: "The Fox Papers, being the confidential correspondence of Gustavus V. Fox, Assistant Secretary of the Navy during the Civil War," Vols. I and II, edited by Colonel Robert M. Thompson and Rear Admiral Richard Wainwright and printed by DeVinne Press, New York (see Series 17).
1922: Print based on Garneray's "USS Constitution captures HMS Guerriere" is sent to members.
1931: Eleventh volume: "Rope yarns from the old navy," by Rear Admiral Caspar F. Goodrich, published by J.J. Little & Ives Co. (see Series 21).
1932: Twelfth and thirteenth volumes: "Letter-books and order-book of George, lord Rodney, admiral of the White squadron, 1780-1782." New York, printed for the New York Historical Society, 1932, edited by librarian Dorothy Barck (see Series 39).
1932: H.A.S. Dearborn's "Life of William Bainbridge Esq. of the United States Navy," edited by James Barnes and published by Princeton University Press, is sent to members as "a token of gratitude" (see Series 1)
1934: Joseph Gurn's "Commodore John Barry: Father of the American Navy" is distributed to members as volume 14 in lieu of a Society publication, "because the Society's large collection of Barry manuscripts was largely used in its compilation" (see Series 5).
1936: Fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth volumes: "Naval documents related to the quasi-war between the United States and France. Naval operations ... February 1797-December 1801," published under direction of the Honorable Claude A. Swanson, Secretary of the Navy. Prepared by the Office of Naval Records and Library, Navy Department, under the supervision of Captain Dudley W. Knox, U.S. Navy (ret.)
Arrangement
All materials were originally in mixed folders and boxes; they are arranged chronologically.
"War of 1812: The original drawings": list and correspondence from bookseller A.S.M. Rosenbach, 1909
Library of Congress catalog cards for Naval History Society publications, 1912-1920
List of publications of the Naval History Society, 1914-1936
Clippings; lists of manuscript donations, 1924, undated
Documentation of provenance of various manuscript and object collections, 1932-1936, undated
Naval History Society publications: booksellers' catalog listings, 1935-1938
Catalogs, reprints, 1936-1942, undated
List of Naval History Society publications, 1937, undated
Items from Barnes and Goodrich collections, 1938-1939, undated
"Labels for Special Naval Manuscripts Exhibition in Naval History Gallery, March-April-May, 1939", 1939
Exhibition labels for naval medals, Undated
Index to Naval War Records, 1861-1865
Subseries VII. Ephemera (1851-1947)
Scope and Content
The subseries consists of invitations, programs, clippings, visual and printed materials, postage stamps, and a scrapbook on naval topics. The provenance of these materials is unclear; some of the earlier items may have come from the collections of John Sanford Barnes (see Series 3). Materials separated from named collections include an 1851 invitation to Lieutenant Duer (see Series 14), various undated photographs labeled as from Admiral McCauley (see Series 21), and a 1906 invitation to a Naval Ball honoring Rear Admiral Goodrich (see Series 29).