Edward Everett Hayden family papers, 1817-1963

Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement

Scope and Content Note

The papers of Edward Everett Hayden (1858-1932) and his family span the years 1817-1963 with the bulk of the material dating from 1879 to 1932. Most of the items in the collection comprise the papers of Edward Everett Hayden, a rear admiral in the United States Navy. The papers are organized into the following series: Diaries, Journals, and Notebooks; Family Papers; Navy Files; General Correspondence; Writings; Subject File; and Oversize.

Hayden's navy files are wide-ranging, but they focus on his scientific work for the navy and his command of the United States Naval Station in Key West, Florida, from 1910 to 1915. There is, in addition, a wealth of other Hayden family material documenting military family life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; approximately one-third of the collection is family correspondence. Hayden's wife, Kate Reynolds, came from a military family; the Hayden's eldest son served many years as a medical officer in the navy; their second son graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and served in the army until 1920; and the youngest son attended military schools and served in the army during World War I. The oldest items in the collection are the papers of Hayden's grandfather, William Hayden, a Massachusetts Whig and postmaster of Boston. Prominent correspondents of William Hayden include Daniel Webster, Jacob Collamer, and John Davis. The most recent material relates to Mary Bainbridge Hayden, the admiral's youngest child, who donated the collection to the library.

Edward Everett Hayden was born in Boston and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1879. He lost his leg in a climbing accident while on duty with the United States Geological Survey and subsequently was forced to retire in 1885. Through a special act of Congress, Hayden was restored to active duty in 1901, but was restricted to shore duty. During most of the intervening years, he worked for the navy as a civilian.

Hayden worked for the navy primarily as a scientist. In addition to his official duties, he published articles on timekeeping, hydrography, and meteorology, especially relating to hurricanes. The Navy Files series in the collection includes Hayden's correspondence with the navy and war departments as well as office correspondence and miscellaneous items from each of his duty stations. A large number of official papers, photographs, and various documents preserved in the Navy Files relate to Hayden's work in charge of time service and chronometers at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., from 1902 to 1910 and his service as commandant of the Key West naval station from 1910 to 1915.

Many of Hayden's activities outside the navy are represented in the Subject File series. Material concerning his professional interest in meteorology, hydrography, and timekeeping is located here, as are the papers on his various inventions, patents, and personal business matters. Papers from his three-year position as secretary of the National Geographic Society are also in the Subject File.

The Family Papers series is organized by name of family member. Within each person's file, the family correspondence contains letters and cables written by that family member or spouse to other relatives. In some cases, the files also contain incoming letters. Following the family correspondence of each person are the general correspondence, financial material, photographs, school papers, and writings of that person. Excepted from this organization are the files of Edward Everett Hayden, whose personal nonfamily papers comprise the rest of the collection. Listed alphabetically below are short descriptions of family members represented in the collection and the types of materials relating to them.

Alfred Hayden (born 1894): Edward Everett Hayden and his wife, Kate Reynolds Hayden, sent Alfred, their youngest son, to Staunton Military Academy in Staunton, Virginia, and later to Virginia Military Institute. Alfred wrote numerous letters home describing his life at military school. He attended college at the University of Maine, Orono, and by June 1917 was a lieutenant in the United States Army. Alfred married Marie Vincent Treby in 1918 and several months later was sent to France to fight in World War I. After the war, Alfred and Marie settled in Norfolk, Virginia, where Alfred worked as a fireman. Marie died in 1924; Alfred married Susan Camp Reams in 1927.
Arthur D. Hayden (circa 1879-1943): Very little correspondence remains between Edward Everett Hayden and his much younger brother Arthur. Arthur spent much time with their mother in her old age and inherited all the family property. Most of the items in his papers pertain to the Nantucket, Massachusetts, properties that he inherited.
Dorothy Hayden (born circa 1891): Dorothy, the third child of Edward Everett Hayden and a prolific letter writer, spent much of her youth pursuing various educational activities (including school in Europe) and visiting her brother Reynolds in the Caribbean and in California. Dorothy moved to Boston in 1924 to study occupational therapy. She continued to live in Boston and work as an occupational therapist until 1931, when she married a neuropsychiatrist named Gaylord Coon. They had two sons. In addition to her correspondence, Dorothy's papers include school papers, photographs, and financial material.
Edward Everett Hayden (1858-1932): The Edward Everett Hayden section of the Family Papers series contains only his correspondence with family, correspondence about family matters, and a series of portraits. The rest of his papers comprise the remainder of the collection.
Herbert Bainbridge Hayden (1885-1969): Herbert was the second child of Edward Everett Hayden. His letters provide detail about his daily life from 1904 to 1915; coverage is spotty after 1915. From 1904 to 1907 Herbert attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and many letters carefully describe his life as a cadet. After graduation, he served with the army in Cuba, the Pacific Northwest, Texas, the Philippine Islands, and in Europe during World War I. Herbert retired as a colonel in 1920. Eventually, he settled into a banking career in Philadelphia. He married Ethel Wells in 1929, and they had a son in 1931. Herbert's papers also include documents from his military service, photographs, school papers, and financial material.
Kate Reynolds Hayden (born circa 1859): Originally from Lafayette, Indiana, Kate Reynolds married Edward Everett Hayden in 1882. When not on tour elsewhere, they resided in Washington D.C., living for many years (circa 1888-1910) at the corner of 16th and S streets, NW. They had five children. Her papers are comprised of correspondence, financial material, and photographic portraits.
Louise Annie Dorr Hayden (1837-1910): Edward Everett Hayden's mother, Louise Hayden, lived in Boston. She later moved to Washington, D.C., but spent much of her time in Europe. Her papers consist principally of letters to her son.
Mary Bainbridge Hayden (born 1895): Mary, the youngest of the Hayden children, attended private high school in Europe and graduated from Vassar College in 1918. After graduation, she worked with charitable organizations in the United States and Europe, as an Associated Press correspondent on the Herbert Hoover presidential campaign of 1928, and as a reporter in Berlin, Germany, 1929-1932. She finished her career as a federal government employee and lived in Washington, D.C. Most of her family correspondence dates from her high school days in Europe, the first few years after college, and her time covering the Hoover campaign. Many of the letters have photographs attached. Her papers also include diaries, financial material, school papers, and writings.
Reynolds Hayden (born 1883): Reynolds was the first-born of the Hayden children. At the age of seventeen, his father arranged for him to accompany American military forces to China, and there are several letters from Reynolds describing his experiences in the Boxer Rebellion. Reynolds attended medical school at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., and made his career as a medical officer in the navy. Most of his duty stations were in the Caribbean, although he spent 1912-1914 in California. He married Belle Howard in 1908; she died in 1923. In 1925 he married Helen Troy. Reynolds had five sons. His papers are comprised of correspondence, medical writings, photographs, and miscellaneous material.
William Hayden (1795-1880): The oldest material in the Family Papers series belonged to Edward Everett Hayden's grandfather, William Hayden. Most of the items relate to William's political patronage appointment and work as postmaster of Boston. Correspondents include prominent Massachusetts Whigs.
William Vassall Hayden (circa 1856-1938): There is one folder of family correspondence from Vassall, Edward Everett Hayden's older brother. He lived outside Boston.
Lilian Hayden Hieston (circa 1863-1940): There are several folders of family correspondence from Edward Everett Hayden's older sister Lily. She divorced her husband Walter in 1907, but kept her married name Hieston. She spent much of her time traveling.
Joseph Jones Reynolds (1822-1899): J. J. Reynolds was the father of Kate Reynolds Hayden. He commanded the Indiana Volunteers during the Civil War, achieving the rank of major general. During the early years of Reconstruction, he had command of military districts in Texas and Louisiana; the general correspondence of 1865-1867 contains copies of letters documenting his work there. Also included are military papers, financial material, and photographs. When he retired, he moved to Washington, D.C., with his wife, Mary Elizabeth Bainbridge Reynolds.