Thomas D. Sugden Queens and Brooklyn scrapbook
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Abstract
The scrapbook consists of drawings, illustrations, clippings, programs, maps, and ephemera compiled by Thomas D. Sugden. The contents of the scrapbook predominently date from 1872 to 1898, although there is one item dated 1932. Geographically, the scrapbook covers Queens County (specifically Flushing and Corona) and the Eastern District of Brooklyn (today the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Bushwick). Topics covered in the scrapbook include, but are not limited to, local history, churches, civic organizations, real estate, schools, theaters, hospitals, the waterfront, monuments, historic homes, veterans, nature, business, and recreation.
Biographical note
Thomas Dodgson Sugden was born circa 1840 in England and immigrated to the United States in 1848. He fought for the Union in the Civil War, and was later an active member of 90th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Association and the Grand Army of the Republic (Mansfield Post 35). He resided in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn until the 1890s, when he relocated to Flushing, Queens. According to American Graphic Art, by Frank Weitenkampf, Sugden was an engraver, "who for years was in charge of the block and plate department of the Century Company." Later in life, he retired to Bridgewater, Connecticut, and died in either 1919 or 1923.
Sources:
Guide to the 90th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Association papers, 1977.005; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
Weitenkampf, Frank. American Graphic Art. H. Holt, 1912.
Scope and Contents
The scrapbook consists of drawings, illustrations, clippings, programs, property maps, and ephemera compiled by Thomas D. Sugden. The majority of the material concerns Queens County, specifically Flushing (where Sugden resided) and Corona. Brooklyn's Eastern District (today the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Bushwick) is also represented throughout the scrapbook. Other areas of Long Island are documented to a lesser degree. The scrapbook includes a handwritten index by Sugden.
The contents of the scrapbook predominently date from 1872 to 1898, although there is one item dated 1932 (a program for the George Washington Biennial Celebration in Flushing). Given that the scrapbook was donated to the Long Island Historical Society (now known as Brooklyn Historical Society) in 1913, and the program does not appear in Sugden's index, it is assumed that this item was added to the scrapbook by the society's library staff at a later date.
Topics covered in the scrapbook include, but are not limited to, local history, churches, civic organizations, real estate, schools, theaters (including the Flushing Opera House), hospitals, the waterfront, monuments, historic homes, veterans, nature, business, and recreation.
The most notable items in the scrapbook are Sugden's sketches and drawings. The drawings are mostly in pencil, although other mediums include charcoal, ink, and watercolor. Subjects include Sugden's home and surrounding locales at 69 Franklin Place, Flushing, Queens; pastoral scenes in nearby Corona, Queens; manor houses in the Eastern District of Brooklyn; the old Bushwick church and school; the Peter Cooper Glue Factory on Newtown Creek; the area surrounding Meeker Avenue in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn; and the Eastern District's Broadway Theater (appears to be copied from an illustration which is also included in the scrapbook).
The scrapbook features three maps. The first is a copy of the Long Island portion of A sketch of the operations of His Majesty's fleet and army under the command of Vice Admiral the Rt. Hble. Lord Viscount Howe and Genl. Sr. Wm. Howe, K.B., in 1776. The other two are real estate maps of Flushing, one of which is dated 1891.
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Conditions Governing Access
The scrapbook's maps are extremely fragile and should only be opened under library supervision. Otherwise open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Sugden's drawings are in the public domain.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Thomas D. Sugden Queens and Brooklyn scrapbook, 1974.115, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Thomas D. Sugden, 1913.
