COLLECTION GUIDES

1729-1926; bulk: 1729-1884

Guide to the Collection

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Representative digitized documents from this collection:


Collection Summary

Abstract

This collection consists of the papers of naval officer and author George H. Preble, including personal and professional correspondence, ships' logs, literary and historical writings, genealogical material, diaries, scrapbooks, expense accounts, and other papers, primarily related to his naval career from 1835-1878.

Biographical Information

Timeline

25 Feb. 1816
George Henry Preble born in Portland, Me. to Enoch (1763-1842) and Sally (Cross) Preble (1777-1848).
10 Oct. 1835
Appointed midshipman in the U.S. Navy.
1836-1840
Cruised the Mediterranean and Caribbean.
Jan. 1841
Attended Philadelphia naval school.
Aug.-Oct. 1841
Explored the Florida coast, including a canoe expedition through the Everglades.
1843
Appointed acting master, U.S. ship St. Louis.
1844
Commanded the first American armed landing force in Canton, China.
18 Nov. 1845
Married Susan Zabiah Cox (1820-1875) of Portland, Me.
1846-1847
Served in the schooner Petrel during the Mexican War in the blockade service.
5 Feb. 1848
Promoted to lieutenant.
1849-1852
Served on coast survey duty and cruised the Gulf of Mexico on the Saratoga.
1851
Shipped out on board the St. Louis bound for England and the World's Fair; ship transported some of the American exhibits to the fair.
1853-1856
Accompanied Matthew Perry's mission to Japan in the ship Macedonian; commanded a steamer operating against Chinese pirates; prepared surveys and sailing directions for the Wusong River leading to Shanghai.
Sep. 1856
Stationed in Portland, Me. as the inspector of lighthouses.
1857-1858
Stationed in Boston (Charlestown) Navy Yard.
1858-1861
Executive officer of the Narragansett in the Pacific.
1861
Received his first regular command of the steam gunboat Katahdin; joined Admiral David Farragut (1801-1870) in the Gulf; was the fourth ship to pass the forts below New Orleans and was actively engaged in operations up to Vicksburg.
16 July 1862
Promoted to commander.
4 Sep. 1862
Allowed Confederate cruiser Oreto to break through the blockade of Mobile Bay; dismissed from service.
1863
Restored to rank of commander in the U.S. Navy; sent to Lisbon, Portugal; cruised the Azores, Canary Islands, and Gibraltar.
Nov. 1864
Ordered to the U.S. southeast coast blockade; found opportunity for distinction as the commander of the fleet brigade, which in November and December operated with the army preparing for Sherman's approach to the sea.
Aug. 1865
Commanded the ship State of Georgia; protected commercial interests at Panama.
Oct. 1865-July 1868
Served at the Boston (Charlestown) Navy Yard.
Mar. 1867
Commissioned captain.
1868
Served in the Pacific as chief of staff for Admiral Thomas Craven.
1871
Promoted to commodore.*
1872
Published Our Flag: Origin and Progress of the Flag of the United States of America, with an Introductory Account of the Symbols, Standards, Banners and Flags of Ancient and Modern Nations (Albany, N.Y.: Joel Munsell, 1872).
1874
*Made commodore with a commission dating from 1871.
1876
Promoted to rear-admiral; commanded the South Pacific Squadron.
1878
Retired from the U.S. Navy to Boston, Mass., where he spent his time writing.
1883
Published A Chronological History of the Origin and Development of Steam Navigation, 1543-1882 (Philadelphia: L. R. Hamersly & Co., 1883).
1 Mar. 1885
Died in Boston.

Preble Family Biographical Sketches

Benjamin Preble (1650s-1732), father of Jedidiah Preble, great-grandfather of George Henry Preble.

Brigadier-General Jedidiah Preble (1707-1784), grandfather of George Henry Preble.

Martha Preble (1714-1753), first wife of Jedidiah Preble.

Mehitable (Bangs) Preble (1728-1805), second wife of Jedidiah Preble, grandmother of George Henry Preble.

Commodore Edward Preble (1761-1807), fourth child of Jedidiah and Mehitable Preble, uncle of George Henry Preble.

Captain Enoch Preble (1763-1842), fifth child of Jedidiah and Mehitable Preble, father of George Henry Preble.

Statira Preble (1767-1796), sixth child of Jedidiah and Mehitable Preble, aunt of George Henry Preble.

Henry Preble (1770-1825), seventh child of Jedidiah and Mehitable Preble, U.S. consul at Palermo, uncle of George Henry Preble.

Eben Preble (1802-1848), first child of Capt. Enoch Preble, brother of George Henry Preble.

Adeline Preble (1805-1883), second child of Capt. Enoch Preble, sister of George Henry Preble, wife of John Cox.

Ellen Bangs Preble (1808-1867), third child of Capt. Enoch Preble, sister of George Henry Preble.

Susan Zabiah (Cox) Preble (1820-1875), wife of George Henry Preble. Susan and George Henry Preble had four children, two girls and two boys: Henry Oxnard Preble (1847-1871), Susan Zabiah Preble (1850-1927), Mildred Preble (1857-1857), and George Henry Rittenhouse Preble (1859-1912).

Collection Description

The papers of Rear-Admiral George Henry Preble, U.S.N., consist of personal and professional correspondence, ships' logs, literary and historical writings, genealogical material, diaries, scrapbooks, expense accounts, and other papers, primarily related to his naval career from 1835-1878. Subjects include Preble's appointments in the Mediterranean; the south of Florida, including an expedition through the Everglades; the Boston (Charlestown) Navy Yard; China; Japan; Portugal; and many other locations. Preble's diaries cover a voyage to the World's Fair in the U.S. frigate St. Lawrence (1851); a cruise to China and Japan as part of Matthew Perry's mission to open Japanese ports (1853-1856); and a naval voyage (1863-1868). During the Civil War, Preble served at the Battle of New Orleans (1862) and as a blockader against Confederate raiders. The collection contains a significant amount of material related to the escape of the Confederate cruiser Oreto in 1862, for which Preble was initially censured. Also included is correspondence related to Preble's writings on the Charlestown Navy Yard, ships and shipping, the U.S. flag, and Preble family history, as well as copies of his various publications.

Among the family members represented in the collection are Preble's grandmother Mehitable (Bangs) Preble, uncle Commodore Edward Preble, father Captain Enoch Preble, sisters Adeline and Ellen Bangs Preble, and wife Susan (Cox) Preble. Family papers include correspondence, legal documents, and a diary of Enoch Preble.

Acquisition Information

The bulk of this collection was donated to the MHS by Susie Z. Preble in January 1919, October 1925, and October 1926. The final addition to the collection, a commemorative pamphlet entitled Our Banner (1843), was contributed by the New England Historic Genealogical Society in 1965.

Other Formats

George Henry Preble's diary of his cruise to China and Japan (Cased Vol. 2) has been published as The Opening of Japan: A Diary of Discovery in the Far East, 1853-1856 (Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1962). Also available on microfilm (P-498, 1 reel) and as digital facsimiles in the MHS library (DF-006).

Digital facsimiles of this diary and of Preble's ships' logs, Vol. I and II (Cased Vols. 5 and 6), are available on China, America and the Pacific, a publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc. This resource can be accessed onsite at the MHS library and at other subscribing libraries.

Detailed Description of the Collection

I. Loose papers, 1732-1926

A. Personal and family papers, 1732-1920

Arranged chronologically.

The bulk of the loose correspondence consists of letters received by George Henry Preble. Correspondence dating from early in his naval career is personal in nature. As Preble's career advanced and his circle of acquaintances within the service grew, his letters increasingly pertained to the whereabouts and situations of mutual friends and the progress of ship repairs. Much of his correspondence concerns the search for prints and plates to illustrate his writings. Once a work was published, Preble received numerous acknowledgments from libraries and individuals who received a copy. His work Genealogical Sketch of the First Three Generations of Prebles in America (Boston: David Clapp & Son, 1868) also generated a vast amount of interest and inquiry among his extended family and friends.

Letters from Preble to family members include descriptions of naval expeditions. For example, in an 1841 letter to his sister-in-law Agnes (Archer) Preble from the U.S. brigantine Jefferson in Key Biscayne, Florida, Preble describes one of his trips into the Everglades. This subseries also contains papers of family members, including Jedidiah Preble, Martha Preble, Enoch Preble, Ebenezer Preble, Commodore Edward Preble, Henry Preble (U.S. consul at Palermo), Ellen Bangs Preble, Susan (Cox) Preble, and Adeline Preble.

See also Series II (Bound volumes). The majority of Preble's personal letters have been bound and may be found there.

Box 1Folder 1

Loose photographs (photocopies), 1829-1920

Original photographs have been photocopied and removed to the MHS photograph collection. See Materials Removed from the Collection below for a complete list.

Box 1Folder 2

Guide to the Preble papers

This guide, prepared by the Works Progress Administration in 1942, includes item-level descriptions of loose letters and papers dated 1732-1866.

Box 1Folder 3-20

1732-1869

See also OS Folder 1.

Box 2

1870-June 1872

Box 3

July 1872-June 1874

Box 4

July 1874-1875

Box 5

1876-1879

Box 6

1880-1881

Box 7

1882-June 1884

Box 8Folder 1-6

July 1884-1920

Box 8Folder 7

Extracts of letters from George Henry Preble to Adeline Preble, 1834-1842

B. Historical research materials, undated, 1876-1878

Arranged chronologically.

Box 8Folder 8

Extracts of naval biographies

Box 8Folder 9

Roll call of the U.S. flagship Hartford under the command of Admiral David Farragut, listing ships and men

Box 8Folder 10

Lists of centenarians, 1876-1878

C. Papers gathered by family members, 1901-1926

Arranged chronologically.

Box 8Folder 11

Miscellaneous loose clippings concerning the U.S. flag, "The Star-Spangled Banner," and the launching of the U.S. destroyer Preble, 1901-1920

Box 8Folder 12

Navy Department releases about the repair of the Constitution, 1926

II. Bound volumes, 1729-1885Digital Content

A. Personal and family volumes, 1729-1885Digital Content

This subseries contains family volumes, including genealogical material and papers of George Henry Preble's father Enoch; personal volumes of George Henry Preble, primarily letters and diaries; and scrapbooks.

Family volumes, 1729-1885

Arranged chronologically.

Family volumes include legal papers, letters, and biographical and genealogical information; the diary of Enoch Preble; and autograph books collected by Henry Oxnard Preble.

Box 9Vol. 1

Preble family papers, 1729-1875

This volume contains genealogical and biographical information, autographs, calling cards, and clippings. Included is a biography by J. Fenimore Cooper, "Sketches of Naval Men: Edward Preble," published in Graham's Magazine. Also included are deeds and other early legal documents of the family; an estimate of loss by Jedidiah Preble, Esq. from the burning of the town of Falmouth (now Portland, Me.) by Capt. Mowat (1775); the estate inventory (1805) and will (1804) of Mehitable Preble; and papers, receipts (1806, 1826), and a photograph of Enoch Preble.

This volume was disbound but left in its original order. Early legal and family papers are located at the end of the volume, pp. 233-268, and are not arranged chronologically.

Box 9Vol. 2

Letters to Enoch Preble, 1781-1841

Also included are letters from Jedidiah to his son Edward, 1781, and letters to Madam Preble, 1795-1798. See the index at the front of the volume for a brief description of each letter.

Box 10Vol. 3

"Preble letters: genealogical and familiar," 1800-1868

Included is George Henry Preble's A Genealogical Sketch of the Preble Families, Resident in Portland, Me., A.D. 1850 (printed but not published); letters to Preble from his sisters Ellen and Adeline, 1843-1854, and cousin Harriet, 1846-1854; correspondence to Preble, 1850-1865; Enoch Preble's invoices for goods shipped on board the ship Caroline (formulas for the rate of foreign exchange given), 1800; a letterbook of Enoch Preble, 1822-1839; and Enoch's letters to his son George Henry Preble, 1830-1840. The volume also contains a self-portrait pencil sketch of Preble, 1842. The letters are not in chronological order.

Box 10Vol. 4

Enoch Preble diary and memorandum book, 1803-1839

This diary describes Enoch Preble's 1803 trip to France and his life at home in Portland, Me., 1803-1839. The volume also contains notes of different voyages taken, remarks on gardening, and memoranda by his son George Henry Preble, including distribution lists for books printed, 1873-1884; cash expenditures, 1847-1885; and lists of births and deaths.

Box 10Vol. 5-7

Autograph books of signatures collected by Henry Oxnard Preble

Personal volumes, 1830-1865

George Henry Preble's personal volumes contain incoming and outgoing correspondence, printed material, personal accounts, watercolors, and poetry. Letters include information about his naval career.

Box 11Vol. 8

Letters to George Henry Preble, 1830-1852

Box 11Vol. 9

Letters to George Henry Preble, 1835-1862

This volume also includes The Boston-Gazette, and Country Journal, 1770, and reprints of The New-England Courant, 1723, and The New-Hampshire Gazette, 1756.

Box 12Vol. 10

"Familiar letters, GHP to SZP, 1862-1865"

George Henry Preble's letters to his wife Susan, and some extracts from his private diary, contain descriptions of his personal and naval activities.

Box 12Vol. 11

Chase of the Oreto, 1862

Included are published articles and letters to and from George Henry Preble; photographs of Preble and Capt. J. N. Maffitt; clippings; and Preble's The Chase of the Rebel Steamer of War Oreto, Commander J. N. Maffitt, C.S.N. into the Bay of Mobile, by the United States Steam Sloop Oneida, Commander Geo. Henry Preble, U.S.N. September 4, 1862 (Cambridge, Mass.: Printed for private circulation, 1862). The volume also contains official Navy publications about the proceedings pertaining to the Oreto incident.

Box 12Vol. 12

Personal account book, 1850-1854

Box 13Vol. 13

Book of watercolors and poetry (Malta), 1836-1838

Box 13Vol. 14

Book of poetry, watercolors and sketches included, 1838-1839

Box 13Vol. 15

Book of poetry, watercolors and sketches included, 1838-1839

Diaries, 1851-1868Digital Content

Arranged chronologically.

Cased Vol. 1

Voyage on the U.S. frigate St. Lawrence, 1851

This narrative was compiled in 1868 from George Henry Preble's daily diary and letters to his wife written from 20 Jan.-11 Aug. 1851. The purpose of the St. Lawrence cruise was to convey U.S. contributions to the World's Fair. The diary continues in England while the ship is in port, 14 Mar.-2 June 1851. Included are engravings, facsimile photographs, newspaper clippings, and invitations.

Cased Vol. 2Digital Content

"Diary on a cruise to China and Japan, 1853-1856"

NOTE: Use of this volume is restricted. Color digital facsimiles (DF-006) and microfilm (P-498) are available in the MHS Reading Room. Digital facsimiles are also available at the MHS as part of China, America and the Pacific, a publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc.

This diary was kept by George Henry Preble during a voyage on the sloop of war Macedonian from New York to China, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and eventually around the world back to Boston, Mass., with stops in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tokyo, Canton, and Manila. Included are drawings, engravings, and extracts of letters from Preble to his wife Susan.

Published as The Opening of Japan: A Diary of Discovery in the Far East, 1853-1856, edited by Boleslaw Szczesniak (Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1962). Also available on microfilm (P-498, 1 reel) and as digital facsimiles in the MHS library (DF-006). Digital facsimiles are also available on China, America and the Pacific, a publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc. This resource can be accessed onsite at the MHS library and at other subscribing libraries.

See also Ships' logs, Vol. II (Cased Vol. 6), and U.S. ship Macedonian, Vol. 33.

Box 13Vol. 16

Private diary, 1863-1868

This diary of George Henry Preble contains daily entries from Oct. 1863 through Dec. 1865 and encompasses his time in Portugal and Spain; excursions to the Azores, Canary Islands, and Gibraltar; and his duty during the U.S. southeast coast blockade in 1864 and to Panama in 1865. Entries describe Preble's daily activities on and off the ship, inspections and musters, other ships in close proximity, visitors to the ship, social and official calls made on and off board, and occasional ships' bearings. Early diaries contain descriptions of landscapes or seascapes. Frequent subjects include weather conditions and letters received, written, and sent. Entries from 1866-1868 are brief and sporadic.

Scrapbooks, 1835-1884

Box 14Vol. 17

Naval scrapbook, undated

Box 14Vol. 18

"Newspaper Contributions, VI," 1835-1884

Box 14Vol. 19

"Whales and Whaling, VII," 1873

Box 15Vol. 20

"What Poets Say Concerning Their Wives, Sweethearts & Children," undated

Box 15Vol. 21

Literature and art, undated

Box 16Vol. 22

Shipwrecks, 1870-1878

Box 16Vol. 23

"Miscellaneous and Curious Facts"

B. Writings of George Henry Preble, 1800-1885

This subseries contains an undated, unpublished manuscript by George Henry Preble entitled "Privateer History of the U.S.," as well as copies of his published works. Subjects include the history of steam navigation, the American flag, and ships and shipping. Preble frequently published in magazines, in particular The United Service, an official naval magazine. Cased Vols. 3 and 4 contain many of these publications.

Box 17Vol. 24-28

Unpublished manuscript: "Privateer History of the U.S.," undated (unbound)

Box 18Vol. 29

A Chronological History of the Origin and Development of Steam Navigation, 1543-1882 (Philadelphia: L. R. Hamersly & Co., 1882) (unbound)

George Henry Preble's copy, with engravings.

Box 19Vol. 30

Our Flag: Origin and Progress of the Flag of the United States of America, with an Introductory Account of the Symbols, Standards, Banners and Flags of Ancient and Modern Nations (Albany, N.Y.: Joel Munsell, 1872) (unbound)

George Henry Preble's copy, with engravings and a letter from printer J. Munsell regarding the printing costs of the book.

Box 19Vol. 31

Reviews of George Henry Preble's history of the U.S. flag, 1879-1881

Box 19Vol. 32

Our Banner, No. 1 Otis Place, Boston, 1843

Commemorative volume, annotated by George Henry Preble. Included is Preble's "The Soldiers O'Wry, A Ballad," p. 22.

Cased Vol. 3

"Notes on Ships and Shipping of All Ages with Illustrations," with engravings, 1880-1884

See Box 19 for loose materials removed from this volume.

Miscellaneous writings, 1800-1885

Cased Vol. 4

Preble, George Henry. "Esek Hopkins, the First 'Commander-in-Chief' of the American Navy, 1775." The United Service, February 1885, pp. 137-146.

Cased Vol. 4

Preble, George Henry. Henry Knox Thatcher, Rear Admiral U.S. Navy. Boston: Printed for private distribution, 1882.

Cased Vol. 4

Preble, George Henry. John Adolphus Dahlgren, Rear-Admiral U.S. Navy. Printed for private distribution, 1883.

Cased Vol. 4

Preble, George Henry. "The Chesapeake and Shannon, June 1, 1813." Reprinted from The United Service, October 1879. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1879.

Includes engravings. See also OS Folder 3 for Massachusetts Bay coast charts annotated by George Henry Preble.

Cased Vol. 4

Preble, George Henry. "Grog: A Mixture of Prose and Verse." Reprinted from The United Service, September 1884. Philadelphia: L. R. Hamersly & Co., 1884.

Cased Vol. 4

Preble, George Henry. "The Wreck of H.M. Frigate Husar, 1780." Reprinted from The United Service, December 1884, pp. 605-616.

Cased Vol. 4

Preble, George Henry. "The Date of 1835." Reprinted from The United Service, January 1885, pp. 16-18.

Cased Vol. 4

Preble, George Henry. "Naval Uniforms." Reprinted from The United Service, June 1880, pp. 1-13.

Cased Vol. 4

Preble, George Henry. "The Diary of a Canoe Expedition into the Everglades and Interior of Southern Florida in 1842." The United Service, April 1883, pp. 358-376.

Includes a photograph of George Henry Preble, 1829. See also OS Folder 2 for a map of Florida with Preble's annotations about the expedition, 1842.

Cased Vol. 4

Preble, George Henry. "Notes for a History of Steam Navigation." Reprinted from The United Service. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1881.

Cased Vol. 4

Navy Register, 1805-1806. Annotated by George Henry Preble.

Cased Vol. 4

Goldsborough, Charles W. An Original and Correct List of the United States Navy, Containing a List of the Ships in Commission, and Their Respective Force [...] Washington, D.C.: [s.n.], November 1800.

C. Naval/official volumes, 1830-1878

This subseries contains two volumes of official ships' logs (Cased Vols. 5 and 6) kept by George Henry Preble during his long naval career; a volume of watch, quarters, and stations bills of the U.S. ship Macedonian; and correspondence and other papers of Preble related to naval administration.

Ships' logs, Vol. I, 1836-1852

Arranged chronologically.

NOTE: Use of this volume is restricted. Digital facsimiles are available at the MHS as part of China, America and the Pacific, a publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc.

This volume contains logs kept by George Henry Preble while serving as midshipman, lieutenant, and acting master in the U.S. Navy on various ships traveling around the world. Included are officer and crew lists for each voyage. The last page contains an officer list for the following U.S. ships: Legace, 1849; Nautilus, 1849-1850; Madison, 1851-1852; and Gallatin, 1852. Attached to the back of the volume are notes for the journal of Preble's tour from Pensacola, Fla. to Portland, Me., 1849.

Digital facsimiles of this volume are available on China, America and the Pacific, a publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc. This resource can be accessed onsite at the MHS library and at other subscribing libraries.

For 1851, see Cased Vol. 1, Voyage on the U.S. frigate St. Lawrence.

Cased Vol. 5

U.S. frigate United States: New York to the Mediterranean Sea to Boston, Mass., 1836-1838

Included are lists of ports visited and deaths on board, as well as a stowage chart of the United States.

Cased Vol. 5

U.S. sloop of war Warren: Norfolk, Va. to the Gulf of Mexico to Pensacola, Fla., 1839

Included is a watercolor of Pico de Orizaba, Mexico.

Cased Vol. 5

U.S. frigate Macedonian: Pensacola, Fla. to the West Indies and Cuba, 1839-1840

Cased Vol. 5

U.S. ship Levant: Havana, Cuba to Pensacola, Fla. to Boston, Mass. to Portsmouth, N.H., 1840

Cased Vol. 5

U.S. sloop of war Erie: Portsmouth, N.H. to Boston (Charlestown Navy Yard), Mass., 1840

Cased Vol. 5

U.S. schooner Madison: New York to Indian Key, Fla., 1841

Cased Vol. 5

U.S. brigantine Jefferson: Indian Key, Fla. to Norfolk, Va. (expedition to the Everglades), 1841-1842

Cased Vol. 5

U.S. receiving ship Ohio: Harbor log kept in port at the Charlestown Navy Yard, 1842-1843

Cased Vol. 5

U.S. sloop of war St. Louis: Norfolk, Va. to South America, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Philippines, 1843-1845

Included are watercolors, a map of the coast near the Cape of Good Hope (p. 232), and a map of Singapore Island (p. 184).

Cased Vol. 5

U.S. schooner Petrel: New York to the Gulf of Mexico, 1846-1847

Cased Vol. 5

U.S. ship Ohio: Veracruz, Mexico to Havana, Cuba to Virginia, 1847

Included are pencil drawings.

Cased Vol. 5

U.S. sloop of war Saratoga, 1848

Ships' logs, Vol. II, 1852-1863

Arranged chronologically.

NOTE: Use of this volume is restricted. Digital facsimiles are available at the MHS as part of China, America and the Pacific, a publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc.

This volume contains logs kept by George Henry Preble while serving as lieutenant and acting master in the U.S. Navy on various ships traveling around the world. Included are officer and crew lists; daily diary entries written in Washington, D.C., 1862, and England, 1863; and a newspaper print of "Bradshaw's New Map of the Railways in Great Britain," 1863 (p. 141).

Digital facsimiles of this volume are available on China, America and the Pacific, a publication of Adam Matthew Digital, Inc. This resource can be accessed onsite at the MHS library and at other subscribing libraries.

Cased Vol. 6

U.S. surveying schooner Gallatin: Brooklyn Navy Yard, N.Y. to Woods Hole, Mass. to Maine to Boston (Charlestown Navy Yard), Mass., 1852

Cased Vol. 6

U.S. chartered steamer Queen, U.S. steamer Confucius, U.S. ship Macedonian: Cruise to China and Japan, 1853-1856

This voyage was undertaken to transport prisoners and passengers and to cruise for pirates. Many day trips are noted, and the volume includes a map of the Yellow Sea (p. 90 in front).

See also Cased Vol. 2, Preble's diary of a cruise to China and Japan; and Vol. 33 for the U.S. ship Macedonian.

Cased Vol. 6

U.S. steamer Narragansett: Boston (Charlestown Navy Yard), Mass. to Virginia, Brazil, Peru, Panama, and Mexico, 1859-1861

Included are engravings and newspaper clippings.

Cased Vol. 6

U.S. steam gunboat Katahdin: Boston (Charlestown Navy Yard), Mass. to Florida; the Gulf of Mexico; the Mississippi River, 1862

The Katahdin served as a blockader against Confederate commerce raiders during the Civil War.

Cased Vol. 6

U.S. sloop Oneida: New Orleans, La. to Alabama, Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and return, 1862

The Oneida served as a blockader in the Gulf of Mexico during the Civil War.

Cased Vol. 6

U.S. steamer Rhode Island: Mobile, Ala. to Norfolk, Va., 1862

Cased Vol. 6

U.S. sloop of war St. Louis: Lisbon, Portugal to points in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, 1863

Box 20Vol. 33

U.S. ship Macedonian: Watch, quarters, and station bills, East India and China Seas, 1853-1856

Correspondence, 1830-1878

Arranged chronologically.

Naval/official correspondence includes letters to and from George Henry Preble, as well as copies of letters, orders, releases, circulars, and other materials related to naval administration.

Box 20Vol. 34

"Official letters & correspondence, 1830-1843"

Box 20Vol. 35

"Official letters & correspondence, 1843-1852"

Box 20Vol. 36

"Official letters & correspondence, 1852-1861"

Box 21Vol. 37

"Official letters & correspondence, 1861-1865"

Included is a plan of the hold of U.S.S. gunboats, 1861.

Box 22Vol. 38

"Official letters & correspondence, 1865-1870"

Box 22Vol. 39

"Official letters & correspondence, 1870-1878"

Box 23Vol. 40

"Official correspondence, 1835-1866"

Box 24Vol. 41

General orders and circulars, 1858-1864

Box 24Vol. 42

Letterbook, 1867-1876

See also OS Folder 3.

Box 24Vol. 43

Letterbook, 1875-1876

Box 25Vol. 44

Letterbook, 1877-1878

III. Oversize materials, 1844-1883

This series consists of oversize items removed from Series I and II of the collection.

OS Folder 1

Seven letters from George Henry Preble to Susan Zabiah Cox, 4 July-27 Oct. 1844

OS Folder 2

Map of the Florida Southern Railway, 1883, annotated by George Henry Preble

OS Folder 3

Tissue copies, 1876, removed from Vol. 42 (Letterbook, 1867-1876)

OS Folder 3

"Coast Charts, No. 9 and 10, Massachusetts Bay with the Coast from Cape Ann to Cape Cod," annotated by George Henry Preble

Preferred Citation

George Henry Preble papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.

Persons:

Preble, Adeline, 1805-
Preble, Ellen Bangs, 1808-1867.
Preble, Enoch, 1763-1842.
Preble family--Genealogy.
Preble, Susan Zabiah Cox.

Organizations:

Charlestown Navy Yard (Mass.).
Oreto (Commerce raider).
St. Lawrence (U.S. frigate).
United States. Navy--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States. Navy--Officers.

Subjects:

Authors, American.
Family history--1850-1899.
Family history--1900-1949.
Flags--United States--History.
Historians--United States.
Literary manuscripts.
New Orleans (La.)--History--Capture, 1862.
Poetry.
Privateering--United States--History.
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Naval operations.

Materials Removed from the Collection

Photographs

The following photographs from this collection have been removed to the George Henry Preble family photographs (Photo. Coll. 182):

Cabinet card of Charles S. Preble, surgeon general, by C. E. Peterson, Carson City, Nev., 3 May 1884

Cabinet card of Mrs. Charles S. Preble by Elite Photographic Studio, San Francisco, Calif., 1884

Cabinet card of Dinah Preble (b. 23 Mar. 1869) by R. Wolstenholme, Blackpool, England, 13 Aug. 1883

Paper print of George Henry Preble, rear-admiral, U.S.N., 1879

Carte de visite of Philip Preble (b. 2 Aug. 1865) by R. Wolstenholme, Blackpool, England

Carte de visite of Thomas Preble (b. 16 Mar. 1863) by R. Wolstenholme, Blackpool, England, 27 Aug. 1883

Carte de visite of William Henry Preble (b. 23 May 1857) by R. Wolstenholme, Blackburn, England, Nov. 1883

Cabinet card of Benjamin Trefethen (b. 1790), 18 Oct. 1882

Gelatin silver print of the launching of the U.S.S. Preble, Bath Iron Works, Bath, Me., 8 Mar. 1920

Gelatin silver print of an unidentified woman holding a bouquet of roses at the launching of the U.S.S. Preble, Bath Iron Works, Bath, Me., 8 Mar. 1920

Carte de visite of a drawing of a Chinese junk (ship)

Museum Objects

The following items from this collection have been removed to the MHS artifacts collection:

Grosgrain ribbon for a sailor's hat, U.S.S. Preble

Commodore Edward Preble's flintlock pistols and two "Before Tripoli" medals