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Collection

Friendship and Autograph Album collection, 1826-1944 (majority within 1826-1908)

48 volumes

The Clements Library's collection of individual friendship and autograph albums (the ones that are not part of larger bodies of family papers) dates primarily from the second half of the 19th century. The creators of these albums sought out friends, family, schoolmates, public persons, and others to write signatures, sentiments, poetry, extracts from books and serials, personal sentiments, and more. Contributions often emphasize ties of friendship, exhortations to seek love, happiness, or Christian religious salvation. Most of the volumes in this collection were compiled in the Northeast United States and areas in the Midwest, with urban and rural areas represented. The greater number of the albums were kept by young women and the bulk of the signers were also female. Contributors occasionally illustrated pages with calligraphic designs, trompe l'oeil visiting cards, animals, flowers, and themes that had particular significance to their relationship with the keeper of the album. The volumes in this collection are largely decorative blank books adorned with tooled covers, sometimes containing interspersed engravings of religious, literary, historical, and landscape themes. Some include pasted-in photographs, die-cuts, or stickers.

The Clements Library's collection of individual friendship and autograph albums (the ones that are not part of larger bodies of family papers) dates primarily from the second half of the 19th century. The creators of these albums sought out friends, family, schoolmates, public persons, and others to write signatures, sentiments, poetry, extracts from books and serials, personal sentiments, and more. Contributions often emphasize ties of friendship, exhortations to seek love, happiness, or Christian religious salvation. Most of the volumes in this collection were compiled in the Northeast United States and areas in the Midwest, with urban and rural areas represented. The greater number of the albums were kept by young women and the bulk of the signers were also female. At least one volume was kept by an African American man, Lewis G. Mosebay. Contributors occasionally illustrated pages with calligraphic designs, trompe l'oeil visiting cards, animals, flowers, and themes that had particular significance to their relationship with the keeper of the album. The volumes in this collection are largely decorative blank books adorned with tooled covers, sometimes containing interspersed engravings of religious, literary, historical, and landscape themes. Some include pasted-in photographs, die-cuts, or stickers.

Collection

Seamanship and Naval Gunnery notebook, 1824-1830

1 volume

This volume (209 pages) contains instructions, diagrams, and tables related to many aspects of sailing and British naval ships.

This volume (209 pages) contains instructions, diagrams, and tables related to many aspects of sailing and British naval ships. Multiple unidentified writers contributed to this book.

The first section is comprised of a manuscript excerpt from S. John Peschell's Observations upon the Fitting of Guns on Board His Majesty's Ships. Peschell, who was stationed on the HMS San Domingo in Bermuda, provided instructions for mounting, firing, and otherwise working with guns onboard a ship. He also discussed some differences between the Royal Navy and United States Navy, and wrote about the battle between the Shannon and the Chesapeake. The text is accompanied by charts showing elevations and depressions of the San Domingo's guns and a copied letter from several ship captains to Admiral Richard Bickerton.

The remainder of the volume consists primarily of notes about naval vessels, intended for commanders. They concern ship construction, sailing methods, gunnery and first aid. Some instructions are accompanied by diagrams. Other information includes recipes, a list of items to be placed next to a ship's guns, and notes about ammunition. The end of the volume contains accounts of quill tubes, powder, shot, and wads on an unidentified ship from 1824-1825, and a list of addresses.

Collection

US Frigates Constellation and John Adams log book, 1825-1827

1 volume

This volume contains logs for the United States Navy ships Constellation (December 1825-April 1827) and John Adams (July 1827-October 1827), kept by Alexander Hamilton Marbury.

This volume contains logs for the United States Navy ships Constellation (December 1825-April 1827) and John Adams (July 1827-October 1827), kept by Alexander Hamilton Marbury. Martha Louisa Marbury contributed a list of musical definitions and a lengthy essay on Greek and Roman history and mythology. Most pages bear traces of plants once laid between the leaves.

The bulk of the volume consists of the log of the ship Constellation from December 1, 1825-April 28, 1827, during its service in the Caribbean Sea under the command of Melancthon Taylor Woolsey and, after mid-February 1827, under Commodore Charles G. Ridgely. Alexander Hamilton Marbury wrote daily entries about the ship's movements, the use of sails, encounters with other vessels, and daily occurrences onboard and in port. While at sea, Marbury included hourly charts of wind direction and the ship's course. The Constellation sailed primarily between the ports of Port Comfort, Havana, Pensacola, Matanzas, and Newark. The log of the John Adams, which contains similar entries, pertains to the ship's Caribbean and Atlantic service under Edward R. Shubrick between July 27, 1827, and October 16, 1827. The ship sailed from and returned to Pensacola; the final entries refer to a trip to Virginia.

The final part of the volume is in the handwriting of Martha Louisa Marbury, who lived in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. She copied a list of Italian musical terms and definitions (2 pages) and wrote a lengthy essay about Greek and Roman history and mythology (28 pages). Some parts of the later essay pages have been removed from the volume.