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Alva D. Bernhard and Edward H. Gheen Papers, 1862-1942: Finding Aid

Published in February 2019

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 478
  • Location: Special Collections & Archives Department - Manuscripts
  • Title: Alva D. Bernhard and Edward H. Gheen Papers
  • Dates: 1862-1942
  • Size: 6.08 linear feet
  • Container Summary: 3 manuscript boxes, 4 flat boxes, 1 oversize folder
  • Creator: Bernhard, Alva D., 1886-1955
  • Language(s) of material: English
  • Abstract: The Alva D. Bernhard and Edward H. Gheen Papers span from 1862-1942. The papers document the combined U.S. Navy careers of Alva D. Bernhard, United States Naval Academy Class of 1909, and his father-in-law, Edward H. Gheen, United States Naval Academy Class of 1867, as well as documenting the lives of their wives and the genealogy of the Gheen and Monfort families.

Biographical Chronology of Alva Douglas Bernhard

1886
  • Born on March 9 in Enterprise, Pennsylvania.
1905
  • Appointed to the United States Naval Academy by the President.
1909
  • In June, graduates from the United States Naval Academy.
  • Assigned to U.S.S. Kansas (Battleship: BB-21).
1914
  • Detached from U.S.S. Kansas for service aboard U.S.S. Maine (Battleship: BB-10), U.S.S. Ohio (Battleship: BB-12), and U.S.S. Balch (Destroyer: DD-50).
  • On June 5, promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade).
1915
  • In September, attached to the Washington Navy Yard.
1917
  • Assigned to additional duty as Aide to Rear Admiral James H. Glennon as part of the Naval Mission to Russia.
  • On June 5, promoted to Lieutenant.
  • Assigned as Aide to Commander Battleship Force One, Atlantic Fleet aboard U.S.S. Missouri.
1918
  • In May, attached to U.S.S. Kansas (Battleship: BB-21) as Gunnery Officer.
1919
  • Attached to U.S.S. New Mexico (Battleship: BB-40).
1920
  • In December, attached to the Bureau of Ordnance.
1921
  • On June 3, promoted to Lieutenant Commander.
1923
  • Assigned to additional duty on the Federal Committee for Coordination of Occupational Terminology and Specification.
1924
  • In April, receives command of U.S.S. Litchfield (Destroyer: DD-336).
1926
  • On October 2, promoted to Commander.
1927
  • On January 1, ordered to Naval Air Station Pensacola for flight instruction.
  • In September, designated a Naval Aviator.
  • In December, receives command of U.S.S. Aroostook (Aircraft tender: (CM-3).
1929
  • In August, assumes command of Fleet Air Base, Coco Solo, Canal Zone.
1931
  • In October, ordered to Patrol Squadron 9 as Commanding Officer.
1932
  • In June, attached to U.S.S. Lexington (Aircraft carrier: CV-2) as Executive Officer.
1934
  • In July, attached to the Bureau of Aeronautics.
1937
  • On June 3, promoted to Captain.
  • In June, assigned as Chief of Staff, Commander Aircraft Base Force (later redesignated Aircraft Scouting Force).
1939
  • Assumes command of U.S.S. Lexington.
1940
  • In June, detached from U.S.S. Lexington for instruction at the Naval War College.
  • Assigned to oversee construction of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.
1941
  • On March 12, commissions Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.
1942
  • In April, promoted to Rear Admiral.
  • Appointed Commander Air Force, Atlantic Fleet.
1943
  • Receives command of Task Force 22, Atlantic Fleet, operating in the North Atlantic with the British Home Fleet.
1944
  • Ordered to duty in the Pacific, participating in the Gilbert Islands, Marshall Islands, and Saipan Campaigns.
1945
  • In November, ordered to the Naval Hospital, San Diego.
  • Appointed Commander Naval Air Bases, 11th Naval District.
1946
  • In March, readmitted to Naval Hospital, San Diego.
  • On November 1, retired due to physical disability.
1955
  • Died on July 24 at Coronado, California.
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Biographical Chronology of Edward Hickman Gheen

1845
  • Born on December 11 in Delaware County, Pennsylvania to Edward and Phebe Gheen.
1862
  • On September 25, receives appointment to the United States Naval Academy as a member of the Class of 1866.
1864
  • In June, is found deficient and is turned back to the Class of 1867.
1867
  • In June, graduates from the United States Naval Academy.
  • In October, attached to the Asiatic Station aboard U.S.S. Piscataqua (Screw steamer, later renamed U.S.S. Delaware).
1868
  • On December 18, commissioned as an Ensign.
1870
  • On March 21, promoted to Master.
  • In November, detached from U.S.S. Delaware.
1871
  • In March, assigned to signal duty in Washington, DC.
  • On March 21, promoted to Lieutenant.
  • In July, detached from signal duty.
1872
  • In January, attached to the North Atlantic Station aboard U.S.S. Mahopac (Monitor).
  • In March, detached from U.S.S. Mahopac and attached to the receiving ship U.S.S. New Hampshire at Norfolk.
  • In May, attached to the flagship of the South Atlantic Station, U.S.S. Lancaster (Screw sloop).
1875
  • In July, detached from U.S.S. Lancaster.
  • In August, attached to the receiving ship U.S.S. Potomac at Philadelphia.
1876
  • In December, attached to the training ship U.S.S. Constitution (Frigate).
1877
  • In January, transferred to the European Station aboard U.S.S. Alliance (Screw gunboat).
1880
  • In January, detached from U.S.S. Alliance.
  • In April, attached to the Navy Yard at League Island, Pennsylvania.
1881
  • In May, detached from the League Island Navy Yard.
  • In June, attached to the Newport Torpedo Station for torpedo instruction.
  • In September, detached from the Newport Torpedo Station and returns to duty at the League Island Navy Yard.
  • In December, attached to the flagship of the North Atlantic Station, U.S.S. Tennessee (Screw frigate).
1883
  • In September, attached to the United States Naval Academy as an Assistant to the Commandant.
  • On October 17, marries Florence Monfort.
1884
  • In June, assigned to the practice ship U.S.S. Constellation (Sloop-of-war) in support of the midshipman practice cruise.
1887
  • In June, detached from United States Naval Academy.
  • In July, attached to U.S.S. Yantic (Screw gunboat) as Executive Officer.
1890
  • In July, detached from U.S.S. Yantic and granted leave of absence.
  • In October, appointed inspector of steel at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1891
  • In January, transfers to steel inspection duty at Thurlow, Pennsylvania.
  • In May, attached to the Philadelphia Hydrographic Office as Officer in Charge.
  • On October 2, promoted to Lieutenant Commander.
1892
  • In June, granted leave of absence.
1893
  • In April, attached to the Navy Yard at League Island, Pennsylvania.
1894
  • In October, attached to the North Atlantic Station as Executive Officer of U.S.S. Miantonomoh (Monitor).
  • In November, detached from U.S.S. Miantonomoh and transferred to the receiving ship U.S.S. Richmond at Philadelphia.
  • In December, appointed Executive Officer of U.S.S. Minneapolis (Cruiser: C-13).
1896
  • In October, granted leave of absence.
1897
  • In January, assigned to the Hydrographic Office in Washington, DC.
1898
  • On March 28, promoted to Commander.
  • In June, receives command of U.S.S. Frolic (Patrol yacht) on the North Atlantic Station.
  • In October, returned to duty at the Hydrographic Office in Washington, DC.
1899
  • In June, receives command of U.S.S. Marietta (Gunboat: PG-15) on the Asiatic Station.
1901
  • In May, receives command of U.S.S. Petrel (Gunboat: PG-2) on the Asiatic Station.
  • In September, detached from U.S.S. Petrel and waiting orders.
1902
  • In February, attached to the 11th Lighthouse District as Assistant Inspector, and later, Inspector.
  • On June 14, promoted to Captain.
  • In September, attached to the Naval Recruiting Office and Hydrographic Office at Chicago as Officer in Charge.
  • On December 1, placed on the Retired List.
1911
  • On April 13, promoted to Rear Admiral on the Retired List, retroactive to December 1, 1902.
1920
  • Died on August 10 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
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Description of Contents

The Alva D. Bernhard and Edward H. Gheen Papers, comprising 6.08 linear feet of documentation, span from 1862-1942. The papers document the combined U.S. Navy careers of Alva D. Bernhard, United States Naval Academy Class of 1909, and his father-in-law, Edward H. Gheen, United States Naval Academy Class of 1867, as well as documenting the lives of their wives and the genealogy of the Gheen and Monfort families.

Included in the collection are incoming and outgoing letters, scrapbooks, press clippings, certificates, diaries, journals, orders, scrapbooks, photographs, and medals.

The Alva D. Bernhard and Edward H. Gheen Papers are organized into three series by family generation and document type. Series 1: Alva D. and Mary (Gheen) Bernhard, pertains to the Navy career of Alva D. Bernhard (with a heavy emphasis on his service during World War I), his courtship of Mary Gheen, and Mary Gheen's personal life and travels. Series 2: Edward H. and Florence (Monfort) Gheen, documents the Navy career of Edward H. Gheen (especially his 1856 midshipman practice cruise and later service aboard U.S.S. Piscataqua (Screw steamer), the civic organization memberships of his wife, Florence (Monfort) Gheen, and the travels of his daughter, Florence Gheen (sister of Mary Gheen). The series also documents, to varying degrees, the lives of Florence (Monfort) Gheen's mother, Mary J. Monfort and the history of the Monfort family. Series 3: Photographs, consists of images, largely portraiture, representing at least three generations of the Bernhard, Gheen, and Monfort families. Also represented are at least two of Alva Bernhard's duty stations: U.S. Fleet Air Base Coco Solo and U.S.S. Lexington (Aircraft carrier: CV-2).

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Arrangement

The Alva D. Bernhard and Edward H. Gheen Papers are organized into the following three series:

  • Series 1: Alva D. and Mary (Gheen) Bernhard, 1909-1942
  • Series 2: Edward H. and Florence (Monfort) Gheen, 1862-1926
  • Series 3: Photographs, 1897-1941
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Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

The Alva D. Bernhard and Edward H. Gheen 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

Gift of Joan Blaine on behalf of the estate of Edgar A. Hudson in January 2013. Accession No. 13-01.

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Related Materials

Related Archival Material

Additional materials pertaining to Alva D. Bernhard and Edward H. Gheen in this repository include Bernhard's Midshipman Personnel Jacket and Alumni Jacket, and Gheen's Midshipman Conduct Record and Alumni Jacket.

Materials Cataloged Separately

The following six books have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately:

  • Chapman, Isaac A. Sketch of the History of Wyoming: To Which is Added, an Appendix, Containing a Statistical Account of the Valley, and Adjacent Country. Wilkes-barre, PA: Sharp D. Lewis, 1830. Day, Thomas. Sandford & Merton: A Book for the Young. London: T. Nelson and Sons, 1872. Holmes, U. T. Notes on Experimental Engineering: For the Instruction of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute Press, 1907 Le Duc, W. G. Minnesota Year Book for 1852. St. Paul, MN: W. G. Le Duc, 1852 McGuffey's First Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition. Cincinnati: Van Antwerp, Bragg & Co.,1879. The New-England Primer, Improved, For the More Easy Attaining the True Reading of English. To Which is Added, the Assembly of Divines' Catechism. Catskill: M. Croswell, 1799.

The following items were removed from this collection and transferred to the United States Naval Academy Museum: one French Model 1866 Chassepot bayonet, two embroidered sailors' covers (one labeled DOLPHIN and one labeled KULINDA), and three smoking pipes bearing U.S. Navy and Naval Academy Class of 1909 insignia.

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Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Alva D. Bernhard and Edward H. Gheen Papers, MS 478

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Selected Bibliography

The following sources were consulted during preparation of the biographical note:

Cogar, William B. Dictionary of Admirals of the U.S. Navy. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1989.

Bernhard, Alva D. Alumni Jacket, RG 405, Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library.

Gheen, Edward H. Alumni Jacket, RG 405, Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by David D'Onofrio in February 2019. Finding aid written by David D'Onofrio in February 2019.

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Subject Headings

Name and Subject Terms

  • Bernhard, Mary
  • Bernhard, Alva D., 1886-1955
  • Europe -- Description and travel
  • Gheen, Florence
  • Gheen, Edward H., 1845-1920
  • Kansas (Battleship : BB-21)
  • Lexington (Aircraft carrier : CV-2)
  • Litchfield (Destroyer : DD-336)
  • Monfort family
  • Piscataqua (Screw steamer)
  • United States -- Foreign relations -- Russia
  • United States Naval Academy -- Midshipmen -- Cruises
  • World War, 1914-1918
  • World War, 1914-1918 -- Naval operations, American

Genre Terms

  • Certificates
  • Clippings (information artifacts)
  • Clippings (information artifacts)
  • Correspondence
  • Diaries
  • Journals (accounts)
  • Manuscripts
  • Medals
  • Orders (military records)
  • Photographs
  • Scrapbooks
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Contents List

Series 1: Alva D. and Mary (Gheen) Bernhard, 1909-1942 Boxes 1-2, 4[OS]-5[OS]

Series Description

Documentation of the U.S. Navy career and personal life of Alva D. Bernhard and the personal life of his wife, Mary (Gheen) Bernhard. Specifically, the aspects of Bernhard's naval career covered in the series include his service in the Navy Yards Division of the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, his commands of U.S.S. Litchfield and U.S.S. Aroostook, the commissioning of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, and his World War I service aboard U.S.S. Kansas and as a member of Elihu Root's Naval Mission to Russia (the topic of World War I is also covered in one of the series' two scrapbooks). Personal topics referred to include Bernhard's courtship of and marriage to Mary Gheen, Mary Gheen's social life on the home front in Washington, DC and Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, Mary Gheen's travels in Europe, the birth of the Bernhards' children, and the construction of their home in Coronado, California. Included in the series are incoming and outgoing letters, diaries and journals, orders, scrapbooks, certificates, and dog tags.

The partial journal kept by Bernhard, which includes notes on French and British naval vessels, is the product of Bernhard's two years of service at sea prior to commissioning as an ensign.

Series Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by document type and topic.

Box 1 Folder 1

Awards and Honors, 1918-1926

Conferring of Mexican Campaign Badge and membership in the Military Order of the World War.

Box 4[OS] Folder 1

Certificates - Alva D. Bernhard, 1909-1942, undated

Includes Bernhard's Naval Academy diplomas, U.S. Navy commissions, and a crossing the line ceremony certificate.

Box 1 Folder 2

Diary - Mary Gheen, 1913

Journal of travels through Europe, including Funchal, Gibraltar, Trieste, Genoa, Venice, Vienna, Toblach, Innsbruck, Lucerne, and Antwerp.

Box 1 Folder 3

Dog Tags, undated

Box 1 Folder 4

Journal, 1910-1911

Notes on French Navy ships at Cherbourg, French torpedo drills, ships of the British Royal Navy, joint search exercises with the British, rifle practice, examinations for promotion to Ensign, and day spotting practice against U.S.S. San Marcos (ex-Texas). Includes photographs of target practice damage to U.S.S. San Marcos.

Box 1 Folder 5

Litchfield-Farenholt Collision, 1924

Correspondence, notes, and communication record concerning a board of investigation into the collision between U.S.S. Litchfield and U.S.S. Farenholt.

Box 1 Folder 6

Memorial Tablets, 1919

Documents regarding corrections to entries on tablets in Memorial Hall for Alfred Louis Ede and Richard McC. Elliot.

Box 1 Folder 7

Orders, 1917-1924

Box 1 Folder 8

Personal Correspondence - Letters Received by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 May-June

From Mary Gheen and Florence M. Gheen. Efforts to forestall Bernhard's proposal to Mary Gheen and the Gheen family's relocation to Blue Ridge Summit. Includes photographs.

Box 1 Folder 9

Personal Correspondence - Letters Received by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 July

From Mary Gheen. Includes references to Pen Mar Park and French Ace Georges Guynemer. Includes a clipping about Admiral Alexander Kolchak.

Box 1 Folder 10

Personal Correspondence - Letters Received by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 August

From Mary Gheen. References to family trips to Waynesboro, a speech by the Argentine Ambassador, the engagement of Alan Goodrich Kirk to Lydia Selden, and a French war relief ball.

Box 1 Folder 11

Personal Correspondence - Letters Received by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 September

From Mary Gheen and Florence M. Gheen. References to rumors of a transfer to U.S.S. Mississippi and the announcement of Bernhard' impending marriage to Gheen.

Box 1 Folder 12

Personal Correspondence - Letters Received by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 October-November

From Mary Gheen. References to Bernhard and Gheen's engagement, the deaths of family friend Phil Robinson and Class of 1909 member Lawrence Townsend, and debutante balls in Washington.

Box 1 Folder 13

Personal Correspondence - Letters Received by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 December

From Mary Gheen. References to Bernhard and Gheen's impending wedding, a personal tour of the White House, Alan Goodrich Kirk's wedding, and Washington DC society.

Box 1 Folder 14

Personal Correspondence - Letters Received by Alva D. Bernhard, 1919 January

From Mary Gheen. References to the influenza death of a family friend and finalization of Bernhard and Gheen's wedding plans.

Box 1 Folder 15

Personal Correspondence - Letters Received by Alva D. Bernhard, 1919 March

From Mary Gheen Bernhard and Florence M. Gheen. Includes references to Bernhard's wartime taxes and Mary Bernhard's hospitalization and recovery.

Box 1 Folder 16

Personal Correspondence - Letters Received by Alva D. Bernhard, 1919 April

From Mary Gheen Bernhard. References to the return of family friend Jack Wilson from the war front, and a French exhibit of wartime art at the Corcoran.

Box 1 Folder 17

Personal Correspondence - Letters Received by Alva D. Bernhard, 1925 February-May

From Mary Gheen Bernhard. References to winter storm damage in Coronado, personal finances, construction of the Bernhards' home, and the Bernhards' children.

Box 1 Folder 18

Personal Correspondence - Letters Received by Alva D. Bernhard, 1925 June-August

From Mary Gheen Bernhard. References to construction of the Bernhards' home in at Ocean and Alameda Boulevards in Coronado.

Box 1 Folder 19

Personal Correspondence - Letters Sent by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 February

To Mary Gheen from U.S.S. Missouri.

Box 1 Folder 20

Personal Correspondence - Letters Sent by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 May

To Mary Gheen, Edward Gheen, and Florence Gheen from U.S.S. Missouri and U.S.S. Kansas. References to Bernhard's courtship of Gheen, attempts to receive consent to marry, transfer to gunnery duty aboard U.S.S. Kansas, and Captain Hutchinson.

Box 1 Folder 21

Personal Correspondence - Letters Sent by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 June

To Mary Gheen from U.S.S. Kansas. References to training personnel and midshipmen in the Chesapeake Bay, target practice, daily routine, the ship's firing patterns, and Bernhard's courtship of Gheen.

Box 1 Folder 22

Personal Correspondence - Letters Sent by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 July

To Mary Gheen from U.S.S. Kansas. References to shore leave with Gheen, target practice, unsatisfactory trainees, disdain for Josephus Daniels, training armed guard crews, and the heat aboard ship.

Box 1 Folder 23

Personal Correspondence - Letters Sent by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 August

To Mary Gheen from U.S.S. Kansas. References to target practice, impending overhaul and shore leave, selection board results, improvements in Kansas's firing proficiency, and Senator Lodge's peace terms.

Box 1 Folder 24

Personal Correspondence - Letters Sent by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 September

To Mary Gheen from U.S.S. Kansas. References to the ship's overhaul, Bernhard's engagement to Gheen, an outbreak of Spanish Influenza, and the death of the ship's mascot.

Box 1 Folder 25

Personal Correspondence - Letters Sent by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 October

To Mary Gheen from U.S.S. Kansas. References to the Spanish Influenza pandemic, Alan G. Kirk's engagement, poor work done by the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and the excitement of sailing in stormy weather during convoy duty. Includes a photograph from the deck of the ship.

Box 1 Folder 26

Personal Correspondence - Letters Sent by Alva D. Bernhard, 1918 November

To Mary Gheen from U.S.S. Kansas. References to daily routine during convoy duty, and the Armistice. Includes a ship's church bulletin, a November 7 news release, and a letter from Lydia Chapin Kirk.

Box 1 Folder 27

Personal Correspondence - Letters Sent by Alva D. Bernhard, 1919 April

Box 2 Folder 1

Personal File, 1923

Letters sent and received pertaining to the internal operations of the Navy Yards Division of the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, including personnel issues, draftsmen shortages, civilian employee wages, and employee reclassification. Also includes references to the birth of Bernhard's son Edward.

Box 2 Folder 2

Personal File, 1927-1929

Letters and orders while in command of U.S.S. Aroostook pertaining to Bernhard's assumption of command, ship's personnel, personal purchases and finances, Aroostook's aircraft squadrons, and operations of squadron VJ-1B. Also includes supply invoices.

Box 2 Folder 3

Russian Naval Missions, 1917

Orders and itineraries for Admiral James Glennon's naval mission to Russia in May and the Russian mission to the Naval War College in September-October.

Box 5[OS] Folder 1

Scrapbook, 1915-1916

Newspaper articles on World War I, including the German mindset, profiles of the Kaiser, the occupation of Poland, the Battle of Douaumont, Elihu Root's thoughts on the War, the Battle of Verdun, and German Zeppelins.

Box 2 Folder 4

Scrapbook, 1940-1941

Includes clippings regarding NAS Corpus Christi, American aircraft carriers and strategic bombers, the Panama Canal, Lord Lothian, birds of prey, Hawaii, and flowers.

Box 2 Folder 5

Tax Documents, 1925

Box 2 Folder 6

Writings - Mary Gheen, undated

Story entitled "The Story of a Teakwood Cabinet."

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Series 2: Edward H. and Florence (Monfort) Gheen, 1862-1926 Boxes 2-3, 4[OS], 6[OS]

Series Description

Documentation of the U.S. Navy career of Edward H. Gheen, as well as the family history and activities of his wife, Florence (Monfort) Gheen. In addition to statements of service and orders spanning the length of Edward H. Gheen's U.S. Navy career, the series also focuses on Gheen's Naval Academy practice cruise of 1856 and his service aboard U.S.S. Piscataqua in Asian waters. Material from Florence (Monfort) Gheen focuses on her and her mother's membership in patriotic organizations such as the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Colonial Dames, as well as the history of the Monfort Family of St. Paul, Minnesota. Included in the series are incoming and outgoing letters, orders, newspaper clippings, diaries and journals, certificates, medals, and a notebook.

Several documents in the series, including some correspondence and possibly a diary, are the product of Edward H. and Florence (Monfort) Gheen's daughter, Florence.

Series Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by document type.

Box 2 Folder 7

Awards and Commendations, 1900-1912

Transmittals for the Civil War Campaign Badge, Philippine Campaign Badge, and Spanish Campaign Badge, as well a commendation from Gheen's command of U.S.S. Marietta and a letter from the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

Box 4[OS] Folder 2

Certificates - Edward H. Gheen, 1862

Appointment as a midshipman.

Box 4[OS] Folder 3

Certificates - Florence Gheen, 1894-1925

Membership certificates for the Colonial Dames and Daughters of the American Revolution for Florence Monfort Gheen and her daughter Florence Gheen.

Box 4[OS] Folder 4

Certificates - Mary J. Monfort, 1898-1900

Membership certificates for the Daughters of the American Revolution and Colonial Dames.

Box 2 Folder 8

Chief Signal Officer Circulars, 1869-1871

Includes Gheen's certification as an Acting Signal Officer.

Box 2 Folder 9

Commissions, 1869-1892

Box 2 Folder 10

Diary - [Florence Gheen], 1903-1904

Journal of travels through Europe, including Antwerp, Amsterdam, Bruges, Berne, Interlaken, Venice, Florence, Rome, Munich, Berlin, and Paris. Diary likely kept by Mary Gheen's sister, Florence.

Box 2 Folder 11

Event Programs and Invitations, 1883, 1896

Wedding invitation and a Russian event program.

Box 2 Folder 12

Genealogical Material, undated

Family trees and data for the Monfort family, as well as biographical sketches of Delos A. Monfort and Erastus Edgerton.

Box 2 Folder 13

Journal, 1865

Journal kept during summer practice cruise aboard U.S.S. Winnipec, Macedonian, Marion, and Marblehead; beginning in Newport and ending in Annapolis.

Box 3 Folder 1

Journal, 1867-1868

Kept aboard U.S.S. Piscataqua. In addition to daily routine, the journal includes thoughts on Piscataqua's seaworthiness, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, a burial at sea, Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong, Nagasaki, and Yokohama.

Box 3 Folder 2

Leave Requests, 1872-1883

Box 3 Folder 3

Letters Received by Florence Gheen, 1888-1926, undated

Letters to Florence Monfort Gheen and her daughter Florence Gheen from family, some in the form of poems. Also includes a letter and Senate chamber ticket from Frank B. Kellogg.

Box 3 Folder 4

Letters Received by Florence Gheen - Condolences, 1920-1921

Condolences and tributes on the death of Edward Gheen received by Gheen's widow, Florence Monfort Gheen.

Box 3 Folder 5

Letters Sent by Florence Gheen, 1891

Letters sent by the younger Florence Gheen to her grandfather.

Box 6[OS] Folder 1-3

Medals - Florence Gheen, 1900, undated

Medals awarded by the Colonial Dames, Hereditary Order of Descendants of Colonial Governors, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Box 6[OS] Folder 4

Medals - Delos A. Monfort, 1875

Medal awarded by Damascus Commander No. 1 of the Knights Templar.

Box 6[OS] Folder 4-6

Medals - Mary J. Monfort, 1898, undated

Medals awarded by the Colonial Dames and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Box 3 Folder 6

Miscellaneous, 1883, undated

Clipped signatures, a financial record, and a physical description of Florence Monfort Gheen.

Box 3 Folder 7

Newspaper Clippings - General, 1892-1917, undated

Includes references to Delos A. Monfort, U.S.S. Frolic, and U.S.S. Marietta, as well as full page instructions for World War I draft registration.

Box 3 Folder 8

Newspaper Clippings - Obituaries (Edward H. Gheen), 1920

Box 3 Folder 9

Newspaper Clippings - Obituaries (Delos A. Monfort), 1899

Box 3 Folder 10

Newspaper Clippings - Obituaries (Mary J. Monfort), 1905

Obituaries for Florence Monfort Gheen's mother.

Box 3 Folder 11

Newspaper Clippings - Society Pages, 1906

Clippings regarding Gheen's purchase of a Washington DC home and the debutante of his daughter Florence.

Box 3 Folder 12

Newspaper Clippings - Wedding Announcements, 1883

Announcement for wedding of Edward H. Gheen and Florence Monfort.

Box 3 Folder 13

Newspaper Clippings - Wedding Announcements, 1919

Announcements for wedding of Mary Monfort Gheen to Alva D. Bernhard.

Box 3 Folder 14

Notebook, undated

Pocket notebook featuring Gheen's service history and a list of questions about ships.

Box 3 Folder 15

Orders, 1867-1871

Box 3 Folder 16

Orders, 1872-1887

Box 3 Folder 17

Pay and Reimbursement Claims, 1869, 1889

Box 3 Folder 18

Statements of Service, 1872, 1900

Includes a full record of Gheen's service from 1862 until 1899.

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Series 3: Photographs, 1897-1941 Boxes 3, 4[OS]-5[OS], 7[OS], MSXOS

Series Description

Photographs, mainly black-and-white, depicting various members of and events pertaining to several generations of the Bernhard and Gheen families. In addition to portraits of Alva D. Bernhard, Edward H. Gheen, and their family members, the series includes group portraits of U.S. Navy personnel and aircraft in the Panama Canal Zone, as well as images of U.S. Navy vessels (especially U.S.S. Lexington). Included among the photographs are several pieces of artwork, notably a collection of Currier & Ives prints and a reproduction of a map.

Included in the series are one ambrotype and one daguerreotype.

Series Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by topic.

Box 3 Folder 19

Aircraft, 1929, undated

Features images of Bernhard ferrying Alice Washburn in a Loening C-2, as well as a greeting card from Squadron 14.

Box 5[OS] Folder 2

Aircraft, 1929

Image of a Loening C-2.

Box 3 Folder 20

Automobiles, undated

Box 3 Folder 21

Places - Coronado, CA, undated

Image features the Hotel del Coronado in background.

Box 3 Folder 22

Places - St. Paul, MN, undated

Image of the Monfort Memorial

Box 3 Folder 23

Places - Washington, DC, undated

Image of the Capitol Building.

Box 4[OS] Folder 5

Places - Maps and Prints, undated

Four Currier & Ives prints and a reproduction of an antique map of North and South America.

Box 3 Folder 24

Places - Unidentified, undated

Images from an unidentified tropical location.

Box 3 Folder 25

Portraits (Groups), 1941, undated

Includes images of Bernhard, family members, and an event inscribed by Frank Knox.

Box 5[OS] Folder 3

Portraits (Groups) - Patrol Squadron VP-9F, 1933

Drawer MSXOS Folder 1

Portraits (Groups) - U.S. Fleet Air Base Coco Solo Officers and Crews, 1932

Officers and crews of VP-3, VP-8, VP-10 and U.S.S. Swan (Minesweeper: AM-34).

Box 4[OS] Folder 6

Portraits (Groups) - Russian Naval Mission, 1917

Two portraits from Elihu Root's and James Glennon's Naval Mission to Russia.

Box 3 Folder 26

Portraits (Individuals) - Alva D. Bernhard, undated

Box 3 Folder 27

Portraits (Individuals) - Erastus S. Edgerton, undated

Box 3 Folder 28

Portraits (Individuals) - David Glasgow Farragut, undated

Box 3 Folder 29

Portraits (Individuals) - Edward H. Gheen, undated

Box 3 Folder 30

Portraits (Individuals) - Gertrude Gheen, 1897

Box 3 Folder 31

Portraits (Individuals) - Delos A. Monfort, undated

Box 3 Folder 32

Portraits (Individuals) - Frank Brooks Upham, undated

Box 3 Folder 33

Portraits (Individuals) - Postcards, undated

Postcard views of typical female dress from Italy and Holland.

Box 3 Folder 34

Portraits (Individuals) - Unidentified, undated

Includes possible images of Florence Gheen.

Box 7[OS] Folder 1

Portraits (Individuals) - Unidentified, undated

Unidentified daguerreotype.

Box 7[OS] Folder 2

Portraits (Individuals) - Unidentified, undated

Unidentified ambrotype.

Box 3 Folder 35

Ships - U.S.S. Augusta (Heavy Cruiser: CA-31), undated

Box 3 Folder 36

Ships - Jeanne D'Arc (French Cruiser), undated

Box 3 Folder 37

Ships - U.S.S. Lexington (Aircraft carrier: CV-2) and Saratoga (Aircraft carrier: CV-3), undated

Includes images of U.S.S. Lexington in the Panama Canal.

Box 3 Folder 38

Ships - Postcards, 1907

Postcard views of U.S.S. Florida (Monitor: BM-9), U.S.S. Missouri (Battleship: BB-11), U.S.S. Olympia (Protected Cruiser: C-6), and U.S.S. Tennessee (Armored Cruiser: ACR-10).

Box 3 Folder 39

Ships - Unidentified, undated

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