By LORNA CHEROT LITTLEWAY
KINDERHOOK–The Kinderhook Library hosted the African American Archives of Columbia County (AAACC) for an information session about the organization on Sunday, February 23. The three founders – Victoria Jimpson-Fludd, executive director; Lisa Fludd-Smith, deputy executive director; and Peter Smith, director of research and genealogy – spoke to an attentive and full capacity audience about the AAACC’s mission, goals and projects both immediate and long term.
The organization focuses on the pre-20th century history of African Americans in the Hudson Valley. New York had the largest population of enslaved persons in the North and Old Kinderhook had the second largest enslaved population in the state. Ms. Fludd-Smith said that information about the collective and individual lives of enslaved persons and free Blacks “is not readily accessible” due to poor record keeping and lost documents like letters and diaries. There is much reliance on oral histories. Ms. Fludd-Smith told of three homes, in Columbia and northern Duchess counties, whose owners said they found “shackles” in their basements. She expressed an eagerness to investigate those claims further.
In the Dutch system of slavery, owners and enslaved shared the same house. The enslaved living quarters, generally, were confined to basements and attics. Also, the enslaved tended to be skilled laborers and were literate with some fluent in both Dutch and English.
Mr. Smith, who has pursued genealogy as a hobby for 20 years, jokingly introduced himself as “the DEI hire.” He used DNA testing to research his wife’s family and found that on the “mother’s side they were from the Chatham and Kinderhook areas” and that there are “2,000+ members in the family tree.” However he was not able to find the origin of the “Jimpson” name but dated it “back to the 17th century.”
Genealogy research is a service the AAACC offers. Last year the organization hosted “The Original Kinderhook Black Family Reunion” inviting people with the surnames of: Van Ness, Van Buren, Van Allen, Springsteen, Harder, Whitbeck, Jimpson, Van Alstyne, Sheldon, Coon, Barthrop, Gardner, Huyck, Vanderpool, Jackson, Minisee, Grimes, Leggett, Burgett, Schermerhorn and Lipscomb.
Information about individuals includes Sarah Van Ness, the first Black woman homeowner in Kinderhook and her brother, John, who was a dentist. They lived across from each other on William Street. Their homes are referred to colloquially as the “two blue doors.” The African Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church of Kinderhook Village was organized in 1855. The first pastor was Rev. Lewis L. Lewis and the chapel had a seating capacity of 150. The church disbanded in 1958 with most congregants moving to Payne Church in Chatham. The building, located on Sunset Avenue is now a private residence. A prized recent acquisition is a database of the names of Black Revolutionary War soldiers.
The presentation included books and several artifacts. Among the titles displayed: “Bound By Bondage: Slavery and the Creation of a Northern Gentry” by Nicole Saffold Maskiell, “Enslaved Spaces” by Andrea C. Mosterman and “In Defiance: Runaways from Slavery in New York’s Hudson Valley 1735-1831” by Susan Stessin-Cohn and Ashley Hulburt.
“In Defiance” includes advertisements (1738 – 55) from Dutchess, Ulster and Orange counties for the return of runaways. Rewards from 40 shillings to 6 pounds plus payment for expenses were offered. Also, the descriptions of the runaways confirm they were literate, bi-lingual and skilled.
An artifact shown was a marriage certificate for William Jeffress and Agnes Van Ness dated 1912. There also was a blue-green glass bottle collection from Brewery and Bottling Works owned by George Lathrop. His assistant was a Black man, Richard Alexander, who assumed ownership of the company after Lathrop’s death in 1872. The company was renamed Alexander Bottling Works, which became a small beer manufacturer. In addition to beer the company sold lagers, flavored sodas, sarsaparillas and sweet cider dubbed “the best in market.” Mr. Alexander died in 1890 and his widow ran the company for a short period before selling it.
The last of the artifacts were poster blow-ups of headstones at the Persons of Color Cemetery off U.S. 9/Broad Street at Rothermel Lane in the Village of Kinderhook. The cemetery, established in 1815, is located a little beyond Rothermel Extension. The path to the cemetery is marked by a plaque acknowledging John Rogers, an Irish immigrant and landowner, as the donor of a .31-acre rectangular parcel for the exclusive purpose of burying Kinderhook’s African Americans. The cemetery, located on the right side of the path, is bordered by ball fields and private homes. Currently 15 headstones, spanning 1816 -61 are visible.
The AAACC partners with several local organizations: the National Park Service at the Van Buren Historic Site, the Hudson Library and Columbia County Historical Society. Future programs and projects include in-person and virtual tours of the Van Hoesen and Charles Marriott Houses. Marriott was a Quaker Abolitionist, whose home now dubbed the “Old House on Route 66,” was an Underground Railroad stop. The “Old House” is slated for major refurbishing.
Another future project is a 550-mile Harriet Tubman NY Underground Railroad Corridor, which will traverse 22 counties originating in New York City running north to Saratoga and veering west to Buffalo and Niagara. (There is a 125-mile Tubman Byway from Dorchester, MD, running through Delaware and ending in Philadelphia.)
The AAACC is a wholly internet-based nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status. According to Executive Director Jimpson-Fludd, their dream is to acquire the Tory House at 2221 U.S. 9 to establish a museum and headquarters. The 2-story building, built c 1758, sits on a .92-acre lot. The property includes a 1200 sq. ft. red barn/studio and a gazebo. The property is on the NYS Registry of Historic Places.
In addition to genealogy research the organization’s activities include essay and article composition, historical reenactments, community outreach, speaking engagements and acquisitions. Visit the website www.afamarchivecc.org for more information.
