Research
The Paterson Museum welcomes researchers interested in the history of the City of Paterson and its citizens.
The Museum’s collection contains a variety of documentary resources on city history, which includes the papers of submarine inventor John P. Holland, original manuscripts, and a photographic collection consisting of approximately 250,000 negatives and prints.
The Paterson Museum contributes to the Digital Public Library of America. Click on the link to take a look at the resources we have made available on that platform: Click Here to Learn More
Accessing items in the collection for original research is by appointment only. Contact our curator, Heather Garside at (973)321-1260 or hgarside@patersonnj.gov to schedule an appointment.
Resources
Interested in learning more about Paterson’s history? Below you will find a list of digital resources that will help get you started.
General Timeline of African American History in Paterson, NJ
Literature
The Falls of the Passaic by Washington Irving
The poetry of Alfred Gibbs Campbell (1826-1884).
https://allpoetry.com/Alfred-Gibbs-Campbell
Natural History
The Birds of New Jersey by Charles Shriner, 1896.
https://archive.org/details/cu31924090288790/page/n3/mode/2up
The Story of Sandy Hill: a Geological Monograph by J.A. Craig, 1920
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc1.cu61270539&view=1up&seq=12
The Geological History of the Passaic Falls by William Nelson, 1892
General Paterson History
Four Chapters of Paterson History by Charles Shriner, 1919
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t2p55t84m&view=1up&seq=5
History of Bergen and Passaic Counties by W. Woodford Clayton, 1882
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t4vh5rb66&view=1up&seq=3
Historical Sketch of Schools in Paterson, by William Nelson, 1877
https://archive.org/details/historicalsketch00nels/page/n8/mode/2up
Cedar Lawn Cemetery, 1917
https://archive.org/details/cedarlawncemeter00pate/page/n7/mode/2up
History of the City of Paterson and the County of Passaic, New Jersey, by Nelson, William, 1901 https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofp01nels/page/n5/mode/2up
Paterson, New Jersey. Its Advantages for Manufacturing and Residence: its Industries, Prominent Men, Banks, Schools, Churches, etc., by Charles Shriner, 1890
https://archive.org/details/patersonnewjerse02shrine/page/n1/mode/2up
Address at the Unveiling of the Statue of Alexander Hamilton in the City of Paterson, New Jersey
by Nicholas Murray Butler, 1907
https://archive.org/details/addressatunveili00butl/page/n2/mode/2up
Records of the Township of Paterson, New Jersey, 1831-1851 : with the laws relating to the township ; extracts from contemporary newspapers, and notes by Nelson, William, 1895
https://archive.org/details/recordsoftownshi00nels/page/n5/mode/2up
History of the Fire and Police Departments of Paterson, N.J :Their Origin, Progress and Development, 1893.
https://archive.org/details/historyoffirepol00augu/page/n7/mode/2up
An Address to the People of New Jersey : by the Abolitionists of the State Favorable to Political Action Against American Slavery by State Convention of Abolitionists, 1841
https://archive.org/details/addresstopeopleo00stat/page/n2/mode/2up
The Van Houten Manuscripts; a Century of Historical Documents, Assessment Lists, Unrecorded Deeds, Vendues, Inventories, Bonds, Letters, Accounts, Pleadings in Law Suits, and Other Papers Relating to Men and Events, Manners and Customs, in the Olden Times in Paterson and Vicinity, complied by Willian Nelson, 1894
https://archive.org/details/vanhoutenmanuscr00vanh/page/n8/mode/2up
Pictorial Paterson. Embracing Views of Prominent Buildings, Scenes in the Parks, a Glimpse of the Falls and a Bird’s-Eye View of the City, 1903
https://archive.org/details/pictorialpaterso00pate/mode/2up
A Lecture on the City of Paterson, its past, present, and future: delivered by Ph. Dickerson, Esq. before the Paterson Educational Association, January 31, 1856, Ph. Dickerson, 1856
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101067017101&view=1up&seq=1
Views of Paterson, 1907.
https://archive.org/details/viewsofpatersonn00np/page/n3/mode/2up
History of Paterson and Its Environs, Volume 1, by William Nelson and Charles Shriner, 1920
https://archive.org/details/historyofpaterso01nels/page/n6/mode/2up
History of Paterson and Its Environs, Volume 2, by William Nelson and Charles Shriner, 1920
https://archive.org/details/historypaterson00shrigoog/page/n11/mode/2up
History of Paterson and Its Environs, Volume 3, by William Nelson and Charles Shriner, 1920
Historical and Statistical Memoranda Related to Passaic County New Jersey, compiled by William Nelson, 1874.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t56d63091&view=1up&seq=1
Early history of libraries in Paterson, by Irene Janes, 1949
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b164325&view=1up&seq=3
History of Bergen and Passaic Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Prominent Men, compiled by W. Woodford Clay, 1882. (Paterson on PDF page 591)
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t4vh5rb66&view=1up&seq=3
Industrial History
The Story of Wright Aero, Wright Aeronautical Corporation, 1928
First Name in Aviation … a Brief History of the Wright Aeronautical Corporation, Wright Aeronautical Corporation, 1942
Industrial and Commercial Correspondence of Alexander Hamilton, Anticipating his Report on Manufactures edited by Arthur Harrison Cole, 1928
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89094362027&view=1up&seq=371
The Founding of Paterson as the Intended Manufacturing Metropolis of the United States by William Nelson, 1887
Report on the Origin and Increase of the Paterson Manufactories and the Intended Diversion of their Waters by the Morris Canal Company by John Langdon Sullivan, 1828
Passaic Steel Company, Paterson, New Jersey, 1903.
https://archive.org/details/passaicsteelcomp00pass/mode/2up
Locomotives and locomotive building, being a brief sketch of the growth of the railroad system and of the various improvements in locomotive building in America together with a history of the origin and growth of the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works, Paterson, New Jersey, from 1831 to 1886, by Matthias Forney, 1886.
https://archive.org/details/locomotiveslocom00rogerich/page/n9/mode/2up
A History of Industrial Paterson, by Levi Trumbull, 1882
https://archive.org/details/historyofindustr00trum/page/n10/mode/2up
The Rogers Locomotive Company, 1897 Catalogue, 1897
https://archive.org/details/rogerslocomotive00roge/page/n7/mode/2up
The Submarine Torpedo Boat Holland: First Submarine to Become a Part of the United States Navy by Captain Frank T. Cable, 1943
First National Silk Convention: [exhibition] City Hall, Paterson, N.J., October 12th, to 21st., 1915, 1915
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=gri.ark:/13960/t3032g894&view=1up&seq=11
The Memoirs of a Silk Striker: an Exposure of the Principles and Tactics of the I.W.W.,
by John H. Steiger, 1914
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89063261358&view=1up&seq=16
Industrial localization and metropolitan growth: The Paterson-Passaic District, by James B. Kenyon, 1960
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b89369&view=1up&seq=13
“The Latest Naval Wonders for Destroying Battleships.” The Call, San Francisco, April 24, 1898 California https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1898-04-24/ed-1/seq-18/
“The Manufactures of Paterson, N.J” Scientific American, 1859
Part 1
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924080787587&view=1up&seq=286&skin=2021&q1=paterson
Part 2
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924080787587&view=1up&seq=302&skin=2021&q1=paterson
Part 3
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924080787587&view=1up&seq=318&skin=2021&q1=paterson
Part 4
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924080787587&view=1up&seq=334&skin=2021&q1=paterson
Religious History
The Pastor and the Church, or, Rev. John H. Duryea, D.D. by Theodore W. Wells, 1896
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433081788543&view=1up&seq=14
The First Presbyterian Church of Paterson, New Jersey, by William Nelson, 1893
https://archive.org/details/firstpresbyteri00nels/page/n6/mode/2up
History of the Old Dutch Church at Totowa, Paterson 1755-1827, by William Nelson, 1892
https://archive.org/details/historyofolddutc01nels/page/n8/mode/2up
A history of the First Presbyterian Church of Paterson, New Jersey by Clarence E. Macartney, 1913
https://archive.org/details/historyoffirstpr00maca/page/n4/mode/2up
Directory of churches in New Jersey, Volume XVI, Passaic County, prepared by The New Jersey Historical Records Survey Project, Division of Professional and Service Projects, Works Progress Administration, 1941.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015070150522&view=1up&seq=3
People
Paterson and Its Prominent Men, 1915
https://archive.org/details/patersonitspromi00pate/mode/2up
An Address Delivered June 24, 1812, at the funeral of Sarah Cumming, James Richards, 1812
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.090336718&view=1up&seq=6
Personal Names of Indians of New Jersey, Compiled by William Nelson
The Indians of New Jersey: their origin and development, manners and customs, language, religion and government: with notices of some Indian place names by William Nelson, 1894
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044043334291&view=1up&seq=7
African American Family Business in Paterson New Jersey, compiled by the American Folklife Center, 1994.
Paterson’s Hot Texas Weiner Tradition, compiled by the American Folklife Center, 1994.
Scorecard for baseball game between Paterson City Club and the Baltimore Black Sox, circa 1920s.
Letter from Alfred Gibbs Campbell to William Lloyd Garrison about the Paterson Antislavery Society, 1854.
https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:6h441m160
Books with References to Paterson
The American Universal Geography Or, A View of the Present State of All the Empires, Kingdoms, States, and Republics in the Known World, and of the United States in Particular. In Two Parts … · Part 1 by Jedidiah Morse, Samuel Webber · 1802 (Paterson on PDF page 514)
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hxj3s2&view=1up&seq=7
The Resources of the United States of America; or, A view of the Agricultural, Commercial, Manufacturing, Financial, Political, Literary, Moral and Religious Capacity and Character of the American People By John Bristed, counsellor at law, 1818 (Paterson on PDF pages 83-84)
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t8jd57504&view=1up&seq=83
An Historical, Topographical, and Statistical View of the United States of America: from the Earliest Period to the Present Time Vol. 2 by the Rev. William Winterbotham and others, 1819
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.79345694&view=1up&seq=392
Travels through the United States of America, in the years 1806 & 1807, and 1809, 1810, & 1811; including an account of passages betwixt America & Britain, Ireland, and Canada. With corrections and improvements till 1815. With an appendix, containing a letter from Clements Burleigh, esq. to Irish emigrants removing to America, and hints, by the Shamroc Society, New-York, to emigrants from Europe — by John Melish, 1818 (Paterson on PDF page 123)
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433115687778&view=1up&seq=119
The illustrated Hand-Book, a New Guide for Travelers Through the United States of America by John Calvin Smith, 1851 (Paterson on PDF page 88)
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t5t735j5t&view=1up&seq=88
Appletons’ New and Complete United States Guide Book for Travellers; Embracing the Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western States, Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, etc. by W. Williams, 1851
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044058141862&view=1up&seq=293
Letter from William Lloyd Garrison to Eliza Garrison about his visit to Paterson, 1869.
https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:cv43s490w
Journal of a March a Battle and a Water-Fall By Major James McHenry Secretary to His Excellency General Washington, by Major James McHenry, 1778.
Politics
Great leaders and national issues of 1896: containing the lives of the Republican and Democratic candidates for president and vice-president, biographical sketches of the leading men of all parties … together with a full presentation of the live questions of the day, including the tariff, gold and silver, Cuba, Armenia, Venezuela, Monroe doctrine, etc. By Edward S. Ellis, 1896
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo1.ark:/13960/t3417jn4x&view=1up&seq=544&skin=2021
Life and distinguished services of Hon. Wm. McKinley and the great issues of 1896, containing also a sketch of the life of Garret A. Hobart By Murat Halstead,
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062350247&view=1up&seq=453&skin=2021
Vice Presidents of the United States, 1789-1993, by Mark O. Hatfield, 1997.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=msu.31293011989286&view=1up&seq=315&skin=2021&q1=Hobart
Instruction Book for Wright Aviation Engines, by Wright Aeronautical Corporation, 1924.
https://archive.org/details/instructionbookf00wrig/page/n5/mode/2up
1896: The great campaign or political struggles of parties, leaders and issues covering every phase of the vital questions of the day; protection; the gold standard, including platforms of all parties and biographies of the presidential candidates, the whole forming a complete handbook of political information voter’s guide and instructor. By Lawrence F. Prescott, 1896.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435015179294&view=1up&seq=39&skin=2021&q1=hobart
One of the people: life and speeches of William McKinley, citizen, soldier, congressman, governor and presidential candidate. Embracing a complete report of the proceedings of the St. Louis convention. To which is added a brief sketch of Garret A. Hobart, candidate for Vice-President, by Byron Andrews, 1896.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31970017314524&view=1up&seq=395&skin=2021&q1=hobart
Memories by Mrs. Garret A. Hobart (Ester Jane “Jennie” Tuttle Hobart), 1930.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b727615&view=1up&seq=7&skin=2021
Address of Honorable John W. Griggs at the unveiling of the statue of Garret Augustus Hobart by John W. Griggs, 1903.
https://archive.org/details/addressofhonorab01grig/page/4/mode/2up
William Paterson, by Charles Shriner, 1940.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3287046&view=1up&seq=1