Biography of the Denison family
Gideon Denison (1753-1799) was born in Saybrook, Connecticut. He married Jerusha Butler, daughter of Dr. Benjamin Butler, at Norwich, Connecticut, on May 28, 1780. They had four children: Henry (1782-1847), Minerva (1784-1877), Louisa (b. 1786) and Elizabeth (1788-1840). Gideon began his career as a merchant/shopkeeper in Norwich. In 1784 he built the brig COMMERCE and immediately sent her to the West Indies with a cargo of horses.
Denison left Connecticut in August 1784 and settled near Portsmouth, Virginia, leaving angry creditors along the way. During the following year he traveled continually between Portsmouth and Washington, North Carolina, trying to develop business. A series of misfortunes and lack of capital left him further in debt, and he was forced to sell his vessel in 1785. At a friend&s suggestion he traveled to Ireland in the hope of establishing business contacts there and in England. Arriving in Dublin in August 1785, Denison spent a year traveling to various cities, including London and Liverpool, meeting people and enjoying the culture. However, he returned to America in 1786, still unsuccessful and unable to pay the captain for his passage. After obtaining a five-year extension agreement from his major creditors in New York, he returned to the Portsmouth region, flat broke but with an opportunity for a new beginning.
In 1787 Denison opened a store in Newport Bridge, Georgia, which he later relocated to Savannah. It was there that he finally began to find success. During the next several years he established himself as a influential merchant. He purchased a plantation and began shipping large cargoes of rice, lumber, tobacco and cotton aboard his vessels to American and foreign ports.
In January 1793 Denison became involved in land speculation. With partner John Hall, he began to acquire large tracts of land in various states, with the intention of selling off parcels to smaller investors and individuals at a generous profit. Denison would eventually own hundreds of thousand of acres of land in Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee, but like most of those involved he would lose nearly everything he had.
In 1795 Denison relocated once again, this time to Philadelphia, at the same time purchasing property near Havre de Grace, Maryland, known as Sion Hill, where he settled down with his family. In 1798 he opened a store in Knoxville, Tennessee, putting his brother Ezra in charge. The following year he sent Ezra to Natchez with instructions to prepare another store there.
By this time, however, speculators like Gideon Denison were in serious financial trouble, due in part to a poor economy and conflicting government regulations. In April 1799 he was unable to settle a debt for $8,500.00, and was ordered to prison. Evidence suggests he never went to prison, but lived out his few remaining days at Sion Hill, where he died on September 24, 1799. His wife, Jerusha Butler Denison, continued to live there, and her son Henry maintained the property until he died in 1822. Eventually it was occupied by Robert S. Rodgers, the son of Gideon’s daughter Minerva, who had married Commodore John Rodgers.
Henry Denison (1782-1822), the only son of Gideon and Jerusha Denison, was for most of his adult life a purser in the U.S. Navy. He was aboard the U.S. Brig ARGUS when it was captured by the British during the War of 1812. He was sent to England and paroled to the town of Ashburton, where he acted as an agent for other American prisoners of war confined to Dartmoor and Mill prisons, and on British prison ships. Upon his return to the United States, Henry Denison continued his career as purser until his death in 1822.
Biography of the Rodgers family
John Rodgers was born July 11, 1772, in Maryland. He entered the Navy in 1798 as a second lieutenant and in 1799 he was promoted to captain. As a result of his brilliant record in the Tripolitan War while in command of JOHN ADAMS, he was appointed Commodore of the Mediterranean Squadron in 1805. He later took command of the North Atlantic Squadron, a post he continued throughout the War of 1812. His many successes as commander of the frigate PRESIDENT included the capture of twenty-three prizes and the rendering of vital aid to the defense of Ft. McHenry. Rodgers was appointed to the Board of Navy Commissioners in 1815, but returned to active service in the 1820s, again taking command of the Mediterranean Squadron. He resumed his work with the Board of Navy Commissioners around 1827, and remained in that position until 1837. Rodgers died in Philadelphia on August 1, 1838.
John Rodgers married Minerva Denison in 1806, and together they had eleven children. Details about several of these children follow.
Robert Smith Rodgers (1810-1889) worked as a civil engineer and served as a colonel in the U.S. Army during the Civil War. His wife was Sarah Perry, the daughter of Matthew Calbraith Perry.
John Rodgers (1812-1882) entered the U.S. Navy as a midshipman in 1828. As a lieutenant commander aboard the U.S. Schooner WAVE, he acted as purser. In the 1850s he was in command of the North Pacific Exploring and Surveying Expedition. His distinguished service during the Civil War saw him rise to the rank of captain in 1862, and later to commodore. Rodgers was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in 1869.
William Pinkney Rodgers (1821-1885) was a lawyer and adventurer. He travelled extensively in the American Southwest and in California during the Gold Rush, where he established a business transporting provisions to miners.
Scope and Contents of the Papers
The Denison-Rodgers Family Papers, comprising 40 Hollinger document boxes of manuscript material and 27 volumes, are organized into three major sections: (I) Gideon Denison Papers, (II) Henry Denison Papers and (III) Rodgers Family Papers.
Section I (22 boxes) contains the business and personal records of Gideon Denison, a merchant, businessman and land speculator, born at Saybrook, Connecticut, in 1753. He operated stores in Connecticut, Georgia and Tennessee, and did business in cities from New Orleans to Boston. He also traded at foreign ports in England, Europe and the West Indies. An important reserach thread in these papers are the records of his speculation in America’s Western lands, an activity that caused him to lose nearly everything and perhaps hastened his death in 1799. This Section is further divided into two Series: (1) Business & family correxpondence and (2) Business & family accounts + related papers.
Section II (13 boxes) includes the papers of Henry Denison, the oldest child and only son of Gideon and Jerusha Butler Denison. Born in 1792, Henry Denison was a Purser in the U.S. Navy, who became a prisoner of war after his ship was captured by the British during the War of 1812. A majority of the records in the Section detail his naval career and especially his time in England as a POW. He remained in the Navy following his release, but died a few years later in 1822. The Section is organized into three Series: (1) Naval correspondence, (2) Naval papers and (3) Personal letters & papers.
Several members of the Rodgers family are represented in Section III (5 boxes), most notably Commodore John Rodgers (1772-1838) and his wife, Minerva Denison Rodgers, the oldest daughter of Gideon and Jerusha Denison. In addition, one will find papers relative to their sons Robert S. Rodgers (1810-1899), John Rodgers (1812-1882), William P. Rodgers (1821-1885) and Henry Rodgers (d. 1854). Other notables include Commodore Matthew C. Perry (father-in-law of Robert Rodgers), Brigadier General Montgomery Meigs (son-in-law of Commodore Rodgers) and Commodore David Porter. The records include letters to and from Commodore Rodgers, in addition to information about the careers of his sons. Family correspondence and related material, much of it written to or collected by Robert S. Rodgers, also appear in this Section. A letter written to his mother Minerva from Washington, D.C. following the assassination of President Lincoln is one of the many interesting pieces in these papers. The Section is divided into two Series: (1) Personal correspondence & papers and (2) Naval & military papers.
The 27 bound volumes in this collection relate to various members of the Denison and Rodgers families, and cover a broad span of years between 1784 and 1900. They are organized chronologically and can be found at the end of the 40 numbered manuscript boxes described above.
Volumes 1-9 provide details into the business of Gideon Denison. They include ledgers, daybooks, journals, invoice records, blotters, etc., all related to his various stores and merchandising activity. There are no references to his involvement with land speculation. Of special interest is the journal/diary (Vol. 3) describing his attempts to reestablish his business fortunes from the time he left New London to his arrival at Newport Bridge, Georgia (1784-1787).
Volumes 20-23 contain family records (1818-1821), possibly kept by Henry Denison, many of them regarding expenses of the Sion Hill property. A journal (Vol. 24) seems to detail Robert Rodgers’ management of the Sion Hill estate for the year 1845, while a similar volume (Vol. 25) was kept by C. P. Rodgers in 1864. A thick, coverless scrapbook of clippings and genealogical information, ca. 1900, includes Rodgers family memorabilia, including obituaries, wedding and funeral announcements and clippings acknowledging members of the family and their naval or military careers (Vol. 27).
Restrictions
Restrictions on Access
Available for use in the Manuscripts Division.
Restrictions on Use
Various copying restriction apply. Guidelines are available from the Manuscripts Division.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the G. W. Blunt White Library. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalogusing these headings.
Persons:
Butler, Benjamin
Denison, Ezra
Denison, Gideon, 1753-1799
Denison, Jerusha Butler
Perry, Matthew Calbraith, 1794-1858
Rodgers, Henry, d. 1854
Rodgers, John, 1773-1838
Rodgers, Minerva Denison, 1784-1877
Rodgers, Robert Smith, 1810-1889
Rodgers, William Pinkney, b. 1821
Corporate Bodies (Including Vessels):
Argus (Brig : 1803)
Commerce (Brig)
President (Frigate : 1800)
Recovery (Brig)
Wave (Schooner : 1832)
Places:
New London (Conn.)
Newport Bridge (Ga.)
Philadephia (Pa.)
Savannah (Ga.)
Sion Hill (Md.)
Subjects:
Coastwise shipping
Cotton trade
Land speculation
Lumber trade
Mines and mining — California
Prisoners of war
Prizes
Rice trade
Slave trade
United States–Commerce–West Indies
United States–Territorial expansion–History–19th century
United States. Navy–History–Mexican War, 1846-1848
United States. Navy–History–Tripolitan War, 1801-1805
United States. Navy–History–War of 1812
West Indies–Commerce–United States
Yellow fever
Document Types:
Correspondence
Diaries
Journals (Accounts)
Administrative Information
Coll. 356, Manuscripts Collection, G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
| Gideon Denison Papers, ca. 1780-1818 | |||||||||||||
| Series 1: Business and family correspondence | |||||||||||||
| Gideon Denison – Incoming correspondence; 1785-1799 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Business correspondence; 1785-1786 (5 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Business correspondence; 1787-1788 (4 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Business correspondence; 1789 (3 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Business correspondence; 1790 Jan-Mar (19 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Business correspondence; 1790 Apr-Oct (17 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Business correspondence; 1790 Nov-Dec (15 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Business correspondence; 1791 Jan-Oct (21 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Business correspondence; 1791 Nov-Dec (17 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | Business correspondence; 1792 (9 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Business correspondence; 1793 Jan-Feb (22 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Business correspondence; 1793 Mar-May (21 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Business correspondence; 1793 Jun (13 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Business correspondence; 1793 Jul (25 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 1 | Business correspondence; 1793 Aug (15 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Business correspondence; 1793 Sep 22 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Business correspondence; 1793 Oct-Dec (31 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Business correspondence; 1794 Jan-Apr (27 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 4 | 1 | Business correspondence; 1794 May-Jul (28 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Business correspondence; 1794 Aug-Oct (24 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Business correspondence; 1794 Nov-Dec (19 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Business correspondence; 1795 Jan-Mar (34 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 5 | 1 | Business correspondence; 1795 Apr-May (23 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Business correspondence; 1795 Jun-Aug (20 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Business correspondence; 1795 Sep-Oct (29 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Business correspondence; 1795 Nov-Dec (22 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Business correspondence; 1796 Jan-Mar (25 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 6 | 1 | Business correspondence; 1796 Apr-May (19 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Business correspondence; 1796 Jun-Dec (26 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Business correspondence; 1797 Jan-Apr (31 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Business correspondence; 1797 May-Jun (16 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Business correspondence; 1797 Jul-Dec (pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 7 | 1 | Business correspondence; 1798 Jan-Jul (26 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Business correspondence; 1798 Aug-Dec (32 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Business correspondence; 1799 Jan-Jun (29 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Business correspondence; 1799 Jul-Dec (16 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Gideon Denison – Letter copy books; 1784-1799 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 8 | 1 | Gideon Denison, unbound letter copy book; 1784-1787 (1 piece) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Gideon Denison, unbound letter copy book; 1788-1789 (1 piece) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Gideon Denison, unbound letter copy book; 1794-1799 (1 piece) | ||||||||||||
| Gideon, Jerusha and Henry Denison – Estate and business papers; 1790-1817 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 9 | 1 | Gideon Denison and John Hall land speculation partnership; 1793-1794 (19 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Gideon Denison and John Hall land speculation partnership; 1795-1797 (17 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Estate and family papers following Gideon Denison’s death; 1799-1817 and undated (52 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Gideon Denison, personal correspondence; 1794-1798 (10 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Jerusha Denison correspondence; 1799-1800 (14 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Jerusha Denison correspondence; 1801-1802 (19 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Jerusha Denison correspondence; 1803-1818 and undated (13 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Accounts with Ezra Denison at Knoxville, Tenn.; 1798 Aug-Nov (28 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Accounts with Ezra Denison at Knoxville, Tenn.; 1798 Dec (10 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Accounts with Ezra Denison at Knoxville, Tenn. and Natchez, Miss.; 1799-1800 (18 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Series 2: Business and family accounts and related papers | |||||||||||||
| Gideon Denison – Bills of lading, bills, etc.; 1784-1795 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 10 | 1 | Bills of lading; 1794-1795 (66 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Bills; 1792 (5 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Bills; 1793 (28 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Bills; 1794 Jan-Apr (45 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Bills; 1794 May-Jul 26 (pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Bills; 1794 Aug-1795 Jan (31 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Gideon Denison – Invoices; 1789-1795 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 11 | 1 | Invoices; 1789 10 (pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Invoices; 1790 (10 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Invoices; 1791-1792 (22 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Invoices; 1793 (27 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Gideon Denison – Accounts and sales, lumber bills, etc.; 1791-1794 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 12 | 1 | Accounts and sales; 1791-1792 (25 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Accounts and sales; 1793-1794 (17 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Bills of exchange that have been remitted; 1793 (9 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Gideon Denison – Orders and other business papers; 1790-1799 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 13 | 1 | Orders; 1790 (7 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Orders; 1791 Jan-Oct (23 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Orders; 1791 Nov-Dec (60 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Orders; 1792 Jan-Apr (54 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Orders; 1792 May-Jun (24 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Orders; 1792 Jul-Oct (35 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Orders; 1792 Nov-Dec (70 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 14 | 1 | Orders; 1793 Jan (52 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Orders; 1793 Feb (44 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Orders; 1793 Mar (40 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Orders; 1793 Apr (44 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Orders; 1793 May (36 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Orders; 1793 Jun (47 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Orders; 1793 Jul (31 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Orders; 1793 Aug (38 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 15 | 1 | Orders; 1794 Jan-Feb (25 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Orders; 1794 Mar-Dec (25 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Orders; 1799 Jan-May (27 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Orders; 1799 Jun-Sep (25 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Orders; 1799 Oct-Dec (27 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Receipts at Natchez (Ezra Denison Estate); 1799-1801 (48 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Power of Attorney, Gideon Denison to Ezra Denison; 1799 May 9 (1 piece) | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Slave sale records; 1791-1794 and undated (18 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Gideon Denison – Ships accounts and papers; 1784-1792 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 16 | 1 | Brig COMMERCE, papers and accounts; 1784-1785 (30 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Charter brigantine DAUPHIN; 1791 Aug 4 (1 piece) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Bills and accounts for cargo of lumber, brig DAUPHIN; 1791 Oct-1792 Mar (30 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Lumber bills and bills of supply for ship FLORA; 1793 Feb-May (48 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Brig MARIA papers; 1792 (27 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Brig RECOVERY (Gideon Denison, owner) papers; 1790 (34 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Brig RECOVERY (Gideon Denison, owner) papers; 1791 (61 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Brig RECOVERY (Gideon Denison, owner) papers; 1792 (13 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Gideon Denison – General business records; 1780-1799 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 17 | 1 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1780-1782 (17 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1783 (50 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1784 Jan-Jul (58 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1784 Aug-Dec (44 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1785 (19 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 18 | 1 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1786 (4 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1787 (11 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1788 (23 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1789 (30 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1790 Jan-Sep (59 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1790 Oct-Dec (69 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1791 Jan-Jun (49 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 19 | 1 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1791 Jul-Dec (73 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1792 Jan-Mar (59 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1792 Apr-May (21 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1792 Jun-Oct (35 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1792 Nov-Dec (27 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 20 | 1 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1793 Jan-Mar (65 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1793 Apr-Jul (36 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1793 Aug-Dec (91 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1794 Jan-May (42 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 21 | 1 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1794 Jun-Dec (47 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1795 Jan-May (50 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1795 Jun-Jul (18 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1795 Aug-Dec (40 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 22 | 1 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1796 (63 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1797 (72 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1798 (46 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Accounts, bills, receipts and invoices; 1799 (15 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Henry Denison Papers, ca. 1794-1822 | |||||||||||||
| Series 1: Naval Correspondence | |||||||||||||
| Henry Denison – Naval correspondence and prisoner of war letters; 1812-1815 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 23 | 1 | Correspondence; 1812 (6 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Correspondence; 1813 Jan-Feb (9 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Correspondence; 1813 Mar-May (9 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Correspondence; 1813 Jun-Sep (14 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Correspondence; 1813 Oct (9 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Correspondence; 1813 Nov-Dec (12 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Correspondence; 1814 Jan (7 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 24 | 1 | Correspondence; 1814 Feb (11 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Correspondence; 1814 Mar (18 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Correspondence; 1814 Apr 1-15 (14 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Correspondence; 1814 Apr 16-30 (21 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Correspondence; 1814 May 1-14 (15 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Correspondence; 1814 May 15-31 (14 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 25 | 1 | Correspondence; 1814 Jun (16 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Correspondence; 1814 Jul 1-15 (8 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Correspondence; 1814 Jul 16-31 (10 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Correspondence; 1814 Aug 1-17 (5 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Correspondence; 1814 Aug 18-31 (12 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Correspondence; 1814 Sep 1-21 (8 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Correspondence; 1814 Sep 22-30 (13 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 26 | 1 | Correspondence; 1814 Oct 1-15 (16 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Correspondence; 1814 Oct 16-31 (12 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Correspondence; 1814 Nov (7 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Correspondence; 1815 Jan-Apr (15 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Correspondence; 1815 May-Jun (10 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Correspondence; 1815 Jul-Oct (9 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Correspondence; 1815 Nov-Dec (6 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Henry Denison – Purser’s correspondence; 1816-1822 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 27 | 1 | Correspondence; 1816 Jan-Mar (13 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Correspondence; 1816 Apr-Jun (11 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Correspondence; 1816 Jul (8 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Correspondence; 1816 Aug-Dec (22 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Correspondence; 1817 Jan-Jun (16 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Correspondence; 1817 Jul-Dec (17 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Correspondence; 1818 Jan-Feb (10 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 28 | 1 | Correspondence; 1818 Mar-Jul (10 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Correspondence; 1818 Aug-Sep (9 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Correspondence; 1818 Oct-Dec (10 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Correspondence; 1819 Jan-Oct (8 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Correspondence; 1819 Nov-Dec (14 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Correspondence; 1820 Jan (14 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Correspondence; 1820 Feb-Mar (13 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 29 | 1 | Correspondence; 1820 Apr 1-11 (15 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Correspondence; 1820 Apr 12-30 (12 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Correspondence; 1820 May (12 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Correspondence; 1820 Jun 1-15 (11 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Correspondence; 1820 Jun 16-30 (11 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Correspondence; 1820 Jul (12 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 30 | 1 | Correspondence; 1820 Aug 1-14 (7 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Correspondence; 1820 Aug 15-31 (10 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Correspondence; 1820 Sep (8 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Correspondence; 1820 Oct (6 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Correspondence; 1820 Nov (24 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Correspondence; 1820 Dec (7 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Correspondence; 1821 Jan (5 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 31 | 1 | Correspondence; 1821 Feb (13 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Correspondence; 1821 Mar (12 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Correspondence; 1821 Apr (9 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Correspondence; 1821 May-Jun (12 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Correspondence; 1821 Jul-Sep (11 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Correspondence; 1821 Oct-Dec (10 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Correspondence; 1822 (20 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Series 2: Naval papers | |||||||||||||
| Henry Denison – Purser, brig ARGUS papers; 1811-1818 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 32 | 1 | Henry Dension, purser’s appointment; 1811 Dec 5 and 1812 Apr 29 (2 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Henry Denison, prize captain, ship ARIADNE, related papers; 1812-1818 (22 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Brig ARGUS, purser’s records and accounts, etc.; 1812 (15 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Brig ARGUS, purser’s records and accounts, etc.; 1813 (15 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Brig ARGUS, bills paid at Lorient; 1813 Jul (30 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Henry Denison, bills paid at Ashburton, as prisoner of war and purser, brig ARGUS; 1814 (37 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Brig ARGUS, monthly payroll receipts of officers on parole at Ashburton; 1814 Mar-Sep (5 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 33 | 1 | List of officers, seamen and marines aboard brig ARGUS; 1813 Aug 14 (1 piece) | |||||||||||
| 2 | List of ARGUS crew members held at Dartmoor Prison; 1813 (1 piece) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Correspondence concerning the effects and funeral expenses of Captain William H. Allen, brig ARGUS; 1813-1816 (6 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Subscription for assistance for John Nugen[t], wounded aboard brig Argus on August 14, 1813; 1815 (1 piece) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | List of officers, petty officers, ordinary seamen and marines aboard the late ship FROLIC; 1814 Aug (1 piece) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Brig ARGUS, records of crew members (ex-prisoners of war) discharged and/or paid off at Norfold, Va., by Henry Denison, Purser; 1815 Mar (11 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Henry Denison, accounts with the Navy Departmemt; 1815 Apr-Dec (5 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Printed booklet, Rules and Regulations for the Government of the Recruiting Service, U.S. Navy (12 pp.), with information on comparative ranks between the Army and Navy; ca. 1815 (2 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Miscellaneous undated material, including ration table; undated (18 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Series 3: Personal letters and papers | |||||||||||||
| Henry Denison – Personal papers and correspondence; 1794-1822 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 34 | 1 | Letters from Comm. John Rodgers; 1804-1822 (12 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Letters from mother and sister regarding death of Henry Denison’s wife during childbirth; 1821-1822 (6 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | General business correspondence; 1807 (16 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | General business correspondence; 1811 (3 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | General business correspondence; 1818-1819 (6 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Bills, receipts, invoices and accounts; 1794-1801 (18 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Bills, receipts, invoices and accounts; 1802-1811 (26 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Bills, receipts, invoices and accounts; 1812-1815 (53 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Bills, receipts, invoices and accounts; 1816 (53 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Bills, receipts, invoices and accounts; 1817 (49 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 35 | 1 | Bills, receipts, invoices and accounts; 1818 Jan-Jun (47 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Bills, receipts, invoices and accounts; 1818 Jul-Dec (50 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Bills, receipts, invoices and accounts; 1819 (47 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Bills, receipts, invoices and accounts; 1820 Jan-Apr (52 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Bills, receipts, invoices and accounts; 1820 May-Dec (47 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Bills, receipts, invoices and accounts; 1821 (26 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Bills, receipts, invoices and accounts; 1822 and undated (16 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Rodgers Family Papers, ca. 1803-1910 | |||||||||||||
| Commodore John Rodgers and wife Minerva, Robert S. Rodgers, John A. Rodgers, William Rodgers and Henry Rodgers, and others | |||||||||||||
| Series 1: Personal correspondence and papers | |||||||||||||
| Rodgers family – Personal papers; 1803-1920 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 36 | 1 | Personal correspondence; 1803-1836 (12 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Africa Squadron slave trade letter from William P. Rodgers to his brother Robert written aboard ship MACEDONIAN at sea; 1844 Jun 26 (1 piece) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Personal correspondence, including letters from William P. Rodgers written from Chicago and other Illinois towns, New Mexico and Texas; 1846-1849 (20 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Personal correspondence, including letters written by William P. Rodgers from Chihuaha, Mexico, and San Francisco and Union Town, California; 1850 (11 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Personal correspondence, including letters written by William P. Rodgers from Alvarado, California; 1851-1855 (4 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Personal correspondence; 1860-1911 and undated (16 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Letter from Minerva Rodgers to her son Robert, written from Washington the day after President Lincoln’s assassination; 1865 Apr 15 (2 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 8 | U.S. Naval Academy class reports for J. A. Rodgers; 1867 (2 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Minerva Rodgers’ will; 1869 (4 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Biographical essays relative to the career of Commodore John Rodgers and the defense of Baltimore during the War of 1812; author unidentified; ca. 1850 (5 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 11 | Letter drafts providing details of the attack on Ft. McHenry and the defense of Baltimore, 1814; author unidentified; ca. 1860 (6 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 12 | Essays providing first person account of activities in and around Washington and Baltimore during the Civil War; author unidentified; undated (8 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 13 | Historical essay and comments on the discovery of America and related early exploration; author unidentified; ca. 1860 (3 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 37 | 1 | Personal and household invoices, bills, receipts, etc.; 1807-1835 (11 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Personal and household invoices, bills, receipts, etc.; 1836 Jan-Jul (20 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Personal and household invoices, bills, receipts, etc.; 1836 Aug-Dec (28 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Personal and household invoices, bills, receipts, etc.; 1837 Jan-Mar (26 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Personal and household invoices, bills, receipts, etc.; 1837 Apr-Dec (25 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Personal and household invoices, bills, receipts, etc.; 1844-1894 and undated (28 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 38 | 1 | Miscellaneous banking papers; 1822-1830 (59 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Miscellaneous banking papers; 1831 (109 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Miscellaneous banking papers; 1832 (64 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Miscellaneous banking papers; 1833-1834 (54 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Miscellaneous banking papers; 1835-1920 (36 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Deeds, Black Rock, N.Y., and other properties; 1825-1836 (17 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Genealogy, Wallace, Denison, Perry and Rodgers families; undated (32 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Essay regarding ways to lighten domestic labor; pages from the American Farmer (1851); other miscellaneous items; (5 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Series 2: Naval and military papers | |||||||||||||
| Rodgers Family – Naval correspondence; 1805-1854 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 39 | 1 | Naval correspondence; 1805-1833 (11 pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | Naval correspondence; 1846 (10 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Naval correspondence; 1847 (11 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Naval correspondence; 1848 Jan-May (9 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Naval correspondence; 1848 Jun-Dec (11 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Naval correspondence; 1849 (16 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Naval correspondence; 1850-1854 and undated (5 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Rodgers Family – Naval and military papers; 1807-1906 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 40 | 1 | U.S. Schooner WAVE, ship’s bills, accounts and related papers paid by Lt. Cmdr. John Rodgers, Acting Purser; 1840 Jan-Jul (15pieces) | |||||||||||
| 2 | U.S. Schooner WAVE, ship’s bills, accounts and related papers paid by Lt. Cmdr. John Rodgers, Acting Purser; 1840 Aug-1841 Jun (23 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | U.S. Brig JEFFERSON, crew list, accounts for repairs and provisions, etc., paid by Lt. Cmdr. John Rodgers, Acting Purser; 1841-1842 (12 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Signal book; Commodore John Rodgers; 1807 (1 piece) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Lieut. O. H. Perry’s report of the loss of U.S. Schooner REVENGE, dated New London, Conn., January 11, 1811 (photocopy); 2 copies; 1811 Jan 11 (2 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | U.S. Frigate PRESIDENT; typed copies and handwritten extract from Commodore Rodgers’ journal; 1813-1814 (7 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | U.S. Frigate PRESIDENT; crew list identifying those aboard when the British schooner FALCON was captured; 1813 Jul 12 (1 piece) | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Papers and documents regarding ransom bonds received aboard U.S. Frigate PRESIDENT at sea; 1813 Jul-Aug (9 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Provisions bills for the Ward Room Mess, U.S. Frigate PRESIDENT; 1810 Oct. 12 (1 piece) | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Copies of testimony regarding the conduct of Capt. John Orde Creighton; 1825-1828 (6 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 11 | Expenditure vouchers delivered by Lieut. John A. Rodgers, aboard U.S.S. MIANTONOMOH; ca. 1890 (28 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 12 | Copies of testimony concerning the grounding of KENTUCKY and KEARSARGE; 1906 Jan (15 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 13 | Finding by the Court of Inquiry regarding the collision between schooner WILSON AND HUNTING and the U.S.S. CULGOA; 1904 Nov (9 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 14 | Robert Rodgers; military papers, correspondence, commissions, etc.; 1861 (15 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 15 | Robert Rodgers; military papers, correspondence, commissions, etc.; 1862-1866 (7 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| 16 | Miscellaneous and unidentified pieces; (11 pieces) | ||||||||||||
| Volumes | |||||||||||||
| Volume | |||||||||||||
| 1 | Gideon Denison, Ledger; 1784-1785 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Gideon Denison, Receipt book; 1788-1792 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Gideon Denison, Journal/Diary; 1784 Aug-1797 Aug | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Gideon Denison, Notebook; 1792-1796 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Daybook, Newport Bridge; 1787 Aug-1788 Mar | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Daybook, Newport Bridge; 1788 Mar-Jun | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Daybook, North Newport Bridge; 1788 Oct-1789 Apr | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Daybook, North Newport Bridge; 1788 Dec-1789 Apr | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Daybook, Savannah; 1791 Nov-1792 Mar | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Daybook, Savannah; 1792 Mar-Dec | ||||||||||||
| 11 | Daybook, Savannah; 1792 Oct-Dec | ||||||||||||
| 12 | Blotter no. 3, Savannah; 1791 Feb-Nov | ||||||||||||
| 13 | Blotter no. 2, Savannah; 1792 Nov-1793 Jan | ||||||||||||
| 14 | Daybook (Blotter no. 2), Natchez; 1799 May-Aug | ||||||||||||
| 15 | Daybook, Natchez; 1799 Sep-1800 Jan | ||||||||||||
| 16 | Bills Receivable, Natchez; 1800 Feb-1801 May | ||||||||||||
| 17 | Invoice book; 1792 Jul-1794 Apr | ||||||||||||
| 18 | Invoice book; 1798 Feb | ||||||||||||
| 19 | Invoice book; 1798-1800 | ||||||||||||
| 20 | Memorandum of daily accounts; ca. 1820 Apr-May | ||||||||||||
| 21 | Denison family, Ledger/Account book; ca. 1818-1821 1784-1785 | ||||||||||||
| 22 | Volume of payment stubs for “Office of Discount & Deposit”; 1819 Dec 8-1820 Oct 2 | ||||||||||||
| 23 | Volume of daily receipts or payments; 1821 Aug 30-Dec 13 | ||||||||||||
| 24 | Robert Rodgers, Diary/Journal; 1845 | ||||||||||||
| 25 | Memorandum book; 1864 | ||||||||||||
| 26 | Notebook; undated | ||||||||||||
| 27 | Rodgers family scrapbook; ca. 1860-1900 | ||||||||||||