See More of Minor’s Journey
A rare record of an African American U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer, named Charles Edward Minor, was brought to ROADSHOW in 2008 by his great-grandson.
Oct 2, 2023
During ANTIQUES ROADSHOW’s visit to Hartford, Connecticut in 2008, a guest named Brian brought in a detailed U.S. Navy collection related to his great-grandfather, Charles Edward Minor. Brian’s records of his great-grandfather included service records, medals, vellum (or calf-skin parchment) enlistment documents, and a "cabinet card," or portrait photograph.
Minor served in the Navy during the Spanish-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, and World War I. He reached the rank of Chief Petty Officer in 1917, which was a rare occurrence for African Americans during this period. Minor was known to be a decorated African American seaman as he served a total of 34 years traveling around the world in service to the country.
Appraiser Gary Piattoni valued his collection between $2,500 and $3,500 back in 2008. He specified that “Even as a group that belonged to a white sailor, this would be quite rare because of all the service that the sailor saw. But as an African American sailor, it's really amazing and rare.” In 2023, the value of Brian's collection was updated to between $3,000 and $5,000.
See a close-up look of Brian's collection below.
Brian, of Newport, Rhode Island, came to the Hartford, Connecticut, ROADSHOW in August 2008 with an impressively thorough record of his great-grandfather, Charles Edward Minor's, service in the U.S. Navy around the turn of the 20th century. The collection, including vellum enlistment documents, a "cabinet card" photograph, service record and medals, was valued by appraiser Gary Piattoni at between $2,500 and $3,500, a high figure given Minor's rank upon retirement — Chief Petty Officer — because Minor was exceptional: he was a decorated African American seaman a mere 20 years after the abolition of slavery.
