1908 Autographed Roster of Roosevelt Touring Party Signed Aboard USS Mayflower

Description

"The Roosevelts On A Cruise - Mrs. Roosevelt, accompanied by Miss Ethel, Kermit and Archie, Miss Hagner and Miss Cornelia Landon, left on the 10.15 train over the Southern Railway for Vicksburg, where they will take the Mayflower to New Orleans, whence they will return to Washington by rail in about 10 days." - Patterson Weekly News,
April 2, 1908
Page From Guestbook of the Presidential Yacht USS Mayflower.
Single leaf measures 7 3/4 x 10 3/16 inches - Autographed by members of the prestigious Roosevelt touring party, 1908.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Signatures include that of Theodore Roosevelt's second wife, First Lady Edith Kermit Carow
(1861-1948, the first to employ a fulltime, salaried Social Secretary - her tenure resulted in the creation of an official White House staff, and her formal dinners and ceremonial processions served to elevate the position of First Lady)
and four of their children: Ethel Carow Roosevelt
(1861-1948),
Kermit Roosevelt
(1889-1943),
Archie Roosevelt
(1894-1979),
and Quentin Roosevelt
(1897-1918)
- Thomas Snowden
(1857-1930)
- Fitzhugh Lee, 7th U.S. Cavalry
(Fitzhugh Mason Lee, Jr., 1875-1954)
- Joseph Wilmer
(1848-1912)
- Isabella L. Hagner
(1875-1943, the first White House Social Secretary)
- Cornelia Landon - R. B. [Ralph Beaver] Strassburger, Ensign USN
(1883-1959 - He would go on to become a fairly major collector, newspaper publisher, and author of two books: a genealogy of his family, and one on German settlers in Pennsylvania)
- Henry McCall of Mccall, La.
(1847-1913, Sugar Planter (Evan Hall Plantation) and Collector of Customs of New Orleans.)
The trip was recorded in the military journal
Army and Navy Life
, New York:
ARMY AND NAVY PRESS,
1908 -
Vol. 12, p.767-768:
"U. S. S. Mayflower, Guantanamo, Cuba, April 12, 1908. Editor of The Bluejacket: -  On Thursday, March 12, at 3 P. M., we left the Norfolk Navy Yard, the tug Hercules accompanying us to the end of the channel. Our band played several lively airs as we were leaving; and the weather was very pleasant. Arrived at New Orleans on the 18th instant after a very pleasant trip, we anchored near the Isla de Luzon, a former Spanish gunboat captured by Dewey, and is now used by the Louisiana Naval Militia. We found anchored in the harbor the Dutch cruiser Gelderland and Italian cruiser Etruria.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 On the 20th, Commander Thomas Snowden reported for duty as relief of Lieut.-Com. C. T. Vogelgesang. The crew was called to quarters and the usual formalities were carried out when receiving a new commanding officer. Lieut.-Com. Vogelgesang was ordered to the U. S. S. Wisconsin as navigating officer, and he left the ship next morning. Negro laborers put 160 tons of coal aboard, and at 2 P. M. on the 21st we started on our way to Vicksburg with Pilot Joe Gibbons in charge.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The run up the Mississippi between sugar and cotton plantations was very interesting. Each day at 6 P. M. we would anchor for the night, and get underway again at 6 A. M. While passing such towns as Plaquimine, Baton Rouge and Natchez, both in coming and going, we were greeted with a very noisy demonstration, with steam whistles and cheers of the people who lined the banks of the river.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  On the 24th, at 6.30 P. M., we quietly entered Vicksburg and anchored about a mile from the City. The next two days were spent in cleaning and painting ship. On the 28th Mrs. Roosevelt and Miss Ethel, Masters Kermit, Archie and Quentin, Miss Hagner, Miss Landon, Mr. Joseph Wilmer and Captain Fitzhugh Lee, U. S. A., came on board at 1 P. M. and at 2 P. M. we started on our trip down the river to New Orleans.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     On the 30th, Mrs. Roosevelt and party disembarked at Donaldsonville and spent several hours inspecting the sugar plantation owned by Mr. Henry McCall, the Collector of Customs at New Orleans. They also visited a small Spanish village, where the children, nearly all of foreign parentage, sang patriotic airs, and afterward received a half-holiday at the request of Miss Ethel Roosevelt. The party returned to the ship at 6 P. M. Next morning, because of the foggy weather, we did not get underway until 9.30 A. M. Arrived at New Orleans at noon, and the greeting was the noisiest ever heard.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Moored ship to Toulouse street wharf. Ensign R. B. Strassburger was detatched and granted two weeks' leave of absence on account of the death of his father, a prominent lawyer of Norristown, Pa. Plenty of liberty was granted to the crew while we remained at the wharf. The Roosevelt party was kept busy taking in the sights of New Orleans in automobiles.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  On April 3, at 7.30 P. M., Mrs. Roosevelt and party left the ship and went direct to Washington by train. The next day we left Toulouse street wharf and moored to the wharf at the Naval Station in Algiers. On the 4th, two teams from this ship went ashore and played a practice game of baseball. We have the material for a good team..."