 The
Library of Congress >> Especially
for Researchers >> Research
Centers |
|
 |
|
| |
|
| Home >> Finding Aids | |
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------ Outline view: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms000015 ------------------------------------------------------------
Collection SummaryTitle: Papers of the David D. Porter FamilySpan Dates: 1799-1899 ID No.: MSS36574 Creator: Porter, David D. (David Dixon), 1813-1891 Extent: 7,000 items; 33 containers plus 1 oversize; 10 linear feet Language: Collection material in English Repository: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Abstract: Naval officer. Correspondence, journals, logbooks, orders, reports, memoranda, family papers, drafts of articles, memoirs, poems, short stories, and other literary writings, sketches, photographs, and printed matter documenting David D. Porter's naval career. Includes material on his years as a midshipman, his service in the Mexican War, trips to the Mediterranean to secure camels for use by the U.S. Army, Civil War service, superintendency of the United States Naval Academy, mission to Santo Domingo concerning the lease of Samaná Bay in the Dominican Republic, and his career as an advisor to the Navy Dept. (1870-1891) and chairman of the U.S. Navy Board of Inspection (1877-1891). Selected Search TermsThe following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. Names: Porter, David D. (David Dixon), 1813-1891 Boutelle, Charles A., b. 1839--Correspondence Farragut, David Glasgow, 1801-1870--Correspondence Fox, Gustavus Vasa, 1821-1883--Correspondence Hamilton, Paul, 1762-1816--Correspondence Heap, Gwinn Harris--Correspondence Poinsett, Joel Roberts, 1779-1851--Correspondence Porter, Evelina Anderson, 1790-1871--Correspondence Porter family Robeson, George M. (George Maxwell), 1829-1897--Correspondence Rodgers, John, 1812-1882--Correspondence Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891--Correspondence Shields, Thomas, d. 1827--Correspondence Southard, Samuel L. (Samuel Lewis), 1787-1842--Correspondence Welles, Gideon, 1802-1878--Correspondence Wolcott, Oliver, 1760-1833--Correspondence Mexico. Armada United States. Army--History--19th century United States. Navy--Foreign service--Puerto Rico United States. Navy--Foreign service--West Indies United States. Navy--History--19th century United States. Navy. Board of Inspection United States. Navy Dept. Enterprize (Schooner : 1799-1811) Essex (Frigate) United States Naval Academy Porter, David, 1780-1843. Papers of David Porter Subjects: Camels Mexican War, 1846-1848--Naval operations, American Pirates--Caribbean Area Diplomatic and consular service, American--Algeria Diplomatic and consular service, American--Turkey Algeria--Foreign relations--United States Dominican Republic--Foreign relations--United States Fajardo (P.R.)--History Mediterranean Region--Description and travel Samaná Bay (Dominican Republic) Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)--History Turkey--Foreign relations--United States United States--Foreign relations--Algeria United States--Foreign relations--Dominican Republic United States--Foreign relations--Turkey United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Naval operations Occupation: Naval officers Administrative InformationProvenance:The family papers of David Dixon Porter (1813-1891), naval officer and author, were purchased by the Library of Congress from various sources between 1901 and 1934. Other material was given by the New York Public Library in 1903 and by Mrs. Oscar H. Rogers in 1934. Processing History:The papers of the David Dixon Porter family were arranged and described in 1963. This register was revised in 1997. Transfers:Some maps have been transferred to the Library's Geography and Map Division where they are identified as part of these papers. Copyright Status:The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of the David D. Porter family is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.). Preferred Citation:Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, David D. Porter Family Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Biographical NotesDavid Porter
David D. Porter
Scope and Content NoteThe papers of the David Dixon Porter family span the years 1799-1899. The collection documents the naval careers of Porter and his father, David Porter, which combined encompassed most of the nineteenth century. The papers contain correspondence, letterbooks, journals, logbooks, orders, reports, photographs and sketches, maps, financial records, and printed matter. They are arranged in four series: Family Papers, David Porter Papers, David D. Porter Papers, and Oversize. The Family Papers series, the bulk of which is mounted in bound volumes, includes the papers of David D. Porter; his father, David Porter; and his mother, Evelina Anderson Porter. Correspondence and related material dating from 1799 to 1843 largely pertain to David Porter, including his command of the Enterprize (schooner) from 1805 to 1806, the Essex (frigate) during the War of 1812, and the West Indian squadron employed in suppressing piracy in the Caribbean between 1823 and 1825. Porter's numerous letters to Samuel Hambleton between 1808 and 1824 provide a particularly detailed chronicle of his activities during that period. Events relating to Porter's seizure of the town of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, in 1825, as well as his subsequent court martial, his resignation from the American navy, and his command of Mexico's navy are discussed in his correspondence between 1825 and 1829. Letters to his wife and children recount his diplomatic service in Algeria and Turkey from 1830 to 1843. The David Porter Papers series consists of letterbooks, a logbook from the Enterprize, and unbound correspondence documenting Porter's naval service, especially his early career and the Fajardo incident. A letter from Porter to Oliver Wolcott in 1798 and several letters dated 1824 concerning the West Indian squadron were transferred from the Manuscript Division's Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection. Prominent correspondents in this series and in the Family Papers include Paul Hamilton, Joel Roberts Poinsett, John Rodgers (1773-1838), Thomas Shields, and Samuel L. Southard. Further information on Porter's command of the Mexican navy is available in transcribed documents in the miscellany subgrouping in the David D. Porter Papers series. The bulk of the collection pertains to David D. Porter. Correspondence and related material includes Porter's letters to his mother recounting his apprentice and journeyman years in the navy. Later correspondence provides information on his service during the Mexican and Civil wars and on his chairmanship of the Naval Board of Inspection. A group of correspondence, photographs, and sketches identified as memorials includes letters written by Porter to Gwinn Harris Heap between 1856 and 1863 which provide detailed and often humorous accounts of his activities during that period. Photographs and watercolor sketches of steamships and several photographs of Porter are also included among the memorials. The Family Papers series contains many of Porter's writings, including a large number of poems and short stories. Porter's Civil War service is documented through correspondence, reports, writings, financial records, photographs, and sketches and bound journals and letterbooks located in the David D. Porter Papers series. Letters to Porter provide information on many aspects of the Union's naval strategy, while Porter's own account of the war is contained in a journal compiled shortly after the war as well as in his unpublished memoir, reports, and other writings. Correspondence, reports, and miscellaneous writings from the 1870s and 1880s while Porter served as an advisor to the secretary of the navy and chairman of the Naval Board of Inspection record his thoughts on the need for naval reform. Prominent correspondents include Charles A. Boutelle, David Glasgow Farragut, Gustavus Vasa Fox, George M. Robeson, William T. Sherman, and Gideon Welles. Organization of the PapersThe collection is arranged in four series:
Description of Series
Container List
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Top
of Page |
|||
| |
|
||
| Home >> Finding Aids | |||
|
|
||
|
|||