Butcher and Johnson families papers
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Abstract
The Butcher and Johnson families papers, circa 1910-2025, document the lives of Alexander Butcher and his daughter Ina Johnson and their families who moved from Barbados, to Panama, Cuba, New Orleans, LA, and finally settled in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn in the 1920s. The papers include correspondence, photographs, passports, birth and baptismal certificates, citizenship papers, papers related to home ownership, and ephemera related to churches, schools, civic organizations, concerts, and dances.
Biographical Note
Alexander Butcher (1888?-1988) was born in Barbados, then moved to Panama looking for work where he met and married Maud Spence (1899-1924). The couple moved to Cuba and then New Orleans, Louisiana. Maud Spence Butcher died in 1924 in New Orleans and Alexander Butcher brought their three children to Brooklyn. Butcher worked as a carpenter and shipwright and was active in the First AME Zion Church on MacDonough Street.
One of Alexander Butcher's sisters, Dessymonia (also known as Desdemona and Justeena) A. D. Swain (1889-1964) moved to Panama in 1926 with her daughter Mary R. Swain. In 1927, they both moved to New York and settled in Brooklyn.
Swain's daughter, Mary Rosalien Swain (b. 1912), immigrated to New York with her mother in 1927. She graduated from Girls' Commercial High School in 1938 and worked for the federal government in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.
Ina Louise Butcher (1921-2025), Alexander Butcher's oldest daughter, was born in Cuba and grew up mostly in Brooklyn. She married Booker T. Johnson (1906-1987) from Union, South Carolina in 1943. The couple had ten children and raised them in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Ina Johnson worked as a stenographer and secretary and was active in the Our Lady of Good Counsel Roman Catholic Church.
More detailed biographical information is available on the series level.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into five series:
- Series 1: Alexander and Maud Spence Butcher papers, circa 1910-1988
- Series 2: Dessymonia A. D. Swain papers, 1926-1961
- Series 3: Mary Swain papers, 1927-1970
- Series 4: Ina and Booker T. Johnson papers, 1921-2025
- Series 5: Photographs, circa 1910-2016
Scope and Contents
The Butcher and Johnson families papers, circa 1910-2025, document the lives of Alexander Butcher and his daughter Ina Johnson and their families who settled in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn after emigrating from Barbados to Panama, Cuba, and New Orleans, LA. Materials in the collection include correspondence, identification and citizenship documents, property ownership paperwork, photographs, and ephemera related to church activities, performances, and schools.
Most of the material is related to the families' lives in Brooklyn with some identification documents and birth certificates from Barbados and Cuba. While Series 5 is devoted to photographs, there are photographs present throughout the other series.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to users 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); Butcher and Johnson families papers, CBHM.0038, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Valerie Johnson, 2025.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
If digital surrogates exist, they should be used in place of the originals whenever possible.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Folder titles in brackets were supplied by the archivist. The news clippings in this collection were photocopied onto archival paper and the originals discarded.
