Adella Liebenow Wotherspoon photographs and papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Photographs, postcards, sacramental certificates, passports, naturalization papers, scrapbooks, and ephemera documenting the lives of members of the German-American Liebenow, Weber, and Wulf families, at least six of whom died during the burning of the paddle steamer General Slocum on June 15, 1904. The Slocum disaster, on New York's East River, claimed an estimated 1,021 of the 1,342 passengers on board, many of whom were women and children who could not swim. Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon (1903–2004), donor of the collection, was the youngest survivor. She unveiled a memorial to the unknown dead in 1905, and lived to be the sole survivor of what was, until the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the single greatest loss of life in New York City history.
Biographical / Historical Note
Adella Martha (Liebenow) Wotherspoon (1903–2004), sometimes known by the nicknames "Dolly" and "Tiby," was the youngest daughter of Paul and Anna (Wulf) Liebenow, both New York City natives and the children of German immigrants. Paul (1871–1910), the son of Heinrich and Henriette (Pisch) Liebenow, married Anna (1872–1947), the daughter of Heinrich and Helene (Brauer) Wulf, in 1896. Their first daughter, Helen, was born in 1898. She was followed by Anna in 1901, and Adella, who was born November 28, 1903. Adella, at the age of six months, became the youngest survivor of the General Slocum steamboat disaster of June 15, 1904.
The General Slocum, a popular paddle steamer chartered for the 17th annual Sunday school excursion of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church, was destined for Locust Grove, a picnic site on the north shore of Long Island. The ship rode up the East River carrying just over 1,300 passengers, many of them young mothers with their children from the vicinity of St. Mark's, the Manhattan neighborhood known then as Kleindeutschland (Little Germany) and today a part of the East Village. For most of those passengers it was to be their first—and last—trip by pleasure boat.
On board that morning was the Liebenow family—Paul, Anna, and daughters Helen, Anna, and Adella. They joined Paul's sisters, Martha Liebenow (1875–1904), Annie (Liebenow) Weber (1873–1905), and Annie's husband, Frank Weber (1869–1936), with their two children, Emma (1893–1904), and Frank Weber Jr. (1898–1904). Also with them was "Aunt" Katie King (circa 1878–1904), the Irish-born fiancée of Anna (Wulf) Liebenow's brother, Henry Wulf (1876–1912). It is unclear if Henry Wulf was part of the group, but he and Katie were due to be married on September 15, 1904, so Katie was practically part of the family.
Through a cause that will never be known, the Slocum caught fire almost immediately after embarking at 9:40 a.m. Smoke billowing from a lower deck was at first attributed to "chowder cooking" by the jolly excursionists. Twenty-six minutes later the ship exploded in flames off Randall's Island. Life vests crumbled to dust in the hands of panicked passengers. Lifeboats were found wired in place. Shoddy canvas fire hoses burst under water pressure. At 10:10 the Slocum beached on North Brother Island, off the Bronx. A staggering 1,021 people died, if not by burning, then by drowning. Until the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the General Slocum disaster was the single greatest loss of life in New York City history.
The eleven-member Liebenow-Weber party was reduced by six. Nearly all suffered scorching. Frank and Annie (Liebenow) Weber survived, although Annie's hair caught fire. Paul Liebenow stayed on the ship looking for his children until his clothing began to burn away. His wife, Anna, was severely burned down her side as she clung to the ship with one arm while shielding the infant Adella in the other, dropping into the water only when she could no longer bear the pain. She and the baby were eventually reunited with Paul, Annie, and Frank. Dead were Martha Liebenow and Katie King, Emma and Frank Weber Jr., and Helen and Anna Liebenow. (As Adella later phrased it, she lost two aunts, two cousins, and two sisters to the Slocum.) While little Anna Liebenow's body was recovered (her parents carefully preserving the shoes she wore that day), Helen's was never identified. She is believed to lie in the communal grave of the unknown dead of the General Slocum at Lutheran Cemetery (now called All Faiths Cemetery) in Middle Village, Queens. On the first anniversary of the tragedy 18-month-old Adella pulled a cord to unveil a monument to their memory.
Like other survivors, Paul Liebenow spent his subsequent days in dazed shock, but with one difference: he gathered in scrapbooks every memento and newspaper article he could find about the fire (in German and in English), every piece of ephemera and correspondence, even including the receipt for the new suit and hat he'd purchased specifically for the St. Mark's excursion. Adella said the compilation of his scrapbooks was a form of therapy. Paul never truly recovered, and died in 1910. His sister, Annie Weber, died a week shy of the first anniversary of the disaster, on June 9, 1905, as noted on the back of her photograph, "from effects of [the] Slocum."
Soon after Paul's death Anna (Wulf) Liebenow and Adella moved to Watchung, New Jersey, where Adella, who became a high school teacher, married James Wotherspoon (1903–1982) in 1930. Anna died in 1947, and for many years after Adella avoided the annual commemorations at Lutheran Cemetery and Tompkins Square Park in Manhattan, where another memorial to the Slocum dead had been dedicated in 1906. The rediscovery of her father's scrapbooks, stored in the attic along with photographs and family papers, renewed Adella's interest and involvement in the Organization of the General Slocum Survivors. She began attending events again when she was 85, and made it to most of them until shortly before her death at the age of 100 on January 26, 2004. Usually she brought along her sister Anna's shoes, and the dress she herself had worn to unveil the monument to the unknown dead at Lutheran Cemetery on June 15, 1905.
With the death of Catherine Connelly in 2002, who, at the remarkable age of 109 was the oldest survivor of the General Slocum, Adella, once the youngest survivor of that fateful day, became its oldest and sole survivor. Sadly, she missed the Slocum centennial by just shy of five months. On her death she bequeathed her scrapbooks, photographs, dress, and sister's shoes to the New-York Historical Society, where they were exhibited in The General Slocum and Little Germany, June 15 – August 22, 2004.
The fullest account of the disaster is Edward T. O'Donnell's Ship Ablaze: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum (New York: Broadway Books, 2003), available at the New-York Historical Society under call number F128 VK1257.G4 O29 2003.
Arrangement
The Adella Liebenow Wotherspoon Photographs and Papers are organized in three series:
- Series I.
- Family photographs and documents, 1860-2004
- Series II.
- General Slocum disaster scrapbooks, 1904-1908, 1934
- Series III.
- General Slocum disaster memorial programs, newspaper clippings, ephemera, 1904-2004
Series I is sorted alphabetically by surname. Series II and III are sorted chronologically.
Scope and Contents
The Adella Liebenow Wotherspoon Photographs and Papers document the extended Liebenow, Weber, and Wulf families of New York City, German immigrants and their American-born offspring, whose lives centered on the community known as Kleindeutschland (Little Germany), in Manhattan's East Village, and other German enclaves. The collection contains sacramental certificates marking baptisms, confirmations, and marriages, most of them written in German even when the events took place in New York, which speaks to the pervasiveness of German language and culture throughout their lives. Also present are German passports issued to Adella's paternal grandmother, Henriette (Pisch) Liebenow (1846–1881) in 1860, and her maternal grandfather, Heinrich Wulf (circa 1842–1909) in 1865. Both of Adella's grandfathers, Henrich Wulf and Heinrich Liebenow (1839–1902), became United States citizens, as indicated by their naturalization papers of 1872 and 1890.
At the heart of the collection are the late 19th- and early 20th-century cabinet card photographs of family members, six of whom died in the General Slocum tragedy of June 15, 1904: Adella's sisters, Helen (1898–1904) and Anna (1901–1904) Liebenow; her cousins, Emma (1893–1904) and Frank Weber Jr. (1898–1904); and aunts, Martha Liebenow (1875–1904) and Katie King (circa 1878–1904). [Although her photograph is identified as "Aunt Katie King," Katie was not technically a relative; she was the fiancée of Adella's uncle, Henry Wulf (1876–1912), whom she planned to marry on September 15, 1904.]
The collection's two scrapbooks include additional photographs and even artifacts (such as a hatpin Paul Liebenow retrieved from an unknown victim's body on North Brother Island), but are full, mainly, of German and English-language newspaper coverage of the Slocum disaster, rescue efforts, memorial ceremonies, and the subsequent hearings and trials.
And rounding out the collection is a small group of newspaper clippings, ceremonial programs, postcards, and interviews confirming Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon's role as the youngest and, ultimately, sole survivor of the General Slocum.
Subjects
Families
Genres
Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers by appointment only.
Use Restrictions
Permission to reproduce any Department of Prints, Photographs and Architectural Collections holdings through publication must be obtained from:
Rights and Reproductions
The New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024
Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 270
Fax: (212) 579-8794.
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as the "Adella Liebenow Wotherspoon Photographs and Papers, PR 400, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society."
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Bequest of Adella Liebenow Wotherspoon, 2004.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Much of the material in this collection, along with a number of objects also acquired through the 2004 bequest of Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon, appeared in the New-York Historical Society's exhibition The General Slocum and Little Germany , June 15, 2004 – August 22, 2004. When the exhibition closed, the objects—including the shoes worn by Anna Liebenow (1901–1904) the day of the disaster, and the dress worn by Adella (1903–2004) when she unveiled the monument to the Slocum's unknown dead in 1905—were retained by the Society's museum division. For details on these, search for the word "Wotherspoon" in the museum catalog. The photographs and paper-based items were transferred to the library and dispersed to its Manuscript, Printed, and Graphic collections divisions. Archivist Joseph Ditta reassembled the material under the unified call phrase PR-400, and created this finding aid in August 2019.
Repository
Series I. Family photographs and documents, 1860-2004, inclusive
Arrangement
Sorted alphabetically by surname, with photographs preceding documents. Names in bold, underlined type indicate those killed in the General Slocum disaster of June 15, 1904.
King, Catherine "Katie" (circa 1878-1904)
Catherine "Katie" King. Photograph, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait of Catherine "Katie" King by Bloomingdale Bros., 59th St. & 3rd Ave., N.Y. Identified (verso) as "Aunt Katie King (Uncle Henry['s] Katie) / Died on the Scolum [sic] / June 15, 1904 / Were going to be married / Sept 15, 1904."
A notation (verso) by N-YHS staff reads: "b. 1888 [sic] in Ireland lived 311 E 37th St / fiancée of Henry Liebenow." Henry Liebenow died in 1900, so Katie King was more likely engaged to marry Henry Wulf (1876-1912), brother of Anna (Wulf) Liebenow. According to her death certificate, Catherine King was 26 when she died on June 15, 1904. That places her birth circa 1878.
Liebenow, Anna (1901-1904)
Anna Liebenow. Photograph (christening), [1901 February 20], inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait of Anna Liebenow in her christening gown. Identified (verso) as "Anna / 3 month old / 3 year old / time of Scolum [sic]." (According to her baptism certificate in Box 2, Folder 1, Anna was christened on February 20, 1901.) A duplicate of this photograph is framed with images of Anna's sisters in Box 1, Folder 3.
Anna, "Dolly," and Helen Liebenow. Photographs (christening), [1898, 1901, 1904], inclusive
Scope and Contents
A single frame holding three cabinet card portraits of the daughters of Paul and Anna (Wulf) Liebenow in their christening gowns, identified (verso) as:
[left] "Anna Christina Liebenow / Born Jan 1st / 1901." Unidentifed photographer.
[center] "Adella Martha Liebenow / Born Nov. 28, 1903." Frank Wuttge, Photographic Art Studio, 920 Third Avenue, New York.
[right] "Helen Henrietta Liebenow / Born August 18, 1898." Continental Photo Gallery, 794 Third Avenue, Bet. 48th & 49th Sts., New York.
The photograph of Anna is identical to the one in Box 1, Folder 2. The photograph of Helen is the same as the one identified as sister Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon in Box 1, Folder 19.
Anna Liebenow. Baptism certificate [in German], 1901 February 20
Scope and Contents
Baptism certificate for Anna Christine Liebenow. Ceremony performed by Dr. Edward F. Moldehnke, Pastor of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, New York.
Liebenow, Anna (Wulf) (1872-1947)
Anna (Wulf) Liebenow. Photograph (2 copies), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait (right-facing profile) of Anna (Wulf) Liebenow by A. Kyle, 1316 Third Ave., N.Y. Identified (verso) as "Mama."
Anna (Wulf) Liebenow. Photograph, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait (left-facing profile) of Anna (Wulf) Liebenow by A. Kyle, 1316 Third Ave., N.Y., Bet. 75th and 76th Streets. Identified (verso) as "Mama."
Anna (Wulf) Liebenow. Confirmation certificate [in German], 1889 April 14
Scope and Contents
Confirmation certificate of Anna Christiane Wulf. Ceremony performed by Dr. Edward F. Moldehnke, Pastor of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, New York.
Anna (Wulf) Liebenow. Birthday card, 1904 [January 26]
Scope and Contents
Birthday card to "Aunt Annie" from Emma and Frank Weber, dated, simply, 1904. Anna (Wulf) Liebenow was born in New York on January 26, 1872.
Liebenow, Heinrich / Henry (1839-1902)
Heinrich / Henry Liebenow. Photograph + copy print (2 folders), undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait, with copy print, of Heinrich / Henry Liebenow by W. Fricke, Photographer, 50 Bowery, Above Atlantic Garden, New York. Identified (recto and verso) as "Grandpa Liebenow."
Heinrich / Henry Liebenow. Marriage certificate [in German], 1867 May 19
Scope and Contents
Marriage certificate for Heinrich Liebenow and Henriette Pisch, issued at New York City.
Heinrich / Henry Liebenow. U.S. Certificate of naturalization, 1890 October 16
Scope and Contents
Issued by the Superior Court of the City of New York.
Heinrich / Henry Liebenow. Funeral remembrance card [in German], [1902 March 5]
Liebenow, Helen (1898-1904)
Helen Liebenow. Photograph, circa 1899, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait of Helen Liebenow as an infant in her carriage. Identified (verso) as "Sister Helen / 1 year old / 6 years in Aug / died on Scolum [sic]." Another copy of this photograph appears in the scrapbook in Box 4.
Helen Liebenow. Photograph, circa 1899, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait of Helen Liebenow as an infant in her carriage. Identified (on scrapbook page) as "Our Helen." Identical to the photograph in Box 1, Folder 8.
Helen Liebenow. Photograph, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card photograph of two small girls on a doorstep, both holding brooms. The taller girl is identified (recto) as "Helen." An N-YHS staff notation (verso) suggests the other child is possibly Anna Liebenow.
Helen Liebenow. Baptism certificate [in German], 1898 September 4
Scope and Contents
Baptism certificate for "Helene Henriette" Liebenow. Ceremony performed by Dr. A. B. Moldenke.
Liebenow, Henriette (Pisch) (1846-1881)
Henriette (Pisch) Liebenow. Photograph, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Carte-de-visite portrait of Henriette (Pisch) Liebenow identified (on scrapbook page) as "Grama Liebenow."
Henriette (Pisch) Liebenow. "Reise Pass" (passport) [in German], 1860, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Issued to "Henriette Lisette Alvine Pisch" at Bergen, Germany.
Liebenow, Henry (circa 1868-1900)
Henry Liebenow. Photograph + copy print (2 folders), 1890, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait, with copy print, of Henry Liebenow, by H. Schoerry, 43 Ave. A., N.Y. Identified (verso) as "Uncle Henry Liebenow."
Liebenow, Martha (1875-1904)
Martha Liebenow. Photograph, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait of Martha Liebenow by Winslow, 274 Grand Street, New York. Identified (verso) as "Aunt Martha Liebenow / Died on the Scolum [sic] / June 15, 1904 / 29 years old."
Liebenow, Paul (1871-1910)
Paul Liebenow. Photograph + copy print (2 folders), 1890, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait, with copy print, of Paul Liebenow by H. Schoerry, 43 Ave. A., N.Y. Cabinet card identified (recto & verso) as "Papa." Copy print identified as "Papa Liebenow."
Paul Liebenow. Marriage certificate [in German], 1896 October 12
Scope and Contents
Certificate recording the marriage of Paul Liebenow and Anna Christiane Wulf on September 15, 1896, by Dr. Edward F. Moldehnke, Pastor of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, New York.
Paul Liebenow. Certificate of sympathy, 1910 February 2
Scope and Contents
Organization of Gen'l Slocum Survivors, certificate of sympathy issued to Anna C. (Wulf) Liebenow on the death of her husband, Paul Liebenow.
Paul Liebenow, et al. Lutheran Cemetery deed, receipts, interment list, 1897-1990, inclusive
Weber, Anna "Annie" (Liebenow) (1873-1905)
Anna "Annie" (Liebenow) Weber. Photograph, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait of Anna "Annie" (Liebenow) Weber by Jacks Studio, 136 Bowery, N.Y. Identified (verso) as "Aunt Annie / Liebenow Weber / Died June 9, 1905 / was on the Scolum [sic] / Died June / 1905 / from effects of / Scolum [sic]."
For Annie Weber's personal account of the General Slocum disaster, see John Wesley Hanson, New York's Awful Excursion Boat Horror (1904), 193-196, available online and at the New-York Historical Society under call number F128 VK1257.G4 H3.
Weber, Emma (1893-1904)
Emma Weber. Photograph, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait of Emma Weber by I. [or J.] Klein, 61 Ave. A, New York. Identified (verso) as "Cousin Emma Weber / Died on Scolum [sic] June 15, 1904 / 10 years old."
Weber, Frank Charles (1869-1936)
Frank Charles Weber. Photograph, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait of Frank Charles Weber by Frank Wuttge, Successor to Bach, 27 Ave. A, New York. Identified (verso) as "Uncle Frank Weber / was on the Scolum [sic] saved / badly bunt [burnt]."
Weber, Frank Jr. (1898-1904)
Frank Weber Jr.. Photograph, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait of Frank Weber Jr. by Henry D. Schoerry, 43 Avenue A, New York. Identified (verso) as "June 15, 1904 / Frank Weber / Died on the Scolum [sic] / 7 year old cousin."
Frank Weber Jr.. Photograph, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait of Frank Weber Jr., wearing 18th-century court costume and wig, by I. [or J.] Klein, Photographer, 61 Avenue A, New York. Identified (on scrapbook page) as "Cousin Frank."
Wotherspoon, Adella (Liebenow) (1903-2004)
Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Photograph (christening), [1904], inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait of Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon in her christening gown by Continental Photo Gallery, 794 Third Avenue, Bet. 48th & 49th Sts., New York. Identified (verso) as "Dolly / 3 months old." This image is identical to the one identified as sister Helen Liebenow (1898-1904) in Box 1, Folder 3.
Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Photograph, 1905 June 15
Scope and Contents
Framed studio portrait of Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon by Schaidner, 183 E. 124, N.Y. Identified (verso) as "Adella Liebenow / Dolly / 18 months old / unveiling Scolum [sic] Monument / June 15, 1905." [New-York Historical Society negative no. 86693d.]
Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Photograph, 1905 June 15
Scope and Contents
Studio portrait of Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon by Schaidner, 183 E. 124, N.Y. Identified (verso) as "Adella Liebenow / 18 months old time of unvailing [sic] / June 15, 1905."
Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Photograph, circa 1909, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Cabinet card portrait of Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Identified (verso) as "5 years old / Dolly / 65 E 122 Street / NY."
Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Photograph (graduation), 1917, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Studio portrait of Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon by H. Mallison, 180 E. 82nd St., N.Y. Identified (inside protective cover) as "13 years old 1917 / Dolly." Adella is holding a rolled scroll so this photograph likely commemorates her graduation from grammar school or junior high school.
Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Photograph (wedding party), [1930 June 28]
Scope and Contents
Proof portrait of the wedding party of James and Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon by Underwood & Underwood. The couple married at Watchung, New Jersey, June 28, 1930.
Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Photographs (birthday collage), 1998 November 28
Scope and Contents
Collage of General Slocum disaster images, dedicated "To Adella on her 95th birthday" from Kathy Jolowicz, Zion-St. Mark's Church Historian.
Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Photographs (color prints), 1998, 2001, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Eight color photographs of Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon attending General Slocum memorial events in Tompkins Square Park, Manhattan, All Faiths (formerly Lutheran) Cemetery, Middle Village, Queens, and Trinity Lutheran Church, also in Middle Village.
Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Birth certificate, [1903 November 28]
Scope and Contents
Certified copy, issued by the Bureau of Records and Statistics, Department of Health, The City of New York, November 9, 1962.
Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Personal copy of Wild Flowers from Whittier (New York: Cupples & Leon Company, 1909), [1912 December 25]
Scope and Contents
Poetry book inscribed "To Adella from the Scolumn [Slocum], December 25, 1912." With a poem by Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon, "The Barefoot Boy," on the front flyleaf.
Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Confirmation certificate [in German], 1917 May 20
Scope and Contents
Ceremony performed by Rev. G. Daeuble, Pastor, St. Peter's German Lutheran Church, Plainfield, New Jersey.
Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Gardening certificates, 1980-1996, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Five certificates awarded to Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon by the Garden Club of Watchung [New Jersey] (1980), Garden Club of New Jersey (1983, 1991), National Council of State Garden Clubs, Central Atlantic Region (1992), and the Blue Star Memorial Highway Council (1996).
Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon. Funeral remembrance cards (2), [2004 January 26]
Scope and Contents
Issued by Higgins Home for Funerals, Watchung, New Jersey.
Wulf, Heinrich (circa 1842-1909)
Heinrich Wulf. Unidentified document [in German], 1864 August 12
Scope and Contents
Issued to Heinrich Wilhelm Friedrich "Wulff."
Heinrich Wulf. "Reise Pass" (passport) [in German], 1865 May 26
Scope and Contents
Issued to Heinrich "Wulff" at Lubeck, Germany.
Heinrich Wulf. U.S. Certificate of naturalization, 1872 October 10
Scope and Contents
Issued by the Court of Common Pleas, New York.
Heinrich Wulf. 25th wedding anniversary [in German], 1892 September 13
Scope and Contents
Certificate commemorating the 25th anniversary of the marriage of "Heinrich Fr. Wilh. Wulf" and "Helene Christiane Brauer" at New York City on September 15, 1867.
Wulf, Helene (Brauer) (circa 1840-1897)
Helene (Brauer) Wulf. Funeral remembrance card, [1897 June 28], inclusive
Scope and Contents
Funeral remembrance card for Helene (Brauer) Wulf. Identified (on scrapbook page) as "Grama Wulf."
Wulf, Henry (1876-1912)
Henry Wulf. Certificate of sympathy, 1913 March 5
Scope and Contents
Organization of Gen'l Slocum Survivors, certificate of sympathy issued to Anna C. (Wulf) Liebenow, on the death of her brother, Henry Wulf.
Series II. General Slocum disaster scrapbooks, 1904-1908, 1934, inclusive
Scope and Contents
According to label text from the New-York Historical Society's 2004 exhibition, The General Slocum and Little Germany, both Both Paul and Anna (Wulf) Liebenow kept scrapbooks following the disaster. Edward T. O'Donnell, in his book, Ship Ablaze: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum (2003), attributes the compilation of both scrapbooks solely to Paul Liebenow. While the exhibition noted different emphases in each volume—sentimental reminders in Anna's, trial coverage in Paul's—there is considerable overlap of material, much of it drawn from the same English- and German-language newspaper coverage of the fire, rescue efforts, memorial ceremonies, and court proceedings. The smaller format volume [in Box 4] includes several photographs: "Our Helen" [identical to the one of Helen Liebenow (1898-1904) in Box 1, Folder 9]; "Grama Liebenow" [Henriette (Pisch) Liebenow (1846-1881)]; "Cousin Frank" [Frank Weber Jr. (1897-1904)]; and a cabinet card portrait of two young girls identified as "Friends lost on Slocum." Also present is a funeral remembrance card for "Grama Wulf" [Anna's mother, Helene (Brauer) Wulf (circa 1840-1897)], and a "hat pin found on North Brother Island, about 2 hours after the burning of the 'Slocum,' the property of one of the victims. Found by Paul Liebenow."
Smaller format scrapbook, 1904-1908, inclusive
Larger format scrapbook, 1904-1906, 1934, inclusive
Series III. General Slocum disaster memorial programs, newspaper clippings, ephemera, 1904-2004, inclusive
Journal for the Seventeenth Annual Excursion of St. Marks Evan. Lutheran Church, 323-327 6th Street, New York, Wednesday, June 15, 1904 (photocopy), 1904 June 15
Massasoit (ferryboat) crew. Group portrait + copy print (2 folders), [circa 1904?], inclusive
Scope and Contents
Studio cabinet card photograph of the crew of the Massasoit, a Department of Corrections ferryboat. The Massasoit earned four Congressional medals for its rescue and recovery efforts during the General Slocum disaster. Five of the crew are identified: "Todd eng[ineer]," "Jim Duane" [James J. Duane, mate], "Capt. Parkerson" [Fredrick W. Parkinson], "Capt. Wilson," and "Wm. Hatch" [William M. Hatch, chief engineer]. The same image of Hatch appears on a postcard in Box 2, Folder 23, Sleeve 12.
Henry Davenport Northrop. New York's Awful Steamboat Horror, [1904], inclusive
Scope and Contents
Paul Liebenow's copy of Henry Davenport Northrop's New York's Awful Steamboat Horror (Philadelphia, Pa.: National Pub. Co.?, 1904?), one of several "instant" books of eyewitness accounts published in the wake of the General Slocum disaster. Liebenow or a family member circled the following passage on page 248:
"Paul Liebenow, with his head swathed in bandages and his hands badly burned, said he had tried in vain to pull down life preservers at the time of the disaster. He knew that others had implored the captain to beach the 'Slocum' at the sunken meadows. He heard of the fire when he was between Ninetieth and Ninety-second streets. Among those killed were two of his children, a sister, a sister-in-law, a niece and a nephew."
The complete book may be read online, and the New-York Historical Society has an additional copy under call number F128 VK1257.G4 N8.
Postcard (1) of "Slocum Monuments", circa 1907, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Oversize postcard published by the Albertype Co., Brooklyn, N.Y., of the "Slocum Monuments" at Lutheran Cemetery, "Erected on the Plot of the 61 unidentifed dead. In memory of the 1031 who lost their lives on the Steamboat General Slocum in the East River, June 15th, 1904."
General Slocum survivors newspaper clippings, 1954, 1957, 2002-2004, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes obituaries for General Slocum survivors Catherine Connelly (1893-2002), who died at age 109 in 2002, and Adella (Liebenow) Wotherspoon (1903-2004), who was both the youngest survivor and, after the death of Mrs. Connelly, the oldest survivor, when she died at age 100 in 2004. Another obituary details the life of M. Spreen Black, who died in 2002 at the age of 107. Mrs. Black was supposed to attend the St. Mark's Lutheran Church excursion on the General Slocum on June 15, 1904, but her mother asked her not to, thus unwittingly saving her life.
Postcards (25) issued by Slocum Memorial Committee of the Queens Historical Society and the Organization of the General Slocum Survivors, 1990-1991, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Imagery includes the monument to the unknown dead of the General Slocum disaster at Lutheran Cemetery, Middle Village, Queens, the ship itself, St. Mark's German Evangelical Lutheran Church, funeral processions, memorial services, and William M. Hatch, a crew member of the ferryboat Massasoit, who aided in the rescue.
VHS. "Die Slocum brennt! ein Film von Christian Baudissin" ("The Slocum is on Fire! a film by Christian Baudissin"), 1998, inclusive
Restricted
Until this film has been preservation reformatted, it may not be played. In any case, the New-York Historical Society lacks the required playback equipment.
Certificate of appreciation from the friends of the Slocum Remembrance to Adella Wotherspoon, 1999 June 12
Paul Segriest, National Park Service. "Interview with Adella Liebenow Wotherspoon", 1999 July 19
Scope and Contents
Rough draft transcription of an interview conducted for the New-York Historical Society.
Postcard (1) of "Niederstein's Restaurant and Catering", [2001], inclusive
Historical Note
For 150 years, Niederstein's, at 69-16 Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village, Queens, served as a gathering place for visitors to nearby Lutheran Cemetery, site since 1905 of the memorial to the unknown dead of the General Slocum disaster. The restaurant closed in February 2005 and was demolished soon after. Card postmarked August 2001.
General Slocum disaster annual memorial service programs, 2001-2003, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Programs for the 97th (2001), 98th (2002), and 99th (2003) anniversary services at Trinity Lutheran Church, Middle Village, Queens, New York, and for the commemoration in Tompkins Square Park, Manhattan (2003).