The collection is open to research.
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Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], J. V. Paterson Notebook, Ms1988-119, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The J. V. Paterson Notebook was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 1988.
The processing and description of the J. V. Paterson Notebook commenced and was completed in May, 2021.
J. V. Paterson is probably naval architect and draftsman James Venn Paterson, Sr., who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, June 17, 1867. Paterson attended Albany Academy in Glasgow, then graduated from University of Glasgow in 1888. During and following his studies, Paterson apprenticed at at two shipyards before being appointed a draftsman in the Southampton naval works, eventually rising to chief draftsman. The following year, Paterson immigrated to the United States, where he became consulting naval architect of the International Navigation Company, which operated the Red Star and American trans-Atlantic lines. He married Marie Josephine Vandeventer in 1898; the couple would have two children. In 1906, Paterson was named general manager of the Moran Company, a Seattle, Washington shipbuilder. After a 1912 takeover by the Seattle Construction and Dry Dock Company, Paterson became company president, a position from which he resigned in 1916 to becoame an independent contractor, building submarines. James Venn Paterson died May 19, 1947, and was buried in Lake View Cemetery, Seattle.
This collection consists of a single notebook containing a manuscript copy of "Specifications of a Steel Paddle Wheel Saloon River Steamer." The first page bears the notation "J. V. Paterson, 18/Feby/91." The specifications include not only directions for such structural elements as beams, bulkheads, and plating but also amenities and decor. (That the specifications are for a British ship can be inferred from mention of the Union Jack, such terms as "centre" and "the W. C.," the
The DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University maintains the James Venn Paterson papers.
The guide to the J. V. Paterson Notebook by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).