Description
Collection Overview
This Franklin Jeremiah Drake collection tells the story of a naval officer through the letters, orders, records, and photographs connected with his life. It follows his work from the age of wooden warships into the era of steel battleships and self-propelled torpedoes. Personal encouragement from senior officers, demanding technical assignments, financial disputes, overseas travel, and a final commitment to public service give this collection its human depth. A frame displaying three original gelatin silver photographs brings the officer himself into view.
Identification and Features
The collection includes handwritten letters, typed correspondence, official naval orders, Treasury notices, postal envelopes, an annotated printed genealogy, and original photographs. Official letterheads, signatures, handwritten acknowledgments, routing notes, and payment stamps connect individual sheets to specific people and assignments. Some communications are period official copies, including a State Department letter and an order extending torpedo-boat board service. These formed part of the working correspondence and should be read alongside the original letters and endorsements.
Function and Contents
These papers record how Admiral Drake received assignments, reported for duty, advised the Navy, managed travel, and pursued money due for his service. The dated correspondence spans July 1884 through December 1928, while earlier orders discussed within it and the family genealogy reach farther into his past. Subjects include steel inspection, torpedo development, shipbuilding contracts, scientific-vessel command, diplomacy in China, court-martial service, promotion, family matters, and Lincoln Memorial observances. The promotion papers include the letter forwarding his captain's commission.
Early Life and Naval Service, 1846-1871
Born at Yates, New York, on March 4, 1846, Franklin Jeremiah Drake entered naval service as a midshipman in 1863, and served during the American Civil War. He graduated from the Naval Academy on June 2, 1868, then gained experience in ships including Gettysburg, Penobscot, and Frolic. The genealogy records a wartime loss within his family: his younger brother Truman was killed at Petersburg in June 1864. Drake's own career soon carried him to Asia. In 1871, he commanded Company B during the American expedition against Korean forts on Ganghwa Island, a responsibility confirmed by contemporary naval orders.
Surveying, Marriage, and African Exploration, 1873-1883
The next decade brought work in navigation, surveying, torpedoes, and ordnance. Drake served at the Torpedo Station and Mare Island, then performed Coast Survey duty in Hassler during 1876-78. The family account records his marriage to Mary Cynthia Baker in April 1873. A special-service cruise in Ticonderoga under Robert W. Shufeldt later took him to Africa, where his documented work included exploring Liberia's St. John River in 1879 and reconnaissance of the Congo. These assignments joined practical observation with the Navy's growing interest in overseas trade and navigation.
Naval and Weapon-System Background
Drake's technical career developed as the Navy adopted steel ships and self-propelled underwater weapons. New designs brought questions about material quality, machinery, drawings, contracts, and reliable testing. Officers had to turn experimental ideas into equipment that shipyards could build and crews could use. The collection places Drake within that effort through his material inspection, torpedo work, and contract-board duties. It shows how naval development depended on careful records and cooperation among officers, manufacturers, and government bureaus.
Steel Inspection and an Admiral's Confidence, 1884-1885
By 1884, Drake was inspecting material in South Boston for the Naval Advisory Board. Two letters from Rear Admiral Edward Simpson, dated March 12 and 16, 1885, reveal the value placed on his work. Simpson wanted him available to answer questions about material and information being prepared for publication. He pressed for Drake to become Atlanta's navigator, but seniority favored another officer. Simpson then helped arrange service as senior watch officer in Pensacola. His farewell praised Drake's assistance, encouraged further study of steel in Europe, and expressed hope that he would help advance the Navy. The exchange preserves both professional advocacy and personal regard.
European Duty, Travel Claims, and Family Changes, 1885-1888
Drake's European assignments did not free him from paperwork at home. Treasury correspondence followed him through a London forwarding address as officials considered mileage under orders dating to 1868 and 1872. An October 1885 letter ruled against mileage where transportation had already been supplied, while reserving final action; the old orders were returned in 1887. A separate 1888 notice authorized a $46 travel-expense certificate. During these years, the genealogy records Mary's death on July 4, 1886, and Drake's marriage to Martha Violet McCarthy in Boston on July 10, 1888. An undated Annapolis letter concerning cemetery lot 229 and four corner stones adds another personal matter preserved among the official papers.
Torpedo Boat No. 1 and the Herreshoff Contract, 1888-1890
An October 23, 1888 appointment placed Drake on the board assessing authorized changes to Torpedo Boat No. 1, under construction at Herreshoff's Bristol, Rhode Island, yard. The vessel became Cushing. Working with George A. Converse, Drake helped determine whether changes justified increasing or reducing the builder's compensation. Later papers extend the board's work and record meetings on March 27, 29, and 31, 1890. Two orders carry payment stamps for $2.40 Providence-to-Bristol return trips. These small details show technical judgment passing through the daily controls of public contracting.
A Court of Claims Judgment, 1890
A May 27, 1890 letter from Washington attorney John Paul Jones opens a separate financial chapter. Jones reported that he had requested the release of drafts paying Court of Claims judgments obtained in 1888 and expected Drake to receive his money shortly if that request succeeded. An official congressional statement records a $496.06 longevity-pay judgment for Franklin J. Drake dated June 7, 1888. That award likely explains the lawyer's letter, although the letter supplies no amount or payment receipt. It adds a personal financial concern to the same period as his technical assignments.
The Torpedo Cruiser That Remained on Paper, 1890
Drake also pursued a design of his own. On June 13, 1890, he submitted blueprints and a general description for a torpedo cruiser. A September 2 response from Assistant Secretary J. R. Soley conveyed the Board on Construction's unfavorable review. Essential calculations were missing, and the board questioned the proposed balance of hull weight, machinery, displacement, and performance. The Department declined further action at that time. The surviving response preserves Drake's ambition to contribute a new vessel design and the formal scrutiny it received. It is one of the collection's most revealing records of an idea that did not reach construction.
Howell Torpedoes, Trial Records, and Stiletto, 1891-1893
As an ordnance inspector in Providence, Drake worked with Howell torpedoes at the Hotchkiss Ordnance Company and proposed forms to improve records of torpedo trials. William M. Folger's April 18, 1891 letter praised the general plan and suggested recording weapon identification, firing conditions, water temperature and density, and air temperature. Final adoption was deferred while experience with other torpedoes developed. A March 1892 letter from Theodore F. Jewell concerns conflicting instructions for a tube associated with Stiletto: a drawing showed a jointed version, while Drake had discussed a one-piece form. Together, the letters show him working through the practical details of testing and approved drawings. Orders detached him from Howell inspection in January 1893 for ordnance instruction in Washington.
Judicial Duty and Scientific Command, 1893-1896
A May 1893 notice records Drake's membership on a general court-martial, adding judicial responsibility to his technical duties. He became a lieutenant commander that October and commanded the Fish Commission steamer Albatross during 1894-96. The vessel supported fisheries research, deep-sea soundings, surveys, and studies of ocean conditions. An October 1894 letter from Mare Island Commandant H. L. Howison brings that command into everyday focus. With the waterfront and buoys occupied, Drake was directed to anchor near Camanche or Independence; orders for Ensign Eldridge's medical examination awaited the ship. The exchange shows the movements and personnel work supporting a scientific voyage.
Preparing Oregon and Returning to Asia, 1896-1900
Drake served as executive officer of Oregon during 1896-97, helping prepare the new battleship and its crew. His assignment preceded the ship's celebrated 1898 voyage around South America and Battle of Santiago service. He later returned to Mare Island ordnance duties and commanded Pensacola from May 1898. A July 9, 1900 notice in the collection told him to prepare for Asiatic Station orders. Its forwarding and receipt endorsements trace the message through the Navy's offices to Drake as another overseas assignment approached.
Monterey and American Diplomacy in China, 1902
The China papers show Drake commanding Monterey and supporting an American commercial mission after the Boxer crisis. U.S. tariff commissioner Thaddeus S. Sharretts traveled aboard the ship to Nanking for an official call on the viceroy. Drake and four officers served as his escort. Sharretts reported that the visit should help American commercial interests, and Acting Secretary of State Alvey A. Adee conveyed the Department's appreciation on September 19, 1902. The Navy forwarded that commendation the following day. These paired communications preserve a specific occasion when a naval command supplied transport, ceremony, and official support for civilian diplomacy.
Mare Island and Promotion to Captain, 1903
Orders dated April 24, 1903 directed Drake to Mare Island to relieve Alexander McCrackin as ordnance officer. He acknowledged them at Gasport, New York, on May 3 and reported at the yard on May 11; a payment notation records $228.64 mileage. Later correspondence marks his promotion to captain, effective September 11, 1903. The letter forwarding his commission, its local routing, and his acknowledgment preserve the steps through which a major career change reached him. The records move from instruction to arrival, then from appointment to formal receipt.
Cavite Duty and a Journey That Needed Corrected Orders, 1905
In March 1905, Drake was sent to Cavite in the Philippines as a member of a general court-martial, with instructions to return afterward to Mare Island. The orders named Seattle as the departure port for Empress of India. Drake's June 10 account explains the problem: the liner sailed from Vancouver. He traveled there at his own expense, crossed to Hong Kong, and transferred to another steamship for Manila. He asked the Navy to correct the orders so they would cover the necessary expenses. His account gives this official journey a personal voice, showing an experienced captain carrying out his duty while seeking accurate paperwork for the route he had traveled.
Wisconsin Command and the Original Photographs, 1905-1906
Drake took command of the USS Wisconsin on November 5, 1905, according to the official naval register. This was Battleship No. 9, later designated BB-9. The three original photographs, displayed together in one frame and captioned 1905-06, bring this stage of his career into view. Their captions identify him preparing night orders, sitting in his Wisconsin cabin, and signing fleet orders. Books, papers, furniture, and the captain at his desk show the working surroundings behind shipboard command. The cabin caption also describes Wisconsin as a "Great Gun Trophy Winner," preserving a period reference to the ship's gunnery reputation without identifying the award year.
Technical Work After Retirement, 1906-1920
Drake retired as a rear admiral on December 10, 1906, but continued to apply his technical experience. He filed a patent application in 1908 for a method and apparatus intended to lift fog; U.S. Patent 990,121 was granted in 1911. His later work included a report on ships' turning behavior for the Anglo-American arbitration claim concerning Sidra, along with work on revisions to Navy regulations. These activities extend the story beyond his final sea command and show his continued interest in maritime problems, technical evidence, and naval administration.
The Final Letter and Lincoln Memorial Service, 1928-1929
The last dated letter brings the collection to a moving close. On December 18, 1928, G. H. Powell of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States appointed Drake chairman of a committee to conduct Lincoln Memorial exercises on February 12, 1929. Powell praised the dignity and success of the previous year's program under Drake's direction and urged an early planning meeting. At eighty-two, Drake was still being trusted with an active public responsibility. He died in Washington on January 30, 1929, forty-three days after the letter and thirteen days before the planned observance.
Historical Significance and Legacy
Together, these papers preserve a career through the decisions and relationships that shaped it. Simpson's confidence, Folger's qualified encouragement, the rejected cruiser proposal, the diplomatic commendation, and Powell's renewed trust each reveal a different part of Drake's service. The collection connects naval engineering with command, science, diplomacy, family history, and remembrance. Its value as a historical record lies in these dated connections: individual documents build a sustained account of the work and responsibilities behind a naval officer's rank.
Condition
The papers show age toning, folds, edge wear, and handling marks. Spotting and discoloration are visible on the photographic mount, with surface wear to the frame, and paper deterioration to the rear backing of the framed photos. Please check the pictures for the general condition of the item.
Ideal For
Suited to collectors of U.S. Navy archives, original naval correspondence, maritime photographs, and military family papers. The collection also offers material for museum displays and research covering the early steel Navy, torpedo development, scientific voyages, American diplomacy in China, and the personal history of naval command.
Frame: Approx length 20.5", Approx width 9.5", Approx height .5", Approx weight 2lbs.