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Records of the Central Congregational Society and Church (now Cadman Memorial Church), 1845-1945. 5 record cartons, 3 over-size.
ArMs 1989.003
The Central Congregational Society and Church was founded in 1858. In 1939 it was re-named in memory of Dr. Samuel Parkes Cadman (1864-1936), the church’s highly respected pastor and the leading Congregational clergyman in the US, as well as the first US radio preacher. In the 1950’s the church merged with the Clinton Avenue Congregational Church at the latter’s location, and afterward came to be known as “Cadman Memorial Congregational Church.”
This collection includes papers, correspondence, account books, deeds, bills, and publications from the Central Congregational Society of Brooklyn and its affiliates. Also included are member lists and baptism records that may be of particular interest to genealogists.
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Bedell and Conklin Family Collection, 1839-1917. 1 record carton (1 cubic foot).
ArMs 2005.021
Ebenezer Conklin was an employee or associate of the Peter Cooper glue factory and millworks, as well as a landlord and property owner. He and his wife Sarah Aletta Clowes had five children, two of whom are represented in this collection. Nathaniel Augustus, their third child, served in the Civil War. Sarah, the eldest, married George Bedell, the son of William Bedell, chief proprietor of a straw and feed company. William Bedell may also have been Ebenezer Conklin’s business partner for a time.
The Bedell and Conklin Family Collection contains financial records, family correspondence, and a small collection of ephemera. The financial records of Ebenezer Conklin make up the greatest part of the collection and pertain to all aspects of Conklin’s financial life. The financial records of his descendants and relatives generally concern only building repairs and tax records pertaining to various properties. The collection also includes two account books of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Bushwick spanning the years 1876-1884, correspondence reflecting Nathaniel Augustus’ experience in the Civil War, letters from Nathaniel Augustus to his father, and ephemera such as business cards and promotional materials. See the full finding aid for descriptions of additional items.
Access Points
Personal Names
Bedell Family
Conklin Family
Conklin, Ebenezer
Conklin, Nathaniel Augustus
Bedell, Elbert
Bedell, George
Bedell, Sarah
Topics
Church records and registers-Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Land titles-Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Real property-Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Retail trade-Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
United States-History-Civil War, 1861-1865
Geographic Terms
Bushwick (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)-Social life and customs
Camp Russell A. Alger (Va.)
Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.)
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Newell Dwight Hillis Papers (1883 - 1964). 4 record cartons, 2 boxes (60 linear inches).
ArMs 1985.004
Newell Dwight Hillis (1858 -1929) was a noted clergyman of his day. After several pastorates in the midwest, Hillis was called to the Plymouth Congregational Church in Brooklyn in 1899. Plymouth Church was then well known as the Church of Henry Ward Beecher and Lyman Abbot, whom Hillis succeeded. While at Plymouth Church Hillis gained in reputation as a preacher, lecturer and author. Among Hillis’s activities outside of Plymouth Church were his involvement in plans for the beautification of Brooklyn, his extensive lecture tours, and his articles and publications on spiritual matters and current topics.
The Newell Dwight Hillis Papers consist of Hillis’s correspondence and writings, business and financial records, ephemera, newsclippings, scrapbooks and family papers. The major activities of Hillis’s career which are well documented by the collection are his work in creating the Henry Ward Beecher Memorial and Plymouth Institute at Plymouth Church and his involvement in World War I which included two Liberty Loan tours and numerous articles, sermons and lectures on the events of the War and its aftermath.Correspondence and papers of Hillis’s children, Richard Hillis and Marjorie Hillis Roulston, and clippings and ephemera presumably collected by them make up a small part of the collection which post-dates Hillis’s death in 1929.
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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.)
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Charles M. Higgins Papers, 1854-1929 (Bulk dates 1886-1929). 1 Oversize Box (.5 cubic feet).
ArMs 1978.114
Charles M. Higgins (1854-1929) was a prominent ink manufacturer and creator of “Higgins American India Ink”. He was the head of the Charles M. Higgins Company, manufacturers of the drawing ink he invented. Higgins was also active in many public service institutions, including the Anti-Vaccination League of America and the Brooklyn Ethical Culture Society, and he was a founding member of the Kings County Historical Society. Born in Ireland, Higgins’s family arrived in New York at the age of six and settled in Park Slope, where he continued to reside for the rest of his life.
The collection contains many papers, both pamphlets and typescripts (written mostly by Higgins), as well as photographs and clippings. Materials relate to Higgins’s position as a prominent ink manufacturer, as well as aspects of his activities in the Anti-Vaccination League of America, the Kings County Historical Society, and his interests in religious ethics and morality.
Access Points
Personal Names
Higgins, Chas. M. (Charles Michael), b. 1854
Gavin, John E.
Higgins, Alexandra Fransioli, Mrs.
Higgins, Tracy
Topics
Vaccination
Vaccination — Complications
Tetanus
Businessmen — Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — 19th century
Businessmen — Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — 20th century
Prohibition
Long Island, Battle of, New York, N.Y., 1776
Corporate Names
Anti-Vaccination League of America
Higgins Ink Company, Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences
Brooklyn Bank
Brooklyn Ethical Culture Society
Manufacturer’s Association, Brooklyn
Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Montauk Club of Brooklyn
Green-Wood Cemetery (New York, N.Y.)
Geographic Terms
Park Slope (New York, N.Y.)
United States-History-Revolution, 1775-1783-Campaigns
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Marcy Avenue Baptist Church Records, 1872-1939. 2 Record Carton boxes and 3 scrapbooks in custom enclosures (3.5 cubic feet).
ArMs 1985.081, ArMs 1977.206
The Marcy Avenue Baptist Church, which began as an outgrowth of the Washington Avenue Baptist Church, was formed in 1872 and located in the Beford-Stuyvesant area. The church experienced rapid growth and underwent several expansions in the 1870’s and 1880’s. By 1900 Marcy Avenue Baptist Church was the largest Baptist church in Brooklyn. It was dis-banned in 1939.
This collection contains the Marcy Avenue Baptist Church’s administrative and organizational records, which include Membership Rolls, Registers, and Marriage Stubs as well as Deacons reports, Ladies Aid Society reports, Sunday School Superintendent Reports, Benevolent Society reports, Reports of the Board of Trustees, and general Church Statistics.
Access Points
Personal Names:
Jeffery, Reuben, Rev., D.D.
Rhoades, W.C.P., Rev., D.D.
Fox, William B. (Brownell)
Fox, Emily Parker, Mrs.
Banta, Theodore M. (Theodore Melvin), 1834-1910
Hudnut, James Monroe, 1844-
Elliott, Emma Payne, Mrs., “Mother Elliot”
Snow, Charles Thompson
Stout, George Corwin
Corporate Names:
Marcy Avenue Baptist Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Long Island Baptist Association
Washington Avenue Baptist Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Marcy Avenue Baptist Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.) — History.
Marcy Avenue Baptist Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.) — Anniversaries, etc.
Topics:
Baptists - New York (State) - New York
Geographic Terms:
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Church history.
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) Religious life and customs - 19th century
Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.)
Marcy Avenue (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
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Brooklyn Ephemera Collection (1814-1998). 19 manuscript boxes and 2 oversize boxes (9.8 cubic feet).
The Brooklyn Ephemera Collection contains materials of mixed provenance accumulated over decades by the Long Island Historical Society (now the Brooklyn Historical Society). It is comprised of 12 series: Businesses, Churches, Civic Organizations and Celebrations, Clubs, Entertainment, Military, Schools, Sports, Transportation, Miscellaneous, Comic Books, and Calendars/Oversized Materials. The materials relate to a variety of Brooklyn-based institutions and events spanning a period of time from 1814 to 1998. Examples of the encompassed materials include correspondence, announcements, pamphlets, special events programs and notices, note papers, tickets, newspaper clippings, trade cards, ads, receipts, invoices, tour maps and information, postcards and certificates.
Access Points
Personal and Corporate Names:
Pierrepont, John Jay, 1849-1911
Grant, Ulysses S. [Ulysses Simpson], 1822-1885
Adelphi College
Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). Commissioners of Prospect Park
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). Park Commissioners
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Athenaeum
Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn Club (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn Dodgers (Baseball team)
Brooklyn Dodgers (Football team)
Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Company
Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Tabernacle (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn Union Gas Company
Erasmus Hall High School
First Presbyterian Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Historic Districts Council (New York, N.Y.)
National Railway Historical Society
New York City Transit Authority
New York Naval Ship Yard
New York Transit Museum
St. Francis College (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Visiting Nurse Service of New York
Subject Headings:
African Americans
American Revolution Bicentennial, 1976
Baseball - New York (State) - New York
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) - religious life and customs
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) - social life and customs
Brooklyn Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
Brownstone - New York (State) - New York
Prospect Park (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn Trust Company Building (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) - Songs and music.
Armed Forces - New York (State) - New York
Clubs - New York (State) - New York
Entertainment events - New York (State) - New York
Racing - New York (State) - New York
Railroads - New York (State) - New York
Sports - New York (State) - New York
Theater - New York (State) - New York
Williamsburg Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
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Arthur I. Okanst Scrapbooks, 1928-1965. 2 record cartons and 1 manuscript box (2.5 cubic feet).
ArMs 2004.023
Arthur I. Okanst was a Jewish-American Brooklynite who documented his life and interests in numerous scrapbooks. Born on 22 March 1886, Okanst lived with his wife and daughter in Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was an active member of his Jewish community and followed news related to the world and national state of Jewish affairs. Okanst also enjoyed popular entertainment, followed celebrity news, and frequently attended the theater. Nothing is known of his professional life. Okanst died in September of 1965.
A total of seventeen scrapbooks, as well as an incomplete index, are included in this collection. They contain clippings and published obituaries; theater and event programs and playbills; souvenirs, menus, leaflets and other printed ephemera; greeting cards (especially Birthday and Anniversary cards), telegrams, and invitations to weddings and bar mitzvahs. Also included are newsletters from Okanst’s local Temple and clippings documenting the events leading up to and during World War II.
Personal Names:
- Grossfield, Anne Faith, b. 1942
- Grossfield, Avery
- Grossfield, Harriet
- Grossfield, Rena
- Okanst, Arthur I., 1886-1965
- Okanst, Helen (nee Newman), d. 1970
Subjects:
- Temple Ahavath Sholom (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Jews
- Jews-Charities-20th century
- Jews-United States-20th century
- Antisemitism in the press-20th century
- Zionism in the press-20th century
- World War, 1939-1945
- United States-Foreign relations-20th century
- United States presidents-20th century
- United States-Politics and government-20th century
- Celebrities-United States-20th century
- Theater-United States-20th century
- Television-United States-20th century
- Radio-United States-20th century
- Sports-United States-20th century
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y)-Social life and customs-20th century
- Flatbush (New York, N.Y.)-Social life and customs-20th century
- New York (N.Y) -Social life and customs-20th century
- United States-Social life and customs-20th century
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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.
Subjects:
- 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.)
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The Reverend Peter Lowe of Flatbush Correspondence, 1782-1818. 1 legal manuscript box (0.25 linear feet).
ArMs 1974.008
The Reverend Peter Lowe was a beloved pastor who served the Brooklyn community from 1788-1818. Originally presiding over a union of six churches throughout the Brooklyn area, Lowe remained Pastor of the Dutch Church of Flatbush after the union dissolved, a position he held until his death in 1818.
This collection contains correspondence between the Reverend Lowe and various correspondents, many of them fellow clergymen. Includes items in Dutch and Latin, as well as English.
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