Manuscripts
Diaries kept aboard the U.S.S. Aquarius
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Photograph albums and travel diary of the Philippines by sailor aboard the USS Pocomoke (AV-9)
Visual Materials
Two photograph albums, one containing a 60-page travel diary, by U.S. Navy crew member W. A. (William Arthur) Isaminger, documenting his experiences in the Philippines during and after World War II. His travel log titled "Navy Life" begins in March 1944 when he joined the navy, then describes his time stationed in the Philippines through February 1946, when he returns home to Seattle, Washington. He was aboard the USS Pocomoke (AV-9), an aircraft carrier that operated primarily in the Pacific theatre during the war and serviced military seaplanes. Along with the diary are handwritten entries on mileage between various locations on his travels from Seattle to the Philippines and back, addresses of acquaintances and family, and a few pieces of ephemera. There are 173 photographs in the two albums, all with handwritten captions. The images include sailors and local residents, village scenes, churches and civic buildings, the statue of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal, a sunken Japanese ship in Manila harbor, and a Japanese internment camp and prisoners. There are also several images of partially nude native women and children, two scenes of cockfighting, a man with elephantitus, and a man holding the decapitated head of a Japanese man. The album also features images of activities on board the ship, various seaplanes, and a series of photographs documenting examples of "nose art": female pinups painted on airplane fuselage. Also includes a printed menu in honor of Victory Day, dated August 15, 1945. Locations include Zamboanga, Mindanao, Luzon, Puerto Princesa, Calicoan Island, Samar Island, Taclogan, and Tawitawi Island.
photCL 677
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Pocket diary of Thomas D. Evans
Manuscripts
Complete diary for the year 1864. The daily entries describe Evans' duties filing provision returns, drawing rations, supplies, and ammunitions, etc., gives accounts of camp life, the wounded and fallen in battles, Confederate prisoners, deserters, and guerillas, military operations, news (including a note about Santiago fire of Dec. 1863), and the recruitment in Pittsburgh, and follows Franz Siegel and David Hunter in Shenandoah Valley in the spring and summer of 1864. The accounts of the hospitals are rather sketchy, on the account of his wounded arm; Evans did mention a Christmas dinner and concert organized by Sanitary and Christian Commissions.
mssHM 68427
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James O. McCaldin papers
Manuscripts
Materials related to James O. McCaldin's service aboard the U.S.S. Chauncey during World War II, including a diary describing the capture of Guam in 1944 and the invasion of Okinawa in 1945; a written history of the U.S.S. Chauncey; and a photograph album with images of shipboard activities and several battle scenes. Also includes U.S. Navy portraits of McCaldin, a letter, and membership cards. A framed photograph of the U.S.S. Chauncey was received with the collection but is missing.
mssMcCaldin
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Record book kept by the Los Angeles County Treasurer
Manuscripts
This is a cash book kept by the Los Angeles County Treasurer from July 1850 till March 1858. Part of this book is written in Spanish and switches to English in April 1852. Also included, a carbon copy of minutes of a meeting with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors concerning the deposit of this volume on October 2, 1945.
mssHM 80835
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Anonymous autograph diary written aboard the ship Herculean and in California
Manuscripts
The diary contains 122 pages, 109 of which have writing on them. Most of the entries are in blue ink but there are also some in pencil. The ship "Herculean" left Boston in November 1849 filled with gold-seekers for California, traveled around Cape Horn, and arrived in San Francisco in May 1850. The volume begins with a list of the names of the crew and passengers on board the Herculean and is filled with tales of the ocean journey and shipboard entertainment, including a description of a stop in Valparaiso, Chile. The entries between May 6 and June 18, 1850 describe the city of San Francisco and also the towns of Stockton and Benicia, discuss prices in California for labor and lumber, and contain an account of his tent being robbed
mssHM 59965
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Edward King diary of a trip to Japan and China
Manuscripts
In his diary, King writes about his travels across Japan and China beginning with his departure from Shanghai to Nagasaki in March 1859. He writes in detail about his journey including the food on board, Japanese officials, local customs, the difficulty of changing money, and his visits to Nagasaki and Dejima. King's diary also covers his travel to Ningbo, China where he also writes in detail about the people and culture. The diary also includes a 2-page list of English-Japanese vocabulary, a fold-out map of Nagasaki, a Japan treasury certificate, and 25 pages of Japanese colored woodblock prints.
mssHM 84029