Old First Class of Wilson Street School records
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
This collection, dated 1873 to 1942 and housed in six manuscript boxes and one short-top box, contains the business records of the Old First Class. Materials in the collection document the organization's membership, officers, annual meetings, and activities. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, including letters, postcards, telegrams, and memos, from 1896 to 1923; treasurers' files dated 1873 to 1916; and minute books from 1873 to 1931.
Historical note
The Old First Class was an the alumni association for graduates of the Wilson Street School, also known as P.S. 16 and the Leonard Dunkly School, located at 157 Wilson Street in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. The organization was founded in 1873 upon the retirement of a popular teacher, Miss Emma J. Dunkly. Founding members of the Old First Class were primarily from the 1868 graduating class, but membership was open to all graduates of P.S. 16 prior to 1870. One notable member of the Old First Class, among many Brooklyn businessmen and civil servants, was Frederick W. Wurster, the last Mayor of the City of Brooklyn from 1896 to 1898. The Old First Class held yearly banquents, serving as class reunions, and advocated for the continued maintenance and growth of P.S. 16. Membership dwindled as members aged; by the time of the 50th anniversary in 1923, only 22 of its 63 members were still living.
The Old First Class was an alumni association for graduates of the Wilson Street School, also known as P.S. 16 and the Leonard Dunkly School, located at 157 Wilson Street in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. The organization was founded in 1873 upon the retirement of a popular teacher, Miss Emma J. Dunkly. Founding members of the Old First Class were primarily from the 1868 graduating class, but membership was open to all pre-1870 graduates of P.S. 16. One notable member of the Old First Class, among many Brooklyn businessmen and civil servants, was Frederick W. Wurster, the last Mayor of the City of Brooklyn from 1896 to 1898. The Old First Class held yearly banquets, serving as class reunions, and advocated for the continued maintenance and growth of P.S. 16. Membership dwindled as members aged; by the time of the 50th anniversary in 1923, only 22 of its 63 members were still living.
Sources
- Anderson, John E. The Record of a Half-Century, 1873-1923: The Old First Class of Wilson Street School, P.S. No. 16, Brooklyn, N.Y. New York: Privately printed, 1924.
Scope and Contents
This collection, dated 1873 to 1942 and housed in six manuscript boxes and one short-top box, contains the business records of the Old First Class. Materials in the collection document the organization's membership, officers, annual meetings, and activities. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, including letters, postcards, telegrams, and memos, from 1896 to 1923; treasurers' files dated 1873 to 1916; and minute books from 1873 to 1931. The balance of the manuscript material includes news clippings, committee reports, member lists, and the organization's various rules and regulations. Visual material includes cabinet cards, group portraits, printing plates, and photographs depicting members of the Old First Class, Principal Leonard Dunkly, and the Wilson Street School. These visual items were likely used as illustrations in Old First Class publications. Items relating specifically to the Old First Class annual banquets include printed programs, receipts, speeches, class poems and songs, printing plates, and printed notices and announcements.
Subjects
Organizations
Topics
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Old First Class of Wilson Street School records, ARC.107, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of John Anderson, Jr. and R.N. Field, 1936.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Minimally processed to the collection level.
This collection combines three accessions: 1977.085, 1977.087, and 1977.088.
Sponsor Note
Repository
Container
This finding aid does not include an online listing of contents.
To learn about viewing this collection in person, please contact cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org.
