Bannerman Family papers
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Abstract
Francis (Frank) Bannerman VI was born in Dundee, Scotland on March 24, 1851. Following the Civil War, Bannerman founded a company, Francis Bannerman Co., specializing in military surplus and scrap. In 1900 Bannerman puchased Polopel Island, a small island located in the Hudson River just north of West Point, NY, with the aim to turn it into a safe storage location for his large stores of military surplus that had now outgrown his warehouse space in Brooklyn. Patriotic to his heritage, Bannerman designed plans to have a unique, Scottish-style estate be constructed on the island to serve both his business and personal needs. The family owned both the business and the island until the late 1960s.
Subseries IV.D Glass Plate Negatives is digitized and available in the Shelby White and Leon Levy Digital Library.
Biographical Note
Francis (Frank) Bannerman VI was born in Dundee, Scotland on March 24, 1851. At the age of three he and his family moved to the United States, where they settled in Brooklyn. Soon after, Bannerman's father began a business of re-selling items purchased at Naval auctions. When his father joined the Union Army during the Civil War, Francis carried on and gradually grew the business by collecting large quantities of scrap. Once the Civil War ended, Bannerman officially founded his own company, Francis Bannerman Co., at the age of 14. It was during a business trip to Ireland a few years later, in 1872, that Bannerman met and married his wife, Helen Boyce.
In 1900 Bannerman purchased Polopel Island, a small island located in the Hudson River just north of West Point, NY, with the aim to turn it into a safe storage location for his large store of military surplus that had now outgrown his warehouse space in Brooklyn. Patriotic to his heritage, Bannerman designed plans to have a unique, Scottish-style estate constructed on the island to serve both his business and personal needs. Construction began in 1900 and continued steadily through the time of Bannerman's death in 1918. Buildings constructed included an arsenal, a superintendent's house, a workshop, a powder house, an ice house, breakwaters, turrets and a grand personal residence and gardens for the Bannermans. Proud of his island home, Francis attempted to officially rename the island "Bannerman Island," but never gained consent to do so. During their time living on the island, a number of unfortunate incidents befell the Bannermans, including a large explosion at the powder house in 1920 that caused minor injuries and a fair amount of damage, and frequent lightning strikes due to the castle's numerous flag poles.
In 1918 two of Francis Bannerman's sons, Frank Jr. and David Boyce, became partners in the business and changed its name to Francis Bannerman Sons. When Francis passed away later that year, his two sons carried on and continued to grow the business. In 1946, following the death of Frank Jr., Francis' grandson Charles S. Bannerman became a partner and incorporated the business. In 1959 Charles, then President, closed the company's storefront that had long been on Broadway and moved the business office to Blue Point, Long Island. The family sold the company to James F. Hogan, previously the company's secretary, in the late 1960s.
In 1967 the Bannermans sold Polopel Island to The People of the State of New York, and on July 1, 1968 it was placed under the supervision of the Taconic State Park Commission. Unfortunately, a fire during the night of August 8, 1969 severely damaged all of the buildings. Today the island and the ruins remaining of the buildings are maintained by a non-profit agency associated with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into four series, three topical and one based on media format:
Series I: Bannerman Family
Series II: Francis Bannerman (Sons) Business
Series III: Polopel (Bannerman) Island
Series IV: Photographs and Negatives
Within these series, materials are arranged chronologically. Undated materials have been placed at the end of each series or subseries and are arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Contents
This collection pertains to the personal life, business and estate of Francis Bannerman VI and his family. Primary topics in this collection are the Bannerman family; military equipment and World War I, which are reflective of Bannerman's company's specialty of military surplus and his interest in military achievement; and Polopel (Bannerman) Island and the estate Bannerman built there. Materials include correspondence, notes, time books, scrapbooks, clippings, monographs, serials, photographs, glass plate negatives and objects.
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Topics
Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as the Bannerman Family Papers, MS 2906, The New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donation, Virginia Collins, 2011.
About this Guide
Repository
Series I: Bannerman Family
Scope and Contents
This series contains materials belonging to Francis Bannerman VI and various members of the Bannerman Family. The majority of materials pertain to Francis Bannerman's interest in World War I, the military and Scotland, including primarily clippings, and scrapbooks. Other materials include monographs, serials, mortgages, deeds and mid-nineteenth century stock certificates that could belong to various family members.
Vindication of the Clanronald of Glengarry, 1821
Stock Certificates, 1853-56
Cornell's Intermediate Geography, [1865]
Mortgages, Deeds, Bonds, 1886-1956
Ladies Home Journal, Midsummer 1893
New York Tribune, Photographic History of the Great War, vol. I, no. I-IV, 1914
New York Tribune, Photographic History of the Great War, vol. I, no. V, VI, VIII, IX; vol. 2, no. I, 1914-15
New York Times, 1915, 1918
Scrapbook, "To Francis Bannerman Esq. from the Scottish Company City of London National Guard", 1916
New York Tribune, 1918
Clippings, undated
History of the Great Iron Chain, and supporting materials, undated
Postcard Scrapbook, English - European, vol. 1, undated
Series II: Francis Bannerman (Sons) Business
Scope and Contents
This series contains materials pertaining to the Bannerman family business, Francis Bannerman (Sons), including correspondence, notes, employee time books, scrapbooks and publications printed by the company.
Subseries A: Business Records
Scope and Contents
This subseries contains materials pertaining to the Bannerman family business from the 1890s to the 1970s. It includes correspondence, records and notes pertaining to the company's general business, ventures and eventual sale. In particular there are materials relating to its dealings with Lord Kitchnes regarding the Belgian Relief during WWI, the family of Admiral Dewey regarding the USS Olympia, the Marsteller Family regarding donations and relics, and the New York Central Railroad regarding a track crossing agreement.
F. Bannerman Sons Correspondence and Documents, 1891-1917
Employee Time Book, weekly, 1892
Loose Scrapbook Materials from Vol. 2, 1892-93
F. Bannerman Business, 1897-1919
Olympia and Admiral Dewey, 1898-1959
Francis Bannerman Business Notes, [1900]
F. Bannerman Sons, Marstellers, 1903-17
Correspondence, 1905-17
Lord Kitchnes, Belgian Relief, 1914-18, 1933
Correspondence, 1915
Correspondence [1 of 2], 1915
Correspondence [2 of 2], 1915-17
Agreement with New York Central Railroad, 1915-68
Employee Time Book, weekly, 1916-18
Bannerman Family Partnership, [1917]
Belgian Relief Letters and Checks, 1918
Employee Time Book, Bannerman's Arsenal, 1918
Sale of Estate, 1923-68
Employee Time Book, weekly, 1929-36
Quaker Realty Company, 1935
Efforts to Sell the Business, 1946-48
Bannerman Booth at Congressional Church Antique Show in Manhasset, 1954-56, 1958
Francis Bannerman Sons, 1955-68
Correspondence and Documents, 1956-57
Francis Bannerman Sons, Inc., 1956-59
Franics Bannerman Sons, Inc., Bylaws and Minutes, 1957-68
Binder, Francis Bannerman Sons, Inc., undated
General
Originally held Francis Bannerman Sons, Inc., Bylaws and Minutes.
Francis Bannerman Sons, 1971-75
Scrapbook, vol. 2, 1892-93
Scrapbook, vol. 3, undated
Subseries B: Printed Material
Francis Bannerman Sons Catalogs, 1945-55
Bannerman Military Catalogue, 1949
Bannerman Military Catalogue, 84th Anniversary, 1949
Bannerman Military Catalogue, 90th Anniversary, 1955
Bannerman Military Catalogue, 100th Anniversary, 1966
Francis Bannerman Sons, list of parts and equipment, [1966]
Series III: Polopel (Bannerman) Island
Scope and Contents
This series contains materials pertaining to Polopel (Bannerman) Island, of which there are many spellings, and the Bannermans' time living there, including documents, clippings, correspondence and printed materials. Particular events covered include the arrest of Charles Kovac, the island's superintendent, for being an unnaturalized Austrian alien; the occupation of the island in 1918 when a sub-cruiser crew made an unauthorized search of the island; and the island's nomination for the historic register.
Deed, Polleples Island (photocopy), 1788
Blue Print, Island Under Water, 1903
Map of Polopel Island, 1905
Detention of Charlie Kovacs, "Raid" on Island by USN, and Other Notes and Clippings, 1917-18
Occupation of the Island, 1918
More Correspondence on Occupation of the Island by Army, 1918-19
Clippings, 1918-2001
Newspaper and Other Clippings about Bannerman's Island, 1920, 1956-67
Clippings, 1940, 1956-68
Clippings, 1961-68
The Story of Bannerman Island, 1973
Calendar Featuring the Island, 1974
Nomination, National Historic Register, 1980-83
Bannerman Island, undated
Coat of Arms, undated
Island Pictures, Selected for the Booklet, undated
Maps, undated
Scenes Along the Hudson River, undated
Coat of Arms, metal, undated
Coat of Arms, stamp, undated
Series IV: Photographs and Negatives
Scope and Contents
This series contains photographs, negatives and glass plate negatives of the Bannerman Family, the Francis Bannerman (Sons) business and Polopel (Bannerman) Island.
Subseries A: Bannerman Family
Scope and Contents
This subseries contains photographs and negatives of members of the Bannerman Family, including Francis Bannerman VI, Helen Boyer Bannerman and David Bannerman Jr.
Photographs, 1914, undated
Photographs, "For the Rhode Island Branch of the Family", undated
Negatives, undated
Subseries B: Francis Bannerman (Sons) Business
Scope and Contents
This subseries contains photographs and negatives of the Francis Bannerman (Sons) store on Broadway and various military surplus.
Negatives, undated
Photographs, undated
Subseries C: Polopel (Bannerman's) Island
Scope and Contents
This subseries contains photographs and negatives of Polopel (Bannerman) Island, its structures and daily life while the family lived there.
Negatives, undated
Photographs, undated
Photographs, undated
Photographs, undated
Photographs, undated
Photographs, undated
Photographs, undated
Subseries D: Glass Plate Negatives
Scope and Contents
This series contains glass plate negatives of Polopel (Bannerman) Island, including images of the interior and exterior of the Bannerman's house and the island itself. A CD of digital prints made from the negatives is also included.
Existence and Location of Copies
Digital copies are available in the Shelby White and Leon Levy Digital Library.