Scope and Contents of the Collection
New York Port of Embarkation material
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Overview of the Collection |
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Creator: | Van Sinderen, Adrian, 1887-1963. |
Title: | Adrian Van Sinderen Papers |
Inclusive Dates: | 1916-1963 |
Quantity: | 6 linear ft. |
Abstract: | Papers of the American corporation executive, philanthropist, author. Collection includes writings by Van Sinderen, annual reports and other publications of the American Horse Shows Association and the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences; and a sizable amount of records relating to ship traffic through the New York Port of Embarkation in the years surrounding World War II |
Language: | English |
Repository: | Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Ave., Suite 600 Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center/university-archives |
Adrian Van Sinderen (1887-1963) was an American banker, businessman and civic leader. A man of many and diverse interests, he was also an active traveler, a breeder and shower of ponies, and became well-known as a book collector.
Early in his career Van Sinderen worked for J.P. Morgan. He eventually sat on the board of directors for the New York Telephone Company and Manufacturers Trust Company. A graduate of Yale University (1910), he established Yale's Adrian Van Sinderen Book Collecting Prizes for Sophomores and Seniors in 1957, to encourage students to begin building their book collections. During World War I, he worked in the Quartermaster Corps at the New York Port of Embarkation in Hoboken, New Jersey, being discharged as a Major in 1919. His love of show horses is evident in his long association with the American Horse Shows Association, where he was president of that organization for over 20 years. A Brooklyn resident, Van Sinderen supported and was involved in many philanthropic causes of his hometown, including the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, Brooklyn Hospital, and the Brooklyn Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. He and his wife donated their 650-acre Connecticut country property, Hidden Valley, to the Steep Rock Association land trust, whose mission is to protect ecologically and historically significant landscapes and riparian corridors. As of 2025, the SRA held in trust more than 1300 acres across the state.
The Adrian Van Sinderen Papers consists of memorabilia, New York Port of Embarkation material, organizational material, and writings.
Memorabilia, the smallest part of the collection, contains awards, programs, and other souvenirs from various events or recognitions.
New York Port of Embarkation material (at the time Van Sinderen was there, this was called Headquarters, Port of Embarkation, Hoboken, NJ) consists of five highly organized scrapbooks that detail the comings and goings of vessels in and out of the Port of New York during the time Van Sinderen worked there in the years surrounding World War I. The first four notebooks are arranged alphabetically by ship name. For each ship there is a typed list detailing dates of movements in and out of New York Harbor and various maintenance or other activities; for many of the ships there are miniature blueprints of the ship's layout, and in some cases there are clippings of news items about the ship (for example, if it was torpedoed en route to Europe) and/or photographs. The fifth scrapbook is more general and contains miscellaneous material such as official memos, maps, clippings and reports. Some clippings have been photocopied to preserve them. There is also a handwritten volume of miscellaneous information.
Organizational material contains annual reports and other material relating to organizations with which Van Sinderen was involved, such as the American Horse Shows Association, Brooklyn Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and The Rembrandt Club.
The bulk of Writings consists of what Van Sinderen called "Christmas Books," which was a series of books he wrote and gave as gifts at Christmas time. Beginning in 1935 and going on for 25 years, these books are wide-ranging in content, rich in history, geography, travel, famous people, memoirs and reminiscences. Also in this series are articles and speeches on a range of topics for a variety of occasions.
Most of the collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material or name of originating organization. The exception is Writings, which is subdivided by type (articles, Christmas books, etc.) and arranged chronologically within each type.
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Most of the books have been transferred to Rare Books for cataloging. Please refer to Libraries Search and search on "gift of adrian van sinderen" to locate these items.
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Adrian Van Sinderen Papers
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Gift of Mrs. Adrian Van Sinderen, 1964.
Created by: [Summit record]
Date: 1 Jan 2001
Revision history: 15 Mar 2010 - converted to EAD (MRC);
12 May 2025 - collection processed (MS)
Memorabilia | |||||||||||
Awards | |||||||||||
Oversize 1 | American Horse Shows Association - record of Van Sinderen's activities | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Downtown Brooklyn Association Gold Medal 1933 - mostly letters of congratulation | ||||||||||
Events | |||||||||||
Box 1 | Brooklyn Savings Bank dinner 1947 - includes photograph | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Children's Museum (Brooklyn) Golden Anniversary Dinner 1949 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Christmas Dinner from Lucius Boomer at Waldorf-Astoria 1944 | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Metropolitan Opera House Opera Ball 1933 - includes correspondence | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Syracuse University Commencement 1948 - includes photograph | ||||||||||
Box 1 | World War I 1917-1919 |
New York Port of Embarkation material | |||||||||||
At the time Van Sinderen was there, this was called Headquarters, Port of Embarkation, Hoboken, NJ. | |||||||||||
Box 1 | "An Atlantic Port April 7, 1917 to November 11, 1918" commemorative booklet | ||||||||||
Box 1 | Ships' records, ship names A-L 1917-1919 (5 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Ships' records, ship names M-Z 1917-1919 (6 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Ships' records, miscellaneous 1917-1919 (3 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 2 | Unidentified record book 1918 |
Organizational material | |||||||||||
American Horse Shows Association (AHSA) | |||||||||||
Box 3 | Annual President's Report 1941-1963 (3 folders) | ||||||||||
Oversize 1 | Horse Show 1938-1940, 1959 - official report of the AHSA, edited by Van Sinderen | ||||||||||
Box 3 | Minutes, bound 1937-1951 (3 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 4 | Minutes, bound 1951-1959 (5 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 5 | Minutes, bound 1959-1962 (4 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 6 | Miscellaneous 1934-1937, 1949, 1955 | ||||||||||
Box 6 | Brooklyn Hospital 1934, 1946 - journal; reference bulletin | ||||||||||
Box 6 | Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences 1924, 1942-1949 (5 folders) | ||||||||||
Contained here are publications and reports from a number of cultural and social institutions, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn Children's Museum, Brooklyn Museum, and Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Of particular interest is a Golden Anniversary brochure for the Brooklyn Children's Museum, entirely written and illustrated by children. | |||||||||||
Box 6 | Brooklyn Savings Bank 1930, 1944-1946 - reports; commemorative booklet | ||||||||||
Box 7 | Brooklyn Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children 1921-1935 - annual reports (2 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 7 | Committee to Study Visiting Nursing 1924 - report, sponsored by the National Organization for Public Health Nursing | ||||||||||
Box 7 | Elihu Club 1952-1954 - minutes, meeting notes, correspondence | ||||||||||
Box 7 | Hunter College 1916 - proceedings of the Board of Trustees | ||||||||||
Box 7 | The Rembrandt Club 1930, 1937 - 50th anniversary year book; supplement |
Writings | |||||||||||
Box 3 | Articles, A-Z by title 1939-1960 (3 folders) | ||||||||||
Christmas books - written each year by Van Sinderen, privately printed and distributed to friends and family as Christmas gifts | |||||||||||
Box 7 | Important Beginnings 1936 | ||||||||||
Box 8 | Adventures in Experience 1938 | ||||||||||
Box 8 | As We Go Galloping On 1939 | ||||||||||
Box 8 | Vagaries and Verities 1940 - proof and typescript copy (2 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 8 | In Quest of Oases 1941 | ||||||||||
Box 8 | A Yuletide Phantasmagoria 1942 | ||||||||||
Box 8 | The Fifth Year, A Further Chronicle of World War II 1944 | ||||||||||
Box 8 | A Journey into Neolithic Times 1947 | ||||||||||
Box 8 | Isthmus Maximus 1948 | ||||||||||
Box 8 | Blake, the Mystic Genius 1949 | ||||||||||
Box 8 | Africa, Land of Many Lands 1950 | ||||||||||
Box 8 | The Country of the Mountains of the Moon 1951 | ||||||||||
Box 9 | Foundation Stones 1952 | ||||||||||
Box 9 | From the Canal to the Horn 1953 | ||||||||||
Box 9 | The Lure of the Middle East 1954 | ||||||||||
Box 9 | A Passage to India 1955 | ||||||||||
Box 9 | An Illustrious Company 1956 - pp. 1-391; includes printed excerpts booklet (6 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 10 | An Illustrious Company 1956 - pp. 392-418 | ||||||||||
Box 10 | Our Home in the Countryside 1957 | ||||||||||
Box 10 | A Voyage Through the Azure Seas 1958 (2 copies in 2 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 10 | The Other Half of the Earth 1959 (2 folders) | ||||||||||
Oversize 2 | The Other Half of the Earth [copy 2] 1959 | ||||||||||
Box 10 | Diary of transcontinental auto trip 1919 | ||||||||||
Speeches | |||||||||||
Box 10 | Speeches, by year 1930-1956 (3 folders) | ||||||||||
Box 11 | Speeches, by year 1957-1962, undated (2 folders) | ||||||||||
Miscellaneous | |||||||||||
Box 11 | American Horse Shows Association 1917-1960 | ||||||||||
Box 11 | Behind the Scenes at a Horse Show 1948 | ||||||||||
Box 11 | Twixt Twilight and Taps undated |