Just last week, I met Melinda Hunt, the director of the Hart Island Project, which assists families and individuals who have loved ones interred at the Potter’s Field there. She had come to Green-Wood for a meeting. A descendant of Samuel Osgood, the first postmaster general of the United States after the Constitution was ratified, … Read more
The year was 1828. They were in love. Charles Alfred Baudouine was 20 years old, Ann Phillips Postley 15. Five years later–in 1833-they would marry. She would die, “after a lingering illness,” in 1890. He would die in 1895. They are interred, together again, at Green-Wood, in section 14, lots 11608-11611, with many other members … Read more
Christopher Ashton Serrano (1991-2016) seemed to have found his calling. A young man, in his mid-twenties, he had discovered—and pioneered–Urban Explorer/High-Risk Photography. It was a subculture of photography, incorporating both physical and mental challenges. Climbing to the top of a building or bridge was difficult enough; doing so, knowing that you might be arrested for … Read more
I recently came across a listing for an online auction for a half-plate daguerreotype photograph of Samuel E. Darling and his wife, Margaret Broadbent Darling. As per the listing, the seller had determined that they were married on August 4, 1851, and lived in New York City. Their identification was based on their names that … Read more
As we commemorate the 100th anniversary of United States entry into World War I, I share this story about a group of World War I photographs. About 25 years ago, at a photo show featuring old images, I came across a wooden box filled with glass stereoviews. Stereoviews are side by side images of the … Read more
World War I, also called the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, began in Europe in 1914. But it was not until April 6, 1917—100 years ago– that the United States Congress declared war against Germany and entered the war. The American Expeditionary Force was soon organized and … Read more
On September 25, 1925, a United States Navy submarine, the S-51, left New London, Connecticut, for a regular training voyage. The crew was 36 men; among them were the 19-year-old Teschemacher twins, William and Frederick, from Bangor, Maine. All was quiet as the S-51 cruised on the surface, in the dark, on a “reliability run” … Read more
I enjoy collecting. And, as a person fascinated by our history, one of the things I like to collect is photographs of 19th century New York City. Such photographs help us understand a world both different from ours, but one that has profoundly affected our own world. They give us perspective on the human condition–what … Read more
One thing leads to another, then another, and another. This story has just come together, in time for Black History Month. Just a few weeks ago, Sue Ramsey, who lives out in Santa Barbara, California, but by the miracle of the Internet is an esteemed researcher for Green-Wood’s Civil War Project, was doing follow-up research … Read more