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Molly Williams: the first female firefighter

Molly Williams: the first female firefighter

Recently, while watching an episode of The Alienist, I was curious if the character of Sara Howard, played by Dakota Fanning, was based on a real person. After all, the show was based on events in New York City in late 1800 and included such individuals as Theodore...
Ship of the Line Pennsylvania

Ship of the Line Pennsylvania

On August 11, 2017, when researching the story about Margaret Pine, I went to the the Archives and Manuscript Division of the NYPL, to review the papers of Wynant Van Zandt Jr. Within the Van Zandt’s collection, I found an interesting document; a description of a...
New Utrecht: Settlement & Slavery

New Utrecht: Settlement & Slavery

Brooklyn in 1639 Readers are advised to visit the following link — Digital Sources: Books — for additional information regarding sources on this page. Chronology 1624—The first Dutch settlers arrive on the Noten Eylant (now Governor’s Island) 1625—The...
Digital Sources: Books

Digital Sources: Books

While writing histories of my hometown, I often find myself cluttering the text with my sources. To simplify the text, the authors whose works I use are listed here. It is a sort of bibliography, and I hope a mention of their names in future posts will be sufficient....
The Will of Jane Cummings: A Former Slave’s Bequeathals

The Will of Jane Cummings: A Former Slave’s Bequeathals

Slaves Waiting for Sale: Richmond, Virginia by Eyre Crow (1824-1910) Often, when visiting my mother’s grave in the Green-Wood Cemetery, I take my time and walk around the vicinity in meditation. Last year, on one of those walks, I happened upon what appeared to...