DECATUR Collection of Military & Naval Service - Spanning 100 years
These flags were formerly part of the Decatur-Armsden Collection, a family collection that included artifacts and flags from the Lear-Storer-Decatur family, a family which included many historic personages in American history.
The accumulation of historic artifacts was a treasure trove which was rediscovered in the mid 20th Century when the family as a whole decided to sell a barn at Kittery Point, Maine, the spiritual center of the extended family. The barn had served as a repository for a vast amount of historical material that has been passed down through the generations. When inventoried, the barn was found to contain a significant archive of papers, memorabilia, photographs, books, artifacts and some twenty historic flags. The historic trove was divided up amongst the three branches of the family.
The bequeathment to Alice Decatur Armsden contained the flags and was retained in its entirety. In the estate were flags from some of the illustrious naval families of Decatur, Storer and Dewey. The flag grouping consisted of Boat Flags, Ensigns, Signal Flags, Burgees, Rank Flags, Distinguishing Flags, Service Flags and a Yacht Ensign. Among the US flags and ensigns were the following star counts: four with 13 stars , 16 stars, 26 stars, three with 34 stars, 35 stars, two with 45 stars and 48 stars.
Dating from the early 18th century, the flags were acquired from the male naval officers of the family by the women of the families, the wives and daughters, who then carefully preserved and conserved them, an act for which posterity is forever indebted.