Butcher and Johnson families papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
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Language of Materials
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.
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
People
Topics
Donors
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.
Repository
Series 1: Alexander and Maud Spence Butcher papers, circa 1910-1988, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series 1: Alexander and Maud Spence Butcher papers, circa 1910-1988, consists of records related to the lives and work of Alexander and Maud Spence Butcher. Types of materials include correspondence, notebooks, citizenship and identification papers, ephemera related to church and organizational memberships, and paperwork related to renting and purchasing property in Brooklyn.
Alexander Butcher's Panama Canal employment records include applications for retirement benefits. His shipwright employment records include details of an incident of discrimination at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Certificates of Black Star Line stock and Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) membership (both organizations founded by Marcus Garvey) from New Orleans indicate Alexander Butcher's support of Pan-Africanism. Publications in the folder of Black liberation readings include Reverend Herbert Daughtry's "Seize the Future" (1979), "Onward, Jamaica!" from the Jamaica Progressive League of New York (1937), and "A Negro Looks at War" by John Henry Williams (1940).
Correspondence from 1923 to 1925 gives insight into the family's life in New Orleans, Maud's death, and caring for the children after her death.
Alexander Butcher wrote several affidavits of support for relatives coming from Barbados and Panama, which include information about Alexander Butcher's employment, salary, and address at the time. Folders titled with addresses are homes Alexander Butcher rented or bought and include rent receipts, letters to tenants, and deeds.
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically.
Biographical Note
Alexander Butcher was born in Barbados on June 4, 1892 (according to his passport) or June 13, 1893 (according to his naturalization papers) or January 16, 1888 (according to a resolution from the Consulate General of Barbados on his 99th birthday) to John Butcher and Mary Archer Butcher.
Alexander Butcher left home when he was 12 years old to earn money for his family. He immigrated to Panama in 1906 and worked as a carpenter on the Panama Canal. Butcher met Maud Spence in Panama. Maud (also spelled Maude) Carmen Spence was born August 28, 1899 in Panama City, Panama to Rebeca Gable and Alfred Spence. Maud and Alexander moved to Cuba after the 1920 Panama Canal workers strike and married on November 8, 1922 at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Havana, Cuba. The Butchers had four children: Lloyd Franklin (1918-circa 1918), George Earl (Ernest) (1920-1996), Ina Louise (1921-2025), and Laura (1923-1991).
The family moved to New Orleans, LA in 1923. Alexander Butcher moved to Brooklyn in 1924 and first lived at 485 Herkimer Street, planning to send for Maud and the children once he was settled. However, Maud Butcher died July 17, 1924 in New Orleans, LA and the children moved to New York City.
In 1928, Alexander Butcher became a naturalized citizen. He and his three children were living at 162 Jefferson Avenue in Brooklyn at that time. Alexander Butcher worked as a carpenter and was employed by the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He was a member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and was active in the First AME Zion Church at 54 MacDonough Street. Alexander Butcher owned several properties in Brooklyn: 113 Hancock Street, 565 Halsey Street, and 80 Kingston Avenue.
Alexander Butcher died in 1988.
[Panama Canal employment records], circa 1910-1948, inclusive
[Lloyd Franklin Butcher baptismal certificate], 1918
[Notebook], circa 1920, inclusive
[Maud Butcher health examination], 1920
[Black Star Line stock certificate], 1921
[Passports], 1918-1922, inclusive
[Maud and Alexander Butcher marriage certificates], 1922
[Maud and Alexander Butcher naturalization and citizenship papers], 1922-1928, inclusive
[Universal Negro Improvement Association membership certificate], 1923
[Laura Butcher Hinkson baby book], 1923
[Maud Spence Butcher correspondence], 1923
[Correspondence between Maud and Alexander Butcher], 1924
Correspondence, 1924
[Correspondence], 1924
Correspondence, 1925
[Payment to Mary Butcher], 1926
[Correspondence], 1926-1927, inclusive
[162 Jefferson Avenue], 1927
[Visa application affidavits of support], 1927-1952, inclusive
[Union cards and dues booklets], 1927-1985, inclusive
[Correspondence], 1929
[Ernest Butcher papers], 1929-1973, inclusive
[Evening elementary school certificate], 1932
[Correspondence], 1935-1937, inclusive
Rose of Sharon Lodge, 1937-1941, inclusive
Processing Information
The hat band included with these materials was unstitched during processing so the ribbon could lay flat in a box.
[Life insurance policies], 1937-1946, inclusive
[Black liberation readings], 1937-1979, inclusive
[Correspondence], 1938-1939, inclusive
40 Watkins Street, 1938-1939, inclusive
[Carpenter employment records], 1939-1971, inclusive
565 Halsey Street, 1939-1974, inclusive
[Correspondence], 1940-1942, inclusive
[Shipwright employment records], 1941-1950, inclusive
[Affidavit of residence and citizenship], 1942
[Paragon Progressive Community Association], 1943-1963, inclusive
113 Hancock Street, 1943-1973, inclusive
[Department of Welfare, Application for Home Relief], circa 1945, inclusive
[Rent collection notebook], 1945-1971, inclusive
[Correspondence], 1946-1947, inclusive
Baptismal certificate, 1946-1950, inclusive
Brevoort Savings Bank, 1946-1950, inclusive
[80 Kingston Avenue], 1946-1954, inclusive
[First AME Zion Church], 1947-1977, inclusive
[Correspondence], 1948-1949, inclusive
[Driver's licenses and vehicle registrations], 1949-1956, inclusive
"A Message Addressed to the Civic Forum of All Saints", circa 1950, inclusive
[Correspondence], 1951-1957, inclusive
Business items, circa 1955-1978, inclusive
[Political involvement], 1957-1980, inclusive
[Correspondence], 1960-1969, inclusive
[Programs], 1969-1986, inclusive
[Correspondence], 1970-1979, inclusive
[1930 and 1940 census copies], 1971
Afro-centric wedding invitation, 1972
Scope and Contents
This folder includes a wedding invitation for Alexander Butcher's grandson Elliot B. T. Johnson and Inez Delores Smith.
[Health insurance], 1973-1979, inclusive
[Robbery police report receipt], 1978
[Correspondence], 1980-1989, inclusive
[Edits to will], circa 1983, inclusive
[99th birthday celebration recognitions], 1987
Scope and Contents
Includes recognitions from the White House, New York State, and the Consulate General of Barbados.
[Xavierian High School commencement programs], 1987
[Power of attorney], 1988
Series 2: Jesteen Swain papers, 1926-1961, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series 2: Dessymonia A. D. Swain papers, 1926-1961, includes the papers of one of Alexander Butcher's sisters. Materials include her passport, music books of Christian hymns and songs, possibly collected at churches in New York City, and correspondence from her sister Victoria Morgan (also known as Aunt Pritty or Aunt Pretty) in Barbados. The passport also includes a picture of Swain's daughter, Mary R. Swain.
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically.
Biographical Note
Jesteen Swain, born Dessymonia Aurora Delphenice Butcher was born August 31, 1889 in Barbados to John Butcher and Mary Archer Butcher. She is the sister of Alexander Butcher. After she was widowed, she moved to Panama with her daughter Mary R. Swain in 1926 and soon the United States in 1927. She arrived in New York on June 15, 1927 on the ship Mongolia. After arriving in the United States, she changed her name to Jesteen Swain. She was also known as Desdemona, Jestene or Justeena. She became a citizen of the United States in 1939 and died in 1964.
Passport, 1926
[Certificate of baptism copy], 1954
Correspondence from Caribbean, 1954-1961, inclusive
Church music, circa 1930, inclusive
Series 3: Mary Swain papers, 1927-1970, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series 3: Mary Swain papers, 1927-1970, includes materials related to Mary R. Swain, Alexander Butcher's niece and Ina Johnson's first cousin. Materials related to her career in the federal government include a photograph with President Richard Nixon, a U.S. Department of State publication about the SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) process, and applications for going on leave during an illness in the 1960s. Correspondence from the Caribbean is mostly from her aunt Victoria Morgan (also known as Aunt Pritty or Aunt Pretty) and her family in Barbados and a Christian mission she supported in Suriname.
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically.
Biographical Note
Mary Rosalien Swain was born on December 12, 1912. She immigrated to New York with her mother Dessymonia A. D. Swain in 1927 and they settled in Brooklyn. She graduated from Girls' Commercial High School at Classon Avenue and Union Street in 1938. Mary Swain worked for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs and spent some time living and working in Washington, DC.
[Panama Canal Zone health examination], 1927
[Passport], 1928
[Educational materials], 1931-1938, inclusive
Correspondence from Caribbean, 1963-1965, inclusive
[Materials regarding illness], 1965-1978, inclusive
[U.S. Department of State, "The SALT Process"], circa 1967, inclusive
Correspondence from Caribbean, 1968-1969, inclusive
Letter from Grandpapa to Aunt Mary re: Aunt Pritty, 1970
Mary with President Nixon, 1970
Series 4: Ina and Booker T. Johnson papers, 1921-2025, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series 4: Ina Butcher and Booker T. Johnson papers, 1921-2025, includes materials related to the family, work, education, and activities of Ina and Booker T. Johnson. Types of materials include correspondence, notebooks, photographs, programs, greeting cards and invitations, certificates, and passports and other forms of identification.
This series includes materials related to Brooklyn schools and the Johnsons' education. There are report cards for Ina and her ten children. The children's report cards are usually accompanied by a graduation program or other school activity ephemera. Ina's papers she wrote for her bachelor's and master's degrees at Brooklyn College, written from 1994 to 2003, are also included.
Materials from Ina Johnson's late high school/post-high school years include invitations to dances in Harlem sponsored by the Union Boys and other organizations. Venues include the Renaissance Casino, Lido Ballroom, Criterion Studio, and the Congress Casino.
Ina Johnson's creative and civic activities are well-documented in this series. Creative pursuits are shown through sewing patterns, collected poetry and prose, and a scrapbook of clippings from the recurring newspaper section "Poems You Ought to Know," and work from a calligraphy workshop. The folder titled "Politics - Police" includes Ina Johnson's account of her arrest with Reverends Al Sharpton and Herbert Daughtry at a protest against the murder of Amadou Diallo on March 23, 1999.
Ina Johnson's budget notepads in this series, dated 1977 to 2000, document income and expenses with some receipts and small notes tucked into the pages.
Also included are several issues of the Johnson Family News and Johnson Family Financial News sent out to family members to provide updates and teach younger members of the family financial literacy. The Johnson children and grandchildren also created two Kwanzaa books for Ina Johnson that are included in this series and contain artwork and historical writings.
Butcher and Johnson family histories and genealogy are included in Ina Johnson's 75th birthday celebration booklet (produced in 1996) and the memorial books for Ina and Booker T. Johnson (both produced in 2025).
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically.
Biographical Note
Ina Butcher was born on July 21, 1921 in Havana, Cuba to Alexander and Maud Butcher. Soon after, the Butchers moved to New Orleans, LA and then New York after Maud Butcher died. She and her siblings stayed with different family members in Manhattan and Brooklyn as Alexander Butcher looked for work. She attended P.S. 3 and P.S. 4 in Brooklyn. She went to Julia Ward Howe Junior High School (J.H.S. 81) and Wadleigh High School in Harlem, Manhattan. She graduated from Haaren High School on 10th Avenue in Manhattan in 1940.
After graduating from high school, Ina worked as a stenographer for the National Youth Administration and moved to Washington, DC to work for the Chief of Finance. However, the death of her friend, Maude Wilson, brought her back to New York where she lived with her friend's family at 98 Morningside Avenue.
While working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Ina met Booker T. Johnson and they married on November 23, 1943 at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Harlem. Booker Telifero Johnson was born on October 20, 1906 in Union, South Carolina to Frank Jordan Johnson and Julia Gleen Johnson. He was the oldest of eleven siblings. He first married Janie Harris, also from South Carolina, on April 23, 1932 in Brooklyn. Booker T. Johnson worked as a tractor trailer driver and a cab driver.
Ina and Booker T. Johnson had ten children: Elliot (1944-2016), Douglas (also known as Krip) (1946-2019), Adele (1947- ), Margaret (1949- ), Monica (1952- ), Valerie (1953- ), Genevieve (1954- ), Orlando (1954- ), Pamela (1957- ), and Randolph (1957- ). In 1949, the family moved to the Marcy Houses at 123 Nostrand Avenue. In 1967, Johnson bought 571 Decatur Street. Most of the children attended the St. Ambrose Church School at 222 Tompkins Avenue.
In 1964, Ina returned to her work as a stenographer at the State of New York Banking Department and in the late 1970s, she began working as a secretary at Boys and Girls High School on Fulton Street. She retired in 1986. Booker T. Johnson died on November 25, 1987.
In 1974, she received her associate's degree in secretarial sciences from New York City Community College. She received two degrees from Brooklyn College: a bachelor's degree in African Studies in 1983 and a master's in History in 2003.
She was an active member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Roman Catholic Church. She was a member of the 500 Decatur Street Block Association and served on the 81st Precinct Community Council. Ina Johnson was involved with the group Sisters Against South African Apartheid (SASAA) and was arrested at a protest against the murder of Amadou Diallo on March 23, 1999. Ina Johnson died on January 30, 2025.
[Ina Butcher birth certificate], 1921-1960, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes the original Cuban birth certificate and a later version translated into English.
[Pilgrim Holiness Church certificate], 1930
["Poems You Ought to Know" scrapbook], circa 1930-circa 1940, inclusive
[Ina Butcher report cards], 1934-1940, inclusive
[Bible excerpt books], circa 1935, inclusive
Junior high school memory book, 1936
Scope and Contents
This folder includes Ina Johnson's autograph book from J.H.S. 81 Julia Ward Howe Junior High School.
[Julia Ward Howe J.H.S. 81 class photograph], 1936
Haaren High School, 1939-1940, inclusive
[Union Boys event invitations], 1939-1940, inclusive
Dance invitations, 1939-1942, inclusive
Entertainment, 1939-1996, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes a program signed by opera singer Leontyne Price.
[Brooklyn Public Library card], 1940
[National Youth Administration for New York City], 1940
[Selective service registrations], 1940-1943, inclusive
[Booker T. Johnson Navy identification], 1942
[Booker T. Johnson baptismal certificate], 1942-1970, inclusive
[Ina and Booker T. Johnson wedding], 1943
[Postal Savings System certificates of deposit], 1943
[Ina in Washington, DC], 1943
[Car mortgage and registration], 1943-1944, 1963, inclusive
[St. Ambrose Church confirmation certificates], 1944-1964, inclusive
[Correspondence], 1944-1947, inclusive
[Greeting cards], 1945-1947, inclusive
[Adele Johnson baby book], 1947
[Greeting cards], circa 1950-1958, inclusive
[Ina Butcher certificate of baptism], 1951
[Elliot Johnson report cards and graduation programs], 1952-1962, inclusive
[Prenatal and infant care], 1953-1956, inclusive
[Adele Johnson report cards], 1955-1962, inclusive
[Douglas Johnson schoolwork and graduation programs], 1955-1964, inclusive
[Correspondence], 1956-1967, inclusive
Letters from camp, 1956-1971, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Letters in this folder were sent from Ina and Booker T. Johnson's children attending camps, such as Camp Gorham in the Adirondacks, or at Fresh Air Fund family homes in Chappaqua, New York. Some letters from the host family parents are also included.
[Randolph Johnson birth certificate], 1957
[Music School of the Williamsburg Settlement], 1957-1966, inclusive
[123 Nostrand Avenue], 1958
[Furniture and appliances], 1958-circa 1960, inclusive
[New York Telephone Company bill], 1959
[St. Ambrose Church and School], 1960-1967, inclusive
[Orlando Johnson report cards], 1960-1967, inclusive
[Genevieve Johnson report cards], 1960-1967, inclusive
Uncle Alvin's [Alvin E. Simmons] business card, circa 1960, inclusive
Biographical / Historical
Alvin E. Simmons was Maud Spence's sister's son (Ina Butcher's cousin).
Cooking recipes, circa 1960-circa 2005, inclusive
[Valerie Johnson report cards and graduation programs], 1961-1971, inclusive
[News clippings], 1961-2013, inclusive
[Monica Johnson report cards and graduation invitation], 1962-1966, inclusive
[Margaret Johnson report cards and graduation programs], 1962-1967, inclusive
[Student activity event programs], 1962-1980, inclusive
[Randolph Johnson schoolwork and report cards], 1963-1973, inclusive
[Pamela Johnson schoolwork and report cards], 1964-1967, inclusive
[Maude Hinkson graduation program], 1965
[Douglas Johnson marriage certificate], 1965
[500 Decatur Street Block Association], 1967-2009, inclusive
[Correspondence], circa 1970-1976, inclusive
Certificates of award, 1970-2006, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This folder includes certificates from the Young Women's Christian Association Swimming Program, Our Lady of Good Counsel Roman Catholic Church, African People's Christian Organization, The Literacy Program at Brooklyn Public Library, New York City Council, New York State Assembly, and Edolphus Towns of New York's Tenth Congressional District, among other education and religious programs.
[Vaccination records], 1970-1992, inclusive
[Ina Johnson certificate of citizenship], 1971
[State of New York Banking Department], 1971-1977, inclusive
Family letters from relatives in the Caribbean, 1973-1983, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Correspondents include Phyllis Butcher, Wilbert Rudder, and Kathleen Jackman.
[New York City Community College student materials], 1977-1978, inclusive
Budget notepads, 1977-1978, inclusive
[Like It Is episode transcript], 1978
[Boys and Girls High School employment], 1978-1986, inclusive
[Booker T. Johnson passport], 1979
[Correspondence], 1979
[Derek Parks funeral program], 1979
Scope and Contents
This funeral program relates to Derek Parks who was a son of friends from the Marcy Houses.
Search for 1920s grave in New Orleans, 1979-1993, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This folder contains materials regarding the search for Maud Spence Butcher's grave in Holt Cemetery in New Orleans. It includes photographs of the cemetery and Charity Hospital in 1979. It also includes correspondence between Ina Johnson and the the City of New Orleans asking for assistance in finding the grave dated 1993-1994.
[Ina Johnson passports], 1979-2018, inclusive
Vacation in Mexico, circa 1980, inclusive
Budget notepads, 1980-1981, inclusive
Budget notepads, 1985-1992, inclusive
[Membership cards], 1987-1989, inclusive
[Civic and political involvement], 1987-2008, inclusive
[Correspondence], 1992-1995, inclusive
Johnson Family Newsletter, 1994
Brooklyn College papers, 1994-1997, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The titles of the papers in these folders are:
- "Kwame Nkrumah -- Revolution in Ghana" (1994)
- "The Political Economy of Race and Class in South Africa" (1994)
- "The Immigrant Experience" (1995)
- "A New Deal for Blacks" (1996)
- "Black Man in Red Cuba" (1996)
- "Silent Revolution" (1996)
- "Women in the World of Work" (1997)
- "Lincoln and the Negro" (1997)
Brooklyn College papers, 1999-2000, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The titles of the papers in these folders are:
- "Consolidated Edison Company versus The National Labor Relations Board" (1999)
- "A. Philip Randolph: Pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement" (2000)
Brooklyn College papers, 2003
Scope and Contents
This folder contains Ina Johnson's Master's thesis: "'Making a Way Out of No Way': The Cultural Economy of the Black Beauty Industry (2003).
Budget notepads, 1995-1996, inclusive
[Pan African Christian Exchange award photographs], circa 1995, inclusive
[Brooklyn College administrative materials], 1995-2003, inclusive
[Greeting cards], circa 1995-1997, inclusive
[75th birthday celebration], 1996
[Budget notebook], 1997-1999, inclusive
Our Lady of Good Counsel Mother of the Year award, 1998
Politics - Police, 1999
Budget notepads, 2000
Calligraphy workshop, circa 2000, inclusive
Sewing designs/patterns, circa 2000, inclusive
Poetry and prose, circa 2000, inclusive
[Brooklyn College graduation], circa 2003, inclusive
[Cards], 2000-2005, inclusive
Johnson Family Financial News, 2000-2001, inclusive
[80th birthday], 2001
[The House of the Lord Pentecostal Churches National Women's Conference], 2002
Budget notepads, 2004-2010, inclusive
[First African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Annual Black History Month Celebration], 2007
[Greeting cards], circa 2010-2019, inclusive
[Correspondence], 2011
[90th birthday invitation], 2011
Kwanzaa DIY gift, 2012
Kwanzaa book, 2013
[Elliot Johnson memorial program, obituary], 2016
[Douglas Johnson birthday party invitation], 2018
[Douglas Johnson memorial program, obituary], 2019
[Ina Johnson letter to her children], 2020
[Marcy Houses Memorial Scholarship Fund], 2020
Memories Ina Louise Johnson, circa 2020, inclusive
[Ina Johnson care logistics], circa 2020, inclusive
[Booker T. Johnson memorial], 2025
Ina Johnson obituary [memorial], 2025
Series 5: Photographs, circa 1910-2016, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series 5: Photographs, circa 1910-2016, includes studio portraits and candid photographs of the Butcher and Johnson families in Barbados, Brooklyn, and Washington, DC. The bulk of the series is made up of photographs of Ina Johnson, Booker T. Johnson, and their children. The earlier photographs depict Alexander Butcher, his siblings, and children.
Photographs of the Johnson children depict them outside at the Marcy Houses, dressed for graduation or confirmation ceremonies, and in baby or graduation portraits. Photographs of Genevieve Johnson show her with a Fresh Air Fund host family in Chappaqua, New York in the 1960s. Photographs from Barbados, circa 1980, depict Peter (Alexander Butcher's half brother) and his family. The photographs of the Johnson family reunion in Washington, DC in 2016 are printed in a book.
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically.
[Alexander Butcher siblings], circa 1910-circa 1950, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes photographs of two of Alexander Butcher's siblings: Iris Butcher and Alfred Butcher.
