Guide to the Daniel Jones Letters, 1860-1863

Daniel Jones was a career carpenter in the United States Navy. Appointed from Maine on December 9, 1847, Jones served as a ship's carpenter aboard the U.S. Ships Decatur, Macedonian, Brooklyn, and St. Louis, as well as at several shore installations.

Jones was first assigned to U.S.S. Decatur (sloop-of-war), which from February 1848 to November 1849 was deployed to the African Squadron, protecting American commercial interests and tracking slave traders. Following a leave of absence and possibly shore duty, Jones was assigned to U.S.S. Macedonian (frigate) from 1853 to1856. After conversion to a sloop-of-war at the Brooklyn Navy Yard from 1852 to 1854, Macedonian was deployed with the East India Squadron, and participated in Commodore Matthew Perry's second visit to Japan, which resulted in the Convention of Kanagawa (March 31, 1854).

Following two years of service at the Naval Asylum in Philadelphia, Jones was attached to U.S.S. Brooklyn (sloop-of-war) in 1860 (ca. February or March). Throughout the spring and summer of 1860, Brooklyn ferried American Minister to Mexico Robert M. McLane between various Mexican ports. By August, Brooklyn had been reassigned to a scientific expedition in search of a route across the isthmus of Chiriqui, Panama. Following the outbreak of the Civil War, Brooklyn was stationed off of the mouth of the Mississippi River as part of the Union Navy's early Gulf coast blockading efforts, before being temporarily decommissioned in late fall, 1861.

Shortly after Brooklyn's decommissioning, Jones was attached to U.S.S. St. Louis (sloop-of-war), which departed the Philadelphia Navy Yard on February 24, 1862 for Cadiz, Spain. Operating out of Cadiz and Lisbon, and ultimately under the command of George H. Preble, St. Louis hunted Confederate commerce raiders for over two years, before returning to domestic waters. Returning to Port Royal, South Carolina on November 26, 1864, St. Louis joined the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Three months later, in February 1865, Jones was detached from St. Louis and stationed at the Navy Yard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Jones retired from the Navy on July 27, 1869 and died eight years later, on June 5, 1877. Daniel Jones was married to Sarah A. Jones. Together, Daniel and Sarah Jones had at least four children, Daniel, Warren, Edwin, and Emily.

Callahan, Edward William, List of Officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps from 1775 to 1900. New York: L. R. Hamersly and Co., 1901.

Navy Department. Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1959-1981.

United States. Bureau of Naval Personnel. Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1814-

The Daniel Jones Letters, consisting of 13 hand-written documents, span from 1860 to 1863. Written during Jones' service aboard the U.S. Ships Brooklyn and St. Louis, the letters focus primarily on domestic and personal matters, especially pertaining to Jones' family.

The letters are arranged chronologically in a single series with no subdivisions, and are addressed exclusively to Jones' wife, Sarah. While Jones does make occasional mention of naval matters, such as personnel changes, pay and allotments, and the transportation of dignitaries, the primary focus is his family. In the letters, Jones frequently references drafts of money for his wife and children, and often offers counsel regarding his children's health, education, and career choices.