Ingrid JamisonResearcher, 2008–Present

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Ingrid Jamison began work on the project by researching the New York and College Point Ferry that William Steinway purchased in 1890–1891 to serve North Beach and the Harlem Market. She also researched several women mentioned in the diary who were involved in music and charitable organizations such as the German Ladies’ Society for the Relief of Destitute Widows, Orphans, and Sick Persons (Frauenverein).

These assignments led to Jamison’s primary area of research: the German Liederkranz of New York City. The “L.K.,” as William calls it in his diary, was the premiere German singing society in 19th-century New York City. Its concerts supported many charitable efforts, including the Frauenverein. Jamison is currently researching the activities of the Liederkranz, which is probably mentioned more often in William’s diary than any other organization, and appears in both William’s first and his final diary entries.

Jamison is a first-generation American, the daughter of German immigrants. She is a native New Yorker and grew up in College Point. She holds a graduate degree in library science. Jamison has worked in the Washington, DC area and in New York City, where she held her first position at the New York City Hall Library, the official depository for all City agency published reports and studies. Jamison is married and has one daughter.