Alice Austen Correspondence with Ralph Munroe
PI
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/9/2025, 9:40:48 PM | Created: 12/9/2025, 7:26:54 PM
Added description
Description
Correspondence between Ralph Munroe and Alice Austen (November 26, 1892)
Overview
This collection comprises six handwritten letters written by sailor‑writer Ralph Munroe to photographer Elizabeth Alice Austen on November 26, 1892. The letters were digitized as high‑resolution JPEG scans and are part of the Austen Family Papers housed at the Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, New York. The documents provide a vivid, day‑by‑day account of Munroe’s voyage along the southeastern United States coast, from Charleston, South Carolina, to Coconut Grove, Florida, and back to Staten Island.Background
Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866‑1952) was a pioneering American photographer whose studio in Staten Island produced a prolific body of work and extensive correspondence. Ralph Munroe (1845‑1919) was a noted sailor, author, and advocate of maritime navigation. Their friendship spanned several decades, and Munroe’s letters to Austen are a key source for understanding both men’s personal lives and the social milieu of late‑Victorian America. The letters were originally written in ink on paper and later scanned for preservation.Contents
The six letters (labeled 1–6) describe, in chronological order, Munroe’s experiences on the voyage:Each letter is accompanied by a scanned image, preserving the original handwriting, ink, and paper texture.
Scope
The collection documents a single day’s correspondence but covers a broad geographic sweep of the southeastern coastline, including Charleston, South Carolina; Southport, North Carolina; Tybee Island, Georgia; Charles Town, West Virginia; Beaufort, South Carolina; St. Simons Island, Georgia; Jekyll Island, Georgia; Cumberland Island, Georgia; Fernandina, Florida; Coconut Grove, Florida; and Staten Island, New York. The letters focus on travel logistics, weather, maritime navigation, and social encounters, offering insight into late‑19th‑century coastal life and the personal relationship between two prominent figures of the era.Raw Cheimarros Data
@alice_austen:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Alice Austen", birth: @date_1866, death: @date_1952, occupation: "photographer", residence: @staten_island_ny}
@ralph_munroe:person {full_name: "Ralph Munroe", occupation: "sailor and writer"}
@alice_austen_house:organization {name: "Alice Austen House Museum", location: @staten_island_ny}
@collection_austen_munroe_correspondence:document {title: "Alice Austen Correspondence with Ralph Munroe", creator: @ralph_munroe, institution: @alice_austen_house, created: @date_1892_11_26, subjects: ["Correspondence","Travel","Maritime travel","Victorian era","Social life","Photography","World's Columbian Exposition","Family history","Staten Island"]}
@file_pinax -> documents -> @collection_austen_munroe_correspondence
@wabum:place {description: "Location mentioned in the opening of the letter"}
@charleston_sc:place {city: "Charleston", state: "South Carolina", country: @united_states}
@southport_nc:place {city: "Southport", state: "North Carolina", country: @united_states}
@tybee_island_ga:place {city: "Tybee Island", state: "Georgia", country: @united_states}
@charles_town:place {description: "Charles Town, likely West Virginia", country: @united_states}
@beaufort_sc:place {city: "Beaufort", state: "South Carolina", country: @united_states}
@st_simons_island_ga:place {city: "St. Simons Island", state: "Georgia", country: @united_states}
@jekyll_island_ga:place {city: "Jekyll Island", state: "Georgia", country: @united_states}
@cumberland_island_ga:place {city: "Cumberland Island", state: "Georgia", country: @united_states}
@fernandina_fl:place {city: "Fernandina", state: "Florida", country: @united_states}
@coconut_grove_fl:place {city: "Coconut Grove", state: "Florida", country: @united_states}
@staten_island_ny:place {city: "Staten Island", state: "New York", country: @united_states}
@worlds_columbian_exposition:event {year: @date_1893, description: "World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago"}
@collection_austen_munroe_correspondence -> mentions -> @worlds_columbian_exposition
@letter_1892_11_26_1:document {date: @date_1892_11_26, from: @ralph_munroe, to: @alice_austen, summary: "Ralph describes supper, delayed harbor, critical condition, mentions receiving Alice's long letter and a jolly one from Nellie, writes from Southport NC."}
@letter_1892_11_26_2:document {date: @date_1892_11_26, from: @ralph_munroe, to: @alice_austen, summary: "Ralph recounts hurricane, wind conditions, walking in pine woods, picking peanuts, reaching Charles Town, comments on Beaufort, mentions a ball and delays."}
@letter_1892_11_26_3:document {date: @date_1892_11_26, from: @ralph_munroe, to: @alice_austen, summary: "Ralph details Thanksgiving dinner, sailing difficulties, repairs, and a night stroll on a sea beach."}
@letter_1892_11_26_4:document {date: @date_1892_11_26, from: @ralph_munroe, to: @alice_austen, summary: "Ralph mentions pirates landing, anecdote about a gentleman, supplies shortage, dinner with apple duff."}
@letter_1892_11_26_5:document {date: @date_1892_11_26, from: @ralph_munroe, to: @alice_austen, summary: "Ralph describes St. Simons Island ruins, vegetation, sailing near Ossabaw Island, passing Jekyll Island, and plans for Coconut Grove."}
@letter_1892_11_26_6:document {date: @date_1892_11_26, from: @ralph_munroe, to: @alice_austen, summary: "Ralph talks about Cumberland Island history, ownership, and future travel plans, ending with regards to family."}
@file_1892_11_26_ralph_munroe_nov_26001_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_1892_11_26_1
@file_1892_11_26_ralph_munroe_nov_26002_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_1892_11_26_2
@file_1892_11_26_ralph_munroe_nov_26003_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_1892_11_26_3
@file_1892_11_26_ralph_munroe_nov_26004_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_1892_11_26_4
@file_1892_11_26_ralph_munroe_nov_26005_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_1892_11_26_5
@file_1892_11_26_ralph_munroe_nov_26006_copy_jpg -> documents -> @letter_1892_11_26_6
@ralph_munroe -> visited -> [@wabum, @charleston_sc, @southport_nc, @tybee_island_ga, @charles_town, @beaufort_sc, @st_simons_island_ga, @jekyll_island_ga, @cumberland_island_ga, @fernandina_fl, @coconut_grove_fl] {when: @date_1892_11_26}Metadata
Files (6)
OCR Text
Wabum 8:30 P.M. Nov. 26 My dear Alice, We have just had supper, (Corned beef hash, rice cakes & tea) & butter balls. Life is saved for we had gone two hrs. past the regular meal time in order to make a harbor & save all of the ebb tide towards Tybee, & his condition was critical. I was delighted to get your nice long letter at Charleston in company with a jolly one from Nellie. I wrote you from Southport N.C. where we had the pleasure of doing the tour and getting acquainted with pretty nearly every one in it, almost a week was foaked away there, we made our start out got becalmed about ten miles on our course, sailed around all day & just at dark not liking the looks of the sunset & getting a light breeze managed to fetch back & lucky we did for by midnight it was blowing a gale & next morning a young
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Hurricane. Second day after we made another move & got about 20 miles along when the wind shifted ahead & increased to a 2 reef breeze making it exceedingly lively for us, fortunately Shallott built was under our lee & in half an hour we were snug as could be. Went ashore took a walk in the pine woods called on some of the farmers picked some peanuts & concluded we were lucky chaps. Next morning the wind was fair again & out we went & being Sunday of course made a run not a very quick one for we were becalmed some hrs. but we reached Charles Town the next noon rather sleepy & tired but satisfied with having made 130 miles more towards Fla. C. is always an interesting place for me so many quaint old buildings & objects & I should like some time to spend a week or so there. But the Ball was especially delicious to linger but the detention at Bogus & Southport had made sad inroads into our allotted time so next morning B.B. went looking up films & maps & Joe & I went
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marking for our Thanksgiving dinner, Turkey cranberries & plum pudding & by 9:30 we were off again through the inside passage for Beaufort, morning of the 24th form of us sailing 25 miles of it, ice in the water bucket & on deck until noon in the sun hours that for the sunny South & cold feet & hands & soon after starting, snaps went the two upper battens in the foresail so that we had to tie in their reefs, it was just as well though for it blew a gale & we made Beaufort a little after noon. I scuttled ashore to find a carpenter to make new battens & an auntie to roast the turkey but did not succeed in the latter not liking the looks of things culinary & concluded to let Joe stew it which he did to perfection string beans, carrots, & a bottle of claret completed the feast which we got away with in good shape & then turned in to dream in my care of things delightful in the extreme, one of the events of the night being a stroll on some sea beach
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with you & witnessing the landing of pirates in Canars after the manner of Capt Kidd in the last century one of the gents had a finger growing from his nose and you got very much provoked with me because I did not call them all by name & introduce you, explanations on my part as to my never having met the Gentlemen before being of no avail, hope you have forgiven me by this time. Beaufort is also an interesting place but every body was half frozen, next day however was mild & beautiful & no wind so we had to stay & this morning moved on again. You would enjoy this part of our trip I know but the number of plates required would be something awful. Poor B.B. hasn't any, find at everything in sight expecting a supply at Charles Town but they had not arrived & he could not buy any, consequently the journal & gin are now quite fit. Good night. 29th Just finished dinner again ending up with apple duff this time in honor of having made a good
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we having come from St Catharines to St Simons sound should have made more but the wind as usual gave out taking us just beyond where we should have liked to spend the night, the ruins of Frederica a town started by Agelthorpe in 1732 on St Simons Island & soon afterwards abandoned. The scenery especially the vegetation live oaks Cedars & palmettos is certainly beautiful. Yesterday we took a turn outside of Ossabaw Island to get rid of some rather too crooked sailing inside, never have had such variable winds since live known boats only twice on the trip have we been able to carry out a plan if tomorrow gives us any show at all we ought to get into N/A. Have been passing the big saw mills of Doby & St Simons most of the afternoon. An other day of profoundly light wind but we managed to anchor to night in the N/A line about 4 miles from Fernandina B.B. left us this morning on a passing stream for Fl so as to have plenty of time to look up films & maps & as it turned out, a hotel. This morn we passed Jekyll island & the home
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of a swell N.Y. club & la I expect we did not stop only on a run of tanks for a few minutes. Cumberland the next in order has quite a history which sorry to say I don't know much of. I think it was given to Gen Green of Revolutionary fame for services rendered, he built a fine house called Dungerness & planted olives, long afterwards I think Danny Kumble lived in it & then it went to Mr. Carnegie the Pittsburgh iron man owns it now. It does not look like getting anywhere to-morrow but we may do outside again now. You must take the Sea Island trip some time but earlier in the season we will figure it out somehow. My next address I hope will be Coconut Grove Dade Co. Fla. Give my best regards to the family. Sincerely yours, Ralph Arrived here at 5 a.m. this morning slight frost
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/9/2025, 9:40:48 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/9/2025, 8:32:24 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/9/2025, 7:48:54 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/9/2025, 7:26:54 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: Correspondence_Ralph_Munroe"
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