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USS Minnesota 1880's

USS Minnesota 1880's

Posted: 15 Jul 2000 8:02PM GMT
Edited: 6 Oct 2002 11:00PM GMT
Anyone with information on the USS Minnesota from the 1880's please email me. Had an ancestor who served on the ship and died while they were in Canton China in 1885. He was actually burried there!!!
Miliss

Re: USS Minnesota 1880's

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 6:50PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Stewart
I realize the original post on this was made over a decade ago... I do have an ancestor who was on this ship in 1880. If we are talking about the same boat this ship was used in the Civil War, was badly damaged and then repaired. After the Civil War it was used for training purposes and was stationed out of the Brooklyn shipyard in New York. My ancestor George William Stewart participated in the "Apprentice Boy" program from Oct 1876 to Oct 1880. The "Apprentice Boy" program had the boys enter on their exact 17th birth date and released exactly 4 years later. There was some competition to be accepted in. I have muster rolls that show my ancestor was on that ship at least in 1880.

If we are talking about the same ship (as there have been couple of different "Minnesota" ships it is likely your ancestor was an Apprentice boy or a trainer of some sort.

In addition to this I have had some luck finding the arrivals and departures of various ships when typing in the words: Marine Intelligence Report or just Marine Intelligence on the archived New York Times articles from this time period. You can find those articles easily by googling for that site.

I hope this is helpful.

Matt A.

Re: USS Minnesota 1880's

Posted: 9 Oct 2011 6:24PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Fitzgibbon
I too, had an ancestor on the U.S.S. Minnesota. He enlisted in 1885 and you can see his entry here in the link below. It's from familysearch.org listed under United States, Naval Enlistment Rendezvous, 1855-1891. Perhaps others can find their ancestors here too. (be sure to scroll across the page...it's a spread)
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-14739-46946-17?cc...

Re: USS Minnesota 1880's

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 1:45PM GMT
Classification: Query
I also have an ancestor who served as an apprentice on the USS Minnesota.

His log entry for enlistment can be found here: http://www.wikitree.com/photo/Robeson-139-1.jpg

I am interested in learning if the ship ever traveled to Scotland, England, or Ireland.

Please comment if have any documentation on the ship's travels outside the US waters.

Thank you.



Re: USS Minnesota 1880's

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 1:47PM GMT
Classification: Query
PS

I am interested in travels outside the US waters only during the years 1884 to 1894

Re: USS Minnesota 1880's

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 4:26PM GMT
Classification: Query
It has been a while since I posted something about the naval apprentice ships for the Apprentice Boy program of this time period. My ancestor who was on the USS Minnesota was discharged in October of 1880 in the Brooklyn Shipyard in New York. My father sent off for various documents at the national archives for some of this information. I think it would be helpful if you found the name of the commanding officer(s) of the ship during the time your naval apprentice was active. If the Commanding Officer had an unusual name it would be even more helpful. Also if you explore muster rolls that might help as well. I personally was able to track the movement of several ships that my ancestor was on using digitized newspaper databases.( My personal ancestor did go over to the british isles and in the Meditteranean Sea). The New York times for instance is easily accessed for this time period. Maritime ship reports were reported very regularly. Sometimes the newspapers would also list which sailors were transferring to different ships and so forth. Of course if you type in the name Minnesota, or apprentice, etc your going to get alot of hits that you would have to comb through.

Another thing worth looking into if you haven't already is going on familysearch.org and selecting the searchable resources for the US and you can search the naval enlistment database for this time period as well.

Re: USS Minnesota 1880's

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 4:50PM GMT
Classification: Query
Thank you.

I have search quite a bit and found nothing pertaining the USS Minnesota from 1884 to 1894

The information I have found is prior to 1884, mostly describing civil war activities. Information after 1894 pertains to the second ship named Minnesota, a steel hull ship.

Being the 1884 era Minnesota was a training ship, I want to confirm if it went to the British Isles, or if it simply did maneuvers along the US east coast.

I suspect the Minnesota may have been the means my ancestor used for passage to the British Isles where he started a new life, but wish to confirm this possibility with knowledge that the ship made such a journey(s) in the time period referenced.

Re: USS Minnesota 1880's

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 5:44PM GMT
Classification: Query
According to Wikipedia:

Ordered to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Minnesota was decommissioned on 16 February 1865. She was recommissioned on 3 June 1867 and made a cruise with midshipmen to Europe. She was placed in ordinary at the New York Navy Yard on 13 January 1868. Recommissioned on 12 June 1875, she remained at the New York Navy Yard as a gunnery and training ship for naval apprentices. Three sailors assigned to Minnesota were awarded the Medal of Honor during this period: Captain of the Top William Lowell Hill and Ship's Cook Adam Weissel for rescuing fellow sailors from drowning in separate 1881 incidents, and Second Class Boy John Lucy for his actions during a fire at the Castle Garden immigration facility in 1876.[6] In October 1895, Minnesota was loaned to the Massachusetts Naval Militia, continuing that duty until August 1901 when she was sold to Thomas Butler & Company of Boston. She eventually was burned at Eastport, Maine.
[edit]

Re: USS Minnesota 1880's

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 5:51PM GMT
Classification: Query

Re: USS Minnesota - China service

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 6:04PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 25 Apr 2012 6:05PM GMT
Miliss..... It doesn't seem that your ancestor would have gone to China on the USS Minnesota in 1885 (its China service was in the 1850's):

"It was built in the Washington Navy Yard in 1854, launched in late 1855 and commissioned in 1857 and named for the Minnesota River. The steamship was part of the East India Squadron and visited ports in Japan, China and Hong Kong in 1857 but was soon decommissioned in 1859. It was re-commissioned in 1861 at the start of the Civil War and served as the flagship of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. The squadron was commanded by Flag Officer Louis M. Goldsborough, who selected the U.S.S. Minnesota as his flagship."
See: http://thisweekinthecivilwar.com/?p=1021/
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