Collections in Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division

Moorish Science Temple of America, is an U.S. religious movement founded in Newark, N.J., in 1913 by Timothy Drew (1886–1929), known to followers as Noble Drew Ali and also as the Prophet. Drew Ali taught that all Blacks were of Moorish origins but had their Muslim identity taken away from them through slavery and racial segregation. He advocated that they should "return" to the Islam of their Moorish forefathers, redeeming themselves from racial oppression by reclaiming their historical spiritual heritage. He also encouraged use of the term "Moor" rather than "Black" in self-identification. Many of the group's formal practices were derived from Muslim observances. This collection consists of materials collected by Allen Ahmed Bey for his research on the Moorish Science Temple in the United States. Included in the collection are legal briefs on the status of Moorish Nation Nationals (citizens) which contain a public declaration of national constitutional immunity. Also included are a number of documents on the history of the Moorish Nation and instructional manuals (lessons) for members. less

Max Bissainthe, born December 11, 1911, was an historian and archivist of Haitian literature. Bissainthe served as Haiti's Director of Libraries during the 1940s and early 1950s. In 1951, he published the Dictionnaire de bibliographie Haitienne, the first bibliography of Haitian literature. Four years later, Bissainthe was forced out of his position, and subsequently out of Haiti, by Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier. He immigrated to the United States in 1965. He died in Bellerose, New York, in April 1978. The Max Bissainthe research collection consists of indices of the names of Haitian and Dominican Republic journalists and authors, articles, and book titles used to create the Dictionnaire de bibliographie Haitienne. The collection also includes an alphabetical index of titles, subjects, and materials, and a partial bibliographic subject list ranging from the 1800s to the 1950s. less

This collection consists of original documents and correspondence related to the Horne family, assembled by Gail Lumet Buckley during the research and writing of her book The Hornes: An American Family (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986). Included are articles, programs, awards, memorabilia, business correspondence and papers, financial data, and other printed material pertaining to the careers of singer Lena Horne; her uncle, Frank S. Horne, a member of the Roosevelt "Black cabinet" and poet; and other members of the extended family. less

The Butler family papers relate to two Pennsylvania families: the Butlers of Washington County, specifically, William N. Butler, a graduate of Geneva College and a practicing lawyer, and his son William F. Butler, a graduate of Geneva College and Howard University Law School; and the Carters of Beaver County. The elder Butler worked as recording secretary of the Civilian Defense Department, and he was a probation officer for the Beaver County courts. In 1964 and 1969, he was appointed to the Probation and Parole Board and was designated its acting chairman in 1974. Butler died in 1977. The Butler family papers include letters written by William N. Butler to his son, William F., while the latter was a student at Howard Law School, 1930-1931. Many of these Depression-era letters discuss the loss of jobs and bank closures in the family's hometown of Washington, Pennsylvania, as well as his own financial difficulties; Butler, Sr., gives advice to his son as well as relates family news. A file containing letters to William F. Butler signed "Aunty" speak of family matters. Additionally, the collection contains a notebook of a clergyman named Peters from Uniontown, Pennsylvania, with notes taken from the Bible, 1847. Printed material includes ephemera (1917-1920) and news clippings (1954-1996) related to the Butler and Carter families. less

Clergyman, teacher, missionary. Letters addressesd to Crummell discussing personal and religious interests and Crummell's missionary work as an Episcopalian in Liberia in the 1850s through 1860s. Bulk of the collection consists of numerous sermons preached in Washington, D.C. and other American cities, England, and Liberia. Sermons, in addition to discussing religious matters, concern his work in Liberia, the role of the family, and other subjects. less

Writings and research files, along with personal papers, and corrrespondence documenting Davis' multifaceted career, 1923-1972. Includes material on the AMERICAN NEGRO REFERENCE BOOK, 1966, edited by Davis; papers relating to Frederick Douglass, including letters to Douglass from his sons, Lewis and Frederick; historical novel about a frontier family in Louisville, Kentucky; compilation of biographies of black athletes called "Jump High;" short stories and poetry; and manuscript about Liberia entitled "Bitter Canaan," by Charles S. Johnson. Correspondents include Mary M. Bethune, Ralph J. Bunche, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. less

James Reese Europe was an accomplished musician, composer, conductor, organizer, and recording artist. The collection primarily consists of photocopied secondary sources, newspaper clippings, and programs collected by James R. Europe, Jr. to document his father's accomplishments. less

Kurt Fisher was an archaeologist and authority on Haitian history and culture whose life-long interest in collecting included these source materials relating to Haiti. The bulk of this collection consists of the archives of the General Prosecutor's office for the city of Jérémie. less

The Green family letters comprise correspondence of the Green family, namely between Charlotte Green and her husband Frisby Green, who worked as a waiter, coachman and valet and moved around either with his employer or on his own while Charlotte remained behind. Included are letters to and from their daughter Drusilla, who also corresponded with an aunt in New Haven, Connecticut, and cousins in New York City and New Haven. less

A catholic clergyman, abolitionist, and statesman, Henri Grégoire was a founding member of the anti-slavery Société des Amis des Noirs, and played an active role in the politics of France from the opening of the General Estates in 1789 to the restoration of the monarchy. Grégoire went to the National Assembly as a representative of the clergy, but soon sided with the Third Estate and became one of its more radical and outspoken leaders. He fought for universal suffrage and the abolition of all privileges, and was one of the first priests to take the oath of loyalty to the new Constitution. He became both president of the Assembly and Constitutional Bishop of Blois in 1791. Elected to the National Convention in 1792, he played a major role in the abolition of slavery in France's colonies and in the granting of civil and political rights to French Jews. Grégoire was also a member of the Conseil des Cinq-Cents. Elected senator under Napoléon and to the Chamber of Deputies under Louis XVIII, he led the opposition in parliament for the return to democracy and the republican constitution. He was the author of "An Inquiry Concerning the Intellectual and Moral Faculties and Literature of Negroes," "An Essay on the Physical, Moral and Political Reformation of the Jews," and "A History of Religious Cults." The Henri Grégoire Papers consist of miscellaneous religious writings and annotations, and draft letters and notes sent by Grégoire to his editor and colleagues, many of them recorded on the back of incoming letters. Included are several handwritten quotations from the religious writings of the French philosopher and economist Claude Henri de Saint-Simon and an excerpt from a Declaration by Toussaint-Louverture on the religion of the blacks in Saint-Domingue. The writings deal predominantly with issues of Catholic dogma, the infallibility of the Pope, problems of jurisdiction between the Vatican and Catholic bishops, comparative religion, and the exegesis of various biblical texts. less

The Middleton "Spike" Harris newspaper collection consists of newspapers from various U. S. states, the majority from the East Coast and from the 19th century. There are also some newspapers from London, England. Included are multiple publications per state, most with various issues. less

The Middleton "Spike" Harris slavery and abolition collection consists of individual documents pertaining to slavery and abolition in the United States. Included are legal documents, indentures, manumission papers, bills of sale, agreements to hire slaves, other business records, deeds, letters, and indentures referencing specific slaves and their masters and detailing the situations for which the documents were produced. The states in which these documents were issued are Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. There are also letters from the following abolitionists: Granville Sharp, Gerrit Smith, Charles Sumner, and Francis Jackson. less

John H. Hewitt was a writer, editor, instructor, and a collector of Black art. Born in 1924, in New York City, Hewitt attended Harvard College and New York University. He taught English at Morehouse College and he was a medical staff writer for the journals Frontiers of Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine. He also was an associate editor for the newspaper Medical Tribune and a managing editor of Hospital Practice, a monthly magazine. Hewitt held memberships in professional organizations including the American Medical Writer Association and National Association of Science Writers, and he was a trustee with the Manhattan Country School and The Schomburg Corporation. In 1994, Hewitt was awarded the New York Association's Kerr History Prize for his article, "Mr. Downing and His Oyster House". This collection contains Hewitt's writings on Black artists (1931-1997), including Hale Woodruff, Ernest Crichlow, Alvin C. Hollingsworth, and Haitian artist Luce Turnier. Also included are historical profiles of largely unknown, but accomplished, 19th-century African American New Yorkers, such as Thomas Downing and Elizabeth Jennings, along with writings on African American Episcopalians and St. Philip's Church in New York City. Materials include research matter, drafts, and correspondence. less

The Helen Armstead-Johnson miscellaneous theater collections (HAJMTC) were formed by over two hundred file-folder level collections (one-three file folders per personality or event). The collections contain information dating from the mid-nineteenth century to the late twentieth century, and they document early dramatic actors, minstrel shows, vaudeville, musical revues, Broadway productions, and protest dramas, among others. In addition to actors, playwrights, singers, musicians, and dancers and the productions in which they appeared, there are collections for poets and visual artists. less

The Joseph family was the maternal family of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, a renowned bibliophile and collector of books on the Black experience worldwide. Schomburg's mother, Mary Joseph, was born in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, in 1837. She migrated to Puerto Rico before his birth and worked as a midwife or laundress. Schomburg and his sister Dolores Diaz spent most of their childhood in St. Croix. Their maternal grandfather and great-grandfather, Nicholas and Nathaniel Joseph, lived in St. Croix in the town of Christianted where they owned a house and lot. The collection includes a certificate of baptism for Mary Joseph, Arthuro Alfonso Schomburg's mother; deeds of a house and lot purchased by Nicholas Joseph in 1835 and bequeathed to his son Nathaniel in 1860; and a contract for repairs to be performed to the family home. less

Photocopies of material collected by Kobler in the early 1960s for an unfinished biography of Toussaint Louverture. Documents focus on the socio-economic conditions of the French colony of Saint Domingue and the political activities of Touissaint as Governor of the colony between 1791 and 1802. Photocopies in the collection as well as a few postcards and illustration show various historic sites and clothing of late 18th century France and Saint Domingue. Collection provides general background information on the lives of blacks in Saint Domingue, and material on the history and diplomatic relations between Haiti and the United States, including papers referring to Touissaint, Jean Jacques Dessalines, Charles Leclerc, Pauline Leclerc, and Donatien Rochambeau. Material includes information about the history of Saint Domingue from 1791 to 1804, descriptions of the Haitian war of independence, narrative describing the captivity and death of Touissaint in France, correspondence between Touissaint and the French agent Philippe Roume, and correspondence between Charles Leclerc and Rochambeau. less

Collection consists of 240 volumes of diplomatic correspondence between Haiti and various countries, especially France, Great Britain, the United States, Spain, Germany, and the Dominican Republic. Correspondence and documents between various foreign affairs officials, resident ministers, charge dáffaires, and presidents of Haiti and equivalent officials in other nations regarding trade, foreign relations, debt payments, lost families, public opinion, and other matters. Individuals represented are Ernest Roumain, Etienne L. Salomon, Stephen Preston, Tertulien Guilbeaux, John Mercer Langston, Demesvar Delorme, Frederick Douglass, Henry Smythe, Charles Haentjens, Anteńor Firmin, Jacques Nicholas Léger, Louis Price-Mars, Louis Joseph Janvier, Thomas Madiou, Solon Ménos, Dantès Bellegarde, Hannibal Price, Massillon Coicou, Elie DuBois, and Louis Etienne Félicité Lysius Salomon. less

The Nautilus Insurance Company (predecessor of the New York Life Insurance Company) was one of several insurance companies that sold policies to enslavers to insure their enslaved persons against damages or death. The Nautilus Insurance Company slavery era ledgers contain information on insurance policies for enslaved persons insured between 1845-1848. less

The New-York State Colonization Society was organized in 1829 to aid the American Colonization Society to colonize free blacks in Africa; subsequently the New-York State Colonization Society was reorganized and assisted those who offered to emigrate to Liberia. The records of the New-York Colonization Society reflect the goals and projects funded by the society as well as its daily operations. less

The ancestors of the Polk Family, Jim and Amey, their daughter, Judah, and her husband, Kit, along with their children, upon reaching the age of twenty-one), were emancipated in 1840. This occurred one and one-half years after the death of their master, plantation owner Thomas Smelly, in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. The newly-freed Smelly family left Virginia that same year, according to the law prohibiting freed slaves to remain in the state more than one year, and migrated to New Jersey. At some point the family changed their name from Smelly to Smiley. In New Jersey, the Smiley family met another freed family from Maryland, the Polks, and the two families intermarried. By 1993, Amey and Jim Smiley had over one hundred descendants. The Smiley-Polk family documents consist of nine holograph 19th-century documents relating to the emancipation of the ancestors of the Smiley-Polk family of New Jersey, and other items concerning the genealogy of this family. less

Théodore Étienne de Saint-Léger was provost of the Special Court Provostale investigating the slave uprising in Martinique in February of 1831. This collection consists of sixty-five manuscripts relating to the 1831 slave rebellion including correspondence from the Governor of Martinique, French settlers, and police precincts on the island; register of official correspondence of Saint-Léger, the "Prévôt" (Magistrate), 1831; police reports; warrants issued by Saint-Léger for fugitive slaves suspected of arson and poisoning; court records related to the burning of the Ducasse, Lamentin, and Grande Case plantations; and biographical notes of Saint-Léger dated 1913. less