This summer, I had the privilege of assisting Dell Upton with research for his upcoming talk celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy, as well as for his ongoing project. Undertaking this internship provided me with a valuable foundation for further growth in academic scholarship and gave me an opportunity to apply the skills I have developed in my studies so far to an intensive research setting.
My primary task was to locate and analyze the will of Commodore Jesse Duncan Elliott. In addition, I helped construct a family tree to develop a more holistic understanding of the Commodore. Prior to my research, it was known that he had a wife and several children, yet he appeared to spend little time with them. Although he maintained a residence in Carlisle, Pennsylvania during his life, at the time of his death he was living in a Philadelphia boarding house. The absence of any mention of his family, even in passing, presented a mystery I was asked to help resolve. This project required me not only to recover primary source documents but also to piece them together into a narrative that could clarify unanswered questions about Elliott’s life.
To pursue these questions, I frequently visited the Philadelphia City Archives, where I examined wills belonging to both Commodore Elliott and his known family members. After locating these documents, I transcribed them and provided my analysis to Professor Upton to support a deeper understanding of Elliott’s life and the complexity of his familiar relationships. I also conducted research in various digital archives, gathering census records, newspaper articles, and birth and death records, which allowed me to assemble additional portions of his family tree. This process highlighted the importance of cross-referencing multiple types of records in order to create as complete a picture as possible when working with fragmented documents.
To successfully complete these tasks, I drew upon research techniques and resources introduced in HSPV 6000 Documentation, Research, and Recording I. That course exposed me to the Philadelphia City Archives and numerous other digital databases that proved critical to my internship research. Because I was already familiar with these repositories, I was able to locate documents more efficiently and think creatively about how to approach and answer the research questions. The course had also prepared me to evaluate sources critically, take meticulous notes, and remain flexible when unexpected gaps appeared in the archival record. These skills translated directly into the work I undertook this summer.
My internship challenged me to think creatively about how to construct a cohesive narrative from limited documentation. It also required me to refine my ability to produce clear, organized notes and to streamline my research methods so that I could effectively articulate my findings to Professor Upton. Working under his guidance strengthened my skills as a researcher, making me more efficient, focused, and driven in my scholarly work. This experience has given me greater confidence in my ability to conduct primary-source research, solve historical mysteries through careful analysis, and contribute meaningfully to a larger academic project.
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