Thomas N. Schroth and Raymond A. Schroth, S.J. Brooklyn Eagle collection

The Brooklyn Eagle began publication as the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 1841 under the direction of its founder, Isaac van Anden, and was in part meant to be an organ of the Democratic Party as it then existed. Over the years the Eagle enjoyed a steadily growing popularity and became the largest Brooklyn paper as it gradually absorbed several other Brooklyn dailies, the main holdout being the Brooklyn Citizen. Though devoted to chronicling the news of Brooklyn, the Eagle published national and international news as well, making it widely read in most of the English-speaking world. The paper promoted a highly defined Brooklyn identity, encouraging citizens to consider themselves Brooklynites first and New Yorkers second.

Over time, the Eagle boasted many prominent figures among its editorial staff. Walt Whitman (editor from 1846 to 1848) was among them, as well as Thomas Kinsella (editor from 1861 to 1884). Henry Cruse Murphy, one of the founders of the Eagle, went on to become mayor of Brooklyn in 1842.

The beginning of the Civil War brought a remarkable increase in sales to the Eagle. The continuation of the War created tension between the paper and the Union, as the Eagle was outspoken in its support of the Confederate states. The paper fought for its right to freedom of speech during a grand jury inquiry, avoiding an indictment, but the postmaster general banned the Eagle from the mail for the remainder of the conflict.

The Eagle's vehement fostering of a purely Brooklyn community identity was on full display in 1898, when Brooklyn consolidated with New York and became one of five boroughs encompassing New York City. During this time, the Eagle was not shy in expressing its view that Brooklyn should remain an independent city, and years later the paper published a study on Brooklyn's relationship with New York, again recommending secession from the greater metropolitan area.

Thomas Kinsella was responsible for a number of technological advances at the Eagle during his tenure as editor. These improvements made the paper very competitive. The end of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century were a time of steady growth for the paper, whose reputation spread to the entire English-speaking world. The Eagle had foreign offices in Paris and London.

Beginning with the Depression in 1929 and throughout the 1930s, the Eagle experienced a slow decline in circulation, caused in part by the consequences of the Depression itself and some unwise investments and technological changes that crippled the paper's finances. Finally, with the birth of the American Newspaper Guild in 1933, the subsequent Guild unit at the Eagle became an active adversary in labor negotiations. The first Guild strike was in 1937, during which the Eagle was able to continue publishing. The strike did significantly damage the paper's finances, however, and the paper was subsequently put up for sale at a bankruptcy auction. Guild activity was quiescent during World War II but resumed at the end of the War.

Frank D. Schroth had purchased the Eagle in 1938 and became its last publisher. Schroth gave the paper a more modern imprint and injected renewed vigor into the community sentiment that the Eagle was famous for fostering. Schroth brought his sons into the company, assigning the post of Assistant Publisher to Frank D. Schroth, Jr., and that of Managing Editor to Thomas N. Schroth. Under the management of the Schroth family, the Eagle's circulation increased and advertising revenues were strong for several years.

Nevertheless, labor disputes continued to flare up, the Guild's position being that if management wanted the Eagle to compete with the major New York papers, it must pay equivalent salaries as well. The situation came to a head in early 1955 when the Guild called a strike on January 28. While the Eagle had been able to continue publishing during the strike of 1937 because the mechanics and printers had reported to work in spite of the picket line, this time things were different: no one crossed the line, and for the first time in 114 years the Eagle was unable to publish. The strike lasted 47 days, and Frank Schroth was ultimately forced to shut down the paper. In spite of a vehement campaign in the press and petitions from the readers bemoaning the loss of "The Voice of Brooklyn," the Eagle was permanently closed and its assets sold at public auction.

There were two attempts at reviving the paper in the early 1960s, and the 1970s witnessed the birth of several vital new local newspapers, including the Phoenix, the publication of which coincided with Brooklyn's brownstone revival and community invigoration. Dozier Hasty, owner and publisher of the Brooklyn Heights Press, purchased the Eagle's name and logo and began in 1996 to publish a new Brooklyn Daily Eagle as a daily newspaper.

Thomas N. Schroth (1920-2009) was one of Frank D. Schroth's four children. Tom, as his byline read, wrote extensively for the Eagle over the years. One of his popular columns was called "City Hall Slants," and commented on the activities in the municipal offices of Brooklyn. The bulk of this collection belongs to him, and is full of handwritten notes in his generous hand on all aspects of the management of the newspaper, from calculating wages to the rules of style in writing. After the closing of the Eagle, Schroth headed the editorial staff of the political news provider The Congretional Quarterly from 1955 to 1969, and later founded the National Journal, a publication covering the U.S. Government's executive branch and policy making. He lived in Maine in his later life, where he was active in the Maine State Democratic Committee.

Raymond A. Schroth, S.J. (b. 1933) was Tom's first cousin and has had an illustrious career as a Jesuit priest, journalist, and teacher. He graduated from Fordham College in 1955 with a major in American Civilization and joined the Society of Jesus in 1957. He later earned his Ph.D. in American Thought and Culture from George Washington University, writing his dissertation on the Brooklyn Eagle and its relationship to the city of Brooklyn. He has published eight books, is the author of over 300 articles published in many major news publications, and has served on the faculty of several American colleges and universities. He is currently an Associate Editor at America, a national Catholic weekly.