Charles Stuart Booth family papers and photographs
circa 1828 to 1906, inclusive
Booth family
Carrington, Eliza J. Booth
Booth, Charles Stuart
Booth, Horace
Booth, Thomas
Squires, Harry B.
The Charles Stuart Booth family papers and photographs have been arranged into two series:
Papers contain journals dating from 1828 to 1862 and written by Charles Stuart Booth during his shifts as a watchman in lower Manhattan, in which he details the events and occurrences that transpired during his shifts. The series also contains letters from Lila Booth to her brother, Horace, while he was serving as an engineer in the Union Army during the Civil War. The letters are dated 1861 to 1863 and relate to Lila's domestic life in Williamsburgh, as well as her wishes for Horace's health and safety. One of her letters from 1863 also comments upon the eruption of the New York City draft riots. Some letters to Horace are also written by his brother, Tom, and his father, while additional letters are from Horace to his sister, Phoebe, and her husband, Hiram K. Lockwood. Finally, the series contains a small number of additional items relating to the Booth family, including envelopes of visiting cards, the marriage book of Phoebe Booth and Hiram K. Lockwood, obituaries, and brief notes on the Booth and Lockwood families provided by Harry B. Squires (d. 1963), the donor of this collection.
Photographs consist of card photographs, tintypes, and prints. The photographs are contained in two albums and compiled loosely in three folders, and depict members of the Booth family, including Charles Stuart, Lavinia, Horace, Lila, and Phoebe. However, a larger amount of the photographs depict members of families related to the Booths by marriage, including the Lockwood, Carrington, Seward, Shepard, Slauter, King, Mott, and Squires families. Many photographs bear inscriptions identifying the individuals pictured, also provided by Harry B. Squires.
Miranda Schwartz and Nicholas Pavlik
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:24:38 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English
Brooklyn Historical Society
ARC.154 3 of 3 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
ARC.154 1 of 3 (Material Type: Text)
ARC.154 2 of 3 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
Series 1: Papers, 1828-1886, inclusive
This series contains 13 journals written by Charles Stuart Booth; letters to and from his son, Horace Booth; and additional items relating to other members of the Booth family.
The journals cover Charles Stuart Booth's shifts as a privately employed night watchman during the years 1828 to 1862, with occasional gaps. The territory Booth oversaw was located in lower Manhattan and covered Cedar, Pearl, Fletcher, and Wall Streets, as well as Maiden Lane. The entries in Booth's journals are of varying length, depending on the night's events. In each entry, Booth details the time he began his work (usually 8:00 P.M.), weather conditions, notable events or occurrences that happened during his shift (fires were common), and the time he ended his shift (usually 7:00 A.M.). There are also accounts of the occasional odd event, suspicious person, and need for police assistance.
Most letters to Horace Booth were written by his sister, Lila, while he was serving as an engineer in the 8th Regiment of the Union Army during the Civil War. The letters, dating from 1861 to 1863, concern Lila's domestic life in Williamsburgh and her wishes for Horace's health and safety while serving in the army. Lila also occasionally touches upon events that garnered local or national attention: in her letter dated July 8, 1861, she details the Williamsburgh community's celebration of Independence Day, while in her letter dated August 2, 1863, she comments upon the infamous New York City draft riots and expresses concern that there will be another riot if a new draft is called. A few letters to Horace are also written by friends and his brother, Tom, and one letter is from his father. Horace enlisted in the army in 1861 without consulting his father, but the letter attests to his father's approval and good wishes. Additional letters are written by Horace and are addressed to his sister, Phoebe, and her husband, Hiram K. Lockwood.
Additional items in this series include a small envelope of visiting cards, the marriage book of Phoebe Booth and Hiram K. Lockwood, a letter from D.A. Lockwood to C.M. Studwell, a promissory note to a William C. Booth, an obituary of Colonel William H. Lockwood, and some brief notes on the Booth and Lockwood families from Harry B. Squires, the donor of this collection.
Series 2: Photographs, circa 1850-1906
This series contains two albums of cabinet card and postcard photographs depicting certain members of the Booth family, including Phoebe and Lila Booth, as well as their husbands, Hiram K. Lockwood and Samuel S. Carrington. Additional photographs in the albums depict several members of families related to the Booth family by marriage, including the Lockwood, Carrington, Seward, Slauter, King, Mott, Shepard, and Squires families. Occasional loose photographs are interfiled throughout the albums, as are envelopes containing supplementary items, such as the obituary of Lila Booth Carrington. The versos of postcard photographs often contain greetings to their family addressees.
The series also includes three folders of additional cabinet cards, tintypes, and prints depicting members of the Booth family, including Charles Stuart, Lavinia, Phoebe, Lila, and Horace, as well as several members of allied families.
Many photographs in this series bear inscriptions from Harry B. Squires, the donor of this collection, in which he identifies the individuals pictured.