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Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
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San Marino, CA 91108
Rare Books
Letters of Joseph Jones to James Madison, 1788-1802
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Rare Books
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Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
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Manuscripts
Letter written by Jones Chan, a private, stationed at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to his brother, Joseph Chan, living in San Francisco, California. At the beginning of the letter, Chan admits his feelings were hurt when his brother made a sarcastic remark and "showed complete ignorance" about the geographic location of Dutch Harbor. Chan quotes his brother, "Mr. Jones Chan who is at present is so willingly serving his country by defending the North Pole" (p. 2). Chan proceeds to educate his brother on the location and significance of Dutch Harbor. He states, "Any student of military science will tell you the strategic & tactical importance of this harbor" (p. 3). He touches upon the harbor's strategic importance, weapons, supplies, and military life. He confidently states, "...we will have 5,000 soldiers to defend the island against sea & air attack...since we are defending it, the advantage is ours, & it will take the offensive several times that number to successfully destroy or occupy Dutch Harbor" (p. 5). He also discusses, "Order is to shoot to kill anyone prowling around - shoot first & ask questions later - especially the Marines who have machine guns by the Naval Radio Station. In all cases, the Battery Commander, & C.O., will back us up to the limit. So we never hesitate to fire our rifles at prowlers, imaginary or otherwise" (p. 9). He concludes the letter with "P.S. No Eskimo or Russian girls here - just Aleut...Indians. I'm afraid you'll have to find your ideal yourself..." (p. 11).
mssHM 80820
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Rare Books
280947
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Manuscripts
A collection which consists of 67 letters written by James T. Jones to various family members living in New York. The letters describe life aboard ship off the eastern coast of South America and in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, and San Salvador; the letters also describe life in San Francisco, California, from 1854 to 1869.
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