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Charles Wilkes
A Register of His Papers in the Library of Congress
Prepared by Joseph Sullivan
Revised by Patrick Kerwin
1998
Manuscript Division
Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress
Manuscript Division, 2002
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents for Charles Wilkes
Collection Summary
Selected Search Terms
* Names:
* Subjects:
* Occupations:
Administrative Information
* Provenance:
* Processing History:
* Copyright Status:
* Microfilm:
* Preferred Citation:
Biographical Note
Scope and Content Note
Description of Series
* Journals and Diaries, 1841- 1875.
* Letterbooks, 1841- 1863.
* Family Correspondence, 1836- 1915, n.d.
* General Correspondence, 1835- 1876, n.d.
* Official Correspondence, 1862- 1863, n.d.
* Exploring Expedition File, 1828- 1863, 1940, n.d.
* Autobiography and Other Writings, 1855- 1877, n.d.
* Financial and Business Papers, 1833- 1876, n.d.
* Miscellany, 1817- 1921, n.d.
* Early Family Papers and Genealogy, ca. 1607- 1959, n.d.
* Oversize, ca. 1607-ca. 1792.
Container List
* JOURNALS AND DIARIES, 1841- 1875
* LETTERBOOKS, 1841- 1863
* FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE, 1836- 1915, n.d.
* GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1835- 1876, n.d.
* OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1862- 1863, n.d.
* EXPLORING EXPEDITION FILE, 1828- 1940, n.d.
* AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND OTHER WRITINGS, 1855- 1877, n.d.
* FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS PAPERS, 1833- 1876, n.d.
* MISCELLANY, 1817- 1921, n.d.
* EARLY FAMILY PAPERS AND GENEALOGY, ca. 1607- 1959, n.d.
* OVERSIZE, ca. 1607-ca. 1792
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Collection Summary
Creator: Wilkes, Charles, 1798-1877
Title: Papers of Charles Wilkes 1607-1959 (bulk 1841-1865)
Size: 6,500 items; 45 containers plus 1 oversize; 18 linear feet; 29
microfilm reels
Repository: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Abstract: Naval officer and explorer. Official and family correspondence,
journals and diaries, legal and financial papers, autobiography and other
writings, scientific notebooks, maps, and printed material relating to
Wilkes's command of an expedition to the Antarctic, Hawaii and various
other Pacific islands, and the northwest coast of the United States; his
work in Washington preparing and publishing information collected by the
expedition; and his capture of J. M. Mason and John Slidell in the Trent
affair (1861) and command of the James River Flotilla and West India
Squadron during the Civil War.
Selected Search Terms
Names:
Agassiz, Louis, 1807-1873--Correspondence
Bolton, William Compton, d. 1849--Correspondence
Dana, James Dwight, 1813-1895--Correspondence
Drayton, Joseph--Correspondence
Finch, William B.--Correspondence
Fox, Gustavus Vasa, 1821-1883--Correspondence
Gray, Asa, 1810-1888--Correspondence
Mason, J. M. (James Murray), 1798-1871
McClellan, George Brinton, 1826-1885--Correspondence
Slidell, John, 1793-1871
Stuart, Fred D.--Correspondence
Welles, Gideon, 1802-1878--Correspondence
Wilkes, Eliza--Correspondence
Wilkes, Jane--Correspondence
Wilkes, John, 1827-1908--Correspondence
Wilkes family
United States. Navy. James River Flotilla
United States. Navy. West India Squadron
United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842)
Subjects:
Astronomy
Maps
Meteorology--Observations
Scientific expeditions--Antarctica
Scientific expeditions--Hawaii
Scientific expeditions--Oceania
Tides
Trent Affair, Nov. 8, 1861
Antarctica--Discovery and exploration
Hawaii--Discovery and exploration
Oceania--Discovery and exploration
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Naval operations
Occupations:
Explorers
Naval officers
Administrative Information
Provenance:
The papers of Charles Wilkes, naval officer and explorer, were given to the
Library of Congress chiefly by Rosalee Lockwood-Jones, Mrs. M. L. Hull, and
C. Denby Wilkes between 1921 and 1964.
Processing History:
The papers of Charles Wilkes were arranged and described in 1975. This
register was revised in 1998.
Copyright Status:
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Charles Wilkes is
governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Microfilm:
A partial microfilm edition of these papers is available on twenty-six
reels from the Library's Photoduplication Service for purchase subject to
the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.). This microfilm
edition may also be requested on interlibrary loan through the Library's
Loan Division. No more than ten reels may be requested for each loan period
of one month.
Preferred Citation:
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following
information: container number, Charles Wilkes Papers, Manuscript Division,
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date Event
1798 , Apr.
3 Born, New York, N.Y.
1815 Entered the merchant marine
1818 Appointed midshipman
1826 Married Jane Jeffrey Renwick (died 1843)
Promoted to lieutenant
1833 Headed the Depot of Charts and Instruments, Washington,
D.C., which later became the Naval Observatory
1838 - 1842 Commanded an exploring expedition into the Antarctic,
islands of the Pacific Ocean, and the American northwest
coast
1843 - 1863 On special duty, chiefly in Washington, D.C., preparing for
publication of information gathered from the exploring
expedition
1845 Published Narrative of the United States Exploring
Expedition (Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard. 5 vols.)
1849 Published Western America (Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard.
130 pp.)
1851 Published Meteorology (Philadelphia: Printed by C. Sherman.
76 pp.)
1854 Married Mary H. Lynch Bolton
1857 Published Theoryof Zodiacal Light (Philadelphia: C. Sherman
& Son, Printers. 16 pp.)
1858 Published Hydrography (Philadelphia: Printed by C. Sherman.
514 pp.)
1859 Published On the Circulation of the Oceans (Philade;phia.
24 pp.) and Report on the Examination of the Deep River
District, North Carolina ([Washington, D.C.]: 29 pp.)
1861 While in command of the San Jacinto, halted the British
mail steamer Trent and forcibly removed Confederate
commissioners James M. Mason and John Slidell
1862 Placed in command of the James River Flotilla; transferred
to the command of the Potomac River Flotilla; later
commanded the West India Squadron
1863 Recalled to Washington, D.C.
1864 Court-martialed
1866 Commissioned rear admiral on the retired list
1877 , Feb.
8 Died, Washington, D.C.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Charles Wilkes (1798-1877) span the years 1607-1959, with the
bulk of the material between 1841 and 1865. The collection contains family,
official, and general correspondence of Charles Wilkes, letterbooks of
Wilkes and of two other United States naval officers, journals and diaries,
a manuscript autobiography, scientific tracts and notes detailing weather
and tidal observations, genealogical charts, newspaper clippings,
Confederate currency, and printed matter. There are also marriage and
building contracts, leases, inventories, promissory notes, trust
agreements, and debt records dating from the seventeenth century that
relate to the Wilkes family in England and America.
The papers illustrate much of the career of Charles Wilkes, including his
command of the exploring expedition of 1838-1842, which engaged in surveys
and exploration of the Antarctic, islands in the Pacific Ocean, and the
northwest coast of the United States. The collection also covers Wilkes's
controversial seizure of Confederate commissioners James M. Mason and John
Slidell aboard the British mail steamer Trent in 1861. Wilkes's other
duties while an officer in the United States Navy, however, are more
thoroughly documented. Notebooks, observation records, and correspondence
relating to the exploring expedition are present in the papers, but much
more documentation relates to his special duty in Washington, D.C.,
1843-1861, when he consolidated the scientific data gathered on the mission
and prepared his narrative of the voyage together with other scientific
volumes for publication. With these publications came a measure of fame and
recognition, not only as an explorer but also as a nautical scientist.
Wilkes's capture of the Trent, which overshadowed other less publicized
services performed by him during the Civil War, is chiefly reflected in his
correspondence for the period June 1861-June 1862, which contains letters
from committees honoring him and letters indicating favorable public
reaction. More vividly portrayed are Wilkes's commands in 1862 of the James
and Potomac River flotillas and of the West India Squadron operating near
the Bahamas against Confederate commerce destroyers. The General
Correspondence and Letterbooks series contain an exchange of letters
between Gideon Welles, George Brinton McClellan, and Wilkes touching upon
the military operations of the 1862 Peninsula Campaign. Scattered
references throughout the papers relate to Wilkes's business interests in
the South, especially in North Carolina.
A relatively large segment of the correspondence pertains to the Wilkes
family. Included in the Family Correspondence series are letters of Charles
Wilkes, his son John, daughters Jane and Eliza, his wives, Jane Renwick and
Mary Lynch Bolton, and cousins and other family members. Of a personal
nature, these letters chronicle family celebrations and tragedies as well
as mirror the pre-Civil War activities and interests of a financially
secure American family.
Of particular interest are Wilkes's daily records in the Journals and
Diaries series recording events of special interest and supplementing those
periods lacking in correspondence. In addition to the journals, Wilkes's
autobiography provides a particularly rich source of information relating
to his career and personal life.
Contained in the Miscellany series are three official letterbooks of two
United States naval officers and acquaintances of Charles Wilkes. The
volumes belonged to Captain William B. Finch, who in 1818 was in charge of
the Independence, Wilkes's first duty station as a midshipman, and to
William Compton Bolton, the first husband of Wilkes's second wife, Mary
Lynch Bolton, who, prior to his death in 1848, with his wife were close
companions of the Wilkeses in Washington society.
Among the more frequent correspondents represented in the papers are Louis
Agassiz, James Dana, Joseph Drayton, Asa Gray, George Brinton McClellan,
Fred D. Stuart, and Gideon Welles.
Description of Series
Box Reel Series
BOX 1
REEL Journals and Diaries, 1841 - 1875 .
1-4
Diaries and journals.
Arranged chronologically.
BOX 2-5
REEL Letterbooks, 1841 - 1863 .
5-9
Bound letterpress and handwritten copies of letters sent
including official and private correspondence.
Arranged chronologically.
BOX
6-12 Family Correspondence, 1836 - 1915 , n.d.
REEL
9-14
Predominantly letters exchanged between members of the Wilkes
family.
Arranged chronologically.
BOX
13-16 General Correspondence, 1835 - 1876 , n.d.
REEL
14-17
Letters received and some letters sent.
Arranged chronologically.
BOX
17-19 Official Correspondence, 1862 - 1863 , n.d.
REEL
17-18
Letters sent to and from the Navy Department, the secretary of
the navy, and the Army Department.
Arranged chronologically.
BOX
20-21 Exploring Expedition File, 1828 - 1863 , 1940 , n.d.
REEL
18-19
Correspondence (one item dated 1940), drafts of a narrative of
the exploring expedition, maps, notebooks, computation tables,
lists, reports, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
BOX
22-25 Autobiography and Other Writings, 1855 - 1877 , n.d.
REEL
20-24
Autobiography, essays and sketches by Wilkes.
Arranged by type of material.
BOX
26-27 Financial and Business Papers, 1833 - 1876 , n.d.
REEL 24
Maps, drawings, reports, account books, copyrights, deeds, and
miscellaneous material relating to property rights.
Arranged by type of material.
BOX
28-30 Miscellany, 1817 - 1921 , n.d.
REEL
25-26
A scrapbook, newspaper clippings, photographs, Confederate
currency, maps, sketches, naval registers, printed matter, and
miscellaneous correspondence. Included are three letterbooks, two
of which belong to William B. Finch, the other to William C.
Bolton.
Arranged by subject or by type of material.
BOX
31-45 Early Family Papers and Genealogy, ca. 1607 - 1959 , n.d.
REEL 26
Documents predominantly of a business and legal nature relating
to the Wilkes family in England and America. Also genealogical
charts, a published genealogy, and an "onomastic index" to many
of the family records in the papers.
Containers 32-45 have not been filmed.
BOX OV
1 (NOT Oversize, ca. 1607 -ca. 1792 .
FILMED)
Documents and genealogical charts.
Arranged and described according to the series, folders, and
containers from which the items were removed.
Container List
Box Reel Contents
JOURNALS AND DIARIES, 1841 - 1875
BOX 1 REEL 1841-1875
1-4 (24 vols.)
LETTERBOOKS, 1841 - 1863
BOX 2 REEL
5-6 17 May 1841-30 Dec. 1847
22 Nov. 1848-16 Feb. 1850
16 Feb. 1850-17 Jan. 1851
BOX 3 REEL
6-7 18 Jan. 1851-9 Dec. 1854
16 Jan.-25 Oct. 1857
5 Nov. 1857-13 Feb. 1859
BOX 4 REEL
7-8 17 Feb. 1859-22 Apr. 1861
12-22 May 1862
18 July-10 Aug. 1862
10 Aug.-2 Sept. 1862
6-22 Sept. 1862
BOX 5 REEL
8-9 30 Sept.-30 Nov. 1862
11 Nov. 1862-2 Jan. 1863
3 Jan.-2 Feb. 1863
2-26 Feb. 1863
4 Mar.-4 Apr. 1863
4 Apr.-12 May 1863
12-27 May 1863
21 May-18 June 1863
18 June 1863
FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE, 1836 - 1915 , n.d.
BOX 6 REEL Oct. 1836-July 1850
9-10 (13 folders)
BOX 7 REEL Aug. 1850-May 1853
10-11 (10 folders)
BOX 8 REEL 11 June 1853-Dec. 1855
(10 folders)
BOX 9 REEL 12 Jan. 1856-Aug. 1858
(12 folders)
BOX 10 REEL Sept. 1858-Oct. 1862
12-13 (14 folders)
BOX 11 REEL Jan. 1863-Oct. 1867, May 1887
13 (12 folders)
BOX 12 REEL July 1895-Oct. 1915
14 (7 folders)
Undated
(3 folders)
GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1835 - 1876 , n.d.
BOX 13 REEL 1835-1856
14-15 (22 folders)
BOX 14 REEL 1857-1862
15-16 (22 folders)
BOX 15 REEL 1863-1870
16 (10 folders)
BOX 16 REEL 1871-1876, n.d.
17 (6 folders)
Fragments, n.d.
OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1862 - 1863 , n.d.
BOX 17 6 July-18 Dec. 1862
(8 folders)
BOX 18 REEL 19 Dec. 1862-11 May 1863
17-18 (7 folders)
BOX 19 12 May-30 July 1863, n.d.
(4 folders)
EXPLORING EXPEDITION FILE, 1828 - 1940 , n.d.
BOX 20 REEL
18-19 Correspondence, 1940
Maps, Antarctica and Hawaii
Narrative
Bound volume, 1838
Shortened copy, 1838
Notebooks
Use of astronomical instruments, [1828?]
"Instructions to New Officers on Methods of
Surveying Used in the Expedition," 1858
Observations
Weather and tidal observations, 1839
BOX 21 REEL 19 Journal of tides, air, and water observations,
1839-1840
General, 1841
Columbia River, n.d.
Publications
"Computations Concerning the Pendulum," 1841
Correspondence on publications concerning the
expedition, 1842-1862
Zoology, by Titian Ramsay Peale, introduction to,
1846-1848
Reports
American Philosophical Society and the United
States Naval Lyceum, 1836
Joint Committee on the Library, United States
Congress, 1858-1859
Soo Loo agreement, 1842
Surveys, original list of islands discovered and surveyed
for the first time, n.d.
Naval hearings, charges and defense of Wilkes, 1842, 1847
Miscellany, 1861-1863, n.d.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND OTHER WRITINGS, 1855 - 1877 , n.d.
BOX 22 REEL
20-21 Autobiography
Manuscript
Vols. 1-8
(4 folders)
BOX 23 REEL 22-23 Vols. 9-10
Typescript
pp. 1-300
(3 folders)
BOX 24 REEL 23 pp. 301-882
(6 folders)
Essays and sketches
Report on the examination of the Deep River
District, North Carolina, 1858
(2 folders)
"Theory of the Winds," 1855
(2 folders)
BOX 25 REEL 24 "On the Circulation of the Oceans," 1859
"Visit to Tunis" and "The Housewife," 1859
"The Student's Lamp," "In Turn," and "Christmas
Story," 1859
"On Postal Arrangements," "How I Was Cured of
Going to Fires," and "Sketches of Biography," 1859
"Some Days in the Session," 1877
"Reasons for Taking the Vanderbilt Under Command,"
1863
"A Diary From the South Sea Islands," n.d.
Description of a trip through the Midwest, n.d.
FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS PAPERS, 1833 - 1876 , n.d.
BOX 26 REEL Maps and papers relating to Dauphine and Susquehanna Coal
24 Co., n.d.
Drawings of blast furnaces, scales, and coal kilns, n.d.
Map indicating Wilkes property in Washington, D.C., n.d.
Report on the High Shoals property in Gaston County, N.C.,
n.d.
Account book, 1870
Bills, checks, receipts, 1850-1873
(1 folder)
BOX 27 REEL 24
(3 folders)
Copyrights, deeds, property rights, 1833-1876, n.d.
MISCELLANY, 1817 - 1921 , n.d.
BOX 28 REEL Bills, letters, and notes relating to the United States
25 Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, 1867-1869
Navy registers, 1828-1829, 1831, 1845
Coast Survey, 1855
Court-martial defense of Wilkes, 1864
United States v. S.S. Peterhoff, 1864
Maps and papers relating to Deep River District of North
Carolina, 1851-1857, n.d.
Biographical sketches of Wilkes, 1912, n.d.
Trent affair, monographs, 1862-1865, n.d.
"Winds and Currents of the Sea," by Matthew Fontaine Maury,
1851
BOX 29 REEL
25-26 Confederate money and bond
Photographs
Scrapbook
General, 1846-1921, n.d.
Newspaper clippings
(3 folders)
BOX 30 REEL
26 Letterbooks
Finch, William B.
11 Dec. 1817-9 Dec. 1818
4 Nov. 1823-11 May 1824
Bolton, William C., 13 June 1839-9 Mar. 1841
EARLY FAMILY PAPERS AND GENEALOGY, ca. 1607 - 1959 , n.d.
BOX 31 REEL Agreements, appraisals, building estimates, debt records,
26 letters, receipts, inventories, termination of trusts,
1669-1814
"Onomastic index," a partial index of the Wilkes family
parchments and other family records contained in the
papers, n.d.
Wilkes chronology, 1959
Genealogical notes pertaining to the Wilkes family,
typewritten copies, 1728-1869
BOX 32-45 Agreements, bonds, deeds, mortgages, orders-of-court,
(NOT FILMED) apprenticeship papers, assignments, deeds, land grants,
marriage contracts, mortgages, ca.1607-1792, 1861,
1870-1873 See also Oversize
OVERSIZE, ca. 1607 -ca. 1792
BOX OV 1 (NOT
FILMED) Early Family Papers and Genealogy
Documents and geneaological charts,
ca.1607-ca.1792 (Containers 32-45)
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