ANNUAL REPORT AND LIST OF MEMBERS OF CJje jBteto-fork fltstortcai ^octetp FOR THE YEAR 1934 FOUNDED NOVEMBER 20, 1804 INCORPORATED 1809 SSlers got* 170 CENTRAL PARK WEST 1935 •:._.? r OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY For Three Years ending 1938 PRESIDENT JOHN ABEEL WEEKES FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT ARTHUR H. MASTEN SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT R. HORACE GALLATIN THIRD VICE-PRESIDENT ROBERT E. DOWLING FOURTH VICE-PRESIDENT WILLIAM D. MURPHY FOREIGN CORRESPONDING SECRETARY ARCHER MILTON HUNTINGTON DOMESTIC CORRESPONDING SECRETARY ERSKINE HEWITT RECORDING SECRETARY B. W. B. BROWN TREASURER GEORGE ALBERT ZABRISKIE LIBRARIAN ALEXANDER J. WALL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FIRST CLASS—FOR ONE YEAR, ENDING 1936 JAMES LENOX BANKS JOHN V. IRWIN ERSKINE HEWITT SECOND CLASS:—FOR TWO YEARS, ENDING 1937 SAMUEL V. HOFFMAN ROBERT E. DOWLING JOHN HILL MORGAN THIRD CLASS—FOR THREE YEARS, ENDING 1938 HIRAM SMITH LEONIDAS WESTERVELT ARCHER M. HUNTINGTON FOURTH CLASS FOR FOUR YEARS, ENDING 1939 AUGUSTUS C. HONE DE WITT M. LOCKMAN HENRY PARISH SAMUEL V. HOFFMAN, Chairman ALEXANDER J. WALL, Secretary [The President, Vice-Presidents, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and Librarian are members of the Executive Com­ mittee.] CONTENTS PAGE OFFICERS iii EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS vii REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 9 REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN 17 REPORT OF THE FIELD EXPLORATION COMMITTEE 27 REPORT OF THE TREASURER 29 MEMORIAL FUNDS 32 SPECIAL FUNDS 36 HONORARY MEMBERS 41 LIFE MEMBERS 43 ANNUAL MEMBERS 47 ASSOCIATE MEMBERS 49 PRESIDENTS OF THE SOCIETY 53 ILLUSTRATIONS Original patent or ground brief from Governor Peter Stuyvesant to Lieven Jansen dated February 26, 1654 Frontispiece FACING PAGE Portrait of Adriaan Bancker (1724-1792) 16 Portrait of Mrs. Adriaan Bancker, (Anna Boelen) ( -1790) 20 Miniature of Daniel Lovett 28 Miniature of a 'member of the Cornell family painted by John Wesley Jarvis 28 REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FOR THE YEAR 1934 NEW YORK, JANUARY 8, 1935. The Executive Committee, in accordance with the by-laws, presents herewith its annual report. In the year 1934 the full force of the loss of income from investments was felt by the Society. Until April, 1933, the guaranteed mortgages and mortgage certificates paid their full interest. In that month the Superintendent of Insurance of the State of New York took control of the mortgage companies with which the Society had invested part of its endowment funds, and no further interest was permitted to be paid under the guarantee. Whatever the properties earned after payment of tax arrears and operating expenses was proportionately paid to holders of the certificated mortgages. In many issues the arrears were so great that it has taken the entire income of the properties to pay the taxes and operating costs, leaving nothing for distribution to the certificate holders. The task of re­ habilitating the bankrupt mortgage companies is a huge one, and it has taken the whole year to bring some order out of the chaos resulting from their failure. As this report is being written, however, the outlook is much brighter than it was ten months ago. Rentals have greatly improved with a conse­ quent increase in the income from properties so that interest is again being received from some investments, although in most cases at reduced rates. Every economy consistent with keeping up the service which the Society renders the public has been exercised, and while it has been necessary' to draw somewhat upon reserve funds to meet expenses, the Society remains in the fortunate position of being able to carry on without incurring indebtedness. It is regrettable that we must practice strict economy at a time when so much could be accomplished at less> cost than formerly. However, the Society was the recipient of many objects during the past year for the art gallery, museum, and library. To these donors and friends the Executive Committee extends its thanks and appreciation. Many of the gifts were acknowledged in the Quarterly Bulletin, and will not, therefore, be mentioned 9 10 THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY in this report except to, include them.in the totals given else­ : where. 'w ~, During the year the collections in annex building No. 1 at 5 West 76th Street were rearranged, and the main floor is now used for the exhibition of the Society's early American house­ hold articles, which form one of the unique exhibits to be seen in the City of New York. This building, as well as annex No. 2 at 4 West 77th Street, is open to the public at least one afternoon each week and also by appointment at other times on week days. Our three buildings are crowded with museum objects after a hundred and thirty years of extensive collecting. The gal­ lery of art and the library are very uncomfortably housed and difficult of exhibition befitting their importance and great value, both historically and intrinsically. An opportunity is offered to some patron of old New York to do a great public service by making it possible, through enlarging our building and increasing the staff, to reveal the wealth of history that lies within the crowded rooms and stacks of the Society. Since so much depends upon the preservation of the records of the past, we cannot emphasize too strongly the need for support. A varied program of lectures, given during the year, at­ tracted interested audiences. Included were observances of the centenaries of the death of Lafayette and of the freedom of the press in America. On these occasions we were honored by guest speakers, Dr. William Mather Lewis, President of Lafay-, ette College, and Dr. John H. Finley, Associate Editor of The New York Times. The attendance for the year was less than that of 1933 when it reached its highest point in years past. GALLERY OF ART To the gallery of art were added seven oil portraits and eight miniatures, as follows: Two colonial portraits of members of a distinguished New York family, Adriaan Bancker (1724-1792) and Anna Boelen ( -1790), his wife, great-great-grandparents of Dr. George S. De Groot of Mendham, N. J., from whose estate the por­ traits came by bequest. Portrait of Francis Robert Schell (1815-1900) painted when REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 1 1 a boy by Henry Peters Gray. (Gift of Mrs. Francis R. Schell.) Portrait of Mrs. Robert Schell (Mary S. Taber) painted by Henry Peters Gray. (Gift of Mrs. Francis R. Schell.) Portrait of John H. Moore (1846-1848) painted by his father, Abel Buel Moore. (Gift of Miss Helen Moore Cross.) Portrait of the Honorable William Sulzer (1863- ) painted in 1912 while he was Governor of the State of New York by Leo Mielziner. (Gift of Mr. Sulzer.) Portrait of Ethel Jackson painted by Hermann Hanatschek. (Gift of Miss Jackson.) Miniature of Alexander F. Vache. (Gift of Miss M3™ A. Vache.) Miniature of Jean Pippin. (Gift of Miss Marie A. Vache.) Miniature of Mrs. Robert James Keeling painted by Robert Lee Keeling, her son, and presented by him. Miniature of Mrs. Benjamin Woolsey (Abigail Taylor) copied by William Dunlap from a large oil portrait. (Gift of Mr. William Samuel Johnson.) Miniature of William Walton Woolsey (1766-1839) painted by William Dunlap. (Gift of Mr. William Samuel Johnson.) Miniature of Mrs. Benjamin Woolsey, Jr. (Ann Muirson, 1737-1807) painted by William Dunlap. (Gift of Mr. William Samuel Johnson.) Miniature of Daniel Lovett by an unknown artist. (Gift of Miss Lena Cadwalader Evans.) Miniature of Cornell, a young man, painted by John Wesley Jarvis, 1808. (Gift of Miss Lena Cadwalader Evans.) Museum and Gallery, 4 West jyth Street In Annex No. 2 at 4 West 77th Street, the Lockman gallery of distinguished contemporary Americans, painted for the Society, was placed on view. Seventy-seven pieces of blue Staffordshire pottery with views of old New York, 1821-1835, belonging to Mr. R. T. H. Hal­ sey, were put on exhibition in this annex. A collection of water color views of old New York buildings, painted by the late Victor Wilbour and owned by the Cooper Institute and the Society was also placed on exhibition. 12 THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY ' The oil paintings of Hudson River steamboats, chiefly by James Bard, remained on view in the corridor of this Annex. Additions to the Museum A total of 453 objects was added to the-museum in 1934. The collection of household utensils was removed from the main building to the annex at 5 West 76th Street. It was in­ creased considerably by the gifts of Mrs. Irving McKesson of objects which came from the home of her ancestor, the Rev. Samuel Jones, D.D. (1737-1811) at Pennypack, near Phila­ delphia, Pa. We received several donations of military uniforms covering the period 1848-1890, thereby adding to our collection, most of which is not on exhibition due to lack of cases. Two display forms were made to order for our early costumes, and the work of installing them has progressed slowly as we do not have the staff to attend to the museum with any regularity. The New York Caledonian Club recently vacated its build­ ing at 846 Seventh Avenue and passed on to the Society a large handsome case containing a collection of relics per­ taining to the 77th Highland Regiment of Civil War fame. It included flags, busts, swords, uniforms, a pistol, books and pictures. The latter are more specifically described in the report of the Librarian. The basement of our main building is now devoted, as planned and recordedv in our report for last year, to the showing of our large collection of volunteer firemen relics, including three hand pump engines, models, prints, badges, helmets, belts, trumpets, etc.