Frank H. Schofield collection, 1891-1935 (majority within 1913-1923)

Summary

Creator:

Schofield, Frank Herman, 1869-1942

Abstract:

This collection is made up of correspondence and other items related to United States Navy Admiral Frank H. Schofield and his wife, Claribel. The bulk of the collection consists of personal letters that Frank and Claribel Schofield received from acquaintances, family, and each other between the mid-1910s and the early 1920s.

Extent:

0.5 linear feet

Language:

English
French

Authors:

Collection processed and finding aid created by Meg Hixon, October 2013

Background

Scope and Content:

This collection is made up of correspondence and other items related to United States Navy Admiral Frank H. Schofield and his wife, Claribel.

The Correspondence series, which comprises the bulk of the collection, largely consists of personal letters that Frank and Claribel Schofield received from 1913-1923. Frank wrote to Claribel while stationed in Italy, Mexico, Washington, D.C., and other locations; in 1914 and 1915, he served on the Delaware along the East Coast and in Veracruz, Mexico. His letter of March 26, 1918, pertains to military developments during World War I. Frank Schofield's incoming correspondence includes many letters from personal and professional acquaintances, who discussed his career, navy personnel and affairs, the U.S. Naval War College, and nonmilitary subjects. Perry Schofield occasionally wrote to his father about his schooling and everyday life. In July 1923, Frank Schofield received several letters of congratulation after the announcement of his promotion to rear admiral. The series includes an early letter from Anna L. Peck to her cousin Mary (July 6, 1891) and a letter by E. L. Schofield about family genealogy (March 16, 1935). Some of the letters are in French.

The Receipts, Printed Program, and Cards series contains a group of receipts from the Army and Navy Club restaurant and barber, a list of lecture courses and conferences offered by the Institute of Politics in the summer of 1923, cards from friends, and an invitation to a reception at the U.S. Naval War College. One item includes pencil drawings of Frank H. Schofield's monogram.

The collection includes three Scrapbooks. The first volume (85 pages) contains newspaper clippings, with articles about science and medicine, horses, Shakespeare, Swedenborgianism, opium usage, and American history. A large number of clippings are poems about various subjects, sometimes related to religion. Manuscript quotations were written directly onto the first few pages. Visual materials include portraits of members of the Polk family, historic homes and churches, horses, and the stages of development for trilobites. Several items pertain to Frank H. Schofield, including an article about his travels with the navy, photographs from his trip to Guam in 1903, and informal portraits of his wife and son. M. H. P. Cox received the volume from "Miss McGill" in April 1887.

Two large scrapbooks, both with canvas colors, bear the titles "U.S. Fleet Visit to Melbourne, August 1925" and "U.S. Fleet Visit to Lyttelton and Christchurch, New Zealand, August 1925." Each contains programs, invitations, visiting cards, and other ephemera related to the voyage, commanded by Frank H. Schofield. The bulk of each volume is newspaper articles and entire newspapers concerning the fleet's destination. The clippings frequently include information about the sailors' relationships with local residents. The New Zealand volume includes clippings from The Star, The Press (Christchurch), The Sun, and The Lyttelton Times, as well as a full issue of The Weekly Press and N.Z. Referee. The Australia volume contains full issues of The Sun, Punch, Table Talk, The Leader, and The Australasian. The New Zealand album also contains images of native Maoris and others in Maori costume.

Biographical / Historical:

Frank Herman Schofield was born in Jerusalem, New York, on January 4, 1869, the son of George and Catherine E. Schofield. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1890 and participated in the navy's blockade of Cuban ports onboard the Hawk during the Spanish-American War. During the 1900s and 1910s, he was stationed on multiple ships and in Washington, D.C., and other cities. He spent time at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Schofield served in London during World War I, worked with the Paris peace commission in 1919, and became commander of the battleship Texas. He held multiple commands after his promotion to rear admiral in 1923. Frank H. Schofield retired from active service in 1933 and died on February 20, 1942. He and his wife, Clara Isabel ("Claribel") Cox (1868-1958), had a son named Perry.

Acquisition Information:

1997. M-3419.2 .

Processing information:

Cataloging funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). This collection has been processed according to minimal processing procedures and may be revised, expanded, or updated in the future.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in the following series:

• Series I: Correspondence
• Series II: Receipts, Printed Program, and Cards
• Series III: Scrapbooks

The Correspondence series is arranged chronologically, with undated items placed at the end. The Scrapbooks are housed in the Graphics Division.

Rules or Conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Related

Additional Descriptive Data:

Alternate Locations

The scrapbooks are housed in the Graphics Division.

Bibliography

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Volume 6. [Washington, D.C.]: Naval History Division, Department of the Navy, 1976.

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Dwellings--United States.
Sailors--United States.
Trilobites.

Formats:

Clippings (information artifacts)
Drawings (visual works)
Invitations.
Letters (correspondence)
Magazines (periodicals)
Newspapers.
Programs (documents)
Receipts (financial records)
Scrapbooks.
Snapshots.
Visiting cards.

Names:

Army and Navy Club (Washington, D.C.)
Naval War College (U.S.)
United States. Navy--Officers.
Polk, James K. (James Knox), 1795-1849.
Schofield, Perry.
Peck, Anna L.
Schofield, Claribel (Clara Isabel), 1868-1958.
Schofield, E. L.

Places:

Australia--Description and travel.
Christchurch (N.Z.)
Italy--Description and travel.
Lyttelton (Christchurch, N.Z.)
Melbourne (Vic.)
Mexico--Description and travel.
New Zealand--Description and travel.
Washington (D.C.)--Description and travel.