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Carroll Storrs Alden Papers, 1860-1965: Finding Aid

Published in October 2013

Summary Information

  • Publisher: United States Naval Academy. Special Collections & Archives.
  • Publisher Address:
    589 McNair Road
    Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5029, USA
    Phone: 410-293-6917
    https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/index.php
  • Call number: MS 205
  • Location: Special Collections & Archives Department - Manuscripts
  • Title: Carroll Storrs Alden Papers
  • Dates: 1860-1965
  • Size: 2.29 linear feet
  • Container Summary: 2 manuscript boxes, 1 flat box
  • Creator: Alden, Carroll Storrs, 1876-
  • Language(s) of material: English
  • Abstract: Carroll Storrs Alden was an author and faculty member at the United States Naval Academy. The Carroll Storrs Alden Papers consist of materials relating to Alden's writings, such as published and unpublished articles, handwritten notes, and book reviews. Also included are letters, photographs, memorabilia, and a diary. Alden served as an instructor, professor, and department head in the United States Naval Academy's Department of English, History and Government from 1904 to 1941.

Biography of Carroll Storrs Alden

Carroll Storrs Alden, author and educator, was born in Medina, Ohio on March 15, 1876. He obtained his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University. He served in the Department of English, History, and Government at the United States Naval Academy as an instructor from 1904 to 1919, as a professor from 1919 to 1941, and as department head from 1924 to 1941. Alden's writings include A Guide to Annapolis and the Naval Academy (with W. O. Stevens, 1910), Life and Letters of George Hamilton Perkins (1914), Makers of Naval Tradition (with Ralph Earle, 1925), Lawrence Kearny, Sailor Diplomat (1936), and The United States Navy: A History (with Allan Westcott, 1943). Dr. Alden retired from the Naval Academy in 1941 and continued to live in the Annapolis area until his death on September 30, 1965.

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Description of Contents

The Carroll Storrs Alden Papers, comprising 2.29 linear feet of documentation, span from 1860 until 1965 and focus on Alden's career as an author and faculty member at the United States Naval Academy. The papers illustrate Alden's interests in Lord Horatio Nelson, Nelson's birthplace of Burnham Thorpe, England, and the musical works of Alonzo "Zo" Elliott, among other topics.

Included in the collection are letters, telegrams, photographs, engravings, postcards, handwritten notes, press clippings, reprints of journal articles, manuscripts of articles (both handwritten and typescript), memos, sheet music, greeting cards, bookplates, and a diary.

The Alden Papers are arranged alphabetically by document type into a single series with no subdivisions. The collection comprises two separate accessions, one of which was previously held by the Naval Academy Archives. Much of the collection is composed of drafts of Alden's writings, especially those on Lord Horatio Nelson, Nelson's birthplace and other naval topics, as well as correspondence discussing his writings and photographs of notable naval personalities and ships, either for use in Alden's writings or class lectures at the Naval Academy. Alden's career as a faculty member at the Academy is further illustrated by the inclusion of lectures, lecture notes, and personnel material. The collection also touches upon Alden's relationship with composer Alonzo "Zo" Elliott, whose credits include "There's a Long Long Trail" and "The Midshipman's March." The collection also includes a single 1860letter from Naval Academy Superintendent George Blake regarding midshipman James Duncan Graham of the Naval Academy Class of 1862.

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Arrangement

The Carroll Storrs Alden Papers are arranged alphabetically by document type.

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Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

The Carroll Storrs Alden Papers are the physical property of Nimitz Library. Copyright belongs to the authors or creators of the works, or their legal representatives. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure written permission to publish, reprint, or reproduce material from Special Collections & Archives. The researcher assumes responsibility for infringement of copyright or literary or publication rights. Please contact the Head, Special Collections & Archives for permission to publish and for further information.

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Acquisition and Appraisal

Provenance and Acquisition

Unknown.

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Related Materials

Related Archival Material

There are no other known collections of papers of Carroll Storrs Alden.

Materials Cataloged Separately

No materials have been removed from this collection.

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Processing and Other Information

2.5 linear inches of material were previously processed and housed with the Faculty/Staff Personal Papers section of the Naval Academy Archives until October 2013.

Preferred Citation

Carroll Storrs Alden Papers, MS 205

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Mary R. Catalfamo. Finding aid written by Mary R. Catalfamo and revised by David D'Onofrio in October 2013.

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Subject Headings

Name and Subject Terms

  • Alden, Carroll Storrs, 1876-
  • Burnham Thorpe (England)
  • Elliott, Zo, 1891-1964
  • Nelson, Horatio Nelson, Viscount, 1758-1805

Genre Terms

  • Clippings (information artifacts)
  • Correspondence
  • Diaries
  • Engravings (prints)
  • Faculty papers
  • Manuscripts
  • Photographs
  • Postcards
  • Research notes
  • Sheet music
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Contents List

Box 1 Folder 1

Correspondence, 1904-1965

Includes correspondence pertaining to the sinking of U.S.S. Tecumseh, discussions of Alden's writings, and a letter from Chester W. Nimitz.

Box 1 Folder 2

Correspondence, 1914-1941

Includes correspondence pertaining to Alden's writings, guests in Annapolis, and lectures. Correspondents include Admiral Louis M. Nulton, Admiral Ernest Eller, Alonzo "Zo" Elliott, and George Blakeslee.

Box 1 Folder 3

Correspondence - Henry Hibberd, 1928-1952

Correspondence between Alden and Hibberd, of Burnham Thorpe, England.

Box 1 Folder 4

Correspondence - James Duncan Graham, 1860

Letter written by Naval Academy Superintendent George S. Blake regarding Midshipman Graham of the Class of 1862.

Box 1 Folder 5

Diary, 1898

Details a trip to Boston, including visiting sites related to Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Boston Public Library. Labeled on back "Meeting with Edward Everett Hale, who wrote 'A Man without a Country.'"

Box 1 Folder 6

Event Program - Quarterdeck Society Public Speaking Contest, 1940

Box 1 Folder 7

Invitation - Naval Academy Dances, 1911

Box 1 Folder 8

Lectures and Lecture Notes, 1920-1939, undated

Includes lectures on Horatio Nelson, the national anthem, letter writing, reading, the Russian Revolution, George Hamilton Perkins, and Don Quixote.

Box 1 Folder 9

Memorabilia, 1913-1958, undated

Includes holiday cards, pamphlets, poems, bookplates, and a Naval Institute membership certificate.

Box 1 Folder 10

Memorandum - Choice of Courses in History, 1932

Box 1 Folder 11

Newspaper Clippings, 1914-1925

Mostly reviews and announcements of Adlen's writings.

Box 3[OS] Folder 1

Newspaper Clippings, 1924

Reprint of the November 7, 1805 issue of the London Times.

Box 1 Folder 12

Newspaper Clippings - Scrapbook Pages, 1909, undated

From a scrapbook kept by Alden's sister, Mary Priscilla Alden.

Box 1 Folder 13

Notes (Handwritten) - The Challenge of the Rising Generation, undated

Box 1 Folder 14

Notes (Handwritten) - Horatio Nelson, undated

Includes notes for the writing of "The Enduring Nelson Tradition."

Box 1 Folder 15

Personnel Records, 1916-1924

Memos regarding appointments, pay, and promotion, as well as a certificate regarding Alden's service on the Committee on Public Information during World War I.

Box 1 Folder 16

Photographs and Engravings - Battle of Lake Champlain, undated

Photograph of Benjamin Tanner's engraving.

Box 1 Folder 17

Photographs and Engravings - Burnham Thorpe, undated

Box 1 Folder 18

Photographs and Engravings - Harbors, undated

Includes images of Whampoa, Canton, and Poros Harbor.

Box 3[OS] Folder 2

Photographs and Engravings - Harbors, undated

Photograph of an aquatint of Whampoa.

Box 1 Folder 19

Photographs and Engravings - John Alden House, undated

Box 1 Folder 20

Photographs and Engravings - Portraits, undated

Includes portraits of John Paul Jones, George Dewey, David Farragut, Chaplain H. H. Clark, Robert Blake, and Alonzo "Zo" Elliott.

Box 3[OS] Folder 3

Photographs and Engravings - Portraits, undated

Engravings of Oliver Hazard Perry and Stephen Decatur by Henry Meyer.

Box 1 Folder 21

Photographs and Engravings - Ships, undated

Includes images of U.S.S. Louisiana (Battleship: BB-19), U.S.S. Macdonough (Destroyer: DD-9), U.S.S. Wilkes (Torpedo Boat: TB-35), U.S.S. Cushing (Torpedo Boat: TB-1), U.S.S. Decatur (Destroyer: DD-5), light ship Nantucket, U.S.S. Saratoga Aircraft Carrier: CVA-60), U.S.S. Nautilus (Submarine (Nuclear Powered): SSN-571), and an Australian convoy.

Box 3[OS] Folder 4

Photographs and Engravings - Ships, undated

Includes images of U.S.S. Constellation (Sloop-of-War) and the battle between U.S.S. Enterprise and H.M.S. Boxer.

Box 1 Folder 22

Photographs and Engravings - Unidentified, undated

Includes images of a treaty signing and a group of German soldiers on a battlefield.

Box 1 Folder 23

Photographs and Engravings - United States Naval Academy Chapel, undated

Box 1 Folder 24

Photographs and Engravings - Wake Island, 1941

Box 1 Folder 25

Photographs and Engravings - War Cruise of the U.S.S. Ross (Destroyer: DD-563), 1944

Box 2 Folder 1

Postcards - Burnham Thorpe, undated

Box 2 Folder 2

Postcards - General, undated

Includes postcards of Plymouth, MA, Horatio Nelson's tomb, the ship Haverhill, and the John Alden House in Massachusetts.

Box 2 Folder 3

Sheet Music - Alonzo Elliott, undated

Sheet music for "The Midshipman's March" and "Annapolis."

Box 3[OS] Folder 5

Sheet Music - Alonzo Elliott, undated

Sheet music for "There's a Long Long Trail" and a handwritten manuscript of "Annapolis."

Box 2 Folder 4

Writings and Publications - "Burnham Thorpe - The Birthplace of Nelson", undated

Box 2 Folder 5

Writings and Publications - "A Call on Ik Marvel", 1898

Box 2 Folder 6

Writings and Publications - "The Contest for a Uniform", undated

Box 2 Folder 7

Writings and Publications - "The Enduring Nelson Tradition", undated

Box 2 Folder 8

Writings and Publications - "The Fair at Nijni Novgorod: A Passing Phase in Commercial History", undated

Box 2 Folder 9

Writings and Publications - "John Paul Jones and his One Defect", undated

Box 2 Folder 10

Writings and Publications - Lawrence Kearny: Sailor Diplomat (Book Review Only), 1937

Box 2 Folder 11

Writings and Publications - "Navy" Encyclopedia Entry, 1959

Correspondence and manuscripts of Alden's entry on the Navy and Naval Reserve for Collier's Encyclopedia.

Box 2 Folder 12

Writings and Publications - "Officers and Gentlemen in the Making", 1935

Reprinted from United States Naval Institute Proceedings.

Box 2 Folder 13

Writings and Publications - "Order and Divine Disorder", undated

Box 2 Folder 14

Writings and Publications - "Skip with Me", undated

By Shirley H. Atwell regarding Mary Adair Skipwith Alden.

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