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Papers and correspondence of three generations of Samuel Barrons, all of whom were involved in naval affairs. Papers, 1793-1809, of Samuel Barron (1765-1810), commander of one of the Mediterranean squadrons sent to defeat Tripoli. Papers concern naval business and the War with Tripoli. Includes correspondence with his brother James Barron, Stephen Decatur, William Eaton (concerning his controversy with Tobias Lear over the Tripolitan peace settlement), Tobias Lear, Edward Preble, John Rodgers, Robert Smith (Secretary of the Navy), and Thomas Truxton. Includes letters written by Preble and Rodgers on board the USS Constitution and letters concerning the capture of William Bainbridge and the seamen of the USS Philadelphia.

The collection includes the correspondence, certificates, photographs, accounts, and journals of Rear Admiral Charles H. Bell. Naval journals cover Bell's service in the Mediterranean Sea from 1855-1858. The photographs are a mix of personal and souvenirs, which largely depict men and women from Peru. There is also material related to his role as executor for the estate of Samuel Swartwout. The collection also includes papers related to the Smith family, particularly Bell's executor and son-in-law, Israel Smith, Jr. Of particular note is a broadside of Thomas Jefferson's first inaugural address (given on March 4, 1801) printed on silk by W. Pechin Print.

Letters from Charles J. MacConnell (1837-1909) while serving on the USS Pensacola and Monogahela to his wife while touring the Peruvian Central Railway (1873-1874, 1877). Also includes a cabinet card depicting MacConnell and the rest of his Pensacola crew on deck off Valparaiso, Chile in 1873.

Map entitled "Entrance to the Chesapeake Bay" reduced from the surveys made by D.P. Adams. By E. Blunt. Note says copper plate engraving.

Letters written to the Rev. Clement M. Butler, Rector of St. John's Church, Georgetown, Washington, D.C., relating to the deaths and funeral obsequies of victims of the explosion on board the "U.S.S. Princeton" on February 28, 1844. The "Princeton" was the first screw-steam warship in the United States Navy. The 1844 accident occurred on board when a defective gun burst during a shooting demonstration, killing Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer and others.

Journal written while Commodore Charles Henry Bromedge Caldwell was in command of the Naval Forces on the Pacific and South Atlantic Stations of the United States Navy. Entries detail the ship's journey throughout the year 1876- 1877 and document encounters with other vessels, dignitaries, and countries as well as the day to day operations of the ship and handling of situations as they arose. The staff journal was kept on behalf of the Commodore by H.N. Caldwell, Secretary in the United States Navy. Included with the journal is a small framed picture of Commodore Caldwell and a silver cup with his name inscribed upon it.

Francis J. Mallory to Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of the Navy, where he recommends the son of a friend for a naval warrant. October 7, 1841.

The collection contains a log book, correspondence and biographical materials documenting the life of midshipman Gabriel Galt Williamson. Williamson served on the U.S.S. North Carolina, flagship of commodore John Rodgers in the Mediterranean. Biographical information including a timeline outlining the life of Williamson is also included in the collection.

This collection consists of an account of the USS Princeton disaster, handwritten by United States Congressman George Sykes and sent as a letter to his sister. The first-hand account describes the lead-up to the disaster, the explosion itself that killed six people, including the Secretary of State, President John Tyler's enslaved servant, and the father of Tyler's fiancée, and the aftermath and funeral. Also included are Sykes' official invitation to the event that led to the disastor, and a newspaper clipping giving another witness' account.

This collection contains the family papers of members of the Grigsby and Galt Families. Mary Blair Grigsby married William W. Galt in 1881. The collection contains papers of various members of the Grigsby family, particulary Hugh Blair Grigsby who was a historian and Chancellor of The College of William and Mary and his son, Hugh Carrington Grigsby who lived his entire life at the family farm, Edgehill, in Charlotte County, Virginia.