Joseph A. Boromé Papers

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Extent

• 4 lin. ft. (4 record cartons)

Scope/Contents Note

The Joseph A. Boromé papers consists of his published and unpublished writings on Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian revolution, the island of Dominica, the English and African-American abolitionists John Candler and RobertPurvis, the Underground Railroad, the First Vigilant Committee of Philadelphia, and the African-American spiritualist lecturer and trance medium Paschal Beverly Randolph. The collection also includes research correspondence, notes, copies of historical documents and scrapbooks. One of the scrapbooks contains news clippings about Boromé's early career as a librarian at Columbia University and as the recipient of two research fellowships (1943-1953), as well as reviews he wrote for library journals. The other scrapbook documents his research trip to Dominica in 1953. Additional material in this collection include lists of Dominican and Barbadian organizations in New York City, his doctoral dissertation The Life and Letters of Justin Winsor, letters written to his mother Edith Boromé from 1947 to 1971, several drawings by Boromé, and family memorabilia including materials pertaining to the Dominica Benevolent Association and to his father Louis J. Boromé (1888-1922).

Biographical/Historical Note

Joseph Alfred Boromé was an historian who compiled and edited the correspondence of diverse figures, from librarian and scholar Justin Winsor and Reconstruction Senator Hiram Revels to English abolitionist John Candler and Haitian historical figure Toussaint Louverture. A native New Yorker of Caribbean descent, Boromé's parents were from the island of Dominica. He began his career as alibrarian, and was head of the Burgess Library at ColumbiaUniversity (1949-1950) followed by a long career as professor of history at City College in New York (1950-1984). He authored two books, "Charles Coffin Jewett" (1951) and "Toussaint Louverture, a Life with Letters" (1984), numerous articles, and wrote extensively on Dominica. Boromé died in 2002.

Controlled Access Terms

• Boromé, Joseph Alfred, 1919-2002.
• Winsor, Justin, 1831-1897.
• Toussaint Louverture, 1743-1803.
• Purvis, Robert, 1810-1898.
• Candler, John, 1787-1869.
• Randolph, Paschal Beverly, 1825-1874.
• Vigilant Committee of Philadelphia.
• Dominica Benevolent Association (New York, N.Y.)
• African American librarians -- New York (State) -- New York.
• Librarians -- New York (State) -- New York.
• African Americans -- Intellectual life.
• African American abolitionists.
• Spiritualism.
• Rosicrucians.
• Haiti -- History -- Revolution, 1791-1804.
• Dominica -- History.
• Black author.