New York Caledonian Club records
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Abstract
The Records of the New York Caledonian Club document the work, activities, and membership of this society dedicated to the preservation of Scottish heritage, from its founding in 1856 through 2007. The collection contains administrative records, award citations, monographs, newsletters, photographs, Scottish Studies Program documents, scrapbooks, and ephemera.
Biographical / Historical
The New York Caledonian Club was founded in 1856 to provide a social community for Scottish immigrants and their descendents and to support the preservation of Scottish history, language, and culture. The club's activities were as varied as its membership. Laborers and skilled tradesmen gathered with wealthy individuals to promote Scottish heritage through literary evenings, athletic events, traditional Scottish celebrations, education, and philanthropy.
The club's direct antecedent was an early Caledonian Club founded in 1830 by members of the Highland Guard after the war of 1812. In 1857, the New York Caledonian Club inaugurated the annual "Highland Games" (also known as the "Scotch Games").The games were a major amateur athletic competition in traditional Scottish sporting events, such as curling and hammer throwing. The games took place in Jones Wood, a stretch of farmland along the East River that predated urban Manhattan's Upper East Side.
The New York Caledonian Club was officially chartered and incorporated in the City of New York in 1861. The club's purpose, as expressed in its founding charter, included establishing a library. Club member and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated three thousand volumes. (The library was later given to the Second Presbyterian Church, where many New York Caledonian Club members worshipped.)
In 1861, the club formed the 79th New York Highland Regiment in response to President Abraham Lincoln's urgent appeal for volunteers for the Union Army. The "Seventy-Ninth" was the only kilted Civil War regiment. The Regiment fought in numerous battles, including the first battle of Bull Run, served under General Ulysses S. Grant at Vicksburg, and assisted Admiral Dupont in capturing Port Royal.
In 1873, the club formed a committee to erect a statue of the legendary Scottish poet Robert Burns on Central Park's "literary walk." A Scottish sculptor, Mr. John Steell, R.S.A., was commissioned to create the artwork, which was officially unveiled on October 1, 1880.
The New York Caledonian Club became inactive after World War II. It was revived on June 24, 1981 on Bannockburn Night, which commemorates the 1314 battle in which Robert the Bruce led the Scots to victory over the English forces. On July 1, 1982, the New York Caledonian Club won recognition for Scottish culture with the official proclamation of "Tartan Day" by New York Governor Hugh Carey and New York City Mayor Edward Koch. Tartan Day commemorated the 200th anniversary of the repeal of the 1747 Act of Proscription, a law that forbade Scots to wear the tartan, the national Scottish highland dress.
The New York Caledonian Club continues to promote the study of Scottish literature and practice of cultural traditions. Their signature event is the annual Robert Burns supper. The club's Scottish Studies Program focuses on the writings of Robert Burns, as well as Scottish Gaelic language studies, musical instruction in playing the bagpipes, and Highland dancing.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in twelve series. The arrangement within each series is chronological.
Series I: Minutes, 1856 - 2003
Series II. Photographs, 1857 - 1918
Series III: Membership Records, 1856 - 1947
Series IV: Financial Records, 1919 - 1994
Series V: Charter, By-Laws, and Rules and Regulations, 1861 - 2002
Series VI: Award Citations and Proclamations, 1982 - 2007
Series VII: Library Records, 1888 - 1942
Series VIII: Newsletters, 1985 - 1990
Series IX: Scottish Studies Program, 2000 - 2002
Series X: Monographs
Series XI: Ephemera
Series XII: Flag
Scope and Contents
The New York Caledonian Club Records (1856 - 2007) document the membership, internal meetings, administrative and financial functions, social events, Scottish Studies Program, public issuances of the organization, and circulation of the club's lending library. The bulk of the collection consists of handwritten minutes from 1856-2003. Documents, such as the New York Caledonian Club's Constitution, are glued onto pages in early bound volumes of minutes. Minutes from 1981-2002 were typewritten and interfiled chronologically by the club secretary with correspondence, financial records, and public issuances. Membership books (1856-1947) record names and the diverse occupations of club members, as well as their birthplaces, birth dates, death dates, and years of membership. The club's library function is documented in the lending library logbook. The collection includes the New York Caledonian Club flag, flown during the Highland Games (Scotch Games).
The general highlights of this collection are the photographs (1859-1918) and the register of the 79th New York Highland Regiment (volume 20). Twenty-two silver gelatin and albumen photographs (many are oversized) include portraits of club officers in Highland dress, veterans of the kilted Civil War regiment, and photographs of the Scotch Games. The register of the 79th Regiment includes two notable letters. A Special Order dated June 28, 1865, names New York Caledonian Club Chief George Mitchell (1832-1884) as Quartermaster of the 79th Regiment. The order is signed by Lieutenant Colonel Samuel M. Elliott (1811-1875), a Caledonian Club member who was later promoted to Brigadier General by President Abraham Lincoln. An October 31, 1881 letter by U.S. Secretary of State James Blaine expresses gratitude to the club for their condolences upon the assassination of President James Garfield.
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Conditions Governing Use
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 New York Caledonian Collection, MS 2923, The New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection consists of three donations:
1. The photograph collection was a Gift of the New York Caledonian Club in 1934.
2. Two volumes received at an unknown date.
3. The membership registers, minutes, and related documents were a Gift of the New York Caledonian Club in 2012.
About this Guide
Repository
Series I: Minutes, 1856-2003
Scope and Contents
Bound ledgers of handwritten minutes run from the New York Caledonian Club's founding in 1856 through 1950 and are arranged chronologically. Folders of typewritten minutes run from 1981 through 2002. There are no minutes from 1950-1982. The majority of the bound ledgers include minutes of Board of Trustees meetings as well as annual meetings, monthly meetings, and meetings of subcommittees. They include discussion of club business, from election of officers, to acceptance of members, adjudication of disputes between members, planning of annual events such as the Robert Burns dinner and Highland Games, as well as exceptional campaigns, such as financial aid to members and non-members during wars. Many volumes have key documents glued in to the ledgers. The New York Caledonian Club Constitution is glued to pages in volume 12. Other documents pertaining to the time-period encompassed in the ledger have been placed inside the back covers of ledgers. Typewritten minutes from 1981-2002 were kept together chronologically by the club secretary with flyers, program brochures, newsletters, clippings, and ephemera pertaining to the same time period.
Minutes, 1867 January 18 - 1870 December 3
Minutes, 1868 January 14 - 1881 March 29
Minutes, 1871 January 3 - 1873 December 9
Minutes, 1874 January 6 - 1881 March 1
Mintues, 1881 April 3 - 1887 December 27
Mintues, 1888 January 3 - 1892 May 9
Mintues, 1891 January 27 - 1897 December 28
Minutes, 1892 June 7 - 1899 August 1
Minutes, 1897 January 12 - 1900 September 27
Minutes, 1898 February 23 - 1902 December 30
Minutes, 1899 September 5 - 1909 September 6
Minutes, 1903 January 27 - 1908 December 2
Minutes, 1909 May 4 - 1918 July 2
Minutes, 1918 August 6 - 1927 June 30
Minutes, 1927 July 5 - 1937 May 4
Minutes, 1933 June 19 - 1944 February
Minutes, 1937 September 7 - 1950 February 3
Minutes, 1981 November 4 - 1982 June 25
Minutes, 1982 July 1 - 1982 October 26
Minutes, 1987 September 16 - 1989 November 16
Minutes, 1990 January 10 - 1991 October 28
Minutes, 1991 January 7 - 1991 December 24
Minutes, 1992 March 10 - 1992 July 31
Minutes, 1992 August 28 - 1993 January 5
Minutes, 1995 January 17 - 1995 June 2
Minutes, 1994 January 12 - 1994 November 29
Minutes, 2000 May 7 - 2000 December 18
Minutes, 2001 January 22 - 2001 June 24
Minutes, 2001 July 9 - 2001 September 10
Minutes, 2001 October 15 - 2001 December 11
Minutes, 2002 January 7 - 2002 May 12
Series II: Photographs, 1857-1918
Scope and Contents
This series consists of 22 silver gelatin and albumen photographs of New York Caledonian Club members in Highland dress. One hand-tinted photograph (1866) features a club officer bearing the Caledonian Club's gold flag, which was flown at Highland Games. Most photographs are larger than 14 x 18 inches.
Portraits, 1866 - 1904
Scope and Contents
There are seven oversize studio photographs (1866 - 1904) of New York Caledonian Club officers in individual and small group portraits. These include: William Clelland (1866); Alex Fraser (1857); Thomas Fyffe (1870); William G. Reid (1904); William Inglis, Thomas Barclay, and William Cunningham (undated); John Taylor, James West, John Young, William Manson, and Geo. Mitchell, Jr. (1880) C. Sanderson, D. Miller, W. Thomson, R. Cockburn, and K. Mackenzie (undated); and five unnamed officers (undated).
Caledonian Club Building
Scope and Contents
This is a photograph of the exterior of the New York Caledonian Club's marble mansion, located at 846 Seventh Avenue (54th Street). The club acquired the building in 1898.
Scotch Games and Parades, 1859 - 1915
Scope and Contents
Four oversize photographs show large assemblies of club members at the annual Scotch Games, held at Jones Wood in New York City.
79th New York Highland Regiment, 1861-1918
Scope and Contents
This folder contains a group portrait of Robert Gair, Lawrence Beattie, and George Arnott in 1861, just before the 79th Regiment departed to defend the Washington, D.C. The photograph is mounted with reproductions of the 79th Regiment Medal from the Battle of Bull Run. There is also a photograph of the 50th Anniversary (1911) parade of Regiment veterans en route to the Second Presbyterian Church. There is a photograph of the dedication of a monument to the 79th Regiment at Knoxville, Tennesee on September 28, 1918. Regiment veterans in the monument dedication photograph include Andrew D. Baird, Robert Gair, Robert Armour, Joseph Stewart, Frank M. Chamberlin, Henry Bloomfield, and John Muir.
Scotch Games and Parades, 1859 - 1910
Scope and Contents
This folder contains two mounted photographs of the Scotch Games (1904 and 1914) and a mounted photograph of the Caledonian Club in the 1910 New York City Labor Day parade.
Series III: Membership Records, 1856-1947
Scope and Contents
The Membership Records, 1856-1947 are composed of seven bound volumes running from the New York Caledonian Club's founding in 1856 through 1947. Some volumes are organized alphabetically by indexed letter tabs. Others list rosters of members by calendar year. The volumes contain columned pages with entries for each individual member's name, address, profession, club admission date, club membership expiration date (if relevant), and notes.
Volume 20, the registry of members of the 79th New York Highland Regiment, founded by the New York Caledonian Club in 1861 in response to President Lincoln's call for Union Army volunteers, is of particular interest. Two loose letters are encased in the volume. The Regiment's Quartermaster, George Mitchell, is appointed in a Special Order dated June 28, 1865. The order is signed by Lieutenant Colonel Samuel M. Elliott (1811-1875), a Caledonian Club member who was later promoted to Brigadier General by President Abraham Lincoln. An October 31, 1881 letter by U.S. Secretary of State James Blaine expresses gratitude to the club for condolences expressed upon the assassination of President James Garfield.
Membership Records, 1856 November 14 - 1934 December 1
Membership Records, 1860-1940 November 12
Registry, 79th Regiment, 1865 - 1917
Membership Records, 1900 - 1910
Membership Records, 1917 - 1919
Membership Records, 1935 - 1928
Membership Records, 1928 - 1947
Series IV: Financial Records, 1919-1994
Scope and Contents
Bound ledgers, receipt books, and one spiral notebook record monthly receipts and disbursements for club activities and membership dues.
Property Committee Journal, 1919 January - December 1938
Ledger, 1919 January - 1923 December
Receipt Book, 1926 January - 1926 October
Receipt Book, 1931 October 14 - 1939
Ledger, 1931 - 1934
Receipt Book, 1944 October 14 - 1950 March 4
Financial Notebooks, 1992 April 26 - 1994 March 25
Series V: Charter, By-Laws, and Rules and Regulations, 1861 - 2002
Scope and Contents
This series includes the New York Caledonian Club's February 5, 1861 founding charter as well as the Club Rules and Regulations (1911) and By-Laws (2002).
Founding Charter and Certificate of Incorporation, 1861 January 5
By-Laws and Rules and Regulations, 1911 - 2002
Series VI: Award Citations and Proclamations, 1982-2007
Scope and Contents
This folder of oversize material includes the proclamations by New York State Governor Hugh Carey and New York City Mayor Edward Koch commemorating National Tartan Day, July 1, 1982.
Award Citations and Proclamations, 1982 - 2007
Series VII: Library Records, 1888-1942
Scope and Contents
The Library Records, 1888 - 1942 are composed of two bound volumes. Volume 25 records the club member's name, the title of the book loaned from the New York Caledonian Club library, the book's shelf number, the date the book was borrowed, and the date the book was returned. Page one of Volume 25 states: "The above copied over from previous book." There is no prior library logbook in this collection, however. Volume 26 is blank.
Library Logbook, 1888 - 1942
Library Logbook
Scope and Contents
Volume 26 is blank.
Series VIII: Newsletters, 1985-1990
Scope and Contents
This folder contains the New York Caledonian Club's newsletter from November 1985 - January 1990, including editorial notes and correspondence pertaining to production of the publication.
Newsletters, 1985 November 1 - 1990 January
Series: IX: Scottish Studies Program, 2000-2002
Scottish Studies Program, 2000 - 2002
Scope and Contents
This folder includes the May 6, 2002 Scottish Studies Committee Report, draft and final publications of the Program of Scottish Studies and e-mail correspondence about enrollment, rates, and course content.
Series X: Monographs, 1848, 1925
Cramm, Richard (undated). The First Five Hundred. Albany: C.F. Williams & Son, Inc., undated
MacBean, William M. (1925). Biographical Register of Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York. Printed for the Society., 1925
McIan, R.R. (1848). Gaellic Gatherings; or, The Highlanders at Home, on the Heath, the River, and the Loch--A Series of Highly Interesting Plates Representing Picturesque Groups Engaged in their Social Employments, their Sports, and Pastimes., 1848
Series XI: Ephemera, 1928-2001
Scope and Contents
This series includes an oversize 1898 poster for the New York Caledonian Club's 41st annual excursion to Oriental Grove. Volume 33 is a scrapbook of the club's 70th Anniverssary Dinner-Dance (November 27, 1926). Volume 34 is a scrapbook of invitations to monthly and annual meetings (1928 - 1935). A folder of ephemera (January 25, 1992 - January 27, 2001) includes event programs, flyers, application forms, club brochures, and an undated statistical survey of club members.
Poster, 1898
Scrapbook, 1928 December 31 - 1935 February 26
Scrapbook, 1926 November 27
Blank Scrapbook
Ephemera, 1992 January 25 - 2001 January 27
Series XII: Flag, 1988
Scope and Contents
This flag was made in 1988. It is a replica of the New York Caledonian Club flag flown during the annual Highland Games (Scotch Games) in Jones Woods.