Henry A. and Kenneth L. Toppin papers

1946-1978

Henry A. Toppin (1884-1965), born in Barbados, immigrated to the U.S. in 1906. He became a licensed undertaker and established a funeral parlor in Harlem in 1934; his son, Alvin, joined the firm sometime later. Toppin was active in political and civic affairs; he was a member of the N.Y. State Democratic Committee, and a delegate to the National Democratic Convention in 1952. He was a Prince Hall Mason and a Shriner and held various offices in both fraternal organizations. Henry Toppin's other son, Kenneth (1917-1993), was a graduate of the Howard University College of Medicine, 1944, and served as attending physician at Harlem Hospital from 1952-1976. He was also associated with other New York City hospitals. Henry A. Toppin's papers consist of personal letters from relatives and friends, including letters from his wife while he visited Barbados in 1946, and letters from a cousin in Barbados regarding property there; mortgages, leases, receipts, and correspondence for property owned in Barbados and in New York City; letters and other documents concerning his activities with the Democratic Party and his role in the 1952 National Convention; and a few documents related to his membership in the Prince Hall Masonic lodge, M.W. Hiram Grand Lodge. Kenneth L. Toppin's papers consist of personal and professional correspondence (the latter deals primarily with appointments to hospital positions); and material related to his membership in the Guardsmen, a fraternal organization.