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Middagh family papers

Call Number

1974.179

Dates

1654-circa 1840, inclusive
; 1654-1789, bulk

Creator

Middagh family

Extent

0.17 Linear Feet in 17 folders.

Language of Materials

Most of the documents are in English. Several are in Dutch, with no translations available.

Abstract

The Middagh family papers (1654-circa 1840) contain a variety of documents, many linked to the Middagh family by name or by affiliated family, including Couwenhoven and Stryker.

Biographical note

Aert Middagh (circa 1707-1777), son of Gerrit Aertsen Middagh and Cornelia van Kowenhoven, married Magdalena Stryker (b. 1710), daughter of Jan Pieterse Stryker and Margretta Schenk. All of these surnames appear in the collection. For further genealogical information, see the item level inventory associated with the March, Middagh, and Sands families property records (1974.038).

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in rough chronological order.

Scope and Contents

The collection contains a variety of documents, many linked to the Middagh family by name or by affiliated family. Many documents have no obvious relationship to the Middaghs. Most of the collection includes legal documents of various forms including deeds, bonds, agreements, and legal filings.

Among the documents are: the concluding pages (pages 5-8) of the 1825 correspondence from William Steele to his son concerning Jonathan Dayton's recollections of Benjamin Franklin's proposal for prayer at the 1787 Constitutional Convention; the articles of agreement between generals Burgoyne (British) and Gates (American) at Saratoga during the Revolutionary War (1772), signed by Burgoyne; plans for the building of a school in Huntington, Long Island, and the subscriber list (1762); a circa 1675 transcript of a 1669 Suffolk County Clerk's document regarding the testimony of several Indian sachems of Montauket relating to a land dispute concerning the Conklings; a testimonial of a committee of Boston preachers recommending minister Joseph Torrey (1732); an accounting of legal expenses charged in the case Aert Middagh v. John Middagh; and terms of sale on property mortgaged to Henry Landon.

Three items concerning African-Americans in Brooklyn are in the collection: an unidentified will (1727), an enslaved person's bill of sale (1737), and an arrest warrant concerning the unlicensed sale of liquor, including to African-Americans (1751). Aside from Middagh, among the names appearing in the documents are Couwenhouven, Stryker, and Thomas Tredwell (Suffolk County). Eight documents (1654-1702) are in Dutch.

The collection includes one outlier document, the terms of sale of property mortgaged by Isaac Conklin and George L. Conklin to Henry Landon. The document is undated, but is perhaps circa 1840, based on the dates concerning Henry Landon in the Landon family papers (1977.025). It is possible that this document was originally part of the Landon papers (received in 1866, less than a year before the Middagh donation) and was separated by mistake.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to users without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

The material in this collection is 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); Middagh family papers, 1974.179, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Mrs. Sarah Gracie, 1867.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

If digital surrogates exist, they should be used in place of the originals whenever possible.

Related Materials

Many property and other records related to the Middaghs and affiliated families can be found in the March, Middagh, and Sands families property records (1974.038).

Other Middagh family material is in: Middagh family agreement (1977.642) Garrett Middagh papers (1977.654) John Middagh account book (1974.027)

Other related collections include: Landon family papers (1977.025)

Collection processed by

Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:19:11 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is written in: English, Latin script.

Processing Information

The collection was arranged likely in the mid-2000s. The collection was described and a finding aid produced in 2012 by Larry Weimer.

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.

The collection's folder headings were added to this finding aid by Dee Bowers in August 2023.

Revisions to this Guide

January 2021: Revised by Amy Lau, Archivist, to remediate oppressive language from subject terms, abstract, and scope and contents notes.
August 2023: Folder headings added by Dee Bowers

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society

Container

Box: A0013 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201