About Archives & Special Collections
|
Isaac & Silas Ludlam Papers (1744-CA. 1870’s). 1 box (0.75 linear feet).
ArMs 1973.226
The Ludlam Family has a long history of serving as Surveyors for the Village and City of Brooklyn. Stephen Ludlam was the first, being appointed in 1809. He was followed by his son Silas in 1834, his grandson Austin in 1880 and his greatgrandson Ralph in 1911. Silas Ludlam (1806-1892) began working as a surveyor in 1927. In the 1834 New York City directory he is listed as a City Surveyor alongside one Isaac Ludlam, and the two share the same address. Their family and business relationship is unknown. Silas Ludlam was an authority on old Brooklyn, and the present Ludlam Place in Brooklyn is named in his honor.
The Isaac & Silas Ludlam Papers document the surveying activities of the Ludlams in Brooklyn. Although the collection contains 73 items from 1744 to 1880, the bulk of it consists of 69 letters received by the Ludlams between 1826 and 1839, requesting that the Ludlams provide surveying services. The writers of these letters include many prominent citizens of nineteenth-century Brooklyn, both public officials and private citizens.
View Full Finding Aid
Independence Community Bank Oral History, 2006-2007. Sound recordings: 18 wav files
2008.032
Independence Community Bank was founded in 1850 as The South Brooklyn Savings Institution and in 2006, it was bought out by a larger bank (Sovereign Bancorp, itself owned by Banco Santander). The Brooklyn Historical Society, with the support of the Independence Community Foundation (now Brooklyn Community Foundation), conducted 16 extended interviews with past and present employees of Independence Community Bank to document the end of the Bank’s 155 years based in Brooklyn.
Recordings of these interviews may be listened to in the library. An index of these interviews may be read in the library.
Patterson Family Collection, 1847-1956. 1.25 linear feet (3 document boxes, 1 oversize folder, 4 custom boxes).
AccNo. 1980.013
The Pattersons were a multi-generational family living in Brooklyn Heights, and its members worked in a variety of fields. William Patterson (c.1821-1890/1891) worked in construction, and his son, Stephen (1855-1905), worked as a lawyer, as did Stephen’s daughter, May (c.1879-1925). May Patterson holds the distinction of being the first female Assistant District Attorney to argue a case in a United States court. Stephen’s other daughter, Annie Louise (1883-1970), married Alexander Lassen Jones (c.1881-?), a theater manager and producer.
The Patterson Family Collection is comprised of the papers and photographs saved by the Patterson Family between 1847 and 1956. The collection includes financial documents, legal documents, correspondence, scrapbooks, diaries, photographs, post cards, and cartes de visite. The content of the collections varies based on date as different generations saved different types of material.
Access Points:
Personal Names
Elwell, Emily L. Jones (1921-?)
Jones, Annie L. Patterson (1883-1970)
Jones, Emily L. (1921-?)
Patterson, Annie L. Ames (1857-1931)
Patterson, Mary Anne (c.1826-1898)
Patterson, May (c.1879-1925)
Patterson, Stephen G. (1855-1905)
Patterson, William (c.1821-1890)
Subjects
District Attorney
Women’s Rights
Women-Suffrage
Women lawyers
Geographical Headings
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
View Full Finding Aid
Thomas Messenger Family Papers, 1829-1923 (Bulk dates: 1853-1881). 3 Record Cartons (3 Cubic Feet).
ArMs 1978.124
Thomas Messenger (1810-1881) was a prominent landowner and businessman. Born in the county of Surrey in Southeast England, Messenger’s family relocated to America when he was very young and settled in Great Neck, Long Island. As an adult, Messenger would continue to reside in Great Neck with his wife and daughters, eventually coming to own the largest plot of land in Long Island and being elected President of the Queens County Agricultural Society. Along with their Long Island farm, the Messengers also resided at a property in Brooklyn Heights. Messenger and his brother, Harry, founded the tobacco company T. & H. Messenger & Co., which held its headquarters in New York City, and Messenger served as President of the Brooklyn Bank for twenty-five years until his death in 1881. The Messengers were also well known for their generous donations to both All Saints’ Church and St. Ann’s Church in Brooklyn.
The collection consists of 3 cubic feet of personal and business papers associated with Thomas Messenger and his family. The materials conveyed in the collection primarily consist of handwritten personal and business correspondences, as well as receipts, ephemera, insurance policies, writings and business transactions. The bulk of the collection comprises of materials written for or by Thomas Messenger. Correspondences to his wife, Ann, and youngest daughter, Marie, are also represented within the papers. The materials are primarily in English, but there are materials also written in French, Italian, and German, reflecting the extensive traveling the Messenger Family did oversees ca. 1874.
Access Points:
Personal Names
Messenger, Ann
Messenger, Harry
Messenger, Marie Gerard
Messenger, Thomas
Corporate Names
Brooklyn Bank (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
St. Ann’s Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
T. & H. Messenger & Co.
Geographic Names
Great Neck (N.Y.)
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Manhattan (New York, N.Y.)
Westchester Co., N.Y.
Subjects
Banking
Tobacco industry New York (State) New York.
Travel
Long Island Railroad
Queens County Agricultural Society (N.Y.)
View Full Finding Aid
Records of the Women’s Alliance of the First Unitarian Church, 1922-2004 (Bulk dates: 1980-1998). 4 boxes: 3 record cartons, 1 flat box (4.3 cubic feet).
ArMs 2005.031
The Women’s Alliance of the First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn began as the Female Samaritan Society in 1838, several years after the Church’s founding. Members of the group took responsibility for all the physical housekeeping of the church, ran the church’s annual fundraising fair, and helped with parish duties such as visiting the sick and cooking for the congregation. After periods of inactivity in the twentieth century, the group was resurrected in 1973 as the Women’s Alliance, a primarily issue-oriented group concerned with social action and women’s rights matters. The Alliance remains active today, and members continue to represent a broad spectrum of views that reflect the liberal beliefs and practices of Unitarian Universalism.
The collection mainly encompasses the period of the resurgence of the Women’s Alliance during the latter half of the twentieth century. The inclusive dates span from 1922 to 2004, with bulk dates ranging from 1980 to 1998. Records consist primarily of organizational material, including meeting minutes, correspondence, and financial documents. Church programs, transcripts of sermons, and copies of the Women’s Alliance’s newsletter are also included, as are photographs from Women’s Alliance events. A number of records also reveal the group’s relationships with other female-oriented and religious organizations.
Access Points:
- Anagnost, Loretta
- Brugnola, Orlanda
- Campobasso, Miriam
- Hoogenboom, Olive
- Lazarus, Katharine
- Odessky, Marjory
- First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Women’s Alliance
- Unitarian Universalist Women’s Federation
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) - Church history
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) - Religious life
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) - Social life and customs
- Feminism - Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Pro-choice movement - Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Religion and social problems - New York (State) - New York
- Social action - New York (State) - New York - History - 20th century
- Unitarianism - New York (State) - New York - History
- Women in religion - Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Women clergy
- Women’s rights and spiritualism - Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
View Full Finding Aid
Horatio C. King Collection, Circa 1850-1925. 3 document boxes (0.7 cubic feet).
ArMs 1977.195 & 1991.035
Horatio Collins King (1837-1918) was a prominent lawyer and politician, running for Secretary of State for New York as a Democrat in 1895, Congress as a member of the Sound Money Party in 1896, and Comptroller for the Progressive Party in 1912. He served as a Civil War officer in the Armies of the Potomac and Shenandoah from 1862-1865. He lived in Brooklyn Heights with his wife, Esther Augusta Howard, and their nine children. He was also a published writer of poetry and songs as well as a lecturer.
This collection is a loose assortment of items pertaining to Horatio C. King, Esther King (his wife), and Mary E. Hewitt, an American writer and poet who was the mother of King’s first wife, Emma. Content also relates to the Fort Greene Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (of which Esther was a member), as well as King’s involvement with the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument Association of the United States and the Society of the Army of the Potomac.
Access Points:
- King, Horatio C. (Horatio Collins), 1837-1918
- Hewitt, Mary E.
- King, Esther
- Daughters of the American Revolution
- Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument Association of the United States
- Army of the Potomac
View Full Finding Aid
Brooklyn (N.Y.) Neighborhood Renewal and Development Collection, 1962-1987. 3 boxes (1 document box, 1 record carton, 1 oversize box), 2.25 cubic ft.
ArMs 1987.002
The Brooklyn Neighborhood Renewal and Development Collection was compiled by Robert H. Vadheim, M.D., a physician and long-time resident of Brooklyn Heights. Dr. Vadheim is an active member of the Brooklyn community and is recognized as a medical doctor, family man, and philanthropist. The collection contains materials dating from 1962 to 1987 focusing on revival, renewal, and renovation efforts within Brooklyn’s diverse neighborhoods and cultural institutions. These changes are reflected in newspaper clippings, magazine articles, social announcements, invitations, neighborhood tour pamphlets, and other memorabilia. The collection also includes ephemera relating to the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Bridge - including the 1983 Brooklyn Bridge Centennial - and other notable subjects, including brownstones and building restoration.
The borough of Brooklyn, N.Y. began experiencing significant surges of change and renewal in the 1960’s. Efforts to renovate and preserve Brooklyn’s diverse landscapes were sparked by local concern for neighborhoods suffering from neglect or in need of preservation, and by general interests in Brooklyn’s history, architecture, and geographic location. Proposals for “urban renewal” and “gentrification” garnered support not only from Brooklynites, but from outside land developers, business investors, and potential home owners attracted by the intact federal and Victorian houses in many Brooklyn neighborhoods. The steady renewal of buildings and physical landscapes in the 1970’s and 1980’s drew new attention and financial interests to Brooklyn as new resident populations and businesses began moving into the borough’s various neighborhoods. As renewal efforts continued, property values rose in spectacular leaps and continued to rise as revitalization continued.
Access Points:
- Brooklyn Museum
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- The Phoenix
- Brooklyn Heights Press & Cobble Hill News
- Urban renewal
- Renovation (Architecture)
- City planning
- Brownstone buildings
- Brooklyn Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
View Full Finding Aid
Village of Brooklyn Deeds, 1770-1856. 1 box (0.25 linear feet).
ArMs 1974.038
This collection consists of deeds, quit claims, bonds, mortgages, leases and other legal documents for property held by the Middagh, Sands, and March families. Most of the documents relate to property originally belonging to the estate of Aert Middagh (d. 1777) on several acres of land in what would become part of the Village of Brooklyn in 1816. Much of this property passed into the Sands and March families by descent and marriage. Some records refer to properties in Jefferson County, NY.
The bulk of the collection pertains to transactions involving Samuel B. M. Sands (1799-1835) and/or his nephew, Joshua S. March (1809-1842), both of whom married Magdalen Middagh (1808-1844), the daughter of Aert Middagh (ca. 1776-ca. 1815) and Martha Middagh (née Van Nostrand). The collection most likely passed through the hands of John Middagh Sands (1827-1873), the son of Magdalen and Samuel B. M. Sands.
Records also derive from Nicholas Luquer and his wife Sarah Lea Luquer (née Lynch), from George Hicks, and others. Includes 1838 report of commissioners appointed by the Kings County Board of Supervisors, inquiring into a loan of $79,000 received from U.S. revenue.
Beyond its value as a record of property transactions, this collection may be of interest for the personal information on a number individuals, contained in certain documents.
Access Points:
- Deeds New York (State) New York
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, NY) History
- Deeds Brooklyn (New York, NY)
- Brooklyn (New York, NY) Neighborhoods Brooklyn Heights
- Bartow family
- Coles family
- Colwell family (spelled also, Caldwell)
- Cowenhoven family (spelled also, Covenhaven, Van Couvenhoven, Van Couwenhoven,Kowenhoven, Kouwenhoven, Van Kouvenhoven, Van Kouwenhoven)
- Dean family
- Henshaw Family
- Hicks family
- Luquer family (spelled also, Lequier, Luquere, Luqueer)
- Luquer, Nicholas (1810-1864)
- Luquer, Sarah Lea (1809-1887) (née Sarah Lea Lynch)
- March family
- March, Joshua Sands March (b. 1809)
- Middagh family (spelled also, Middaugh)
- Middagh, Magdalen (1808-1844) (aka, Magdalen Sands, Magdalen March)
- Mitchell family (spelled also, Mitchel)
- Sackett family
- Sands family
- Sands, Samuel B. M. (Samuel Bayard Malcolm Sands) (1799-1835)
- Van Nostrand family (spelled also, Van Noorstrant)
- Van Nostrand, Martha (aka, Martha Middagh) [m. Aert Middagh (ca. 1776-ca. 1815)]
- Woolsey family
View Full Finding Aid
The Civitas Club Collection, 1893-1993 (Bulk Dates: 1893-1960). 6 document boxes (2.7 cubic feet).
ArMs 1977.324 and 1993.008
The Civitas Club Collection traces the history of the Civitas Club of Brooklyn, New York. The club was founded in 1893 in Brooklyn Heights as a women’s social group dedicated to “awaken an interest in matters pertaining to municipal welfare, and to foster all movements within the circle of its influence that have for their end the improvement of any phase of civic life.” The Civitas Club and its members were politically and socially active throughout its century of existence. Members were encouraged to present papers, make their voices heard within the community, and gain knowledge of timely issues through the lectures and debates sponsored by the club.
The collection traces these activities, the organization of the club, and the more social ventures of Civitas, illustrating the functions of a women’s club and the development of women’s political voice through the twentieth century. The bulk of the collection concerns the first two decades of the twentieth century and the decade immediately preceding the club’s 75th anniversary (celebrated in 1968). Included in the collection are minutes, meeting and program announcements, financial records, and memorabilia.
Access Points:
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- Clubs - New York (State) - New York
- Lectures and lecturing - United States
- Long Island Historical Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Political Clubs
- Social group work
- United States - Politics and government
- Women - Societies and clubs
- Women in charitable work
View Full Finding Aid
Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims - Henry Ward Beecher Collection, 1847- 1980 (Bulk 1847-1887). 73 boxes: 31.5 document boxes, 35 ledger boxes, 2 newspaper boxes, 1 oversized box,and 3 small index boxes (28 cubic feet).
ARC 003
The Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims - Henry Ward Beecher Collection (Plymouth-Beecher Collection) traces the career of the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, the well known nineteenth century preacher, and the history of Plymouth Congregational Church, Beecher’s congregation from its establishment in 1847 through his death in 1887. Plymouth Church was a major institution in nineteenth century Brooklyn, first gaining recognition on national and international levels as Beecher’s pulpit. Today the church maintains a prominent place in the Brooklyn Heights community and the collection details the history of Plymouth Church as a community church through 1965.
Although materials in this collection date from 1847 to 1980, this collection deals primarily with Beecher’s pastorate at Plymouth Church from 1847 until his death in 1887, and traces the history of the church through 1965. The papers provide insight into the church. s daily operations and illustrate the history of Beecher’s influence on his congregation and on nineteenth century Congregationalism. The collection illuminates both the public and private life of a major American personality of the nineteenth century.
Subjects:
- Abbott, Lyman, 1835-1922
- Abolitionists
- Adultery
- Authors, American- 19th century
- Beecher, Eunice White Bullard, 1813-1897
- Beecher, Henry Ward, 1813- 1887
- Beecher, William Constantine, 1849-1928
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y)- Church history
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y)- Religious life and customs
- Church of the Pilgrims (Brooklyn)
- Church Newsletters
- Clergy- New York (State)- New York
- Clergymen as authors
- Congregational churches- Clergy
- Congregationalists- New York- BrooklynDurkee, James Stanley, 1866-
- Fifield, Lawrence Wendell, 1891-
- Hibben, Paxton, 1880-1928
- Hillis, Newell Dwight, 1858-1929
- Hunt, Rose Ward
- Lectures and lecturing- United States
- Pews and pew rights
- Plymouth Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, Brooklyn
- Plymouth Sunday School
- Reformers- United States
- Religious Education of children
- Religious newspapers and periodicals
- Sermons, American
- Slavery- Antislavery movements- United States
- Sunday Schools- New York (State)- New York
- Theology
- Tilton, Elizabeth M. Richards, b. 1834
- Tilton, Theodore, 1835-1907
- Trials (Adultery)- New York (State)- New York
- United States- Politics and government
- United States- Religion- 19th century
View Full Finding Aid
|
Recently Added Collections
|
