Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church photographs

Call Number

BCMS.0087

Date

1880-1923, inclusive

Creator

Extent

23 items

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church photographs consists of copies of 23 photographs, with the originals held at the church. There are views of the church and parsonage, an album of 19th century portraits of people associated with the church, and photos of the construction of the parish house in 1923.

Biographical Note

The Lott family members were active in both the church and in Brooklyn civic life through the 19th century and some attended Erasmus Hall. Family members whose portraits are in the collection:

Jeremiah Lott (1776-1861) and his wife Lydia. He attended Erasmus Hall, and was a surveyor who was at one time the only surveyor in Brooklyn. He served as Clerk of the Board of Supervisors for 42 years, surrogate for 19 years and several terms in the state assembly.

Catherine L. Lott (b. 1807) Note on back that she was the judge's wife. Presumably the Catherine Lott who was the daughter of Jeremiah and Lydia, and married to Judge John A. Lott, son of another branch of Lott family.

Abby Lott. (1836-1918) Photo labeled: Rev. Wells wife. Name Zabriskie was written in same hand and crossed out. There were at least two Abby Lotts, but Abby Lloyd Lott (1836) was Catherine and John's daughter and her 2nd husband was Rev. Cornelius Wells. (A different Abby Lott, born in 1811 and daughter of Jeremiah and Lydia, was married to Dr. Zabriskie).

John Z. Lott, (1838-1914) and his wife, Maria Ditmas Lott, (about 1838 - d.1905) who was from another old Dutch family. He was on numerous civic boards, active in the church and they were prominent members of Brooklyn society. He was a grandson of Jeremiah Lott.

Henry Ditmas. There were several prominent Brooklyn men of the period with this name.

A 2nd photo is labeled Henry Ditmas, with name crossed out. It is not the Henry Ditmas above and there is no further information.

John D. Prince. No further information to establish identity.

Theodore Mason. Prominent Brooklyn physician in mid- 19th century and president of county medical society 1842-1844. Active in treatment of alcoholism and President of the Inebriates' Home in Fort Hamilton. Married to Catherine Van Vliet DeWitt. This photo was tucked into cover of album, not on album page and his connection to the family or church is not clear.

Historical Note

The photos of construction were dated but unlabeled. Further research identified the building in progress as the parish house of the church, erected in 1923.

Arrangement

The photographs in this collection are arranged by subject.

Scope and Contents

This small collection of photographs is a window into the connections within Brooklyn society in the 19th century, and especially the still-active ties among the descendants of the Dutch settlers two centuries later.

The unifying element is the Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church. There are photos of the church, the parsonage and – from 1923 – the construction of the parish house. There is a class photo from Erasmus Hall High School, 1883, a school built on land donated by the church and given the city in 1896. There are portraits from an album, evidently given to the church, of members of the Lott family, an old Brooklyn family descended from Peter Lott who arrived in 1652. He is described as possibly being from English background but married into and became wholly identified with Dutch society. There is a photo of the Jeremiah Lott house.

Of interest is that several items in this collection bear a printed label reading: Mrs. Henry M. Wells, 476 Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn 26, N.Y. Research found: The New York Times, April 13, 1893, notes a marriage between Kate Zabriskie and Henry M. Wells, son of the Reverend C.L. Wells of the Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church. A Henry Lott was a groomsman in the wedding. The bride appears to be a granddaughter of Abby Lefferts Lott, a daughter of Jeremiah and Lydia Lott, and her husband, Dr. John Barrea Zabriskie. The groom is the son of Cornelius Wells who was married to Abby Lloyd Lott, granddaughter of Jeremiah and Lydia.

Presumably this bride is the Mrs. Wells who gave the photos to the Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church, further illustrating the close ties of the Lott family descendents to each other and to the church of their ancestors.

Subjects

Organizations

Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church (Flatbush, New York, N.Y.)

Families

Lott family

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church photographs, BCMS.0087, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The church allowed Brooklyn Public Library to create these copies. The provenance of the originals is unknown but they may have been a gift from Mrs. Henry M. Wells.

Collection processed by

Triss Stein

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:37:28 +0000.

Language: Description is written in: English, Latin script.