Extent: 1.0 Linear feet, in one record carton

The Conklin and Bedell families papers (1839-1917) contain financial records and some personal correspondence generated by Ebenezer Conklin of Brooklyn, New York, and his descendants. The bulk of the records were generated by Ebenezer Conklin, and mostly concern household expenses, repairs and improvements made on Conklin’s [...]]]> Call Number: 2005.021

Extent: 1.0 Linear feet, in one record carton

The Conklin and Bedell families papers (1839-1917) contain financial records and some personal correspondence generated by Ebenezer Conklin of Brooklyn, New York, and his descendants. The bulk of the records were generated by Ebenezer Conklin, and mostly concern household expenses, repairs and improvements made on Conklin’s several properties. The records of Nathaniel Augustus Conklin and Sarah Bedell, two of Ebenezer’s children, continue the history of Ebenezer’s properties. The small amount of correspondence contains Civil War letters, and a copy of the General Orders of the 19th Army Corps Headquarters at Camp Russell, Virginia. The collection also holds a cash accounts book and a pew ledger of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Bushwick for the years 1876-1884.

Names:

• Bedell family
• Conklin family
• Old Bushwick Reformed Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)

Places:

• Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
• Bushwick (New York, N.Y.)
• United States — History — Civil War, 1861-1865
• Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.)

Subjects:

• Real property — New York (State) — Kings County
• Retail trade — New York (State) — Kings County

Types of material:

• Account books
• Church records
• Correspondence
• Financial records
• Invoices
• Land titles
• Receipts (financial records)
• Tax records

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Extent: 0.02 Linear feet, in one folder.

One diary kept by Josiah M. Grumman while he was held prisoner at the Confederate Libby Prison in Richmond, VA from 1861 to 1862. The diary contains an account of his capture, lists of daily activities and other prisoners, newspaper clippings, and receipts.

Josiah M. Grumman was born [...]]]> Call Number: 1973.110

Extent: 0.02 Linear feet, in one folder.

One diary kept by Josiah M. Grumman while he was held prisoner at the Confederate Libby Prison in Richmond, VA from 1861 to 1862. The diary contains an account of his capture, lists of daily activities and other prisoners, newspaper clippings, and receipts.

Josiah M. Grumman was born in Newark, N.J. He later moved to Brooklyn and became a civil engineer and surveyor. When the Civil War erupted in 1861, Grumman volunteered for service in the 84th Regiment of the New York State Volunteer Infantry (commonly known as the 14th Regiment of the New York State Militia, or the “Fighting 14th”) and was elected a Sergeant of Company H. He was taken prisoner during the Battle of Falls Church and sent to the Confederate Libby Prison in Virginia. After his release, he rejoined the 84th Regiment and was elected First Lieutenant of Company H. At the second battle of Bull Run in August 1862, Grumman was fatally wounded. He was buried in Lyons Farms Cemetery in New Jersey.

Names:

• Grumman, Josiah M.
• Libby Prison
• United States. Army. New York Infantry Regiment, 84th (1861-1864)

Places:

• Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
• Richmond (Va.)
• United States — History — Civil War, 1861-1865
• United States — History — Civil War, 1861-1865 — Prisoners and prisons

Subjects:

• Prisoners of war — Virginia — Richmond — Diaries
• Soldiers — New York (State)
• Soldiers — United States — Diaries

Types of material:

• Clippings (information artifacts)
• Diaries

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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 [...]]]> 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:

• Correspondence

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Extent: 0.13 Linear feet, in two folders

The Reverend William I. Chalmers served as pastor of the Congregational church in Riverhead, New York, during the late 19th century. The collection includes two manuscripts written and presented by Chalmers in the 1890s concerning the history of Congregationalism in Suffolk County, N.Y.

Names:

Places:

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 [...]]]> 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:

• Lecture notes
• Sermons

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Extent: 0.83 Linear feet, in 2 manuscript boxes

The American Sugar Refining Company operated a refinery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for nearly 150 years and employed, at its height, over 4,500 people at a time. Founded in 1807 as Wm. and F.C. Havemeyer, the company went through many name and ownership changes, eventually incorporating as [...]]]> Call Number: 2008.042

Extent: 0.83 Linear feet, in 2 manuscript boxes

The American Sugar Refining Company operated a refinery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for nearly 150 years and employed, at its height, over 4,500 people at a time. Founded in 1807 as Wm. and F.C. Havemeyer, the company went through many name and ownership changes, eventually incorporating as American Sugar Refining Company in 1891, and is today known as Domino Foods, Inc. This collection includes annual reports describing the business operations of the firm and publications featuring photographs and stories about some of those workers.

Names:

• American Sugar Refining Company
• Havemeyer, Frederick C., 1807-1891
• Havemeyer, Henry Osborne, 1847-1907
• Havemeyer, Horace, 1886-1956

Places:

• Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
• Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.)

Subjects:

• Food supply
• Sugar
• Sugar factories
• Sugar trade

Types of material:

• Annual reports
• Financial statements
• Publications

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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 [...]]]> 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:

• Martense family

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

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Extent: 0.04 Linear feet, in one folder

This collection consists of one item: the account book of John Middagh, hatter and merchant of Brooklyn. The account book contains the autograph signatures of Middagh’s business associates in both Brooklyn and New York City, with their notations for dates of payment, amounts, and items or [...]]]> Call Number: 1974.027

Extent: 0.04 Linear feet, in one folder

This collection consists of one item: the account book of John Middagh, hatter and merchant of Brooklyn. The account book contains the autograph signatures of Middagh’s business associates in both Brooklyn and New York City, with their notations for dates of payment, amounts, and items or services purchased by Middagh for the period, 1773-1810. It also records the collection of Middagh’s taxes. Many prominent early Brooklynites set their hands to this book, including John Jacob Astor (1763-1848) and his agents.

Names:

• Middagh, John

Places:

• Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Commerce

Subjects:

• Businessmen — New York (State) — Kings County
• Merchants — New York (State) — New York

Types of material:

• Account books
• Receipts (financial records)

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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 [...]]]> 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

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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 [...]]]> 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:

• Seaman family

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

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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