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Patterson family papers and photographs

Call Number

ARC.078

Date

circa 1847-1956, inclusive

Creator

Jones, Emily Louise
Jones, Annie Louise Patterson

Extent

4.43 Linear Feet in three manuscript boxes, one oversize box, and four custom boxes.

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The Patterson family papers and photographs are comprised of materials saved by members of the Patterson family between 1847 and 1956. The collection includes financial documents, legal documents, correspondence, scrapbooks, diaries, journals, post cards, and several photographic formats, including prints, negatives, cabinet cards, cartes de visite, daguerreotypes, and tintypes. The Patterson family resided in Brooklyn Heights, and members of the family worked in a variety of fields, including construction, law, bookkeeping, and theater.

Biographical Note

The Patterson Family resided in Brooklyn Heights at 207 Congress Street. Several members of the family became distinguished individuals within the Brooklyn community. The most prominent figures of the family represented within the collection are William Patterson (circa 1821-1890), his son Stephen G. Patterson (1855-1905), and Stephen's daughters, May Patterson (circa 1879-1925) and Annie Louise Patterson Jones (1883-1970). Other figures in the collection are William's wife Mary Anne Patterson (circa 1826-1898), Annie's daughter Emily Louise Jones (b. 1921), and Stephen's wife Annie Louise Ames Patterson (1857-1931). William Patterson worked in construction and was also a lawyer, as were his son Stephen and grandaughter May. May, who was active in the Democratic Party and a devout suffragist, is notable for being the first female Assistant District Attorney to argue a case in a United States court. Annie's husband, Alexander Lassen Jones (b. circa 1881), was a theater manager and producer who produced the Greenwich Village Follies, and was also a friend of Broadway theater producer Lee Shubert.

Scope and Contents

The Patterson family papers and photographs span the period circa 1847 to 1956 and are comprised of financial documents, legal documents, correspondence, scrapbooks, diaries, journals, post cards, and several photographic formats, including prints, negatives, cabinet cards, cartes de visite, daguerreotypes, and tintypes. The content of the collection varies based on date as different generations saved different types of material. The collection has been arranged into the following two series:

Missing Title

  1. Papers, circa 1847-1956
  2. Photographs, circa 1884-1956

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

Some copyright restrictions apply. Within Series 1, newspaper clippings and other published materials dated prior to 1923 and any unpublished materials dated prior to 1889 are within the public domain. All other materials are restricted by copyright. Within Series 2, the daguerreotypes, cartes de visite, cabinet cards, and tintypes are all in the public domain. The dated photographs have entered or will enter public domain 120 years after their creation, these dates ranging from 2004 to 2076. The undated photographs (including the negatives) appear to date to the 1920s and 1930s and so should enter the public domain in 2060 at the latest. However, copyright status of each item should be determined on a case by case basis. Please consult library staff for more information.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Patterson family papers and photographs, ARC.078, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Mrs. Horace H. Figuers, 1973.

Other Finding Aids

An earlier version of this finding aid, containing a complete folder listing, is available in paper form at the Othmer Library. Item-level descriptions and digital versions of some images from the collection are available for searching via the image database in the library. Please consult library staff for more information.

Collection processed by

Katherine Christensen

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:20:41 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information

Minimally processed to the series level.

The collection combines the accessions 1978.115, 1980.013, and V1997.007.

Note Statement

change to complete_series_level

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society

Container

Box: OS-25 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
Box: ARC.078 2 of 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Box: Cartes de Visite 1 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
Box: Daguerreotypes 3, item: DAG.50-51 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
Box: Tintypes 1 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
Box: Cabinet Cards 1 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
Box: ARC.078 1 of 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Box: 3 of 3 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201