Archives & Library Special Collections
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Call Number: ARC.212
Extent: 28.0 cubic feet, in 75 boxes: 32 manuscript boxes, 38 flat boxes, and 5 small boxes.
The Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims and Henry Ward Beecher collection traces the career of the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, the well known 19th century preacher, and the history of Plymouth Congregational Church, of which Beecher was the first pastor. Plymouth Church was a major institution in 19th century Brooklyn, first gaining recognition on national and international levels as Beecher’s pulpit. Beecher was well known for his oratorical ability and for his vocal opposition to slavery and support of the Northern cause during the Civil War. He also spoke out on subjects ranging from women’s suffrage and evolution to organized labor and temperance. Beecher was a popular figure despite controversy that surrounded his activities, including a charge of adultery that resulted in a widely reported trial in 1875.
The collection relates principally to Beecher’s pastorate at Plymouth Church from 1847 until his death in 1887. Other materials, ranging through 1980, concern the church’s other pastors and the history of Plymouth Church itself, which consolidated with the Church of the Pilgrims in 1934. The papers provide insight into the church congregation’s various activities, illustrate the history of Beecher’s influence on his congregation and on 19th century congregationalism, and shed light on both the public and private life of a major American personality of the 19th century.
Names:
- Beecher, Henry Ward, 1813-1887
- Abbott, Lyman, 1835-1922
- Beecher, Henry Ward, 1813-1897
- Beecher, William Constantine, b. 1849
- Durkee, J. Stanley, 1866-1951
- Fifield, Lawrence Wendell, b. 1891
- Hibben, Paxton, 1880-1928
- Hillis, Newell Dwight, 1858-1929
- Hunt, Rose Ward
- Tilton, Elizabeth M. Richards, b. 1834
- Tilton, Theodore, 1835-1907
- Bethel of Plymouth Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Church of the Pilgrims (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Sunday School
- Church of the Pilgrims (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Henry Ward Beecher Literary and Debating Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Henry Ward Beecher Missionary Circle (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Plymouth Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Sunday School
- Plymouth Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Plymouth Institute (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Ellinwood, T. J., 1830-1921
- King, Horatio C., 1837-1918
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Church history
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Religious life and customs
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- United States — Religion
Subjects:
- Plymouth chimes (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Abolitionists — New York (State)
- Adultery — New York (State) — Kings County
- Antislavery movements — United States
- Authors, American
- City clergy — New York (State) — New York
- Clergy as authors
- Congregational churches — New York (State) — Kings County — Clergy
- Congregationalists — New York (State) — Kings County
- Lectures and lecturing — New York (State) — Kings County
- Pews and pew rights
- Reformers — United States
- Religious education of children — New York (State) — Kings County
- Religious institutions — New York (State) — Kings County
- Sunday schools — New York (State) — Kings County
- Trials (Adultery) — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Cartes-de-visite (card photographs)
- Church newsletters
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Cylinder phonographs (phonographs)
- Photographs
- Picture postcards
- Scrapbooks
- Sermons
- Typescripts
View Finding Aid
Call Number: 1974.008
Extent: 0.2 Linear feet, in 46 folders in one manuscript box
This collection contains correspondence to and from the Reverend Peter Lowe, Pastor of the Dutch Church of Flatbush. Many of the correspondents are fellow clergymen. The subjects of the correspondence principally include pleasantries and expressions of spirituality, especially in relation to dealing with difficulties, being favored with luck, matters of health or illness, and other fortunes or misfortunes of life. There is some commentary on finding preaching positions, performing clerical duties and seeking to redeem sinners. In this connection, there is an unsent 1788 letter from Lowe in which he expresses frustration that his church will not allow African-Americans to become members; he details the objections of the members and his answers to those objections.
Names:
- Lowe, Peter
- Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church (Flatbush, New York, N.Y.)
Places:
- Flatbush (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Clergy — New York (State) — Kings County
- Reformed Church — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
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Call Number: ARC.286
Extent: 0.13 Linear feet, in four folders
Epher Whitaker (1820-1916) was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Southold, Long Island, for more than forty years, retiring the pastorate in 1891. He was also an author and historian. The Epher Whitaker papers (1864-1900) include manuscripts of fourteen of Whitaker’s sermons, lectures and short writings dating from the late 1800s. There is also a small amount of correspondence from 1864 concerning religious revival among children. Most of the lectures and sermons concern historical topics, including past ministers at Southold and Shelter Island; preachers who appeared in the pulpit of the First Presbyterian Church of Southold, including African-Americans; the history of the First Presbyterian; and a survey of Suffolk County history. A summary of remarks entitled “The Proper Work of the Ministry” is an autobiographical account of Whitaker’s career (1891). Other manuscript remarks include reflections on “The Rise of Woman” and the relation of church and state, as well as religious themes.
Names:
- Whitaker, Epher, 1820-1916
- First Presbyterian Church (Southold, N.Y.)
Places:
- Shelter Island (N.Y.)
- Southold (N.Y.)
- Suffolk County (N.Y.)
- Suffolk County (N.Y.) — History
Subjects:
- African Americans — New York (State) — Suffolk County
- Presbyterian Church — Clergy
- Presbyterian Church — New York (State) — Suffolk County
Types of material:
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Call Number: ARC.285
Extent: 0.33 Linear feet, in one manuscript box and one flat box
The Martense family papers include deeds, indentures, wills, estate administration documents, promissory notes, bills of sale for enslaved African-Americans, correspondence, and photographs and other images. The bulk of the documents date from the 1700s to circa 1876. The images date from circa 1870 to circa 1944. Deeds and other land transaction documents dating from the 1700s comprise the largest portion of the collection. The Martense family lived in Flatbush, now part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and most of the collection concerns that area. Correspondence in the collection dates from 1837-1839 and includes several letters sent to Gerrit Martense at Rutgers College in New Brunswick, N.J., by his family in Flatbush. Subjects of the letters include domestic and local matters. The letters, and other documents in the collection, also refer to dealings concerning one Juan Scorsur, an Italian immigrant to New York attempting to acquire real estate in Brooklyn while residing for an extended time in Cuba. In addition to multiple generations of Martenses, among the surnames found in the collection are Cornell, Hegeman, Lefferts, Remsen, Suydam, Terhune, Van Brunt, Van der Bilt, Van der Veer, and Waldron. The bulk of the collection is in English, but there are several documents in Dutch and one in Spanish. The photographs and other images, to the extent they are identified, are principally of members of the Wilbur family, into which a Martense married.
Names:
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Flatbush (New York, N.Y.)
- Kings County (N.Y.)
Subjects:
- African Americans — New York (State) — Kings County
- Decedents’ estates — New York (State) — Kings County
- Family life
- Genealogy
- Real property — New York (State) — Kings County
- Slavery — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Cabinet photographs
- Cartes-de-visite (card photographs)
- Correspondence
- Deeds
- Indentures
- Photographs
- Promissory notes
- Slave bills of sale
- Wills
View Finding Aid
Call Number: 1974.179
Extent: 0.17 linear feet, in 17 folders in one manuscript box
The Middagh family papers (1654-circa 1840) contain a variety of documents, many linked to the Middagh family by name or by affiliated family, including Couwenhoven and Stryker. Many documents have no obvious relationship to the Middaghs. Most of the collection includes legal documents of various forms including deeds, bonds, agreements, and legal filings. Among the documents not clearly linked to the Middaghs are: the concluding pages of the 1825 correspondence from William Steele to his son concerning Jonathan Dayton’s recollections of Benjamin Franklin’s proposal for prayer at the 1787 Constitutional Convention; the articles of agreement between generals Burgoyne (British) and Gates (American) at Saratoga during the Revolutionary War (1772), signed by Burgoyne; plans for the building of a school in Huntington, Long Island, and the subscriber list (1762); and a circa 1675 transcript of a 1669 Suffolk County Clerk’s document regarding the testimony of several Indian sachems of Montauket relating to a land dispute. Three items referring to African-Americans in Brooklyn are in the collection: an unidentified will (1727), a slave bill of sale (1737), and an arrest warrant concerning the unlicensed sale of liquor, including to African-Americans (1751). Eight documents (1654-1702) are in Dutch.
Names:
- Middagh family
- Cowenhoven family
- Stryker family
- Torrey, Joseph, 1707-1791
- United States. Constitutional Convention (1787)
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Kings County (N.Y.)
- Long Island (N.Y.)
- New York (State) — History — Revolution, 1775-1783
- Suffolk County (N.Y.)
Subjects:
- African Americans — New York (State) — Kings County
- County courts — New York (State) — Kings County
- Genealogy
- Indians of North America — New York (State) — Long Island
- Real property — New York (State) — Kings County
- Real property — New York (State) — Long Island
- Saratoga Campaign, N.Y., 1777
- Slavery — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Agreements
- Correspondence
- Deeds
- Legal documents
- legal instruments
- Slave bills of sale
View Finding Aid
Call Number: 1974.005
Extent: 0.25 Linear feet, in 16 folders in one manuscript box
The Seaman family papers (1752-1838) principally concern merchant John Seaman and Willet Seaman, though several other Seaman family members are also represented. The bulk of the collection consists of deeds and other documents concerning land transactions. Several of these deeds relate to land in North Hempstead, Long Island, acquired to establish a manufactory for woolen goods, circa 1816. Other legal documents related to this business are also in the collection, such as partnership agreements and an insurance policy. An indenture for an apprentice from the Overseers of the Poor of Brooklyn and a bill of sale for John Seaman’s purchase of an enslaved African-American also relate to the manufactory, known as Seaman and Cock (the Cock referring to partners John Cock and Townsend Cock). Other land transactions concern Seaman properties or interests on Long Island, New York City, other New York State counties, and other states. Other documents include John Seaman’s will, Seaman’s conditions for the eventual manumission of the slave he purchased, and correspondence from Willet Seaman supporting quarantine laws to prevent the spread of yellow fever.
Names:
Places:
- Long Island (N.Y.)
- New York (N.Y.) — Commerce
- North Hempstead (N.Y. : Town)
Subjects:
- Commerce
- Genealogy
- Indentured servants — New York (State) — New York
- Merchants — New York (State) — Kings County
- Merchants — New York (State) — New York
- Real property — New York (State)
- Real property — New York (State) — Long Island
- Slavery — New York (State) — Long Island
- Woolen goods industry — New York (State) — Long Island
Types of material:
- Agreements
- Cadastral maps
- Correspondence
- Deeds
- Indentures
- Legal documents
- Manuscript maps
- Slave bills of sale
- Wills
View Finding Aid
This collection also has an item inventory provided with the collection by the donor:
View Item Inventory, pages 1-2
View Item Inventory, pages 3-4
View Item Inventory, pages 5-7
Slavery Pamphlet Collection, late 18th century – late 19th century
Call Numbers: PAMP AASS-1 – PAMP Wolfe-1
Extent: 27 file boxes
The Brooklyn Historical Society has a collection of 18th and 19th century pamphlets relating to slavery. The collection comprises approximately 27 file boxes and contains over 1,000 unique items. The majority of these items are transcriptions of political speeches (usually made by United States congressmen), sermons, or reports of anti-slavery or colonization societies. The speeches primarily occurred in the period leading up to and including the United States Civil War, or between 1845 and 1865. The speeches often represent the speaker’s views on slavery, specifically in regards to issues of the day, e.g. causes of the Civil War or whether or not slavery should be expanded to new U.S. territories. The remainder of the collection is made up of various odds and ends, including broadsheets, a census report, novels, newspapers, scrapbooks, etc.
Please note that some items in the collection are extremely fragile and will not be available for patron use. In these cases, patrons can view the item on microfiche. This judgment will be made by staff.
All of the items in this collection can be searched using our catalog BobCat. The following list shows the most commonly used search terms.
Places:
- Southern States
- Confederate States of America
Subjects:
- African Americans — Colonization
- African Americans — Suffrage
- Freedmen — United States
- Fugitive slaves — United States
- Kansas — Politics and government — 1854-1861
- Lecompton constitution
- Nebraska – Politics and government — 1854-1861
- Secession — Southern States
- Slavery — United States
- Slavery — United States — Extension to the territories
- Slaves — Emancipation — United States
- Statehood (American politics)
- United States — Fugitive slave law (1850)
- United States — History — Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States — History — Civil War, 1861-1865 — Causes
- United States — History — Civil War, 1861-1865 — Foreign public opinion
- United States — Kansas-Nebraska act
- United States — Politics and Government
Type of material:
- Addresses
- Annual reports
- Antislavery literature
- Anti-abolition literature
- Congressional addresses
- Fast-day sermons
- Legislative speeches
- Letters
- Sermons
- Thanksgiving sermons
Call Number: 1978.185
Extent: 0.25 linear feet, in four folders
The Southold, N.Y. register book spans the period 1683 to 1850 and measures 0.25 linear feet. Entries in the register cover genealogical information, indenture, bond and deed information, records of town information, manumission of slaves notices, town meeting minutes, and voting records with results. Also included are the Southhold Academy bylaws and constitution, First Universalist Church in Southold bylaws and constitution, and records of the Commissioner of the highway of the town of Southold. The register book includes an index and was prepared by successive town historians throughout the mid-20th century.
Names:
- Southold (N.Y.)
- First Unitarian Church (Southold, N.Y.)
- Southold Academy
Places:
- Long Island (N.Y.)
- Southold (N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Genealogy
- Slavery — New York (State) — Long Island
- Unitarian Churches — New York (State) — Long Island
Types of material:
- Bonds (legal records)
- Bylaws (administrative records)
- Constitutions
- Deeds
- Indentures
- Indexes (reference sources)
- Minutes
- Registers (lists)
View Finding Aid
Call Number: V1987.001
Extent: 0.02 Linear feet, five items housed in one folder.
The Brooklyn Dodgers photographs consist of five black-and-white photographic prints dating from 1949 to 1956. The photographs are attributed to the news agency United Press International (UPI). Included are two photographs of Jackie Robinson–one of Robinson sitting alone in the dugout and the other capturing Robinson stealing home against catcher Yogi Berra during the opening game of the 1955 World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees. The collection also includes a photographic portrait of pitcher Hank Casey; a team photograph of the Dodgers in front of Borough Hall in Brooklyn after winning the National League pennant in 1949; and a photograph of Dodgers’ fans waiting on line to buy tickets for the World Series after the Dodgers won the National League pennant in 1956.
Names:
- United Press International
- Casey, Hugh Thomas, 1913-1951
- Robinson, Jackie, 1919-1972
- Brooklyn Dodgers (Baseball team)
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- African American baseball players
- Baseball fans — New York (State) — New York
- Baseball players — United States
- Baseball teams — New York (State) — Kings County
- Baseball — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Black-and-white prints (photographs)
- Photographs
View Finding Aid
Call Number: V1974.036
Extent: 1.34 Linear feet, in one oversize box and one folder.
The Prospect Park exhibit photography collection contains 33 items and ranges in date from 1877 to circa 1975, with the bulk of materials dating from 1889 to 1897. The collection includes oversize photographs, prints, stereographs, and postcards. Items in the collection show scenes of Prospect Park, such as landscapes, statues, arches, bridges, lakes, and recreational activities, namely bicycling and ice skating. Also included is a photograph of Colored School No. 2 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. Items in the collection were part of a Brooklyn Historical Society exhibit on Prospect Park in the late 1980s.
Names:
- Brooklyn Historical Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Prospect Park (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Landscape photography — New York (State) — Kings County
- Outdoor recreation
- Parks — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Photographs
- Picture postcards
- Stereographs
View Finding Aid
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