Scope and Content Note
The papers of George Eugene Belknap (1832-1903) span the years 1857-1903, and consist of correspondence, speeches, articles, and miscellaneous material. The papers reflect Belknap’s naval career including duty in the barrier forts at Canton, China, in the 1850s, combat duty in the Civil War, a tour of duty in Hawaii, and his command of the Asiatic Fleet. His interest in hydrographical and oceanographical matters as well as contemporary social, political, and economic questions is demonstrated by correspondence with his colleagues. Principal among these are Daniel Ammen, John M. Brooke, Caspar F. Goodrich, Samuel W. Lowell, George Collier Remey, John A. Riddle, and Francis Asbury Roe. There is also a grouping of notes and memoranda apparently intended for use in an autobiography, some research in Belknap family genealogy, a small amount of family correspondence, and recollections and writings about the sea.