• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar

New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Adirondacks & NNY
  • Capital-Saratoga
  • Mohawk Valley
  • Hudson Valley & Catskills
  • NYC & Long Island
  • Western NY
  • History
  • Nature & Environment
  • Arts & Culture
  • Outdoor Recreation
  • Food & Farms
  • Subscribe
  • Support
  • Submit
  • About
  • New Books
  • Events
  • Podcasts

Immigration

Memoir Recounts The Remarkable Life of Sophie Kussmaul

July 12, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

through sophies eyesThrough Sophie’s Eyes (Cahaba, 2008) is a remarkable memoir by Sophie Kussmaul (1875-1968), granddaughter of Princess Regina Henry, first cousin to Frederick III, Emperor of Germany, and niece of Dr. Adolf Kussmaul, a noted Heidelberg physician.

Edited by Sinclair Seevers, the memoir spans her first six decades, two thirds of Kussmaul’s long life.  It’s a vivid account of her shy childhood in the 1870s through the years of the Great Depression. [Read more…] about Memoir Recounts The Remarkable Life of Sophie Kussmaul

Filed Under: Books, History Tagged With: Books, German-American History, Great Depression, Immigration, Medical History, Social History

German Immigrants & Instruments: 48ers, Slomans and Steinways

July 7, 2020 by Jaap Harskamp 1 Comment

German StampIn 1850, after a long journey, a large German family sailed from Hamburg into New York Harbour. There was no Statue of Liberty to welcome them. Newcomers faced no questions or restrictions. There was no Castle Garden (opened in 1855), no Ellis Island (opened in 1892) – they simply made their way and settled in the city.

The family brought music to New York. [Read more…] about German Immigrants & Instruments: 48ers, Slomans and Steinways

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Cultural History, German-American History, Immigration, New York City, Performing Arts, Revolutions of 1848

Caricature: The Italian-American Connection

June 22, 2020 by Jaap Harskamp Leave a Comment

Annibale Caracci pen and ink sheet of charactersSay caricature, think politics – ever since the age of James Gillray and the British mockery of Napoleon, caricaturists have made a career out of political commentary. To this day, their work appears on the editorial pages of newspapers or magazines.

Traditionally, we appoint politicians and turn them into caricatures and to elect a caricature and raise them to the status of a politician is a more recent phenomenon. But the genre flourished away from politics. From Italian origins, it developed as a game, a form of entertainment, and a genteel salutation. [Read more…] about Caricature: The Italian-American Connection

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: art, Art History, Cultural History, Immigration, Italian History, Political History

Father Fitz: Missionary to the Adirondacks

April 11, 2020 by Roy Crego 3 Comments

Rev-John-FitzgeraldThe Rev. John G. Fitzgerald, or “Father Fitz,” as he was known to contemporaries, was the first resident Roman Catholic priest in Old Forge. He is fondly remembered as a missionary to the widely scattered working people of the region and as a prolific builder of churches. [Read more…] about Father Fitz: Missionary to the Adirondacks

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Mohawk Valley, Western NY Tagged With: Immigration, Old Forge, Religion

Castle Clinton: New York’s Almost Forgotten Landmark

March 24, 2020 by Theresa DeCicco Leave a Comment

Landing of Gen Lafayette at Castle Garden New York 16th August 1824 courtesy New York Public Library Digital CollectionsAn often overlooked and forgotten New York City landmark, Castle Clinton welcomed many of the city’s residents into its walls as a place of innovation, entertainment, and new beginnings.

The circular sandstone fort which currently stands in Battery Park, was built to improve harbor fortifications in 1811. The Southwest Battery, as it was known, never fired a shot. [Read more…] about Castle Clinton: New York’s Almost Forgotten Landmark

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Castle Clinton, Castle Garden, Cultural History, Ellis Island, Immigration, Landmarks, Military History, New York City, New York Harbor, New York Harbor Conservancy, NPS, Statue of Liberty, War of 1812

Ti Historical Opening With ‘Singing of the Green’

March 2, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

the little fraudsThe Ticonderoga Historical Society is set to open for their 2020 season on Friday, March 27 with “The Singing of the Green, The Irish in American Musical Theater,” a presentation by Diane O’Connor. [Read more…] about Ti Historical Opening With ‘Singing of the Green’

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Events, History Tagged With: Immigration, Irish History, Music, Theatre, Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga Historical Society

Dagger John: Archbishop John Hughes and Irish America

October 2, 2019 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

dagger johnIn his new book Dagger John: Archbishop John Hughes and the Making of Irish America (Cornell University Press, 2019) biographer John Loughery tells the story of John Hughes, son of Ireland, friend of William Seward and James Buchanan, founder of St. John’s College (now Fordham University), builder of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, pioneer of parochial school education, and American diplomat. [Read more…] about Dagger John: Archbishop John Hughes and Irish America

Filed Under: Books, History Tagged With: Books, Immigration, Irish History, Irish Immigrants, Religious History

Birthright Citizenship

September 18, 2019 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

ben_franklins_worldWho gets to be a citizen of the United States? How does the United States define who belongs to the nation?

Early Americans asked and grappled with these questions during the earliest days of the early republic. [Read more…] about Birthright Citizenship

Filed Under: Books, History Tagged With: African American History, Birthright, Citizens, Citizenship, Constitution, Early America, Early American History, Immigration, Podcasts

Slavery in New York: An Angolan Case Study

July 5, 2019 by Peter Feinman Leave a Comment

Institute of history archaeology and educationAngolans are in the news. Recently there has been a surge in migrants from Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. After a decade of hardly any migration from these countries, suddenly the numbers have increased specifically to Portland, Maine and to San Antonio, Texas. The surge has reportedly overwhelmed some in those communities. Central African migrants are less likely to have relatives already in the country to whom they can turn for assistance. [Read more…] about Slavery in New York: An Angolan Case Study

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Black History, diversity, Immigration, Rye, Slavery

Bean Pickers: Italian Immigrant Portraits in Utica

May 30, 2019 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

3 male bean pickers Author Karen Foresti Hempson is set to discuss her new book Bean Pickers: American Immigrant Portraits, which shares eight true-life portrayals that focus on the  Italian-Americans who begin their American lives as summer bean pickers, on Wednesday, June 5th at 5:30 pm, at the Oneida County History Center, 1608 Genesee Street, Utica. [Read more…] about Bean Pickers: Italian Immigrant Portraits in Utica

Filed Under: Books, Events, History Tagged With: Books, Immigration, Italian History, Mohawk Valley, Oneida County History Center, Utica

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 14
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Help Us Reach Our Fundraising Goal

Subscribe to New York Almanack

Subscribe! Follow the New York Almanack each day via E-mail, RSS, Twitter or Facebook updates.

Recent Comments

  • Richard Daly on Long Crisis: New York City’s Path to Neoliberalism
  • Bruce Piasecki on Award for Social Impact Writing: Call for Submissions
  • Judy Gumaer Testa on Elnathan Sears: Thirteen Months in Hell
  • Big Burly on New York’s Pirate Utopia: From Pearl Street to Execution Dock
  • Jim Sefcik on Trump Impeachment Recalls Aaron Burr’s Treason
  • Ed Zahniser on Trump Impeachment Recalls Aaron Burr’s Treason
  • Amy eckman on Trump Impeachment Recalls Aaron Burr’s Treason
  • Jennifer on Humans In Zoos: A Long History of ‘Exotic’ People Exhibitions
  • Henry Nass on Trump Impeachment Recalls Aaron Burr’s Treason
  • Jim Britell on Trump Impeachment Recalls Aaron Burr’s Treason

Recent New York Books

The Long Crisis
rebuilding the republic
The 20th Century Civil Rights Movement
first principles
An American Marriage
too long ago
the long year of the revolution
Notable New Yorkers of Manhattans Upper West Side
Woman Slaveholders in Jamaica
nobody hitchhikes anymore

Secondary Sidebar

New York State Historic Markers