Franklin Hanford papers

ca. 1860s-1927

Franklin Hanford (1844-1928), who was raised in western New York, was a career naval officer. He graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1866 and was a rear admiral when he retired in 1903. Upon his retirement, he became a farmer in Scottsville, N. Y., and pursued his interest in local history.

The collection consists of both personal papers and clippings and ephemera. The personal papers include a chemistry and physics notebook used by Hanford and correspondence. One half of the correspondence is unsorted, but there are letters from Hanford s friend William H. Samson. There is also correspondence and circulars from three organizations of which Hanford was a member: the Journal of American History (1907-1913), the National Association of Naval veterans (1911-1923), and the U. S. Naval Academy Graduates Association (1886-1914). The bulk of the collection, however, consists of clippings and ephemera (1884-1911) concerning life in western New York, particularly Livingston and Monroe counties and the towns of Scottsville and Rochester. The ephemera consists of programs, invitations, broadsides, and advertising matter.