Autumn 2011 - Bowne House

The Bowne House Historical Society, Inc.
AUTUMN 2011
BOWNE HOUSE AND ITS MISSION
Bowne House, circa 1661, is the oldest house in Queens and one of the oldest in New
York City. The house is an amalgam of Dutch and English traditions of building; continuity of
ownership provides a unique view of changing cultural values and increased prosperity over
time.
Bowne House was occupied by nine generations of family, but events which took place in
its early years secured its place in history. John Bowne is known for his courageous defense of
religious liberty; his actions, and those of his fellow residents of Flushing, helped establish this
principle in America. In 1662, Bowne defied a ban imposed by Governor Peter Stuyvesant on the
practice of religions other than the Dutch Reformed Church by permitting Quakers to worship
in his home. Bowne was arrested and deported to Holland, where he successfully pleaded his
case before the Dutch West India Company. He returned home in 1664, and the principle of
religious freedom was established in the colony.
Bowne House is operated by the Bowne House Historical Society, whose mission includes
the preservation of the house, its collections and its grounds for their historical and educational
interest, for the significance of the house in the history of New York, and for its role in the
establishment of the principle of freedom of conscience in America. Bowne House is owned by
the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and is a member of Historic House Trust of
New York.
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE BOWNE HOUSE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Rosemary S. Vietor, President
Morris Hylton III, Vice President
Wellington Z. Chen
George Farr
Annette L. Geddes
Edith T. Loening
Hon. Frank Padavan
Penelope B. Perryman
Kenneth S. Schwartz
Margaret D. Sullivan
Roland Wade
TRUSTEES EMERITUS
Nina Powell
Franklin Regan, Esq.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Donald R. Friary, Chair
Jeanne Adair, Ph.D.
Dean F. Failey
Peter Kenny
Anthony C. Wood
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Bowne House celebrates its 350th Anniversary;
gives first Historic Preservation Award
The Bowne House celebrated its 350th
year on October 6th with a party at the Arsenal
Roof in Central Park. Members and friends gathered for this festive event. The museum received
a number of citations and proclamations, including ones from the New York City Mayor, the City
Council, the Office of the Comptroller, the Queens
Borough President, and the New York State
Assembly commemorating this special occasion.
The museum also marked the occasion
by presenting its first ever Historic Preservation
Award. The award was given to Dr. Barbaralee
Diamonstein-Spielvogel in recognition of her
more than 40 year commitment to the preservation of the historic built environment of our
country.
The following are remarks given by
Rosemary Vietor, the president of the Bowne
House Historical Society, on this occasion.
This year we are celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Bowne House. The house is best
known for its connection to the principle of freedom of conscience in America. While the concept
was not unique in 17th century America – others
had tried and failed to implement this ideal – John
Bowne was the first man to successfully challenge
the ban on free practice of religion. Freedom of
conscience did not exist in 17th century England,
ancestral home of his family. England had suffered from a series of religious and political wars.
But, the free practice of religion in the town of
Flushing had been guaranteed by Governor Peter
Stuyvesant’s predecessor. John Bowne’s challenge
to Governor Stuyvesant, by permitting Quakers
to meet in his house for worship, was followed
by his arrest, imprisonment and banishment from
the country. His successful appeal to the Dutch
West India Company resulted in the guarantee
of religious freedom for citizens of New Amsterdam. These principles were later codified in the
First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.
While Bowne House is best known for
these events, which took place from 1662-1664,
the house and its Flushing community have also
served as an incubator for a long chain of ideals
and concepts and a tradition of community ser-
vice, the impact of which has been felt across New
York and across America. In fact, the 350 year survival of Bowne House is due to the dedication of
local residents who purchased the house to operate it as a museum in 1947, after the departure of
the last Bowne family member in residence.
I would like to leave you with one thought,
this one from Margaret Meade, which captures
the essence of John Bowne’s stand for freedom
of conscience, and those of his fellow residents of
Flushing– “Never doubt a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” The dedication of these citizens has helped make America
the exceptional country that it is.
Now, I will speak about another person
who has changed the world – Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel. Barbaralee has worked tirelessly for over 40 years as an advocate for preservation of our cultural and historic resources, and
to raise awareness of our unique heritage.
I first met Barbaralee when we were being interviewed and photographed for an article
on preservation in Parade Magazine. The article
featured Bowne House. I learned that Barbaralee
has sense of humor – she instructed the photographer – “Don’t make me look like a relic”. Well,
she doesn’t look like a relic – 40 years as an advocate for history and culture has kept her youthful.
The Bowne House Historical Society has
never, to my knowledge, given an award. The
Historic Preservation Award is new, and it is appropriate that our first recipient is Barbaralee.
Without her advocacy, many of America’s most
important historic sites might have languished
or disappeared for lack of interest or support.
Through her writing, speaking, research and enthusiasm for our history, she has raised the profile
of many important sites, of which Bowne House
is one.
We are thrilled to have her here tonight
and to honor her with our Historic Preservation
award.
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2011 NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
HOLIDAY TRAIN SHOW
The New York Botanical Garden will be holding its 20th annual Holiday Train Show at the Enid
Haupt A. Conservatory. The Train Show, which will
run from November 19th through January 16th, has
become a holiday tradition for New Yorkers. Model
trains run over bridges and past familiar New York
City landmarks made of natural materials, including bark, leaves and nuts. Bowne House is among
these more than 140 landmarks.
Designer Paul Busse and his team at Applied
Imagination are responsible for the design and construction of the show. This year, visitors will have a
chance to take a peek behind the scenes to see how
the models are constructed. Photos, tools and supplies will help tell the story of how the show comes
together.
A number of special activities are planned
around the show. A Holiday Tree Lighting will
kick off the season on November 19th; this
will include a conifer display and a sing-along
with the Westchester Chordsmen, featuring a
selection of carols. Other events include Gingerbread
Adventures, which will feature a gingerbread playhouse and a display of gingerbread houses made
by area bakers. A Holiday Film Festival will include
a PBS documentary featuring designer Busse.
Activities for children include The Little Engine That Could puppet show and All Aboard with
Thomas and Friends™. These events, as well as the
events described above, will take place at various
times throughout the season; for the full schedule of activities and programs, admission fees, and
dates and times check www.nybg.org.
The Holiday Train Show is a unique New
York experience, and is not to be missed. Bowne
House is thrilled to be a part of the show.
The New York Botanical Garden is located in the Bronx, NY. The telephone number is
718-817-8700.
Photo courtesy of the New York Botanical Garden
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Feeding the “Sweet Tooth”
of Flushing’s Early Quakers
Long Island, 1645:
a group of English families is granted a charter by
the Dutch of New Amsterdam to establish a village
called Vlissengen, or what is now known as Flushing, in the Borough of Queens. Many of these folks
are Quakers (members of the Society of Friends),
and over time, the area from Flushing to Oyster Bay
becomes one of the strongholds of Quakerism in
North America, along with Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.
by its old forests and superior drainage facilitated
by its rolling hills. Since colonial economics were
based on the substantial movement of raw and
manufactured goods to and from the motherland –
with all transactions taxed accordingly – agriculture
was a highly competitive industry.
Hannah Bowne’s simple gravestone at the
Friends Meeting House in Flushing
Classic Bakewell Tart, a favorite of the
Bowne family of Flushing
In 1651, an industrious man, John Bowne
(pronounced like “town”) and Quaker wife, Hannah Feke, buy land from the Native Americans in
Vlissingen and set up what is to become one of the
most prosperous farms in the region. This is the
same John Bowne who will later lead the famous
Flushing Remonstrance petition, earning Quakers
the right to worship publicly in the Dutch colony,
and who donates land to build the Friends Meeting
House of Flushing, 1694, which is still an active assembly today.
The fact that the Bowne family was so prominent in agriculture is saying something, because
what later was known as the Borough of Queens
was an extremely important early agricultural center in New York, due to the excellent soil nourished
The Bay of Flushing/Newtown Dock was a
major shipping hub to and from Europe, delivering
such products as the extraordinary array of apples
grown in New York, and receiving fine goods like
wine, fabric, and sugar. The leading nurseries of
the day – import/export outfits where farmers purchased seeds and plants – were located in Flushing,
including the Prince Linnean Garden and Nursery,
founded in 1735, which had the monopoly on tree
propagation in North America and sold the famous
Newtown Pippin apple. John Bowne was not a specialist, we know from the farm records dating from
1649 – 1692 that he cultivated a variety of products:
wheat, buckwheat, rye, oats, barley, and flax; for
livestock he raised cattle, oxen, sheep, pigs, horses
and bees; there is also evidence of vegetables and
fruits including peas and turnips as well as apples.
All along the North Fork of Long Island, oysters and
other shellfish were harvested in abundance, supplying the growing New Amsterdam.
Before all of this ambitious agricultural industry developed, the early English and Dutch set-
Page 4
fectively and lastingly from the Native Americans to
the Europeans is the cornmeal cake – centuries of
variations from points all over the country abound:
Indian cakes, journey cakes, hoe cakes, hearth cakes,
quick cakes, ad infinitum. These consisted of, at
their simplest, cornmeal and lard; at their richest,
cornmeal, butter, eggs, and milk, with a sweetener
such as molasses or sugar. The Dutch made a treat
called ‘sappaen,’ or cornmeal mush, gleaned from
the Native Americans, in which a softer version of
the mixture was piled into a large serving dish. A
crater was forged into the top and milk was ladled
in, which slowly seeped into the mound.
A cloam oven
tlers, in their basic struggle to survive in a new environment, relied heavily upon the knowledge of
the Native Americans of the region, who, as we
all know, shared their farming and cooking techniques. Primary amongst their foodstuffs was what
the Europeans called “Indian corn,” a useful vegetable that could feed humans and livestock alike.
The English newcomers were especially fortunate, for they actually arrived having brought
along virtually the same oven technology that the
locals were using here. According to William Woys
Weaver, in his republishing of A Quaker Woman’s
Cookbook, The Domestic Cookery of Elizabeth Ellicott Lea, (Stackpole Books, 2004), the Native American methods of cooking on a hearth using ash
closely resembled what was being used in England
at the time, nicely facilitating the exchange of recipes from one culture to the other. In this hearth
technique, kindling was placed inside the oven,
burned down to hot ash, and then pushed aside
making room for the item to be baked. The temperature would be controlled depending on how
much or how little ash was used.
A quick recipe from Clayton’s Quaker Cook-Book
by A.J. Clangtor
The primary example of a recipe passing ef-
An old beverage urn on display at the
Friends Meeting House of Flushing
As the flow of goods amongst the colonial
networks increased, giving the Dutch and British access to sugar from the Caribbean and fruit from Europe, everyone was able to replicate their traditional
recipes from home. While the Dutch were making
waffles and pancakes (poffertjes), doughnuts (oly
koeks), and cookies (koeckjens), the English Quakers
were baking meat-filled crusts (pyes), custard-filled
crusts (puddings), and fruit-filled crusts (tarts). In
Quaker households, these treats were taken with
tea, which was their hot preferred beverage, along
with apple cider, weak beer and wine.
Rosemary Vietor, who is a descendent of
John Bowne, and President of the Board of Trustees of the Bowne House Historical Society, http://
www.bownehouse.org/, is passionate about the
domestic and personal lives of the Bownes. As the
Bowne House undergoes a major renovation and
gets ready to celebrate its 300th anniversary, the
organization looks forward to better utilizing its
fantastic collection of decorative arts and house-
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hold items to tell the long and illustrious story of
the Bownes in Flushing. The house has a large collection of cooking utensils and, not surprisingly,
one of the only known cloam ovens in America, a
small brick oven covered in clay with an iron door
that uses ash.
To further investigate the broader history of
food in New York City, don’t miss “The Culinary History of New York: A Moveable Feast,” organized by
the Historic House Trust of New York City, taking
place at historic sites all across the City: http://www.
historichousetrust.org/page.php?p_id=61
For those who are interested in learning more about early American culinary technology, you can take a day-long course at
Hearth Studios in Smithtown, Long Island with
renowned food historian Dr. Alice Ross,
http://www.aliceross.com/.
- Written by Anne Shisler-Hughes
This article was used with permission from
Edible Queens magazine. See the original
article at www.ediblequeensblog.com
Bowne House Museum Summer Intern:
Shawn Chen, Stuyvesant High School
Research: Samuel Parsons
General Introduction:
Alexander Smith, the Scottish poet, once
said, “A man does not plant a tree for himself. He
plants it for posterity.” Samuel Parsons was an influential man, but most importantly he was a man
who believes in the value of preserving history, of
leaving a legacy so it can become a beacon for future generations to peer into the past of an everchanging world. This can be shown with Parsons’
opening of his nursery in 1837 and in the shrubs
and trees he planted in the name of beauty and
history. In the now bustling and growing township
of Flushing, Parsons’ trees play an ever more important role in preserving and reminding us of the halcyon days, when Flushing was just a serene town.
Mission:
Thus the mission statement of this section
will be to enlighten you, the reader, about the type,
location and history of plants cultivated by Samuel
Parsons and by the next two generations of Parsons/
Bownes in a philanthropic mission to beautify the
township of Flushing as well as to supply his famed
nursery, which was dissolved in 1907 (Flushing Evening Journal). Although many plants described cannot be physically seen by a tourist or resident of
Flushing today, the purpose of such descriptions is
to relish in the longevity and historical significance
of the extant plants. A secondary goal is to allow
the reader to conjure up an image for certain areas
in Flushing to show admiration for and and to pay a
silent respect to the beauty that was there to be en-
joyed by our forefathers. The world was a different
place a few centuries ago. Those residents from Parsons’ time cannot come to us, nor can we physically
come to them. However the plants of Parsons and
his nursery can serve as a spiritual bridge that will
bring his Flushing to us. By honoring the goals of his
horticultural legacy we pay tribute to the Flushing
that used to be.
History of Parsons Nursery:
Specific Plants Series:
It is easily and correctly assumed that
throughout the history of the Bowne/Parsons family in horticulture, their nursery would be the home
to thousands of plants ranging from those native
to North America as well as to the exotic plants
brought back to be cultivated by the Parsons during their distant horticultural excursions. In this section, some of the better known and valued plants
during the era of the Parsons’ Nursery will be described. These legendary plants and/or their stories
are landmarks of the famed nursery, and are either
still beautifully standing today to be admired or
have become a story of a forgotten beauty of long
ago which brings back vivid images of what Flushing may have looked like during its horticultural
hay-day.
The Weeping Beech of Flushing:
The first and most well known tree planted
by the Parsons is the Weeping Beech of Flushing.
Page 6
The Weeping Beech or Fagus sylvatica var. pendula (OPIN) is said to be first seen around 1817 in
Belgium (Flushing Evening Journal). The Weeping
Beech is a large tree in adulthood with branches
that seem to droop down to the ground. In 1845,
when Samuel B. Parsons was taking a horticultural
trip in Europe, he bought a seedling of a Weeping
Beech and carried it back to the States in his luggage (Flushing Evening Journal). At the time, the
Weeping Beech was only a small seedling. Upon arrival to the states, the Weeping Beech was planted
in Fox Lane on the lawn of Mrs. Samuel Jackson,
and after much nurturing by Parsons, the Weeping
Beech grew to become such a beauty that Sir Joseph
Hooker of Kew Gardens later declared it to be the
“finest tree of its kind in the world” (Flushing Evening Journal). This Weeping Beech, whose beauty
made it the standard of its fellow beeches in Belgium, has become the icon of its species in America,
for every Weeping Beech in American can trace its
genealogy to Parsons’ tree on Mrs. Jackson’s lawn
(Flushing Evening Journal). Although the original
tree no longer exists today in Flushing, its progeny
are still seen growing right next the Bowne House
Museum in Flushing (in the small park located towards Northern Boulevard). Weeping Beech Park
commemorates this famed tree.
Twin Fox Oaks, aka “Flushing Oaks”
A short distance away from where the celebrated Weeping Beech stood is a boulder that is
known to us as the George Fox Stone, named after
the famous English Quaker who preached to 500
people at the site. Adjacent to this boulder are two
oaks, one on each side. These two oaks became
known as the “Fox Oaks” or the “Flushing Oaks.”
The Fox Oaks are most likely native and common in
North America, so they are probably red or white
oaks.
The significance of these two Oaks and the
Fox Stone lies in what they represent. The Twin Fox
Oaks are emblems of religious freedom in Flushing.
The legacy of the Bowne House has always been
freedom of conscience and religious tolerance, as
shown in John Bowne’s acceptance of the Quakers,
a religious sect persecuted in Europe and in 17th
century America. The Fox Oaks, along with the
Bowne House, show a tradition of religious tolerance, one of the greatest examples of freedom that
America gave to the world.
Recollection Series:
The nursery played a major role in the lives
of many. Specifically to the Bownes who lived in
Flushing, the nursery has been a part of their glory
days. Their childhood memories have become embedded in them to an extent, and in certain documents, they recalled these memories to give us a
picture of what the nursery and the surrounding
area of Flushing looked like during the 19th and
early 20th century. The images invoked by the recollections may not be specific enough to give us the
exact species and location of every single plant in
the vicinity of the nursery, but they do give us, the
modern day visitor, a general picture as to what
Flushing was like. Oftentimes it is that general picture, along with our imagination that allows for
the greatest degree of appreciation.
Plants from the Memories of Robert E.
Parsons (Grandson of Samuel Parsons):
In 1934, during the laying of the cornerstone
for Barney’s market at the corner of Northern and
Parsons Boulevards, Robert E. Parsons was called to
on speak at the ceremony about the history of his
family, for the grounds of the market were formerly
the property of the Bowne/Parsons family. Many of
his recollections involve the nursery, which existed
during his childhood years.
According to Robert E. Parsons, at the
time of his childhood, Amity Street (modern day
Roosevelt Avenue), which ended around two hundred feet eastward of Parsons Boulevard, led to the
Parsons’ apple orchard. As you walk up a winding
road extending from the end of Amity Street (in
a northeasterly direction) until it intersects with a
lane that connects it to Broadway (Northern Boulevard) at a right angle, you have navigated around
the borders of the apple orchard (Daily Star). Near
cemetery circle (possibly in the plot of land surrounded today by 38th 147th Northern and 149th),
are numerous trees with wild grape vines hanging
down from them. Along the west of Colden Avenue, in between two creeks, there is a large area
of land in which salt hay was cut. Lastly, according
to Robert, if you walk along the part of Northern
Boulevard between Parsons Boulevard and Bowne
Street, there was a row of fourteen greenhouses
Page 7
and two cellars lining the roads which were used
for the propagation of plants (Daily Star).
Plants from “The Memories of Bertha R.
Parsons”:
From the memories of Bertha R. Parsons, we
get details of the greenhouses described by Robert.
According to her, the contents of the greenhouses were separated by species and that they were
often “filled with the pungent, piquant odor of
steam heat, soil and manure” (Bertha Parsons). This
goes along with Robert’s recollection of the greenhouses’ use as a propagation area for the nursery’s
new plant introductions.
Near the Weeping Beech, in the time of Bertha’s childhood, there was a drainage ditch “along
the cobbled courtyard and bordered Parsons Avenue” (Bertha Parsons). This drainage ditch was surrounded by a hawthorn hedge (Crataegus sp.) and
was probably located in the area between Weeping Beech Park and Parsons Boulevard, behind the
Bowne House property. South of the courtyard was
a hedge of arborvitae and hotbeds behind those
hedges. Also, according to Bertha, the entrance of
the nursery was moved from the corner of Broadway (Northern) and Bowne to the vicinity of a horse
chestnut tree on Bowne Lane (modern day Bowne
Street). Along both sides of what is now Bowne
Street were a series of “specimen show beds,” (Bertha Roberts) which probably played the same role
as modern day store display windows, showing off
the new exotic and native plants that were available at the Parsons Nursery. Along with these show
beds was a bed of cannas.
During the childhood of Bertha Parsons,
there was a cornfield at modern day Sanford Avenue and along Northern Boulevard there was a forest of hickory, chestnut, dogwood and many other
varieties of trees and bushes located across the
street from the nursery (Bertha Parsons). East of the
Parsons’ property in the wooded area of Broadway
was a black walnut tree (Juglans nigra) that stood
near the “gateway of barn lane” (Bertha Parsons).
Near the walnut tree was a row of hemlocks (Tsuga
canadensis) and east of those were nursery rows
that were the home to Green and Rivers Purple
Beeches. If you walked west of the house towards
Parsons and Percy Street back then, you would see
that between those two streets, there were nursery rows filled with trees that were claimed by the
master of Kew Gardens to be the finest collection
of rare and beautiful shrubs and trees.
Walking down the driveway east of the
Bowne House one found a sugar maple and in the
front yard, there were rhododendrons, an arch of
English elms, and a colorful Jorot beneath the elms.
In the “circle of the drive” (also in the vicinity of
the plot of land surrounded today by 38th 147th
Northern and 149th streets) were a myriad of trees
whose species names are recalled by Bertha. Plants
that were located there included: several magnolias, a holly tree , King Charles oak , silver birch,
silverbell , fringe tree, flowering quince, two weeping beeches, Sargent Weeping Hemlock, ginkgo,
weeping sophora, linden, Judas tree, Japanese cypress, and the green and red varieties of Japanese
Maples (Bertha Roberts). On the house itself, there
grew vines of honeysuckle and wisteria and to the
house’s northwestern border there were two beautiful tulip trees.
In the last part of Bertha’s recollections, she
talks about two paths in the center of the nursery. One path originated from Parsons Boulevard
between Amity and Lincoln (Roosevelt and 38th)
and went up to Northern Boulevard and the other
path was located between the Bowne House and
the Nursery Office (at the southeast corner of modern day Weeping Beech Park). At the northern end
of the first path was a persimmon and the second
path had snowdrops, violets, and blue-eyed grass.
Miscellaneous Series:
Along with the stories of famed plants and
the recollections of those Bownes/Parsons whose
childhood days were spent in the vicinity of the
nursery, there are many other ways, either subliminal or conspicuous, in which the family has left
their horticultural legacy for us. In this series, you
will see the references to the plants of Flushing
that originate from a variety of other sources, such
as Samuel Parsons Diary, letters to Parsons, photographs, interviews with experts, etc. Each source,
whether or not their purpose was to inform, inevitably provides vital information that allows the
reader to conjure up a better visual image of 19th
century Flushing.
Page 8
In Samuel Parsons’ journal, he mentions in
1838 that he was planting mulberries in front of
his house, which is probably the front yard of the
modern day Bowne House, where he lived. This
matches with the “mulberry madness,” which was
a mass buying/cultivating of weeping and silkworm
mulberries during that time period. From a letter
to Parsons from Hicks and Keene & Faulk (fellow
nurserymen), we also know that Parsons planted
Rhododendrons in places such as the Johnson’s
(possibly a neighbor) near the Bowne House.
From photos of the Bowne House in the
19th century, we can tell that there was an oak to
the left (removed by 1909) and a Japanese maple in
the yard of the Bowne House. In a back view of the
house, there was a Locust (removed by 1887) and a
Carolina Silverbell tree. In 1902, it can be seen that
the Parsons family had planted a fir tree in the far
right of the Bowne House garden and a pine on the
left. Across the street from the house, to the right
of the Fox Oaks, there was an evergreen and an ivy
covered church. Today we can also go down Bowne
Street, and we can see an ancient mossy cup oak
about 3 blocks south of the Bowne House and an
English Oak in juxtaposition to the park and to the
north of the Bowne House.
From photos and maps, it may be easily seen
that Northern Boulevard during the time of the
Parsons was a much different place than it is today.
For example, there is a pond at the western end
of Northern Boulevard (where the bridge is today)
which no longer exists (Bowne Farm Map). Also,
back then, the average street tree was different
from the average street tree today. Then, streets
like Northern Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue
would have been lined with American Elms (Ulmus
Americana), the street tree of the time, chosen for
their wine glass- like shape. Across the street from
what is now Flushing High School( a horticultural
accomplishment in itself), Northern Boulevard was
also lined with a row of beautiful pink and white
flowering trees identified as saucer magnolias. In
the vicinity of Flushing High School, to the right
was an open area where there were many trees,
including two weeping beeches and a tulip tree; in
front of the school (along the street) are four bald
cypresses which still exist today. Behind the cypresses are two beds of flowers (on either side of the
main walkway) consisting of rhododendrons and
azaleas, and spruces trees are found to the side of
the beds. Near Flushing High School, at Sanford Avenue near modern day 149th Street, is a European
Beech that was imported by the Parsons. The last
living remnant of Parsons Nursery is found in Kissena Park, at Parsons Boulevard and Rose Avenue.
Conclusion:
Samuel Parsons wished to beautify his Flushing birthplace through horticulture. Although the
1661 Bowne House is the last remnant of what was
once hundreds of acres owned by the Bowne/Parsons families, the plants that were grown by Parsons during the existence of the nursery and the
memories that these plants inspire have outlived
the dissolution of the nursery and serve to remind
us, the future generations, of the Flushing of our
forefathers. We should appreciate and respect the
extant Parsons plants for their longevity, and admire the beauty contributed by those plants no
longer with us. Whether alive or not, all of these
plants are an emblem of the past and they represent a legacy of Flushing’s horticultural history and
reminder of what one person with a vision can accomplish.
Source Section
1. Queens Library Archives, Long Island Division
2. Parsons Nursery and Co. Folder
•
Recollection of Bertha R. Parsons
•
Daily Star
•
Flushing Evening Journal
3. P-7: Parson Business and Miscellaneous
Documents Box 28H and 29
•
Samuel Parsons
•
Parsons and Co.
•
Robert B. Parsons
4. Parsons Nursery Catalog Set- Parsons & Co.
Greenhouse, Stove and Bedding
Printed By: John W. Averman
R631.521 P267C
Years: 1858, 1860, 1861 Autumn, 1862 No. 1 and
No. 2
5. Slides and Interviews with Chuck Wade and Fred
Gerber
Page 9
THE CIVIL WAR 1861-1865:
The Roles of Flushing and the Bowne family in America’s Struggle to Preserve the Union
This year, as we are celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Bowne House (1661-2011), we will
also commemorate the 150th anniversary of the
start of the Civil War. The war began with an assault
on Fort Sumpter, near Charleston, South Carolina on
April 12-13th 1861.The battle resulted in a victory for
the Confederates; the war had begun in earnest.
Many members of the Bowne family belonged to the Society of Friends (Quakers). While
their religion advocated peace and non-violence,
they were eager to help their country in other ways.
Some Quakers did enlist in the military, serving in
both the American Revolution and the Civil War. The
records of the National Park Service Civil War Soldier
and Sailor Database (www.civilwarnps.gov) show 36
men in the Union Army with the surname Bowne
from New York State. Several of these are named
John Bowne.
Another John Bowne, a descendant of Robert Bowne, founder of Bowne and Company (1775),
the financial printer, did not serve on active duty
but performed a vital and unique service through
his participation in the New York Sanitary Commission. The Sanitary Commission, a forerunner of today’s Red Cross, was formed in 1861 as a charitable
agency to aid soldiers. Its first executive secretary
was Frederick Law Olmstead, landscape architect for
New York’s Central Park.
In 1862, after the Battle of Bull Run, Olmstead discovered that soldiers were exhausted and
lacking in food and supplies. He dispatched doctors
and nurses to care for the soldiers, organized kitchens and obtained uniforms. The public responded
generously with donations, and over $4 million dollars were raised.
In 1862, volumes of letters from the families
of men serving in the military began to pour in; the
families were desperate for news of their loved ones.
A Hospital Directory was established to coordinate
inquiries with information coming from the front.
The Directory was run by John Bowne, an accountant in his grandfather’s firm, Bowne & Co. The Directory received reports from hundreds of hospitals
and recorded information on over 1 million soldiers
serving in the war.
The Hospital Directory became a clearing-
Officers of the Sanitary Commission
Photo courtesy of The Archives of the New York Public Library
house for information about Union soldiers. As a
humanitarian agency, it helped to locate missing
men. Communications were poor; information from
the front was slow to arrive and families waited for
months without learning the fate of loved ones. Often, wounded or dead soldiers remained unidentified. John Bowne responded to these many inquiries,
and tried to match the requests with information obtained from the hospitals. Often, the news was bad.
Mortality rates were very high, and those who were
fortunate enough to survive a battle sometimes succumbed to disease and infection in the hospital.
The many thousands of letters describing the
families’ desperate quests for information and the
efforts of the Sanitary Commission during the Civil
War were donated to the Astor Library, the forerunner of the New York Public Library, after the war’s
end. There are tens of thousands of letters, diaries,
logs and photos in the collections. The library has
preserved these documents and has raised funds to
preserve them and to create a database of all the
names on file in the collections. The library’s goal is
to create an online Civil War database.
Many men from Flushing served in the Civil
War. There is a monument in downtown Flushing,
on Northern Boulevard at Linden Street, opposite
the Quaker Meeting House, which commemorates
their service. The inscription reads as follows: “Erected in memory of the Patriotic Volunteers who sacrificed their lives in the War for the Preservation of the
Union 1861-1865”. The monument lists the names of
87 local men who perished in the Civil War.
Page 10
2011 - 2012 MEMBERSHIP DUES RENEWAL
THE BOWNE HOUSE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
37-01 Bowne Street, Flushing, NY 11354
789-359-0528
Individual
$25.
Student (non-voting)
$15.
Family
$50.
Sustaining Membership
$100.
Corporate Membership
$500.
Life Membership
(one time payment)
$1,000.
In addition to my dues, I would like to make a contribution in the amount
of $____________________________________________________________________
Signature_______________________________________________________________
•
* Life Members may receive, if they wish, a complimentary framed hand painted Life Member Certificate, personalized with calligraphy. Please list your name as you wish to
have it appear on the certificate.
•
•
•
Please print your name and address below as you would like them to appear on our
mailing list, as well as email, fax and phone so that we can better communicate with you.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Referral names and contact information: We welcome your suggestions of friends and family
who like to hear about the Society. Please list names and contact information on the reverse of
this page.
Page 11
The Bowne House
37-01 Bowne Street
Flushing, NY 11354
PRSRT STD
US Postage
PAID
Permit #2643
Newburgh, NY
The Bowne House
Circa 1661
Page 12