We are excited about The Digitization Project, an opportunity provided by the Connecticut State Library and Library Connection, a non-profit cooperative of 27 academic and public libraries. The Project will assist libraries in digitizing selected items from their collections, making them available to the public through the Internet. We will be choosing items from the library's archival collections as well as working with items provided by the East Haven Historical Society.

We have selected Old Houses of East Haven a compilation by former town historian, Donald V. Chidsey as our first item for digitization. Old Houses is of public interest as it contains photographs and information on historic structures of East Haven, such as the photograph of the Stephen Dodd house shown above. Our intent is to honor Mr. Chidsey's efforts to make this information available as he, in his own words, expressed:

"It has been the purpose of the author in part to gather first hand from East Haven's oldest residents detailed accounts of the old houses and the folk of yesterday who lived in them. In this way it has been possible in some instances to obtain accounts of human interest that took place in this old town in the days of long ago."

There are two versions of the Old Houses of East Haven, the manuscript and the typewritten versions. Each has its own attributes. Among other differences, the manuscript version contains a hand drawn map (shown below) which locates where the houses stood in East Haven. The typewritten version contains actual photographs of the buildings.

The digitized project will make the attributes of both of these versions available through the Internet.

West Haven Military Museum

I was delighted to read in today's New Haven Register that the 102nd Infantry Regiment Museum, which closed some years ago at its New Haven location, has found a home in West Haven. The City Council plans to lease space at a warehouse on Hood Avenue in West Haven for the Museum, which will now have the name of the Military Museum and Learning Center.

As readers of this blog know, I spoke with Frank Carrano, a veteran who served in Korea, when I was researching the photograph of the 102nd Infantry Regiment. Mr. Carrano and Beth Saba have spearheaded the drive for a museum home.

I received an excited call from Dan Garitta, WWII re-enactor and memorabilia collector concerning the establishment of the Museum. It is a rare occurrence when I can tell someone "I have already seen the article" but in this instance I had seen it earlier in the day!

Place Names

One of the interesting things about East Haven is the colorful nature of its place names. Shepherd's Grove, for instance brings to mind a number of images: a stand of sheltering trees, sheep grazing, blue sky.

According to a 1978 New Haven Register article Shepherd's Grove was named for Sylvia (Shepherd) Means. The Means family owned the Grove for more than 100 years.

The article states:

Both Shepherd's Grove, which is a 14.1 acre tract, and Mansfield Grove,are part of an area known as Half Mile Island. It is separated from the mainland by Bradford Cove on the west, setting it off from Cosey Beach and Bradford Cove Creek, which extends north, draining the salt meadows surrounding the island.

New Haven Register August 13, 1978

Soldier or Photographer?

I had thought that the "Leo Sansinon" written on the photograph might be the name of one of the soldiers. But I have gone through Connecticut Fights which lists officers and enlisted men and have not found the name there. Perhaps it is the name of the photographer.

Mexican Frontier Temperature

After learning that the 2nd Connecticut Infantry was re-designated as the 102d Infantry, I turned to our archival collection to look at Connecticut Fights The Story of the 102nd Regiment by Captain Daniel W. Strickland. Under the chapter, The Mexican Border Mobilization-

The various battalions detrained in the freight yards of Nogales and got their first taste of what Mexican frontier temperature was like in July. The rocky gound was so hot that men stood about on the edges of the soles of their shoes...a mid-day sun beat down upon a white-gray dust, the temperature being something over one hundred and twenty-five degrees.

Some Assistance from the Connecticut Military Department

Shown above is another view of the "Nogales Photograph" picturing the 2nd Connecticut Infantry in Nogales Arizona.

The Connecticut Military Department's webpage "History & Aventure - 2nd Connecticut Infantry" www.ct.gov/mil/cwp/view.asp?a=1351&q=258124

has been extremely helpful in shedding light on the Nogales photograph. The following text is used with permission from that website:

________________________________________

On March 9, 1916, Mexican rebels led by Pancho Villa attacked the United States Army garrison at Columbus, New Mexico. All available troops were rushed to the United States - Mexican border, but there were not enough regulars to patrol such a vast area. On May 9, the National Guard of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas was called into Federal service. On June 18, the entire National Guard, except for coast artillery units, were called.

Within days the first of 158,664 National Guardsmen were on their way to camps in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. National Guard units began patrolling the border immediately and columns of Guardsmen soon dotted the desolate landscape from Arizona to Texas. Among the many units on the border was the 2nd Connecticut Infantry. On June 20, 1916, the regiment assembled and began preparations for the long rail journey to the border. Within a week they were on a troop train headed for Nogales, Arizona.

Although their patrols along the border were important, the training that the Guardsmen received was invaluable. Guardsmen were physically toughened and officers and NCOs gained experience in handling troops in the field. The 2nd Connecticut mustered out of Federal service in November 1916, only to be mobilized again in February 1917.

The training that the regiment received in Arizona would be important after the United States entered World War I two months later. Re-designated as the 102d Infantry and assigned to the famous 26th "Yankee" Division, the regiment fought in six World War I campaigns. The 102d Infantry, Connecticut Army National Guard continues its proud record of over 300 years of service to state and nation.
__________________________________________



The painting shown above, On the Border by Donna Neary, depicts the 2nd Connecticut Infantry on the U.S./Mexican border. The painting is a National Guard Heritage painting and is used with permission from the Connecticut Military Department.

Campaign of the Second Connecticut Infantry, Nogales, Arizona 1916

We leave the Trowbridge Mediterranean Ship Document for a while, to turn to a new donation to the library. The donation is a photograph with the inscription: Second Connecticut Infantry, Nogales, Ariz. Aug. 1916. Above is a detail from the photgraph. There can also be seen a name on the photograph that looks like: Leo Sansinon, New London, Con. The photograph is about thirty-four inches long, and shows an encampment featuring many tents and buildings.

Another reference to Captain Stephen Trowbridge

Here is another reference to Captain Stephen Trowbridge from Historical Sketches of the Town of Milford Historical sketches of the town of Milford by George Hare Ford Compiled by George Hare Ford published by Press of the Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor, 1914.

Abigail Trowbridge and Eli Townsend

In review, The Mediterranean Passport, commonly called a ship's passport, was a document printed on vellum allowing American vessels to sail and conduct business in the Mediterranean without interference.

The Mediterranean Passport mystery continues as we search for information about why this document was placed or left at the Hagaman Library. The Passport here at the library bears the name Captain Stephen Trowbridge and can be viewed on earlier posts.

From an unexpected and heretofore unheard of source, at least by this librarian, comes information from "The World Bride Index," see below:


TROWBRIDGE Abigail Date of birth: 15 Feb 1783
Father: Captain Stephen Trowbridge
Mother: Margaret Hall
Husband: Eli Townsend Date of marriage: 10 Jun 1804

http://http//brideindex.info/t-surnames/trowbridge.html

I am wondering now, if this marriage is the link to providing the answer of why the document is in the library. The library has a number of books that belonged to the prominent Townsend (or with the variant spelling Townshend) family. Could Captain Trowbridge's son-in-law, Eli Townsend have passed this document down through the family until it was given to the library?

Inquiry to the Milford Historical Society

I e-mailed the Milford Historical Society http://milfordhistoricalsociety.angelfire.com/index.html in reference to the mention of Stephen Trowbridge as a "native of Milford" in the book called Thirty-Six Voyages Various Parts of the World made between the years 1799 and 1841 by George Coggeshall. The page is displayed in the Tuesday March 24th, 2009 post.

General Doublett?

This past week I sent an inquiry on the Mediterranean Passport to the National Archives, Pittsfield. It was forwarded to Mr. Horace Waters, an Archivist Technician at the Northeast Regional office. Mr. Waters magnified the document in PhotoShop and stated that the vessel appears to be the schooner "Genl (General) Doublett", or perhaps "Genl Donblatt". The master's name looks like "...bridge". This gives strength to my thought that the master and commander may be Stephen Trowbridge.

Stephen Trowbridge of Milford?

Today I found on Google book search, a book called Thirty-Six Voyages Various Parts of the World made between the years 1799 and 1841 by George Coggeshall. The title page is below.



The entry that contained information about Stephen Trowbridge
was in Chapter Four "Voyage in the Schooner Thomas with Captain Henry Turner from Milford, Connecticut to Berbice and the West India Islands and back again to Milford in the years 1802 and 1803" as seen below.



The entry concerning Stephen Trowbridge is:





This would fall within the time frame if Trowbridge was Captain in 1860, it would not be surprising that he was a seaman on board a schooner in 1802 to 1803.

Stephen Trowbridge

I spoke today with Kelly Drake of Mystic Seaport's Museum of America and the Sea, concerning the Mediterranean Passport. I was hoping to be able to use the numerical entry on the document, shown on the left, in order to identify the ship's name and commander. Both are listed on the Passport, but difficult to read. Kelly informed me that the number indicated where the passport was issued, rather than being an index number- so the number will not be of help. I said the name of the master and commander appeared to be "Stephen Trowbridge." Kelley said there was research being done on a Trowbridge who had a ship called "The Gem." A number of Trowbridges were listed in the Museum's digital "Ship Register- search for the Ship Master" Index. None of them however had the first name of Stephen. Kelly's knowledge about a Trowbridge as a ship master prompted me to look further. On http://www.immigrantships.net The Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild website, (the group transcribes ship manifests for genealogical purposes) I found a "Stephen Trowbridge" listed as master of a schooner called Horatio, 1827. Could this be the Stephen Trowbridge listed on the Mediterranean Passport?

In Search of an Index!

March 18, 2009

I looked on Wikipedia and found further information about Mediterranean Passports:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_pass

This led me to a National Archives 2005 newsletter that had featured a Mediterranean Passport listed in a footnote of the article.

I have e-mailed the Eastern office of the National Archives to see if they know if these documents were indexed. I am hoping they were, and that an index exists. I cannot read the name of the schooner or that of the master of the ship on the document. An index with this information may give us a clue as to why this document "landed" in the library!

Mediterranean Passport!

"You most certainly have a Mediterranean Passport, and are more than welcome to quote from/link to American Maritime Documents." The above is part of an e-mail I received yesterday from Kelly Drake of the Museum of America and the Sea at Mystic, Connecticut. Ms Drake went on to say "From the image you sent it is hard to read the vessel name but I'd guess it starts our with "Schr Gen'l..." which I'd interpret as "Schooner General" She also sent me a link to their Connecticut Ship Database which may help determine the name! Here is some further information on the Mediterranean Passport from the The Museum of America and the Sea's American Maritime Documents, 1176-1860 by Douglas L. Stein: The Mediterranean Passport, commonly called a ship's passport, was created after the United States concluded a treaty with Algiers in 1795. During the early years of independence, America was one of several nations paying tribute to the Barbary States in exchange for the ability to sail and conduct business in the Mediterranean area without interference. This treaty provided American-owned vessels with a "Passport" that would be recognized by Algeria and later by other Barbary States through similar treaties. These Passports were to be issued only to vessels that were completely owned by citizens of the United States, and were intended to serve as additional evidence of official nationality. In June 1796, a Federal law was passed which required the Secretary of State to prepare a form for the Passort and submit it to the President for approval. The result was a document modeled after a similar British form, called a Mediterranean Passport, which England had employed for the same purpose. The American version was a printed document, on vellum, that measured approximately 15" X 11." Centered in the upper half were two engravings, one below the other, (some early examples had a single large engraving of a lighthouse with a ship at anchor across the entire top quarter of the document). Signatures of the President of the United States, Secretary of State, and Customs Collector appear in the lower right-hand corner. The United States seal is in the lower left-hand corner. The most obvious similarity with the British passport was the presence of a scalloped line of indenture across the upper part of the document which was used as a method of authentication. After they were printed, the Passports were cut along the waved line and the top portion sent to the U.S. Consuls along the Barbary Coast. The Consuls subsequently provided copies to the corsairs, whose commanders were instructed to let all vessels proceed, who had passes that fit the scalloped tops. Every American vessel sailing in this area was to have a Mediterranean Passport as part of its papers. The penalty for sailing without one was $200.00. The master requested the document from the collector and paid a fee of ten dollars. A bond was also required to insure that the Passport was used in accordance with the conditions under which it was obtained, and was canceled when the document was forfeited. New Passports were not required for each succeeding foreign voyage, but it could not be transferred to another vessel, and it was to be returned to the port of original issue if the ship was wrecked or sold. Mediterranean Passports were received by the various customs districts pre-signed by the President and Secretary of State. The Collector could then insert the vessel's name and tonnage, master's name, number of crew members, and the number of guns mounted on the vessel, into the appropriate clanks and sign the document. It is interesting to note that I have found one Passport issued and dated nearly six months after the President whose signature appears on the document had left office. One might wonder just how efficiently these rather important forms were managed. Unused and outdated Passports were supposed to be returned to the Treasury Department, after first being canceled by cutting holes through the seals. Unlike the Mediterranean Passport, the Sea Letter does not appear to have had any formal establishment, but rather acquired validity through years of maritime use. The term "Sea Letter" has been used to describe any document issued by a government or monarch to one of its merchant fleet, which established proof of nationality and guaranteed protection for the vessel and her owners. However, it the Sea Letter use by the United States after 1789 that is of particular interest here.

Ship's Document-Possible Mediterranean Passport?

March 10, 2009

I have been trying to find out a bit more about the document mentioned in the previous post by researching the Mystic Seaport Library's website. The "Mediterranean Passport" is described as having been been printed on vellum with two engravings and a scalloped top.

This sounds like it may be a match and I am going to contact Mystic with a description of the document.

Ship's Document

March 9, 2009

This is a document which I take
at this time to be authentic, signed by President
James Monroe and then
Secretary of State, John
Quincy Adams.

The document
is beautifully

decorated
as seen in the
details
of the ship

and lighthouse at right.

The document commissions a ship's passage, however I have not yet been able to figure out

the name of the ship because of
the difficulty in the legibility of the writing.

The entire document, which was discovered or "rediscovered" in one of the rooms of the library, is show below. Though difficult to see, the signatures are at the bottom of the document.

It will be interesting to learn more about this example

of maritime history.

March 6, 2009



Hello. My name is Fawn Murphy. I'm a Reference Librarian here at the Hagaman Memorial Library in East Haven, Connecticut. My work also includes caring for the archival material at the library. This is quite a privilege as the area is rich in the history of the early colonists and Native Americans.

East Haven, was, for a long period, part of the New Haven Colony, settled in 1638. East Haven was incoporated in 1785.

The archival materials date from the 1700s to the present and are used for exhibitions, educational programs, scholarly and personal research, and include land deeds, town ledgers, maps, photographs and other materials.


There is a finding aid for some of the archival materials on the library's website:

http://hagamanlibraryeasthavenct.org/pdf/history/libsources-history.pdf

You may also go to our website: http://www.hagamanlibraryeasthavenct.org On the left, click on "hagaman history" and at the bottom of the history page under "Local History Library Resources," click on the "local history sources" link.

The work of archival preservation can sometimes seem overwhelming because of the numerous tasks involved, such as mending, deacidification, rehousing, photocopying to archival acid-free paper and more. However, I hope to be able to share with you some of the materials in these posts concerning the Hagaman archives.