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Henry Reed Stiles papers

Call Number

ARC.218

Date

circa 1855 to 1884, inclusive

Creator

Stiles, Henry Reed

Extent

0.13 Linear Feet in one manuscript box

Language of Materials

Materials in English.

Abstract

The collection includes correspondence received by Henry Reed Stiles in response to his requests for historical information in connection with his writing of A History of the City of Brooklyn. The bulk of the correspondence concerns religious institutions and congregations in Brooklyn, N.Y., including the areas of Williamsburg, Bushwick, and Greenpoint. Baptist, Congregational, Episcopal, Jewish, Lutheran, Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, Reformed Dutch, and Universalist congregations are represented in the correspondence. A small number of institutions other than religious are represented in the collection. Among these is correspondence from the African-American activist and educator William J. Wilson concerning the history of Brooklyn's Colored Public School Number 1. Also found here are financial data from Green-Wood Cemetery (1839-1868) and historical information about the Brooklyn Academy of Eclectic Medicine. The collection also includes, among other material, Jonathan Greenleaf's descriptive recollections of 1840s East Brooklyn (the Wallabout area) and its subsequent growth to 1860 and correspondence from Joseph Gardner Swift, the Chief Engineer of the Army responsible for the fortifications built at New York and Brooklyn in 1814.

Biographical / Historical

Henry Reed Stiles (1832-1909) was a physician who authored a number of historical and genealogical works in the second half of the nineteenth and into the early twentieth centuries, including the 3 volume A History of the City of Brooklyn (1867-1870). Though his medical career took him to places as disparate as Dundee, Scotland and Woodbridge, New Jersey, Stiles lived most of his life in New York City and in Brooklyn. He was a founder of the Long Island Historical Society (now the Brooklyn Historical Society) in 1863 and served as the Society's first librarian. Further biographical information on Stiles can be found at his Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Reed_Stiles.

Arrangement

Correspondence concerning religious organizations is presented first, alphabetically by denomination, followed by other materials.

Scope and Contents

The collection includes correspondence received by Henry Reed Stiles principally in response to his requests for historical information in connection with his writing of A History of the City of Brooklyn. (Stiles's History is available in the BHS library; call number Ref.F129.B7.S79.) The bulk of the correspondence concerns religious institutions and congregations, including their dates of organization, leadership (e.g., founders, ministers, trustees, etc.), history, places of worship in Brooklyn (including Williamsburg, Bushwick, and Greenpoint), and other information. Baptist, Congregational, Episcopal, Jewish, Lutheran, Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, Reformed Dutch, and Universalist congregations are represented in the correspondence. One African-American church, Siloam Presbyterian, is included. Material concerning Sabbath schools and missions to particular communities, especially German immigrants, is included. The correspondents generally are ministers, former ministers, or other such leaders of the organization described. Because the correspondence is in response to Stiles's inquiries, the content of the material is generally consistent across organizations, but ranges from spare details to more substantive comment.

A small number of institutions other than religious are represented in the collection. Among these is correspondence from the African-American activist and educator William J. Wilson concerning the history of Brooklyn's Colored School Number 1. Also found here are financial data from Green-Wood Cemetery (1839-1868) and historical information about the Brooklyn Academy of Eclectic Medicine.

The collection also includes Jonathan Greenleaf's descriptive recollections of 1840s East Brooklyn (the Wallabout area) and its subsequent growth to 1860; correspondence from Joseph Gardner Swift, the Chief Engineer of the Army responsible for the fortifications built at New York and Brooklyn in 1814; a color lithograph of the "Signals of the Atlantic Yacht Club of Brooklyn, NY" (1867); drawn portraits of Dr. and Mrs. Barberin (circa 1820); and a check from the Long Island Bank with an image of the Atlantic Docks and Basin (circa 1850).

Conditions Governing Access

Open to users without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

The materials are in the public domain.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Henry Reed Stiles correspondence, ARC.218, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

It is likely that the collection was donated to the Brooklyn Historical Society (formerly the Long Island Historical Society) by Stiles himself, given that he was a founding member of the Society and its librarian around the time of much of this correspondence.

Collection processed by

Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:10:51 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid is written in English

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Larry Weimer in August 2011. The collection combines two accessions: 1977.038 and 1974.248. The collection also includes two items of correspondence transferred from accessions 1974.009 and 1974.011.

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society
Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201