2022 Lectures Archive:
EARLY & DIVERSE NEW YORK
Seven-Part 2022 Winter/Spring Lecture Series
sponsored on Zoom by the Columbia County Historical Society
Seven-Part 2022 Winter/Spring Lecture Series
sponsored on Zoom by the Columbia County Historical Society
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January 29:
LECTURE 1 |
"Challenges and Obstacles
to Researching African American History in the Hudson Valley" by Victoria Jimpson Fludd, Lisa Fludd-Smith, & Peter H. Smith
in collaboration with: African American Archive of Columbia County Held Saturday, 29th January, 2022
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On Researching African American History in the Hudson Valley
While much has been written about the Black Diaspora from the south to the north, relatively little is known about Blacks who were brought directly from Africa to the slave market in ‘Albany’ and sold locally. Unlike the South where slavery was abolished in 1865, manumission in New York State occurred gradually from 1785, onward.
As a result, northern Black experiences were far different than those in the south. Even as slaves, some skilled craftsmen traveled freely for their work. Most freed people were educated in the local schools. Some owned businesses or were farmers. Many were members of the Dutch Reform Church, while others started the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in the area. They formed relationships with other residents – both Black and white.
To this day, many Black families continue to bear the surnames of the County’s Dutch founding fathers (Van Ness, Van Buren, Gardiner, Van Alen, Witbeck, etc.) and continue to live in Columbia County and the surrounding area.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Victoria S. Jimpson-Fludd
Ms. Jimpson-Fludd possesses an MBA background from the Harvard Business School and the Wharton School of Finance At present, Ms. Jimpson-Fludd is the President of the Board of Directors / Grants Officer and Executive Director of the Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra. Ms. Jimpson-Fludd, who is Afro-American, is the mother of Lisa Fludd-Smith.
Lisa M. Fludd-Smith
Ms. Fludd-Smith puts the stories and historical background to the names and dates compiled through the research of a colleague’s African-American genealogical research. With two decades of volunteer teaching experience with children and youth, Lisa is keenly aware of the educational value of combining abstract data with social, historical and cultural observation to create compelling narratives. As such, she has created a website and blog to chronicle the lives of her Black ancestors in Columbia County, NY, and is presently writing a book on the history of slavery and freedom in the area. Mrs. Fludd-Smith holds a BA in Communications/Media Studies from the New School for Social Research in New York.
Peter H. Smith
Mr. Smith has practiced genealogy research for more than 20 years , and is responsible for the research and construction of the Fludd-Smith family tree, which contains approximately 1,800 individuals.
Mr. Smith is currently a Principal with Pearson Partners, Inc., a commercial real estate investment company, and has previously been employed at
The Blackstone Group, Capital Trust, Amerant Bank and JP Morgan Chase Bank. Mr. Smith holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in Public Policy Analysis & Administration from Binghamton University.
While much has been written about the Black Diaspora from the south to the north, relatively little is known about Blacks who were brought directly from Africa to the slave market in ‘Albany’ and sold locally. Unlike the South where slavery was abolished in 1865, manumission in New York State occurred gradually from 1785, onward.
As a result, northern Black experiences were far different than those in the south. Even as slaves, some skilled craftsmen traveled freely for their work. Most freed people were educated in the local schools. Some owned businesses or were farmers. Many were members of the Dutch Reform Church, while others started the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in the area. They formed relationships with other residents – both Black and white.
To this day, many Black families continue to bear the surnames of the County’s Dutch founding fathers (Van Ness, Van Buren, Gardiner, Van Alen, Witbeck, etc.) and continue to live in Columbia County and the surrounding area.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Victoria S. Jimpson-Fludd
Ms. Jimpson-Fludd possesses an MBA background from the Harvard Business School and the Wharton School of Finance At present, Ms. Jimpson-Fludd is the President of the Board of Directors / Grants Officer and Executive Director of the Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra. Ms. Jimpson-Fludd, who is Afro-American, is the mother of Lisa Fludd-Smith.
Lisa M. Fludd-Smith
Ms. Fludd-Smith puts the stories and historical background to the names and dates compiled through the research of a colleague’s African-American genealogical research. With two decades of volunteer teaching experience with children and youth, Lisa is keenly aware of the educational value of combining abstract data with social, historical and cultural observation to create compelling narratives. As such, she has created a website and blog to chronicle the lives of her Black ancestors in Columbia County, NY, and is presently writing a book on the history of slavery and freedom in the area. Mrs. Fludd-Smith holds a BA in Communications/Media Studies from the New School for Social Research in New York.
Peter H. Smith
Mr. Smith has practiced genealogy research for more than 20 years , and is responsible for the research and construction of the Fludd-Smith family tree, which contains approximately 1,800 individuals.
Mr. Smith is currently a Principal with Pearson Partners, Inc., a commercial real estate investment company, and has previously been employed at
The Blackstone Group, Capital Trust, Amerant Bank and JP Morgan Chase Bank. Mr. Smith holds a BA in Political Science and an MA in Public Policy Analysis & Administration from Binghamton University.
The speakers appeared in collaboration with the African American Archive of Columbia County. |
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February 19:
LECTURE 2 |
"Life Along The Hudson,
The Livingstons in Columbia County" by Pieter Estersohn Held Saturday, 19th February, 2022 |
Life Along the Hudson, The Livingstons in Columbia County
This scenic stretch of estates along the Hudson offers some of the finest examples of American architecture and landscape design, now photographed by Pieter Estersohn. Thirty-five featured homes were designed in a range of styles by notable architects Stanford White, A. J. Davis, Calvert Vaux, Warren and Wetmore, and others.
Included are Dutch colonial cottages and grand Gothic Revival, Federal, Georgian, and Beaux-Arts residences. Constructed on land owned by the Livingston family, who settled in the area in the late seventeenth century
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Pieter Estersohn has worked on over 60 books on historic preservation, architecture, and decoration and has worked for every major shelter magazine. His last book, Life Along the Hudson, the Historic Country Estates of the Livingston Family, was published by Rizzoli. Estersohn purchased Staats Hall, in nearby Red Hook in 2010, and restored the 1839 home using early 19th century techniques and materials. He is presently working on a book with Rizzoli on agriculture in the Hudson River Valley and the new wave of farmers taking the lead.
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March 19:
LECTURE 3 |
"19th century Photography in Columbia County" conversation with David Sokosh & Lisa Weilbacker Held Saturday, 19th March, 2022 |
19th Century Photography in Columbia County:
A Conversation with David Sokosh & Lisa Weilbacker
Lisa Weilbacker and David Sokosh examined early photographs from the CCHS collection, discussed their place in the history of photography and shared information about the County residents shown in the pictures. Sokosh also demonstrated examples of his newly-made images, created using 19th Century photo processes.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
David Sokosh
Artist David Sokosh is a photographer living and working in Claverack, NY. He creates photographs using the 19th Century processes of Cyanotype and Wet-Plate Collodion (tintype) and makes artist’s books using letterpress printing and Cyanotype. His current project: “Things That Look Like the MOON (but are not the moon), consists of portfolio prints and a hand-made, limited edition, artist book printed entirely with cyanotype. Other projects include: “Objectified in the Time of Covid” and “John Rogers in the 21st Century, Contemporary Issues Seen Through a 19th Century Lens”. In Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Sokosh was formerly director of the gallery, Underbridge Pictures, which specialized in painted and photographed images of architecture. While in Brooklyn Sokosh worked with a number of nonprofits including the Fort Greene Park Conservancy and Clinton Hill Society, and served on the boards of both groups.
Sokosh’s artistic work is included in the permanent collections of Polaroid Corporation; the Kinsey Institute; Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg, FL; Shelburne Museum, VT; Pfizer; and others; his work is represented in Hudson by Carrie Haddad Gallery.
Lisa Weilbacker
Lisa Weilbacker is Curator of Collections and Historic Properties at Columbia County Historical Society.
A Conversation with David Sokosh & Lisa Weilbacker
Lisa Weilbacker and David Sokosh examined early photographs from the CCHS collection, discussed their place in the history of photography and shared information about the County residents shown in the pictures. Sokosh also demonstrated examples of his newly-made images, created using 19th Century photo processes.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
David Sokosh
Artist David Sokosh is a photographer living and working in Claverack, NY. He creates photographs using the 19th Century processes of Cyanotype and Wet-Plate Collodion (tintype) and makes artist’s books using letterpress printing and Cyanotype. His current project: “Things That Look Like the MOON (but are not the moon), consists of portfolio prints and a hand-made, limited edition, artist book printed entirely with cyanotype. Other projects include: “Objectified in the Time of Covid” and “John Rogers in the 21st Century, Contemporary Issues Seen Through a 19th Century Lens”. In Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Sokosh was formerly director of the gallery, Underbridge Pictures, which specialized in painted and photographed images of architecture. While in Brooklyn Sokosh worked with a number of nonprofits including the Fort Greene Park Conservancy and Clinton Hill Society, and served on the boards of both groups.
Sokosh’s artistic work is included in the permanent collections of Polaroid Corporation; the Kinsey Institute; Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg, FL; Shelburne Museum, VT; Pfizer; and others; his work is represented in Hudson by Carrie Haddad Gallery.
Lisa Weilbacker
Lisa Weilbacker is Curator of Collections and Historic Properties at Columbia County Historical Society.
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TWO LECTURES (PART I & PART II)
on American Hudson River Paintings  Frederic Church, 'Niagara Falls', 1857;
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
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LECTURE 4 & 5:
by Gayle Skluzacek PART I: "Uniquely American: The Hudson River School" Held Saturday, Saturday, 2nd April PART II: "Uniquely American: The Hudson River School" Held Saturday, Saturday, 9th April ~~~ A Two-Part Lecture Series by Gayle Skluzacek explored Hudson River Valley and Columbia County landscapes.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Gayle Skluzacek Ms. Skluzacek is a classically educated art historian and appraiser. After working in curatorial, research, and public relations at the Minneapolis Institute of Fine Arts, the Chicago Art Institute, the Oriental Institute, and the Carnegie Institute, she began appraising in 1981. She has catalogued important collections, estates, and archives, identified lost masterpieces, served as an art/personal property expert in court cases, and has worked closely with major museums in their art acquisition programs. Ms. Skluzacek served on the Board of Directors of the Appraisers Association of America and served as President, 2000-2002. She was presented with the Director’s Award for her services in 2015. |
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April 23:
LECTURE 6 |
"Gotham Goes Global:
New York City from 1825-1925" by Gary H. Darden, PhD Held Saturday, 23rd April Gotham Goes Global: New York City from 1825-1925
Dr. Gary Darden will speak about the changes and influences that caused the city of New Amsterdam to become an international center during this 100 year period. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Gary H. Darden, PhD 20-year Manhattan resident, Gary Darden is a 6th generation Texas native educated in Virginia and Texas. His Ph.D. in American history is from Rutgers University. He has served as history professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Morris County, NJ since 2005, and chair of the Department of Social Sciences & History since 2013. |
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May 21:
LECTURE 7 |
"Spaces of Enslavement and Resistance in Dutch New York" by Dr. Andrea Mosterman Held Saturday, 21st May Spaces of Enslavement and Resistance in Dutch New York
Addressing the myth that Dutch colonists practiced a more humane system of slavery, Mosterman demonstrates that these ways of racialized spatial control shared much in common with enslavement practices on Southern plantations. |
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Andrea Mosterman, PhD
Dutch-native, Andrea Mosterman is associate professor in Atlantic History and Joseph Tregle Professor in Early American History at the University of New Orleans. In her work, the historian explores the multi-faceted dimensions of slavery, slave trade, and cross-cultural contact in the Dutch Atlantic and Early America with special emphasis on Early New York. She will discuss her studies and discoveries of Dutch customs and practices of enslavement in New Amsterdam and New York State.
Mosterman 's work is published in the Journal of African History and Early American Studies, and she curated the digital exhibit Slavery in New Netherland for the New Netherland Institute. Her book Spaces of Enslavement: A History of Slavery and Resistance in Dutch New York (Cornell Press, 2021), earned the 2020 Hendricks Award for best book-length manuscript relating to New Netherland and the Dutch colonial experience.
Andrea Mosterman, PhD
Dutch-native, Andrea Mosterman is associate professor in Atlantic History and Joseph Tregle Professor in Early American History at the University of New Orleans. In her work, the historian explores the multi-faceted dimensions of slavery, slave trade, and cross-cultural contact in the Dutch Atlantic and Early America with special emphasis on Early New York. She will discuss her studies and discoveries of Dutch customs and practices of enslavement in New Amsterdam and New York State.
Mosterman 's work is published in the Journal of African History and Early American Studies, and she curated the digital exhibit Slavery in New Netherland for the New Netherland Institute. Her book Spaces of Enslavement: A History of Slavery and Resistance in Dutch New York (Cornell Press, 2021), earned the 2020 Hendricks Award for best book-length manuscript relating to New Netherland and the Dutch colonial experience.
