Due to shrinking congregations and finances, many abandoned church buildings in New York’s Hudson Valley have been reused for other purposes. Some are now apartments or condominiums, fraternity houses, museums, historical societies, businesses and vibrant art venues and community centers. [Read more…] about Old Hudson Valley Churches Now Community Venues
Upstate New York Gentleman’s Clubs: Some History
In New York private social clubs for men were modeled after the clubs in London, which date back to the late 1600s and early 1700s. Men could dine, read the papers, take part in entertainments such as card games or bowling, and build social networks.
There were strict membership rules and most private clubs were only open to elite white Christian men. Some allowed limited dining access to member-accompanied white Christian wives or widows. [Read more…] about Upstate New York Gentleman’s Clubs: Some History
A Revolutionary War Terrorist in New York
During the American Revolution the Ramapo Valley in southern New York was a hotbed of controversy as tensions rose between the Enlightenment inspired Patriots fighting for freedom from English rule and those conservatives who remained loyal to the Crown.
Although acts of violence were committed by both sides, one person clearly stands out – Claudius Smith (1736-1779), the notorious Loyalist guerilla leader. [Read more…] about A Revolutionary War Terrorist in New York
Victorian Mourning Letters for General Farnsworth of Albany
General John Gosman Farnsworth (1832-1895) of Albany served in the Army of the Potomac in the Civil War and was later Assistant Quartermaster of the New York State Volunteers and Adjutant General under President Grover Cleveland.
After his death in Washington, D.C. in April 1895, dozens of condolence letters were sent to his widow Sarah Gourlay Farnsworth (1837-1893) at 26 Elk Street in Albany. [Read more…] about Victorian Mourning Letters for General Farnsworth of Albany
Arphaxed Loomis: Anti-Slavery Democrat & Little Falls Law Reformer
The man with the unique name of Arphaxed (or Arphaxad) Loomis was an important constitutional law reformer in New York State. His biblical name is from Arphacshad, the grandson of Noah. It means healer or releaser. Arphaxed Loomis was a healer not of individual people, but of an entire state’s legal code.
Loomis was born in Winchester Connecticut in 1798 to Thaddeus Loomis, a devout Presbyterian and Lois Griswold. The family then moved to the town of Salisbury in Herkimer County, New York about 1801. [Read more…] about Arphaxed Loomis: Anti-Slavery Democrat & Little Falls Law Reformer
The Harlem Renaissance: A Primer & Some Sources
Renaissance is a French word meaning rebirth or revival. The Harlem Renaissance was a social revolution and cultural explosion among the growing Black community of Harlem during the 1920s and early 1930s. Some of the best-known black artists of the period include Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Zora Neale Hurston, and Langston Hughes. [Read more…] about The Harlem Renaissance: A Primer & Some Sources
Joe Gould: Bohemian Misfit of Greenwich Village
There are many ways to look at Joe Gould (1889-1957), the eccentric New York City character and poet who has been profiled in numerous books and articles for over a century. He was often described as a bearded, disheveled bohemian slouching through Greenwich Village, sometimes homeless, scribbling in a notebook, and mooching off anyone who would give him a handout. He hung out at the Minetta Tavern and other bars and cafeterias, often scooping up free packets of tomato ketchup. He also had a darker side.
[Read more…] about Joe Gould: Bohemian Misfit of Greenwich Village
Hoosick, NY’s Simon Fraser: Explorer of British Columbia
Simon Fraser (1776-1862), the Canadian explorer of British Columbia, had his roots in Hoosick, New York. He was born during the early years of the American Revolution in the small village of Mapletown in East Hoosick, Rensselaer County, NY, near Bennington, Vermont. [Read more…] about Hoosick, NY’s Simon Fraser: Explorer of British Columbia
Alan Rabinowitz: Brooklyn Zoologist & A Voice for Jaguars
Alan Rabinowitz (1953-2018) endured a difficult childhood. Born in Brooklyn to Jewish immigrant parents from Eastern Europe, he grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens. By the age of five he had developed such a debilitating stutter that his whole body shook when he tried to speak.
Even though he was a straight A student in school, considered disruptive, he was put in classes with developmentally disabled children and bullied relentlessly. [Read more…] about Alan Rabinowitz: Brooklyn Zoologist & A Voice for Jaguars
The Cataract House at Niagara Falls: A Slaves’ Portal to Freedom
Niagara Falls and nearby Lewiston in Western New York were a U.S. endpoint for self-emancipating formerly enslaved people fleeing to Canada before and during the Civil War. [Read more…] about The Cataract House at Niagara Falls: A Slaves’ Portal to Freedom
Orson Squire Fowler & New York’s Octagon Houses
Octagon houses date back to ancient Greece, where they were symbols of rebirth and renewal. In the United States they were mostly built during the 1850s and 1860s, many of them in New York State. [Read more…] about Orson Squire Fowler & New York’s Octagon Houses
Louis Riel: A Canadian Rebel’s Exile in Northern New York
Louis Riel (1844-1885) a founder of the province of Manitoba in Canada and a political leader of the Métis people (mixed Indigenous and European ancestry) at a time when they actively resisted the Northwest Territories integration into the Dominion of Canada in the late 1860s and 1870s. [Read more…] about Louis Riel: A Canadian Rebel’s Exile in Northern New York
French Canadians in Northern New York: A Primer
Although a few arrived in the 150 years before to exploit the region’s natural resources, French-speaking Canadians began settling in New York in larger numbers during and after the American Revolution (many as refugees from English power in Canada). [Read more…] about French Canadians in Northern New York: A Primer
The Many Mangiones of Rochester
Most people have heard of the musical Mangione brothers – Jazz artists Chuck and Gap of Rochester, New York. But there was also an interesting uncle – a writer, who was quite famous in his day. I first encountered Jerre Mangione while transcribing his handwritten letters to Jack Conroy, author of The Disinherited. [Read more…] about The Many Mangiones of Rochester
The Story of Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream
Many people have heard of and enjoyed Haagen-Dazs ice cream, but the story of its beginning is equally cool. A headline in JGirls+ Magazine from 2022 says it all: “Haagen-Dazs: A Jewish Story of Immigration, Entrepreneurship, and Ice Cream.” The story began with Reuben Mattus (originally Nifka Matus), born in Grodna, Poland in 1913 who arrived in New York City in 1921 with his widowed mother and older sister. [Read more…] about The Story of Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream
New Yorkers Serving in Alaska Territory, 1908-1910
While transcribing Alaska Territory records for the National Archives, I noticed two interesting men who were working with the native tribes. A little research revealed they were both from New York State. Here are their stories. [Read more…] about New Yorkers Serving in Alaska Territory, 1908-1910
Vannie Higgins: ‘Brooklyn’s Last Irish Boss’
Vannie Higgins (1897-1932) was a notorious Brooklyn gangster and rum-runner. He was born Charles Van Wyck Higgins in 1897 in Bay Ridge, son of Daniel and Helen (Nellie) Higgins. As a young boy he was involved in street corner brawls, then moved up the ladder to assaults, robbery and grand larceny. Although he had an extensive police record, he was usually able to squeeze out of any jail time. [Read more…] about Vannie Higgins: ‘Brooklyn’s Last Irish Boss’