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Charles Macauley research files

Call Number

MS 3192

Date

circa 1800-1920, inclusive

Creator

Macauley, Charles, active 1890s-1930s

Extent

7.63 Linear feet in 7 record cartons and 2 document boxes

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The collection includes Charles Macauley's research files, in the form of unbound scrapbooks in letterboxes, concerning New Jersey's Atlantic Ocean coastline, the state's coastal towns and beaches, shipwrecks off the New Jersey shore, and the presence and work of the U.S. Life-Saving Service (USLSS) in New Jersey from its founding in 1848 to its conclusion in 1915 with the formation of the U.S. Coast Guard. Documents include photographs, including original photos taken by Macauley circa 1890s-1910s; published and hand-drawn maps, including some street maps; picture postcards, perhaps especially of the resort towns; correspondence, including with Sumner Increase Kimball of the USLSS; clippings of articles and published images from newspapers and other print sources; typescript abstracts and extracts of various writings; and Macauley's notes, captions, and compiled lists of lifesaving volunteers, shipwrecks, etc.

Biographical / Historical

Little is known of Charles Macauley at this writing. From documents in the collection, it is known that, during the time he compiled these documents, Macauley was a resident of Brooklyn and by about 1908 of Haworth, New Jersey. Some of his correspondence indicates he intended to write a history of the New Jersey shore, though this later sharpened into a focus on the U.S. Life-Saving Service. This resulted in at least one published article: "The Genesis of the U.S. Life Saving Service: Its Birth on Our Coast." New Jersey Historical Society 60 (1937), pp. 116-131.

The U.S. Life-Saving Service (USLSS) began in 1848 as a formal, but volunteer, network administered by the Department of the Treasury to rescue survivors of shipwrecks, initially centered on the New Jersey shore, though later much expanded. The Service became increasingly professionalized in the late 1800s under Superintendent Sumner Increase Kimball. In 1915 the Service merged with the Revenue Cutter Service to become the U.S. Coast Guard.

Arrangement

The collection retains its original order as compiled by Macauley. The bulk of the documents remain in their original 21 letterboxes. The first 17 of these are organized geographically with documentation related to Sandy Hook in letterbox 1, then advancing southerly along the New Jersey coast to Cape May in letterbox 17. The last 4 letterboxes are thematic with a focus on the history of the U.S. Life Saving Service and on shipwrecks and the laws relating to wrecks. In addition, there are two other boxes of documents: one of correspondence and one of nitrate negatives removed from the scrapbooks.

Scope and Contents

The collection includes Charles Macauley's research files concerning New Jersey's Atlantic Ocean coastline, the state's coastal towns and beaches, shipwrecks off the New Jersey shore, and the presence and work of the U.S. Life-Saving Service (USLSS) in New Jersey from its founding in 1848 to its conclusion in 1915 with the formation of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The files are in the form of unbound scrapbooks, with the loose sheets held in a series of 21 letterboxes. The first 17 of these boxes proceed geographically, moving from Sandy Hook, which begins the "Jersey Shore" as the state's northernmost point facing the Atlantic Ocean, down to Cape May at the state's southern tip. The final 4 letterboxes are centered on the history (i.e., legislative, administrative, and historical context) of the U.S. Life-Saving Service (USLSS) and on shipwrecks, especially in relation to laws governing wrecks. The container list records Macauley's labels from the letterboxes; [bracketed] labels were added by the processing archivist where the label was missing or obscured, and to identify specific locales documented within a box's range.

For each locale documented in the scrapbooks, there is a rough consistency of subject matter, which covers history and physical description of the place, shipwrecks associated with that locale, and the presence of lifesaving volunteers, stations, and equipment, especially of the USLSS. Documents include photographs, including original photos taken by Macauley; published and hand-drawn maps, including some street maps; picture postcards, perhaps especially of the resort towns; clippings of articles and published images from newspapers and other print sources; typescript abstracts and extracts of various writings; and Macauley's notes, compiled lists (e.g. of the names and dates of lifesaving volunteers at various coastal stations, of shipwrecks associated with a locale). The pages are captioned and most of the original photographs are at least generally identified; these typically are of the lifesaving stations, ships/shipwrecks, and beaches.

Some correspondence can also be found in the scrapbooks. Most of the correspondence, though, is found filed together in alphabetical order by correspondent. The correspondence is primarily research inquiries of libraries, government officials, private sources, other writers on the topics, etc., with the responses often conveying information sought by Macauley. The correspondence is mostly incoming, but there are some drafts of Macauley's outgoing letters. A principal correspondent found in both the correspondence files and in the scrapbooks is Sumner Increase Kimball, the Superintendent of the U.S. Life-Saving Service from 1878 to 1915.

The events represented in the scrapbooks range from the late 1700s to about 1920. Although most of the early-mid 19th century historical references are represented by Macauley's typescript extracts, there are many clippings from original sources. On a skim by the processing archivist, such original documents can be found from as early as about 1800.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers. Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

The collection should be cited as: Charles Macauley research files, MS 3192, New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Charles Macauley, April 11, 1922. (Some of N-YHS's records have the name misspelled as McCauley.)

Separated Materials

Many of the letterboxes held nitrate negatives of some of the photographs in the boxes. The negatives were removed to a separate box and placed in cold storage. Notations were made within the letterboxes and on the negatives' enclosures to indicate which negatives were removed and from where.

Collection processed by

Elise Winks and Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:46:14 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

The collection was processed to a minimal extent by archivists Elise Winks and Larry Weimer in 2020-21. Most of the collection remains in its original letterboxes. The primary physical intervention at that time was the removal from the boxes of nitrate negatives to be stored separately.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024