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dee_burrisOne of my cousins contacted me yesterday, looking for some help in finding out about the Navy career of Albert E Smith.
He wrote:
I bought an antique naval officer's sword recently and am trying to research the original owner. I bought the sword in Columbia, PA, and it is a fancy presentation sword made by Shannon, Miller & Crane of NY, which is a known 19th cen. sword maker. The blade is etched with USN on one side and Albert E. Smith "80" on the other. I believe as did the dealer that this sword was presented to Smith when he graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1880. I presume that he would have been about 20 in 1880 and if he followed a career in the Navy would have served in the Spanish American War and WWI. I tried to do some Internet research myself but the only possible references I found was one in the NY Times , Sept. 2, 1880, stating that "Cadet Engineer Albert E. Smith has been detached from the Despatch and placed on waiting orders."
My cousin went on to say that he found a second NY Times article dated March 1, 1911, after talking about how Albert E. Smith was in a sailing regatta in New York. The article stated that, "Mr. Smith has been an enthusiastic yachtsman for a number of years."
The dealer who sold the sword to my cousin said the sword was bought from an estate sale in New York.
Photos below, including a close-up of the inscription.
Sword and scabbard
Engraving on sword
Internet searches we have conducted are inconclusive.
I haven't found any Ancestry family trees that mention an Albert E Smith having a career in the Navy, or graduating from the naval academy in 1880.
The VA's Nationwide Gravesite Locator does not list an Albert E Smith who was in the Navy, or who lived and died during the appropriate time.
I can't find him in Find a Grave. Military records at Ancestry are not helpful.
Any ideas?
He wrote:
I bought an antique naval officer's sword recently and am trying to research the original owner. I bought the sword in Columbia, PA, and it is a fancy presentation sword made by Shannon, Miller & Crane of NY, which is a known 19th cen. sword maker. The blade is etched with USN on one side and Albert E. Smith "80" on the other. I believe as did the dealer that this sword was presented to Smith when he graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1880. I presume that he would have been about 20 in 1880 and if he followed a career in the Navy would have served in the Spanish American War and WWI. I tried to do some Internet research myself but the only possible references I found was one in the NY Times , Sept. 2, 1880, stating that "Cadet Engineer Albert E. Smith has been detached from the Despatch and placed on waiting orders."
My cousin went on to say that he found a second NY Times article dated March 1, 1911, after talking about how Albert E. Smith was in a sailing regatta in New York. The article stated that, "Mr. Smith has been an enthusiastic yachtsman for a number of years."
The dealer who sold the sword to my cousin said the sword was bought from an estate sale in New York.
Photos below, including a close-up of the inscription.
Sword and scabbard
Engraving on sword
Internet searches we have conducted are inconclusive.
I haven't found any Ancestry family trees that mention an Albert E Smith having a career in the Navy, or graduating from the naval academy in 1880.
The VA's Nationwide Gravesite Locator does not list an Albert E Smith who was in the Navy, or who lived and died during the appropriate time.
I can't find him in Find a Grave. Military records at Ancestry are not helpful.
Any ideas?
no subject
Date: 2012-06-22 04:01 am (UTC)Officers of the Continental and U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, 1775-1900 about Albert Edward Smith
Name: Albert Edward Smith
Rank Information: Cadet Engineer Naval Academy, Graduated, Assistant Engineer, Resigned
Service Dates: 14 Sep 1876, 10 Jun 1880, 10 Jun 1882
Military Branch: US Navy Officers (1798-1900)
(from ancestry here (hoping that massive link works!)
no subject
Date: 2012-06-22 04:10 am (UTC)eta: and there's an albert e smith here who's from lynn, mass, and serving at marblehead in 1920. he's a marine, though.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-22 11:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-22 11:44 pm (UTC)http://www.history.navy.mil/books/callahan/reg-usn-s.htm
"Smith, Albert Edward.
Cadet Engineer, Naval Academy, 14 September, 1876. Graduated 10 June, 1880. Assistant Engineer, 10 June, 1882. Resigned 7 December, 1886."
found a couple other mentions of him, including here, where he's listed as being from wisconsin -- and gives his date of admission and AGE at admission! admitted sept 14 1876 age 17 years 8 months, which puts him born dec 1858 or jan 1859.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-22 11:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-22 11:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-22 11:59 pm (UTC)http://books.google.com/books?id=0JgaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA453&lpg=PA453&dq=navy+%22smith,+albert+edward%22+new+york&source=bl&ots=7UICUf87IR&sig=z4Rohh_k1XKgb2U3d1OUtRsJPqc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_wXlT6XkJMnc0QG-pfSACg&ved=0CE0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=navy%20%22smith%2C%20albert%20edward%22%20new%20york&f=false
(The United States naval academy: being the yarn of the American midshipman ...
By Park Benjamin)
Wow!
Date: 2012-06-23 03:33 am (UTC)Re: Wow!
Date: 2012-06-23 04:06 am (UTC)"Albert E. Smith, second son of John Smith and Elizabeth Leigh. He graduated from Annapolis and served about 10 years in the U.S. Navy. Later became past-assistant examiner in U.S. Patent office."
Re: Wow!
Date: 2012-06-23 04:07 am (UTC)Re: Wow!
Date: 2012-06-23 12:57 pm (UTC)Steven is going to be in high cotton (as we say here in the south).
Thank you so much.
Re: Wow!
Date: 2012-06-23 08:21 pm (UTC)Steven's reply...
Date: 2012-06-24 11:37 pm (UTC)I just wanted to thank you so much for ferreting out the information on Albert Smith. I really appreciate the time and effort you took to check this out for me. This is the kind of research I'm not adept at, so I very much appreciate your expertise. Thanks again for your act of kindness!!!!!! This adds to the meaningfulness of the sword I bought of this Naval officer from long ago.
Yours,
Steven Shephard
Smithfield, Virginia
Re: Steven's reply...
Date: 2012-06-25 12:25 am (UTC)you're quite welcome! all the best to you,
carys