Collection Summary
John Forsyth Meigs Papers
1914-1940
1914-1940
MSS52886
Meigs, John Forsyth,
1848-1924
1,500
items
6 containers
2 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Naval officer.
Correspondence and research notes for Meigs's book The Story of the Seaman, together with research notes of Meigs's cousin, William Ledyard
Rodgers, who wrote the preface to the book.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Meigs, John Forsyth, 1848-1924.
Meigs, John Forsyth, 1848-1924. Story of the seaman; being an account of the ways and appliances of seafarers and of ships from the earliest time until now. 1924.
Rodgers, William Ledyard, 1860-1944.
Occupations
Naval officers.
Provenance
The papers of John Forsyth Meigs, naval officer, were deposited in
the Library of Congress by the Naval Historical Foundation in 1953 and
converted to a gift in 1998.
Processing History
The papers of John Forsyth Meigs were arranged and described in 1978.
The finding aid was revised in 2011.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of John Forsyth
Meigs is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of John Forsyth Meigs are open to research. Researchers are
advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, John Forsyth Meigs Papers, Naval
Historical Foundation Collection, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1848, Oct. 3
Born, Philadelphia, Pa.
1867
Graduated, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
1868
1869
Duty in USS
Picataque
, Asiatic Squadron
1871
Duty in USS
Guerrière
1872
Duty at U.S. Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pa.
1874
1876
Duty in USS
Omaha
1877
Duty at U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
1878
1880
Duty at U.S. Navy Yard, Pensacola, Fla.
1881
Married Jane Perry Rodgers
Duty at Torpedo Station, Newport, R.I.
1882
Duty in USF
Constellation
1886
Duty at U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
1887
Published with R. R. Ingersoll
Text-Book of Ordnance and Gunnery
, [Baltimore: Press of I. Friedenwald], second edition
1887
1889
Duty in USS
Richmond
, North Atlantic Fleet
1890
Duty in Bureau of Navigation
1891
Resigned from the U.S. Navy
1892
1910
Employed by Bethlehem Steel Works
1924, Apr. 16
Died, New York, N.Y.
1924
Posthumous publication of
The Story of the Seaman
, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott
Scope and Content Note
The papers of John Forsyth Meigs (1848-1924) span the years 1914-1940,
with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1918-1924. The
collection consists of correspondence and research notes for Meigs’s
posthumously published book,
The Story of the Seaman
. It also includes research notes of his cousin, William Ledyard
Rodgers, who wrote the preface to the book.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged by type of material.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Correspondence
1
George R. Wood to Admiral
Rodgers,
1917, Jan. 10
1917, Jan. 10
1
John A. Rodgers to William
Ledyard Rodgers,
1924, Jan. 4, [1925]
1924, Jan. 4, [1925]
1
Alexander Macomb to Freda Rodgers
Giles,
1926, Jan. 22
1926, Jan. 22
1
Writings,
1914-1919, undated
1914-1919, undated
1
Notebooks containing research
notes,
1919-1922
1919-1922
(5
vols.)
2
The Story of the Seaman
2
Carbon copy draft of chapter 1,
1920
1920
2
Holograph draft
2
Pages 1-692
(10
folders)
3
Pages 693-827
(2
folders)
3
Pencil holograph draft of
chapter 6
3
“Extracts from Arrian’s
History of Alexander the Great”
3
“Extracts from Diodorus the
Sicilian”
3
“Extracts from
Herodotus”
3
“Hesiod”
3
“Extracts from the Histories of
Polybius”
3
“Facts Drawn from the Iliad
and Odyssey”
3
“Extracts from
Thudydides”
3
“Extracts from
Xenophon”
4
Research notes
4
Pages 1-500
(23
folders)
5
Pages 501-1398
(22
folders)
5
Miscellaneous research notes,
1914, undated
1914, undated
6
Miscellany, William Ledyard
Rodgers’s note cards containing research notes for speeches, articles, and
books,
1928-1940
1928-1940