New York (N.Y.) -- Commissioners of the Alms-House, Bridewell, and Penitentiary
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 3705
.21 linear feet (1 volume)
Commissioners of the Alms-House and Bridewell were appointed by New York City Mayor James Duane in 1784 to supervise the two houses and to provide general relief to poor people living outside the houses. Minutes of the Commissioners of the...
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Commissioners of the Alms-House and Bridewell were appointed by New York City Mayor James Duane in 1784 to supervise the two houses and to provide general relief to poor people living outside the houses. Minutes of the Commissioners of the Alms-House and Bridewell, dated 1791 August 22 to 1797 October 16, record the proceedings of the Commissioners' weekly meetings at the Almshouse, and quarterly meetings attended by supervising New York City officials. Proceedings concern the Commissioners' management of the two institutions and outdoor relief services during a period of growing need, but are chiefly devoted to Almshouse affairs and their review of individual cases of indoor and outdoor relief. Other documented responsibilities include the oversight of medical services provided, and the indenture of poor children as apprentices, especially the investigation of cases of their ill-usage or misbehavior. The name of Samuel Dodge, keeper of the Almshouse, appears on the inside front cover.
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Gilder, Richard Watson, 1844-1909
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 1154
22 linear feet (46 boxes)
Richard Watson Gilder (1844-1909), American poet and editor, served as editor-in-chief of Scribner's Monthly and its successor The Century Illustrated Monthly. He was active in many civic improvement and public service organizations. Collection...
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Richard Watson Gilder (1844-1909), American poet and editor, served as editor-in-chief of Scribner's Monthly and its successor The Century Illustrated Monthly. He was active in many civic improvement and public service organizations. Collection consists of correspondence, 1861-1909; poetry and prose writings, 1856-1909; diaries, 1855-1909; contracts and royalty statements, 1896-1909; scrapbooks of clippings and ephemera, 1871-1913; and obituaries and other commemorative material. Correspondence includes 21 letter books, a small number of outgoing letters, and extensive incoming correspondence relating to Gilder's editorial work at Scribner's Monthly and Century and to his many public service and professional activities. Individual letter books contain Gilder's letters written for the New York Tenement House Commission, New York Kindergarten Association, the Washington Centennial Celebration, and the Committee for the Erection of the Washington Memorial Arch. Gilder's correspondents include his fellow editors as well as many of the most prominent figures in American literature, the arts, politics, and society. Writings include manuscripts, typescripts and published copies of his addresses, essays, poetry, editorials in the Century, and manuscripts and proofs of his biographies of Grover Cleveland and Abraham Lincoln. Scrapbooks contain articles about Gilder and clippings of his published poetry. Posthumous materials include letters of condolence and resolutions, 1909-1910, sent to his wife; items concerning memorial services and charitable funds established in Gilder's honor; poetic tributes; and scrapbooks of obituaries. Also, materials regarding efforts to publish his letters.
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People's Institute (New York, N.Y.)
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 2380
38 linear feet (80 boxes, 35 volumes, 1 map folder)
The People's Institute was founded in 1897 by Charles Sprague Smith to teach the theory and practice of government and social philosophy to workers and recent immigrants in New York City. The People's Institute records consist of minutes,...
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The People's Institute was founded in 1897 by Charles Sprague Smith to teach the theory and practice of government and social philosophy to workers and recent immigrants in New York City. The People's Institute records consist of minutes, correspondence, memoranda, reports, photographs, programs, fliers, pamphlets, legal documents, financial records, clippings, class rosters, press releases, and printed matter that document the founding and operations of the Institute.
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Committee of Fourteen (New York, N.Y.)
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 609
91.69 linear feet (103 boxes, 2 oversize folders)
Records of a citizens' association dedicated to the abolition of commercialized vice (especially prostitution) in New York City, 1905-1932.
Crane family
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 687
8.7 linear feet (19 boxes, 6 v.)
Members of the Crane family included Colonel Alexander Baxter Crane (1833-1930), soldier, lawyer and businessman of Indiana and New York; his wife, Laura Mitchell Crane; and their children, Elizabeth, Caroline, Helen, Aurelia, Laura, and...
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Members of the Crane family included Colonel Alexander Baxter Crane (1833-1930), soldier, lawyer and businessman of Indiana and New York; his wife, Laura Mitchell Crane; and their children, Elizabeth, Caroline, Helen, Aurelia, Laura, and Alexander. Colonel Crane served in the U.S. Army during the Civil War, had a prominent law practice in New York City, and was active in Westchester County, N.Y., affairs. Collection consists of correspondence, journals, military records, legal papers, accounts, writings, photographs, and printed matter. Materials include correspondence of Colonel Crane and his wife with their children, relatives and friends; Civil War records of Alexander Crane; and miscellaneous legal papers, accounts and writings. Also correspondence, 1877-1933, of Elizabeth Crane and drafts of her literary works; correspondence, 1819-1852, of the Mitchell and Green families; correspondence, 1847-1884, 1889, of Caroline Crane Marsh and her husband, George P. Marsh, scholar and United States Minister to Italy; photographs and news clippings pertaining to the Crane family; and diaries, 1861-1864, and 1878-1879, of Caroline Marsh and others.
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Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement (New York, N.Y.)
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 1542
Records of a social settlement founded in 1891 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan by The King's Daughters, an organization of Episcopal church women, and Jacob A. Riis. Incorporated in 1898 as The King's Daughters Settlement, the institution was...
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Records of a social settlement founded in 1891 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan by The King's Daughters, an organization of Episcopal church women, and Jacob A. Riis. Incorporated in 1898 as The King's Daughters Settlement, the institution was rededicated as Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement in 1901. The records include annual reports, administrative correspondence, financial documents, membership lists, minutes, news clippings, photographs, and publications. They document the settlement from its origins in the benevolent work of The King's Daughters and Jacob A. Riis during the 1890s, to its activities a century later providing social services to public housing residents in Queens. The records offer a unique view of the first wave of the settlement house movement in America, and document social conditions, demographic change, philanthropy and social welfare programs, as well as providing insight on the careers of such major Progressive-era reform figures as Jacob A. Riis and Theodore Roosevelt.
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Wald, Lillian D., 1867-1940
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 3201
21 linear feet (50 boxes)
Lillian D. Wald, a public health nurse and social worker on New York City's Lower East Side, was a pioneer in American social work and public health. She founded the Henry Street Settlement and the Visiting Nurse Service of New York in 1893 and...
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Lillian D. Wald, a public health nurse and social worker on New York City's Lower East Side, was a pioneer in American social work and public health. She founded the Henry Street Settlement and the Visiting Nurse Service of New York in 1893 and was a crusader for liberal, social welfare and philanthropic causes including child welfare, civil liberties, immigration, unemployment and the peace movement during World War I. The collection consists of correspondence, speeches, articles and printed materials relating to Wald's involvement with various social initiatives.
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Stokes, I. N. Phelps (Isaac Newton Phelps), 1867-1944
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 2158
1.54 linear feet (12 volumes)
Extracts from printed sources relating to the social history of New York City, from the first settlements to ca. 1905. Relates to sanitation, water supply, epidemics, wages and trade, rent and food costs, population statistics, etc. Typewritten;...
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Extracts from printed sources relating to the social history of New York City, from the first settlements to ca. 1905. Relates to sanitation, water supply, epidemics, wages and trade, rent and food costs, population statistics, etc. Typewritten; c. 2600 pages in 12 volumes.
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Graham, Marion
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 1191
.1 linear feet (1 folder)
Diary for the year 1912 kept by Mrs. Marion Graham (Mrs. Harry P. Williams) of New York City, recording mainly social engagements and travel
Stewart, Alexander Turney, 1803-1876
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 2883
5.6 linear feet (14 boxes)
Alexander Turney Stewart (1803-1876) was an American merchant and philanthropist. He emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland ca. 1820 and went into the lace business. His wholesale and retail business expanded and he owned stores, stocks and property...
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Alexander Turney Stewart (1803-1876) was an American merchant and philanthropist. He emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland ca. 1820 and went into the lace business. His wholesale and retail business expanded and he owned stores, stocks and property in New England, New York, New Jersey, and throughout Europe. His philanthropic activities include aid to Ireland during the famine of 1847 and to the victims of the Chicago fire in 1871. Collection consists of letters received by Stewart, a few photographs and miscellaneous materials. Letters, 1862-1875, are mainly from people seeking financial support (some of the writers comment on the presidential campaign of 1872). Most of the letters are from the U.S. with a few from Canada and abroad. There are no copies of Stewart's replies and none of the letters relate to his various business enterprises. Also, photographs and return envelopes enclosed in the letters.
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Bliss family
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 320
4.5 linear feet (9 boxes and 1 package)
George Bliss (1816-1896) of New York City was a partner in the banking firms of Morton, Bliss & Co. and Phelps, Dodge & Co. His son, George T. Bliss (ca. 1851-1901) was a businessman in New York City. George T. Bliss was married to Jeanette Dwight...
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George Bliss (1816-1896) of New York City was a partner in the banking firms of Morton, Bliss & Co. and Phelps, Dodge & Co. His son, George T. Bliss (ca. 1851-1901) was a businessman in New York City. George T. Bliss was married to Jeanette Dwight Bliss and their daughter was Susan D. Bliss. Jeanette Bliss's father, Amos T. Dwight (ca. 1806-1881) was a merchant in New York City. Collection spans three generations of the Bliss family and contains correspondence, household receipts, health and welfare papers, account books, diaries, and family photographs. Correspondence is most significant part of collection and includes family letters of George Bliss, 1842-1883; letters of Jeanette Bliss, 1897-1920, concerning purchases of books, antiques and other goods; personal correspondence of Susan Bliss, 1901-1961; and correspondence of Jeanette and Susan Bliss, 1908-1937, regarding assistance to French children, mostly war orphans. Bulk of the collection is household receipts, 1873-1952 (predominantly for the period 1916-1928). Health and welfare papers consist of reports and correspondence relating to the Welfare Council of New York City. Also, account books, 1881-1886; Susan Bliss's diary, 1895-1897; kitchen diary; and family photographs.
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Jewish Foundation for Education of Women
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 1563
8.8 linear feet (21 boxes)
The Jewish Foundation for Education of Women was founded in New York City in 1880 as the Louis Down Town Sabbath School for the purpose of helping underprivileged children of Jewish immigrants on the Lower East Side. From 1895 to 1932 it was known...
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The Jewish Foundation for Education of Women was founded in New York City in 1880 as the Louis Down Town Sabbath School for the purpose of helping underprivileged children of Jewish immigrants on the Lower East Side. From 1895 to 1932 it was known as the Hebrew Technical School for Girls and offered courses in commercial and industrial arts to young women. In 1932 its board of directors closed the school and developed in its place a program of direct scholarship assistance to women. As the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women the foundation continues to offer, since 1964 on a non-sectarian basis, scholarship assistance to disadvantaged women seeking to better themselves through higher education. Collection consists of correspondence, minutes of the board of directors, annual reports, case records, registers of scholarship recipients, and financial statements. Records reflect the origins of the organization in 1880 as a charity school for aiding children of Jewish immigrants on the Lower East Side; its development into a vocational school for under-privileged Jewish women; and its work as a foundation offering scholarship grants and loans to disadvantaged Jewish women seeking personal advancement through higher education. Most of the records predate 1964 when the foundation became non-sectarian. Correspondence, 1900-1948, concerns legal, financial and administrative matters. Minutes, 1915-1988, also include financial reports and reports on recipients of grants and loans. Annual reports are from the period 1880-1893, 1896-1919. Case files, 1937-1955 (bulk 1937-1941) contain applications submitted to the scholarship committee by women applying for tuition loans or grants (there are a few photographs of applicants). Registers of applicants cover two periods: 1934-1940 and 1940-1963. Bulk of the financial records consists of auditors' annual financial statements and reports, 1927-1950. Also, miscellaneous records, 1887-1985, and fragmented and deteriorated records of graduates for the period 1907-1932.
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Griscom, John, 1774-1852
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 1251
.3 linear feet (1 box)
John Griscom (1774-1852) was the first American educator to teach chemistry in 1803. He taught at Queens College (now Rutgers University) from 1812 to 1828 and at Columbia College; organized the New York High School for Boys in 1825; was principal...
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John Griscom (1774-1852) was the first American educator to teach chemistry in 1803. He taught at Queens College (now Rutgers University) from 1812 to 1828 and at Columbia College; organized the New York High School for Boys in 1825; was principal of the Friend's School in Providence, R.I.; and founded the New York Society for the Prevention of Pauperism, the Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents, and the House of Refuge which was the first reformatory in the United States. Collection consists of letters to Griscom, with a few by him, concerning education, chemistry, pauperism, juvenile delinquency, and the medical properties of cod-liver oil and iodine. Some letters relate to personal and family matters.
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Sturtevant, John J
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 2915
.06 linear feet (1 volume)
Recollections of a resident of New York City from 1835-1905, describing stage lines, oil lamps and lamplighters, markets, theatres, museums, eating places, hotels, parks, yachting, steamships, fire companies, church-going, shops, residences of...
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Recollections of a resident of New York City from 1835-1905, describing stage lines, oil lamps and lamplighters, markets, theatres, museums, eating places, hotels, parks, yachting, steamships, fire companies, church-going, shops, residences of prominent persons, draft riots, riot of 1871, cost of tropical fruits, chimney sweeps, etc. Brief comment upon suburbs, Long Island, Westchester county, and New Jersey
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New York Foundation
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 18363
97.37 linear feet (231 boxes)
The New York Foundation is a philanthropic foundation, established in New York City in 1909 for the purpose of providing financial support towards "altruistic purposes, charitable, benevolent, educational, or otherwise." For over a century, the...
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The New York Foundation is a philanthropic foundation, established in New York City in 1909 for the purpose of providing financial support towards "altruistic purposes, charitable, benevolent, educational, or otherwise." For over a century, the Foundation has awarded grants to charitable and non-profit organizations in numerous fields, including public health, workers' rights, literacy, child welfare, AIDS research and treatment, women's suffrage, racial equity, legal aid, the alleviation of poverty, civil rights, immigrants' rights, and education reform, among many others. Although some earlier grants supported programs in other areas of the country, the bulk of the Foundation's grants since 1975 have been awarded to organizations in New York City, with a focus on grassroots community organizations.
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Seaman, Alfred P. W
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 2964
.21 linear feet (1 volume)
A minute-book of the Tenement House Building Company kept by Alfred P. W. Seaman, secretary, between January 8. 1896 and December 15, 1904. Also includes a certificate of the voluntary dissolution of the company, 1904, and an affidavit of Richard...
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A minute-book of the Tenement House Building Company kept by Alfred P. W. Seaman, secretary, between January 8. 1896 and December 15, 1904. Also includes a certificate of the voluntary dissolution of the company, 1904, and an affidavit of Richard W. G. Welling from 1907 relating to the dissolution of the company and the sale of property at 338-334 Cherry Street, New York City.
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Matthews, William Henry, 1873-1946
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 1914
.3 linear feet (1 box)
William Henry Matthews (1873-1946) was a social worker in New York City. Collection consists of correspondence, speeches and writings, and miscellaneous papers of Matthews. Correspondence concerns his work as director of the New York Dept. of...
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William Henry Matthews (1873-1946) was a social worker in New York City. Collection consists of correspondence, speeches and writings, and miscellaneous papers of Matthews. Correspondence concerns his work as director of the New York Dept. of Family Welfare, the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, Special Services for the Community Service Society of New York, the Emergency Work Bureau in New York City, and member and president of the Board of Child Welfare in New York. His speeches and writings primarily concern welfare. Correspondents include Jane Addams, Eleanor R. Belmont, Heywood Broun, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Joseph F. Guffey, Helen Hall, Fiorello H. La Guardia, Herbert H. Lehman, John Purroy Mitchel, Alfred E. Smith, Robert F. Wagner, Sr., Lillian D. Wald, and James J. Walker.
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Hodson, William, 1891-1943
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 1410
13 linear feet (13 boxes)
William Hodson (1891-1943) was a social welfare administrator in Minnesota and New York City. In Minnesota he was instrumental in establishing the laws that became Minnesota's children's code. He moved to New York City in 1922 and joined the...
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William Hodson (1891-1943) was a social welfare administrator in Minnesota and New York City. In Minnesota he was instrumental in establishing the laws that became Minnesota's children's code. He moved to New York City in 1922 and joined the Russell Sage Foundation, first as director of its Division of Child Welfare, then as director of its Dept. of Social Legislation. He was the executive director of the Welfare Council of New York City from 1924 to 1934 and was Commissioner of Welfare from 1934 to 1943. Hodson was also active in professional organizations, serving as president of the American Association of Social Workers and of the American Public Welfare Association. Collection consists of correspondence, addresses, articles, sound recordings, and other papers relating to Hodson's professional activities in the fields of social work, child welfare and social legislation. Materials document Hodson's work in Minneapolis and in New York City, including his work as Commissioner of Public Welfare in New York City during the administration of Fiorello H. La Guardia. Sound recordings include speeches by and interviews with Hodson about various social welfare issues.
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Riis, Jacob A. (Jacob August), 1849-1914
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 2579
3.81 linear feet (8 boxes)
Jacob August Riis (1849-1914) was a journalist, author, social reformer, and photographer. He was born in Denmark and emigrated to the United States in 1870. While working as a reporter for the New York Tribune, he began his crusade to improve...
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Jacob August Riis (1849-1914) was a journalist, author, social reformer, and photographer. He was born in Denmark and emigrated to the United States in 1870. While working as a reporter for the New York Tribune, he began his crusade to improve urban life. His efforts to ameliorate conditions in the slums included campaigns for effective child labor laws and building codes. Riis worked at the Tribune until 1888 when he became a police reporter at the Evening Sun. After his retirement in 1899, he continued to write books and articles and lectured extensively until his death in 1914.The Jacob Riis papers consist of correspondence, diaries, lecture notes, manuscripts, photographs, and printed matter. Correspondence includes family letters of Riis, his second wife and her family; and business letters regarding Riis's work, publications, lecture tours, and farm matters. Diaries cover Riis's early years in the U.S. as well as his later business and personal affairs. Lecture notes pertain to speeches on housing, organized charity, and related topics. Holograph manuscripts represent major works. Photographs are of Riis, his family, and scenes of Denmark. Also included are news clippings, published manuscripts, letters and notebooks.
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New York (N.Y.). Commissioners of the Alms-House, Bridewell, and Penitentiary
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 2185
.21 linear feet (1 box)
The Almshouse and Bridewell Commissioners were appointed by New York City Mayor James Duane in 1784 to supervise the two houses and to provide general relief to poor people living outside the houses. Indentures are for minor girls bound out as...
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The Almshouse and Bridewell Commissioners were appointed by New York City Mayor James Duane in 1784 to supervise the two houses and to provide general relief to poor people living outside the houses. Indentures are for minor girls bound out as servants or apprenticed to learn housekeeping, and infants who were adopted. Printed forms filled in, signed by the principals, and endorsed by the commissioners.
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Biddle, Geoffrey
Manuscripts and Archives Division | MssCol 23870
2.91 linear feet (10 boxes, 1 volume, 1 oversized folder)
Geoffrey Biddle is a photographer whose book
Alphabet City (published 1992) documented the Puerto Rican community on New York City's Lower East Side in the late 1970s. This collection contains photographs taken in the...
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Geoffrey Biddle is a photographer whose book
Alphabet City (published 1992) documented the Puerto Rican community on New York City's Lower East Side in the late 1970s. This collection contains photographs taken in the Alphabet City neighborhood in the late 1970s and 1980s, including but not limited to those published in
Alphabet City. The collection also contains sound recordings and partial transcripts of the interviews that Biddle conducted in 1988 and 1989 for use in the book, and correspondence and reference material related to the Lower East Side and the development and publication of the book.
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