LEHMAN COLLEGE–Formerly known as the Brooklyn Historical Society, the Center for Brooklyn History houses over 1,600 archival collections, 33,000 books, and more, preserving Brooklyn’s culture and history through a wide range of materials. In the ‘80s, the institution established itself as a library and a museum, providing a space to collect and document the stories and history of Brooklyn natives that is accessible to all.
On Jan. 30, the Center for Brooklyn History kicked off a new genealogy exhibition titled Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn featuring artwork and documentation—including bill of sales—of slavery in Brooklyn, honing on the impact of this tumultuous period on the cultivation of Brooklyn and Brooklynites.
Anderson was born into slavery to one of the most affluent enslavers, Jeremiah Lott, owning over 200 acres of land. Anderson was emancipated in 1827. There are no known photographs to display of Samuel Anderson, which speaks to the importance of genealogy research, as his story is one of many to be told. To honor Anderson’s ancestry, Jones was painted, displaying portraits of these two families side by side, emphasizing the heartbreaking history of slavery in Brooklyn.
