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This collection consists of around 100 incoming letters addressed to Rear Admiral Joseph Newton Hemphill of Ripley, Ohio, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Hemphill's parents, siblings, and cousins sent letters during the first years of his naval career (1868-1872), and his wife and daughter wrote between 1897 and 1908. Also included is a series of reports concerning Hemphill's standing in his United States Naval Academy class.

This collection consists of around 100 incoming letters addressed to Rear Admiral Joseph Newton Hemphill of Ripley, Ohio, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Hemphill's parents, siblings, and cousins sent letters during the first years of his naval career (1868-1872), and his wife and daughter wrote between 1897 and 1908. Also included are additional letters and a series of reports concerning Hemphill's standing in his United States Naval Academy class.

The Correspondence series comprises the bulk of the collection. During his time at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Joseph N. Hemphill received 1 letter from his mother, who provided educational and spiritual advice (October 3, 1865), and 1 letter from his father, who described President Ulysses S. Grant's inauguration (March 14, 1869). The bulk of the correspondence series consists of incoming letters from Hemphill's family, written while he served with the United States Navy. His mother, father, and siblings all provided family news and social updates from Ripley, Ohio, and his parents occasionally commented on local and national political issues. Around 1897, Hemphill received 2 letters from his wife Dora ("Oro"), who discussed the likely approach of war (Spanish-American War). In 1908, Hemphill's daughter Oro Joe wrote of her life in Yokohama and Tokyo, Japan, where she lived while he served elsewhere in the country. The final letters are addressed to Oro Joe in the early 20th century. In addition to his incoming correspondence, Joseph N. Hemphill wrote 2 letters to his wife while serving in the navy.

Printed items (November 1862-May 1864) include 11 monthly class standing reports for Joseph Hemphill during his time at the United States Naval Academy, a program for the Ohio delegation to the 1868 Republican National Convention, and a program for a vocal concert, accompanied by two newspaper clippings of hymns and poetry.

The USS New Jersey journal and postcard album collection consists of a log book kept by a crew member of the USS New Jersey battleship during its participation in the Great White Fleet from 1907 to 1909 as well as an album of postcards collected from locations visited during the voyage.

The USS New Jersey journal and postcard album collection consists of a logbook kept by a crew member of the USS New Jersey battleship during its participation in the Great White Fleet from 1907 to 1909 as well as an album of postcards collected from locations visited during the voyage.

Volume one (21.5 x 13.5 cm) is a sailor's personal logbook kept aboard the USS New Jersey from December 16th, 1907, to February 22nd, 1909. Joseph J. [Sulinski], one of 812 crew members, is listed as the author. Detailed entries describe speeches, daily life, notable events, and various aspects of the places visited over the course of the voyage. The logbook has line breaks whenever a new location is being discussed, and clippings and souvenirs associated with each location have been added in throughout. The entries made at locations where the USS New Jersey was anchored for extended periods of time are the most detailed, yet there are also thorough descriptions of day-long visits to places such as Valparaiso, Chile. Entries of note include a description of a “Crossing of the Equator” ceremony held on January 2nd 1908, remarks on the currency exchange process in Rio di Janeiro, a description of the return back across the equator, an account of a boxing match between crewmembers of rival ships in Los Angeles in April 1908, and a passage regarding an act of vengeance undertaken by crew members after they felt they were overcharged for supplies in Santa Barbara. Also of interest are entries regarding the death of Commander-In-Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet Admiral Charles M. Thomas, the deaths of two crewmembers in Melbourne, and the deaths of one crewmember who was lost at sea in a storm near Manila and another who was lost near Singapore. Notes about the voyage end on page 62 and are followed by a series of clippings that range from images of battleships to Philadelphia history, news about the Great White Fleet, and cartoons.

Volume two (26 x 20.25 cm) contains approximately 300 color postcards collected over the course of the Great White Fleet’s voyage around the world. The postcards begin with Trinidad and progress through various locations such as Rio de Janeiro, Marseille, Lima, Mexico City, California, Hawaii, Sydney, Melbourne, Manila, Yokohama, Tokyo, Badulla, Egypt, Sheffield, Cherbourg, and Messina. Also present are postcards depicting the USS Kansas, the overall course of the entire voyage up until July 1908, views of the Great White Fleet on Japanese postcards, and commemorative postcards involving the crew. While most of the postcards are blank, there are a few sentimental ones addressed to a Joseph Schlegel who seems to have resided in a number of U.S. military bases as well as Almont, Pennsylvania.