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Helen Zunser Wurtis Collection. 3 Toedteberg Room Packages.
ArMs 1977.351
The daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, Helen Zunser Wortis (1906-1976) was a humanitarian and scholar. In her personal life Mrs. Wortis was actively involved in community affairs and various charities.
The Helen Zunser Wortis collection consists mainly of research notes compiled by Mrs. Wortis. The research is mostly dedicated to slavery and the Black population on Long Island, and Shelter Island history. The collection also contains articles published by Mrs. Wortis in the Journal of Long Island History and Long Island Forum, as well as a copy of her memorial service, among other materials.
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Women’s Exchange of Brooklyn Collection, 1863-1964. 3 manuscript boxes (1.5 cubic feet).
AccNo 1988.018
The Women’s Exchange of Brooklyn was founded in 1854 as the Brooklyn Female Employment Society and, like earlier predecessors in other U.S. and European cities, was a labor cooperative that furnished simple employment to women whose circumstances - physical or economic - impelled them to work from home. The Exchange instructed women and marketed their work. The Brooklyn Exchange, which acquired its present name in 1936, is now the oldest among the twenty-five members of the Federation of Woman’s Exchanges in the United States.
The dates of this collection range from 1863 to 1964, with the bulk of material dating from the 1920’s to the 1940’s, and is made up of four series. Series 1 contains the monthly meeting minutes of the Board of Managers, accompanied by a treasurer’s report on the previous month’s activities. Series 2 consists of financial documentation, annual reports and audits, and legal documents. Series 3 is primarily comprised of correspondence, most of which relates to various properties owned by the exchange. Series 4 is chiefly made up of materials related to public relations and development, including donation requests, advertising efforts, and newspaper articles.
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Terhune-Wyckoff Family Papers (1747-1932). 10 linear inches.
ArMs 1977.192
Albert Terhune (1715-1806) was a supervisor of the town of Gravesend, a member of the Gravesend Dutch Reformed Church (ca.1766) and an elder of that church (ca.1795). Upon his death, he left a sizable estate to his six surviving children (three sons and three daughters). One of his sons, John (1767-1842), was a judge in Gravesend and a supervisor of that town during the 1810’s and 20’s, and a founder of the Gravesend & Coney Island Road & Bridge Company. Before his death, he wrote but failed to execute a will, and upon his passing his estate was administered by the sons of his sister Margaret, Albert Wyckoff and Jacob V.D. Wyckoff (1805-57), a New York hardware merchant.
The Terhune-Wyckoff Papers span the years 1747-1932. They are primarily the records of family finances and estates administration for the period 1800-58. The bulk of the material in the collection is in the form of bills, receipts and promissory notes issued by or to the Terhune brothers, and notes or records kept by administrators of the estates of several Terhunes and Wyckoffs.
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Well Made Glove Records, 1941-1964. 2 boxes (0.9 cubic feet).
ArMs 1986.006
This collection contains the financial records of Well Made Glove, a glove making shop owned and operated by Louis Lebman (Lebhman) of Brooklyn, N.Y. Included are account books, invoices, receipts, bank statements, and ephemera pertaining to Lebman’s business affairs.
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Harold E. Weeks Diaries, 1925-1932. 3 document boxes, 1.35 cubic feet.
ArMs 1985.039
Harold Eastman Weeks (1886 - 1960) worked as the Coordinating Engineer in the Electrical Systems Bureau of the Brooklyn Edison Company, one of the major participants in Brooklyn’s electrification. He was a relative of John Wingate Weeks, a Republican Senator and the 48th U.S. Secretary of War (1921-1925). Aside from his regular job duties at the Brooklyn Edison Company, Mr. Weeks took on several other responsibilities, serving as public utility instructor (a position he also held at the New York Edison Company), and holding membership in both the Technical Advisory Committee and the Brooklyn Edison Club (by which he coordinated company social events). He was also an active member of several professional organizations. Mr. Weeks resided at 20 Willow Street, Brooklyn, and was married to Dr. Virginia Travell Weeks, a Brooklyn pediatrician and sister of Dr. Janet Davidson Travell, President John F. Kennedy’s Personal Physician. He died in Lake Placid, New York, in 1960.
The Harold E. Weeks Diaries consist of seven diaries from the period 1925-1932 (a diary does not exist for 1928) and are arranged chronologically. Each diary documents the day-to-day operations of the Electrical System Bureau of the Brooklyn Edison Company. They also contain references-in the form of numerous enclosures-to local, national and international news events; public utilities; city planning and infrastructure; population estimates; the banking industry; the commodities markets; aeronautics; and the private life of Mr. Weeks.
Access Points:
Personal names
Weeks, Harold Eastman, 1886-1960
Travell, Janet G., 1901-1997
Weeks, John W. (John Wingate), 1860-1926
Corporate names
Brooklyn Edison Company
New York Edison Company
Subjects
Electric power systems
Electrification
Electric power distribution New York (State)
Aeronautics, Military
Chronological subject
20th-century America
Geographic subject
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Occupations subject
Engineers
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G.B. Webb Collection of Political Cartoons, 1898-1938 (Bulk 1898-1919). 2 document boxes, 1 cubic foot.
ArMs 1991.043
New York architect G.B. (Gregory Burkitt) Webb (1878-1948) specialized in building and landscaping cemeteries. He designed several abbeys and mausoleums throughout New York City, including additions to Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn and Cypress Hill and Montefiore Cemeteries in Queens. Outside of these professional accomplishments, G.B. Webb collected political cartoons that portrayed and often satirized the events of the Spanish American War (1898), President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), and the New Deal politics (1933-1939).
While the vast majority of the collection comprises political cartoons, a few miscellaneous materials also include articles and satiric pieces. The subject of Theodore Roosevelt dominates the collection, and more often than not his expansionist initiatives, reformist rhetoric, and passions for hunting are treated in a sharply satirical light. The Spanish American War is also criticized as an opportunistic vehicle for American expansionism overseas, and The New Deal is depicted as an insane bureaucratic nightmare. Most of the clippings are culled from newspapers published in G.B. Webb’s native New York City, especially the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. However, the collection includes many clippings taken from newspapers across the United States, including the Washington Post, the Nashville Daily News, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Salt Lake Herald, and Boston Post, and the Portland Oregonian.
Access Points:
Personal Names
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919–Caricatures and cartoons
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945–Caricatures and cartoons
Webb, G.B. (Gregory Burkitt), 1878-1948
Corporate Names
Progressive Party (1912)–Caricatures and cartoons
Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )–History–20th Century–Caricatures and cartoons
Topical Subjects
Big business-United States-History-20th century– Caricatures and cartoons
Hunting-Caricatures and cartoons
New Deal, 1933-1939—-Caricatures and cartoons
Presidents–United States-Election-1904–Caricatures and cartoons
Presidents–United States-Election-1912–Caricatures and cartoons
Spanish-American War, 1898–Caricatures and cartoons
Geographic Subjects
United States–Foreign relations–1901-1909–Caricatures and cartoons
United States–Foreign relations–1909-1913–Caricatures and cartoons
United States–Politics and government–1901-1909–Caricatures and cartoons
United States–Politics and government–1909-1913–Caricatures and cartoons
United States–Politics and government–1933-1945–Caricatures and cartoons
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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.
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.)
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John B. Woodward Papers, 1820-1924. 1 record carton, 1 manuscript box, 1 scrapbook in custom enclosure (1.6 cubic feet).
ArMs 1977.039; ArMs 1977.146
A lifelong Brooklynite, John Blackburne Woodward was a notable businessman, military officer, and philanthropist: he ran a successful trading business; completed his military career as Adjutant General; and served on the boards of many prominent organizations, including the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences and the Parks Department. Elijah R. Kennedy attributes the revitalization of both the Brooklyn Institute and Prospect Park to Woodward’s dedicated work. In 1885, Woodward made an unsuccessful bid for Mayor of Brooklyn.
The John Blackburne Woodward Papers consist of materials reflecting both his professional and personal life, collected both by him and his family. The collection is divided into two series. The first series consists of materials relating to Woodward’s role as Secretary of the Citizens Relief Committee during the time of the Johnstown Flood; materials relating to the accounts of the Society of the Army of the Potomac, of which Woodward was Treasurer; and records of Woodward’s role in helping to erect a statue of the Honorable James S.T. Stranahan in Prospect Park. The second series contains materials pertaining to Woodward’s personal life (i.e. school report cards, correspondence); clippings and correspondence regarding Woodward’s death; ephemera such as restaurant menus collected from various dinners; items from the Brooklyn Institute of Arts & Sciences; and scrapbooks.
Access Points:
Fowler, E.B. (Edward Brush), 1826-1896
MacMonnies, Frederick William, 1863-1937
Slocum, Henry Warner, 1826-1894
Stranahan, J. S. T. (James Samuel Thomas), 1808-1898
Woodward, John B., 1832-1896
Woodward, John N.
Brooklyn City Guard (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn Club (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)-Board of City Works
Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences
New England Society in the City of New York
New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Parks
New York (State)-National Guard-Regiment, 13th
Society of the Army of the Potomac
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)-19th century-Social life and customs
Businessmen-Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)-19th century
Generals-New York (State)-19th century
Philanthropists-Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)-19th century
Political candidates-Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)-19th century
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Charles Henry Wenman Papers, 1832-1951. 6 boxes (6 cubic feet).
ArMs 1977.335
Charles Henry Wenman, Jr. was born in 1869. At nineteen, he secured a clerkship upon finishing school. Within a few years, Wenman became the General Book-Keeper of the Illinois Central Railroad after being introduced to acting President Stuyvesant Fish. By the time Wenman left the corporation in 1906, he had held various positions at the railroad, and after Fish’s forced retirement from the railroad, Wenman became his Secretary until Fish’s death in 1923.
Apart from Wenman’s work with Fish, he also ventured into the world of business on his own. In 1923, he formed the Stenciltype Company, which produced mimeograph stencil machines for advertising and duplication. The company dissolved in 1925. In addition, Wenman helped his cousin run the Crea-Mont Country Club in Culver Lake, NJ from 1925-1927. Besides investing in the Stencil type Company, Wenman also invested in a fraudulent motion picture company, Century Motion Picture Company, as well as several other fly-by-night business opportunities. Wenman died in 1957.
The Charles H. Wenman Papers have been arranged into six series: Personal Correspondence, Fish Family Records, Wenman Business Records, Wenman Legal and Real Estate Papers, Wenman Business and Personal Ledgers, and Wenman Personal Writings.
The Personal Correspondence series contains over 2,000 letters written mostly to Charles Wenman from his extended family members.
The Fish Family Records contain correspondence sent by Wenman on behalf of Fish, as well as personal business and genealogical correspondence. There are also balance sheets of income taxes paid by Fish, inquiries into business ventures, and copies of mortgages and deeds, as well as legal documents concerning the alliance made between Fish Family members after the death of the elder Fish. Finally, there are also records dealing with the Telautograph Corporation, a venture concerning the use of the telegraph system in a way as to reproduce handwritten messages, and records dealing with land that was rented or sold by the Fish family through the Petersfield Realty Firm.
The Wenman Business Records include correspondence, balance sheets and legal documents concerning several investments made by Wenman.
The Wenman Legal and Real Estate Papers consist of family estate papers of the Hamilton Family, Wenman’s aunt, Nellie Hilfers, papers from the estate of Peter Stuyvesant, and two lawsuits brought against Wenman because of his connections with the Fish business. Also included are chronicles of the construction and maintenance of Wenman’s brownstone located at 990 Park Place in Brooklyn, correspondence and building specifications of property owned by Wenman at Academy and Webster Streets in Long Island City, and records concerning Wenman’s business venture with his cousin’s wife, Mary Wenman, in the maintenance of a country club built by her on Culver Lake in New Jersey.
The Wenman Business and Personal Ledgers contain Wenman’s daily journals for the years 1925 and 1933-1935, and the Gulick Guards Book of Members, By-Laws, Constitution and Minutes. The Gulick Guards were an organization associated with Fire Engine Company #40 of Brooklyn.
The Wenman Personal Writings series contains writings by Wenman including some autobiographical notes, letters to various editors of New York newspapers, some historical research done by Wenman, and, of particular interest, Wenmans’ writings of protest concerning the United States’ system of taxation. Wenman vehemently protested what he termed as the ‘dogs of government’ feeding on the income of the people.
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New York World’s Fair Collection, 1939-1940, 1964-1965. 14 boxes (1 oversize box, 2 artifact boxes), 5.5+ linear feet.
AccNo. 1977.302 and 1977.276
The New York World’s Fair Collection includes materials from the 1939 and the 1964-65 World’s Fairs. Both took place in Queens at Flushing Meadows Park, a site that was extensively redesigned and landscaped in preparation for the 1939 Fair.
Two manuscript boxes contain material about the 1964 World’s Fair while the other nine relate to the 1939 Fair. The 1964 material includes preliminary reports and planning documents detailing the work to be done on the Fair site in Flushing Meadows Park; the maps and photographs in these reports provide valuable documentation of the extent of the planning and improvements made to the park.
Much of the 1939 material consists of travel brochures to individual American states and to countries around the world. Other material includes brochures from many of the Fair’s exhibitions. Memorabilia and artifacts in this collection are varied and range from restaurant menus to invitations to opening-day ceremonies to packets of souvenir Fair tickets.
Visual material exists for the 1964 World’s Fair, consisting of 92 color slides, ten color postcards, and two copies of a 35 mm. film reel entitled “Come to the Fair.” These materials are stored with the Image Collection.
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