Seaman family papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The Seaman family papers (1752-1838) principally concern merchant John Seaman and Willet Seaman, though several other Seaman family members are also represented. The bulk of the collection consists of deeds and other documents concerning land transactions.
Biographical note
There are many branches of the Seaman family on Long Island and in the New York area extending back to the 1600s. One of the principal Seamans in this collection is a John Seaman, but it is not immediately clear which of many John Seamans this is. Other Seamans in the collection also have names in common with other Seamans. The researcher is directed to the library catalog to identify genealogical works that might help in this regard.
The collection itself was donated by the heirs of Mary Jackson Seaman Albert. According to the note accompanying the collection, Mary Albert was born in Brooklyn on January 8, 1815. She was the daughter of John Seaman and Mary M. Hicks, both of Brooklyn, at least later in their lives. The papers in the collection indicate that John was a merchant in New York City at least until about 1815.
Arrangement
The collection is organized with deeds and other land documents first, followed by correspondence and other document forms. The land documents are arranged by location.
The collection is no longer in its original order as presented by the donor. The material was originally presented in two "bundles" with documents numbered from 1 to 43. An inventory supplied by the donor listed the items and their relationship. Likely in the mid 2000s, the documents were re-arranged from their sequential order to the present arrangement. Nonetheless, the original sequential numbers are still noted on the documents themselves and in this finding aid. A copy of the original inventory is in the accession file.
Scope and Contents
The Seaman family papers (1752-1838) principally concern merchant John Seaman and Willet Seaman, though several other Seaman family members are also represented. The bulk of the collection consists of deeds and other documents concerning land transactions. Several of these deeds relate to land in North Hempstead, Long Island, acquired to establish a manufactory for woolen goods, circa 1816. Other legal documents related to this business are also in the collection, such as partnership agreements and an insurance policy. An indenture for an apprentice from the Overseers of the Poor of Brooklyn and an enslaved African American's bill of sale for John Seaman's purchase also relate to the manufactory, known as Seaman and Cock (the Cock referring to partners John Cock and Townsend Cock). Other land transactions concern Seaman properties or interests on Long Island, New York City, other New York State counties, and other states. Other documents include John Seaman's will, Seaman's conditions for the eventual manumission of the enslaved person he purchased, and correspondence from Willet Seaman supporting quarantine laws to prevent the spread of yellow fever.
Subjects
Families
Genres
Topics
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
The materials in this collection are in the public domain. While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Seaman family papers, 1974.005, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Grace Albert on behalf of the heirs of Mary Jackson Seaman Albert, September 1930.
Other Finding Aids
A copy of the item-level inventory provided by the collection donor is in the accession file and available to researchers upon request.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection was placed in its current arrangement likely in the mid-2000s. Descriptive information was entered to a collection management system, Archivists' Toolkit, and a finding aid prepared by Larry Weimer in March 2012.
Oppressive descriptive language was remediated from the subject terms, abstract, and scope and contents notes in this finding aid as part of an anti-racist descriptive language audit performed in January 2021. Folder titles were retained to maintain record of descriptive language of collection creators.
This collection was rehoused and the finding aid revised by Dee Bowers in 2024.