William Coleman research files
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Primary and secondary sources, notes, correspondence, and other documents relating to William "Bill" Coleman's research into the history of the slave trade.
Biographical note
William R. "Bill" Coleman was born in 1947. He earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 1969 and a JD from New York Law School in 1972, after which he practiced law professionally until his retirement in 2006. He was elected to the board of the Brooklyn Historical Society in 1986 and served for 16 years before resigning in 2001, though he and his wife continued to support the Society. He was the honoree of the Society's 4th annual library dinner in 2008, and his speech from that occasion is included in this collection. He was also involved with the Brooklyn Bar Association, the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, and the Prospect Park Alliance. In addition, Coleman was an independent researcher and historian who planned to write a book on the history of the African slave trade in America.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into three series by type: primary sources, secondary sources, and Coleman's notes and correspondence. For simplicity, the archivist sorted pre-1900 documents as primary sources and post-1900 sources as secondary sources. Each series is further sub-divided by type. There are additional arrangement notes at the sub-series and folder level where appropriate.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of the research files of William Coleman on the history of the slave trade. The collection is divided into three series: primary sources, secondary sources, and William Coleman notes and correspondence. Series 1: Primary Sources consists primarily of modern copies of pre-1900 sources, though there are some original documents. Series 2: Secondary Sources is largely computer printouts of post-1900 sources, though there are also photocopies of books and clippings. Series 3 contains both printed emails as well as typed and handwritten notes.
Primary source documents include books and articles, sermons and addresses, legal and government documents, and newspaper clippings. Secondary source documents include articles, books and book excerpts, indexes, lists, and guides, reviews, and theses and dissertations.
Though Coleman's overarching research topic was the African slave trade, this collection also includes significant materials on several related topics. These include the Oaksmith family (accused slave trader Appleton Oaksmith and his parents, the writers Seba Smith and Elizabeth Oakes Smith), the case of Nathaniel Gordon, Southern businessman Gazaway Bugg Lamar, and the slave trade from Asia.
Subjects
People
Topics
Places
Donors
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); William Coleman research files, CBHM.0032, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of the Coleman family, 2025.
General
Users of this collection should note that research notes and files represent a work in progress, or an interpretation that might change over time. History is always subject to debate and new inquiry. This collection represents a researcher's interpretation of the archival material, and we invite you to look at the relevant original material, either at CBH or elsewhere.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection was rearranged for clarity and ease of use, but a listing of Coleman's original folder headings and order is preserved in the accession file. The archivist discarded duplicate copies of materials with no distinguishing markings, but retained duplicates if they had unique markings or notes from Coleman. Original folders were discarded and replaced with acid-free archival folders, but in cases where Coleman had made notes on a folder, it was photocopied and filed with the folder's contents. Email addresses of Coleman's correspondents were redacted for privacy.
