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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.

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 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.

Correspondence and papers of Commodore James Barron relating to his career in the United States Navy, and especially relating to The Chesapeake-Leopard Affair in 1807 and to his duel with Stephen Decatur. Collection includes photocopies of patents issued to Barron for his inventions and a typescript of William Oliver Stevens' An Affair of Honor, a biography of Barron. Correspondents include John Adams, Jesse Duncan Elliott, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, Amos Kendall, Duff Green and Abel P. Upshur. 753 items.

This collection details the history of the Offley Family from 1826 to 1916 through correspondences, diaries, photographs and personal effects. Its creators include multiple generations of Offleys and their associates. The papers provide insight into the daily life of the era as well as major geopolitical events such as the Greek War of Independence, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, and World War I. Many of the Offleys served in the United States armed forces. The collection also includes photographs of individuals unrelated to, but, of the same era as, the Offley Family.