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Franklin Hanford papers

 Collection
Identifier: D.143

Biographical/Historical note

Franklin Hanford was born at Chili, New York, on November 8, 1844, the son of William Haynes Hanford and Abbey Pixley Hanford. He received his early education at the Union School at Scottsville, New York, and at the Rochester High School at Rochester, New York. At an early age, Hanford decided on a military career, and in 1862 he entered the United States Naval Academy. After just two weeks at the Academy, however, Hanford was abruptly dismissed when records revealed that he was eighteen years old; the upper age limit for admission to the Academy had recently been lowered from eighteen to seventeen. Hanford protested that he had never been informed of the change, and Academy officials advised him to seek reinstatement through his Congressman, Alfred Ely. After the Secretary of the Navy refused to intervene on his behalf, Congressman Ely took Hanford to the White House, where they met with President Lincoln, who agreed to order Hanford reinstated. The meeting with Lincoln was counted by Hanford among his most memorable experiences.

During his years at the Naval Academy, Hanford saw duty in the Civil War. He was graduated in 1866 and received his first assignment aboard the U.S.S. Saco. In 1868, he was assigned to the ship Kearsage, aboard which he was promoted, first to ensign, then to master, and finally to lieutenant. In 1871, he was assigned to the flagship Wabash, on which he served in the European Station. After three years in Europe, Hanford held several assignments in the Asiatic Station, followed by three years on ordnance duty at the New York Navy Yard. From 1881 to 1884, Hanford served as navigator aboard the U.S.S. Pensacola. In 1885, he was promoted to lieutenant commander. While serving as senior aid to the commandant of the New York Navy Yard from 1892 to 1895, he was promoted to commander. His next assignment was to serve as commandant of the U.S.S. Alert on the Pacific Station from 1895 to 1897. Afterwards, he held the post of lighthouse inspector on the Great Lakes until 1900, when he assumed the office of commandant of the U.S. Naval Station at Cavite, Philippine Islands. He was ordered home in 1902, and he retired with the rank of rear admiral in 1903.

In his retirement years, Admiral Hanford resided at his home, "The Farm," at Scottsville. He continued to pursue the collection of rare books, a hobby he had begun as a young man, and he took an avid interest in history, particularly the history of the Genesee Valley. He published several papers for the Scottsville Literary Society, of which he was a member. He gave speeches on historical topics before a variety of organizations, and many of these talks drew on his own experiences. A stroke suffered in 1912 left him impaired to some extent, but he was able to continue with many of his activities until his eyesight failed. Admiral Hanford died on February 8, 1928, and was buried in Oatka Cemetery at Scottsville.

Admiral Hanford was married on November 6, 1878, to Sarah Adelia Crosby (1851-1915) of Scottsville. They had three children, Mary Crosby Hanford (1880-1881), John Munn Hanford (1882-1973), who graduated from Williams College and New York University Medical School and became a prominent New York City physician, and Ruth Crosby Hanford (1887-1976), later Mrs. James Buell Munn, who was graduated from Wellesley College.

Scope and Contents

The bulk of the collection is made up of correspondence. This consists principally of Hanford's correspondence with his family during his years in the Navy. The letters discuss such subjects as the Hanford children, other relatives, the state of the Hanford family's finances, and other family matters. There are some references to naval business in this correspondence. Also found in the correspondence are social communications to and from Admiral Hanford from his years abroad, letters relating to his historical interests, and letters of condolence sent to his family after his death. Additionally, the collection contains copies of Admiral Hanford's historical writings and the speeches he delivered before various groups. Newspaper clippings, calling cards, and a large section of ephemera are also present. The balance of the collection is composed of a large number of photographs collected by Admiral Hanford. A book, The Spiritual Quixote, or the Summer's Ramble of Mr. Geoffrey Wildgoose, has been removed from the collection and catalogued separately in the Department of Rare Books & Special Collections.

Scope and Contents note for 1983 Addition:

This material is an addition to the Franklin Hanford papers. It consists primarily of bound volumes such as Hanford's journals, official Navy log books and manuals of regulation and procedure, personal and family ledgers, and catalogs of books in Hanford's library. There is also some private and official correspondence, photographs, printed ephemera, and material dating from Hanford's student days at Rochester High School (1861-1862) and the United States Naval Academy (1862-1866 The correspondence contained in this collection is composed of letters Hanford received from friends and relatives as well as letters Hanford sent to various family members between 1862 and 1928. These letters concern the affairs of Hanford's immediate family, other relatives and friends. A few of them refer to Navy business, current events, and various ports that Hanford visited. Official Navy and governmental communiqués make up the rest of the correspondence. Notification of orders and promotions and clarification of regulations are the topics of these letters. The official correspondence dates from the early 1860s when Hanford began his career in the Navy and continues until his death in 1928. Although most of the letters are unbound, some of his official papers have been organized chronologically and mounted in a bound volume. Among these is a letter to Hanford from Theodore Roosevelt, then acting Secretary of the Navy (5 August 1897).

Hanford's journals span six decades between the 1860s and the 1910s. Fifteen of the twenty-three extant journals cover the 1860s and 1870s. Of the remaining eight, two date from the 1880s and three each from the 1890s and 1900s. The earliest volume (1861) deals with life in and around Scottsville and Rochester, New York. Hanford recorded such events as the meetings of various social clubs, dances, public debates and lectures, concerts, deaths and funerals. He also gave an account of his chores around the house, and the subjects he studied in school. Of special interest are the entries for 13 April in which he reported the firing on Fort Sumter and 15 April when he heard the news that Major Anderson had surrendered the fort to Confederate forces.

The journals kept during 1863, 1864 and 1866 focus on Hanford's days as a student at the United States Naval Academy, then located in Newport, Rhode Island. In the other volumes from the 1860s (1867, 1868, 1869) he wrote of the voyages he took aboard various naval vessels to Central and South America and the Caribbean.

The journals Hanford kept through the 1870s (1871-1877) continue in this pattern, giving descriptions of the places he and his shipmates visited, some account of the customs of each country, and other events he thought interesting enough to note. During these years Hanford traveled to Central and South America (1871), Western Europe (1872), the Middle East (1873, 1875), India (1875), and China, Japan, and Southeast Asia (1875-1877).

Hanford's surviving journals from the 1880s (1888, 1889) are not as detailed and complete as those from the 1860s and 1870s. They were kept for only the first three months of each year. In January 1888, Hanford was visiting Cold Spring, New York with his family while awaiting reassignment. In March he was ordered to the U.S.S. Pensacola and sailed for Venezuela. There are no entries after March 26, 1888. The journal for 1889 was kept while Hanford was attached to the U.S.S. Pensacola as executive officer. The Pensacola was at anchor in the Norfolk Navy Yard awaiting repairs; Hanford was soon given liberty and returned to Scottsville. He made no entries after March 9, 1889.

Hanford kept journals for the years 1895 through 1897 when he was commander of the U.S.S. Alert. During the 1890s he saw duty in Central and South America (1895-1896), California (1896, 1897), the Hawaiian Islands (1896-1897), British Columbia (1897), and Alaska (1897).

The journal for 1901 was compiled while Hanford was serving as commandant of the United States Naval Station at Cavite, Philippine Islands. The final two volumes cover the years 1906-1912, after Hanford retired from active duty in the Navy. The entries in these line-a-day diaries provide a brief daily account of weather conditions and activities in and around Scottsville and Rochester. Hanford ceased making daily entries after suffering a stroke on September 12, 1912.

The balance of the collection includes newspaper clippings mentioning Hanford, members of his family, or some other matter of personal or professional interest. There are also a number of other items such as calling cards, invitations, holiday and birthday greetings, programs from concerts and sporting events, tickets of various kinds, information concerning the eye problems from which Hanford suffered during the 1890s, and notification of his election to various clubs and honorary societies.

Hanford's high school compositions are also part of this collection, as are copies of the handwritten newspaper (The Scottsville Weekly News, 1856-1857) and the journal (The American Monthly Magazine, 1858) he created and edited while a teenager.

Creator

Dates

  • Creation: 1864-1936

Language of Materials

English

Extent

24 box(es)

Access

The Franklin Hanford Papers is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was given by Richard Hanford Johnson on April 30, 1980.

Immediate Source of Acquisition note for 1983 Addition: Gift of Mrs. Helen Hanford Johnson and Mr. John M. Hanford Jr., May 7, 1983.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], Franklin Hanford Papers, D.143, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Arrangement

Single contents list for both original collection and 1983 addition.

Related Archival Materials

Other collections in the Department of Rare Books & Special Collections that are related to the Franklin Hanford Papers are the Munn-Pixley Family Papers, 1817-1935 (D.101), the Hanford-Munn Family Papers(D.102), and the Mors Ostrander Slocum Papers(D.42). The former collection centers around John Pixley Munn (1846-1931), a first cousin of Franklin Hanford, and includes correspondence by Hanford to Munn. The latter collection centers around Ruth Crosby (Hanford) Munn, daughter of Franklin Hanford, who married James Buell Munn, the son of John Pixley Munn.

Title
Franklin Hanford papers
Author
Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
Date
undated
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Library Details

Part of the Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation Library

Contact:
Rochester NY 14627-0055 USA