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Religious History

‘Monkish Traditions’: 1830s Hatred of Irish Immigrants

January 11, 2021 by John Warren Leave a Comment

"Ruins of the Ursuline Convent, at Charlestown, Massachusetts," historical print, 1834, collection of the Charlestown Historical Society.In the 1830s, anti-Catholic attitudes inflamed by conspiracy theories were reaching a fevered pitch, especially in New York and Massachusetts where attacks on the homes of urban Irish immigrants occurred with some regularity.

In 1834 the bigotry turned particularly violent. Its greatest instigator was Samuel B. Morse who whipped his Protestant brethren into a fury. [Read more…] about ‘Monkish Traditions’: 1830s Hatred of Irish Immigrants

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, New York City Tagged With: Immigration, Irish History, Irish Immigrants, Nativism, Political History, Religious History

Anti-Irish Sentiment In New York Before The 1830s

January 4, 2021 by John Warren 11 Comments

Know Nothing Cartoon ca 1850sAlthough there had always been Irish immigrants to the colonies of the Americas, in the 1830s the pace of immigration of unskilled Irish quickened in the United States. (In 1820, only 21 percent had been unskilled laborers; by 1836 nearly 60 percent were.)

These newcomers were mostly Catholic. [Read more…] about Anti-Irish Sentiment In New York Before The 1830s

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, New York City Tagged With: Catholicism, Immigration, Irish History, Irish Immigrants, Nativism, Political History, Religious History

Puritans, Prussians, and the History of Christmas Cards

December 15, 2020 by Jaap Harskamp 3 Comments

First Xmas card by John Callcott HorsleyNew York has important associations with the formation of what is now considered a traditional American Christmas. “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (a.k.a. “Twas The Night Before Christmas”) was first published in the Troy Sentinel in 1823; The Albany Evening Journal ran an advertisement on December 17, 1841, that is believed to be the first time Santa Clause was used to advertise a store; and America’s first Christmas card was published in Albany in 1850/51.

Recently two rare printings of the first commercially printed Christmas card, published in England, have been announced for sale at auction. The cards depicts a family toasting with glasses of red wine. Commissioned by Henry Cole and designed by John Callcott Horsley, it carries the message “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.” [Read more…] about Puritans, Prussians, and the History of Christmas Cards

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Christmas, Cultural History, Holidays, Religious History

New Book: The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902

December 15, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Great Kosher Meat WarBook purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.

Scott D. Seligman’s new book The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902: Immigrant Housewives and the Riots That Shook New York City (Potomac Books, 2020) is a full account of the Great Kosher Meat War of 1902, a milestone in the history of Jewish-American women. [Read more…] about New Book: The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902

Filed Under: Books, Food, History, New York City Tagged With: Books, Culinary History, Cultural History, Immigration, Jewish History, Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York City, Religion, Religious History, womens history

Researching Fulton County’s First Roman Catholic Church

November 13, 2020 by Bob Cudmore Leave a Comment

The Historians LogoThis week’s guest on The Historians Podcast is retired Army Colonel Dave Cummings who discusses efforts to research St. Joseph’s Shrine and its nearby cemetery in the Adirondack hill town of Bleecker, NY.

Constructed in the 1850s, St. Joseph’s Church, torn down in 1919, was the first Roman Catholic Church built in Fulton County. [Read more…] about Researching Fulton County’s First Roman Catholic Church

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Fulton County, Podcasts, Religious History

Synagogues of Long Island (Podcast)

July 29, 2020 by Chris Kretz Leave a Comment

long island history project logoBrad Kolodny started with some curiosity and an Instagram account but wound up with a coffee table book full of his images documenting synagogues from every corner of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

He tracked the evolution of the architecture, from simple buildings to post-modern masterpieces, as well as the growth of the Jewish community on Long Island itself. The post-Second World War boom led to a boom in synagogues as well.

On this episode of the Long Island History Project podcast, we discuss the history of Long Island synagogues, the role they play in their communities, and what drives a man to document their storied histories. [Read more…] about Synagogues of Long Island (Podcast)

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Jewish History, Long Island, Podcasts, Religion, Religious History

Meredith B. Little: Leading Glens Falls Spiritualist

June 20, 2020 by Maury Thompson Leave a Comment

MB Little Insurance AgencyGetting the vote was just one of the issues suffragettes encountered in the late 19th century.

They also faced the premise of some theologians who contended the afterlife was restricted to an exclusive old boy’s club.

“A benignant looking, white-bearded patriarch,” who distributed candy to local children annually on Christmas Eve, debunked the theory in a Sunday afternoon debate in 1894 at Psychical Hall.

No — not Santa Claus. [Read more…] about Meredith B. Little: Leading Glens Falls Spiritualist

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Glens Falls, Political History, Religious History, Spiritualism, Suffrage Movement, womens history

Pierre Toussaint: Enslaved Haitian, NY Hairdresser – and Saint?

May 21, 2020 by Theresa LaSalle Leave a Comment

The three water color portraits shown here are hanging in Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the Mayor of the City of New York in Manhattan.  They are on loan from the New York Historical Society.

The watercolors (from the 1820s) are of the Toussaint family. [Read more…] about Pierre Toussaint: Enslaved Haitian, NY Hairdresser – and Saint?

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: art, Black History, Cultural History, Manhattan, New York Historical Society, Religious History, Slavery

Rev. L. M. Hobbs: Teacher, Chaplain, Thief?

March 9, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Third Regiment USCTLewis Merwin Hobbs was born in 1824 in the Delaware County town of Bloomville. He became a teacher in New York State before relocating to Lancaster County, Pa., where, in 1854, he became a moving force in the creation of the teachers’ academy which would one day become Millersville University.

During the Civil War, Rev. Hobbs served as the chaplain of the Third Regiment United States Colored Troops, labored for the Freedman’s Bureau, wrote a school bill for freedmen in the south and later became a circuit preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia Conference. [Read more…] about Rev. L. M. Hobbs: Teacher, Chaplain, Thief?

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Civil War, Crime and Justice, Delaware County, Religious History

Christianity and American Slavery

March 4, 2020 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

ben_franklins_worldBetween 1500 and the 1860s, Europeans and Americans forcibly removed approximately 12 million African people from the African continent, transported them to the Americas, and enslaved them.

Why did Europeans and Americans enslave Africans? How did they justify their actions?

[Read more…] about Christianity and American Slavery

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Black History, Podcasts, Religion, Religious History, Slavery

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