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Brooklyn Voter Registries (1872-1897, 1930-1937)
The Brooklyn Historical Society’s collection of voter registries represents the voting population in Brooklyn both before and after its consolidation as part of the City of New York. Registries reflecting Brooklyn as an independent city prior to consolidation span the period 1872-1897, while post-consolidation registries only cover the years 1930-1937. Currently, all registries are available to researchers in their original physical format.
The organization of the voter registries is mainly a numerical scheme, with the broadest level of arrangement being contingent on ward number (or, in the case of the post-consolidation registries, assembly district number). Each ward or assembly district is further broken down numerically by election district, then alphabetically by street. Finally, within each street listing, individual voters are listed by their residence numbers. Some registries, particularly those dating from the earlier periods, are also accompanied by an alphabetical index to street numbers, as well as a description of election district boundaries.
Each registry also contains specific personal information regarding every registered voter that may be helpful to researchers. For example, all registries include such details as a voter’s age; how long each voter has lived in the state, county, and district; as well as any special remarks deemed useful by the Board of Elections, such as whether a voter is an African American, and whether a voter is illiterate or disabled. Some registries include further descriptive information, such as a voter’s height, weight, hair color, and distinguishing features.
This collection is an especially excellent resource for researchers interested in Brooklyn’s housing history and/or genealogy. While there is no appointment necessary to view the collection, please be advised that the majority of the registries are in extremely fragile condition and should be handled with the utmost care.
Eardeley Genealogy Collection
William Applebie Daniel Eardeley (1870-1935) was a prolific genealogist hailing from Brooklyn, NY. Over the course of his career he amassed an extensive collection of genealogical information concerning families from all parts of the state of New York. The Brooklyn Historical Society has made Eardeley’s collection available to researchers on microfilm.
The Eardeley Collection consists of two components, the Manuscript Collection and the New York State Abstracts of Wills. The Manuscript Collection contains 14 reels of Eardeley’s handwritten notes, which he copied from original documentation in institutions across the state. The reels are arranged alphabetically by family last name. Each family file may contain any number of pages; some files consist of only 1 page while others number over 200 pages. Consequently, the scope of information included in each family file varies, but generally ranges from a family member’s date of birth/death, town of residence, and names and dates of birth/death of the deceased’s spouse and children, to titles of inheritance and copies of wills and deeds. The date range covered by the collection is quite extensive, reaching as far back as the time of New York’s founding up to the early twentieth century. The Manuscript Collection is accompanied by a printed index listing each family last name in alphabetical order and the corresponding reel on which the family file can be found. (Click here for an alphabetical listing of family names included in the collection).
The New York State Abstracts of Wills is comprised of 11 reels organized alphabetically by county name. The reels consist of abstracts of wills, administrations and guardianships compiled by Eardeley during the period 1929-1933, which he copied from original estate proceedings in the counties of New York. The abstracts generally cover the years 1787-1835, and each county file can range from several hundred pages to over a thousand pages. In addition, Eardeley indexed on 3×5 cards all the names in his abstracts, i.e., those of the decendents, executors, administrators, petitioners, guardians, witnesses, named beneficiaries and minor children. This index is available on a collection of 7 microfilm reels and is arranged alphabetically by last name. Each 3×5 card contains an individual’s name, date of death (if applicable), town of residence, and page number on which the indexed person can be found within the corresponding county file.
The Eardeley Genealogy Collection is a valuable resource for researchers seeking genealogical information on individuals across the state of New York from the time of its founding up to the early twentieth century. There is no appointment required to view this collection.
Brooklyn and Long Island Scrapbooks, ca. 1860-1960
This collection is an accumulation of clippings from numerous Brooklyn and Long Island newspapers and magazines during the period ca. 1860-1960. The original clippings were assembled by staff members of the Brooklyn Historical Society. Due to the deterioration of the original clippings, they now exist only on microfilm. The collection numbers a total of 168 volumes, and its exhaustive scope makes it an excellent account of daily life in Long Island and Brooklyn from the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries.
The collection is accompanied by a navigational card index, which is separated into two sections, one dedicated to Long Island, the other to Brooklyn. Within each major division, the catalog is organized alphabetically by subject, individual, or business/organization. Each card lists the volume and page numbers on which its described contents can be found.
Newspapers and magazines represented in the collection include The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, The Brooklyn Times, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Harper’s Weekly, Suffolk County News, The Long Island Forum, The Long Island Press, The World-Journal Tribune, and The New York Mirror, among many others.
There is no appointment necessary to view this collection.
Marriage and Death Records from The Long Island Star (1809-1863), 1809-1845
The Brooklyn Historical Society possesses the entire run of The Long Island Star, which lasted from 1809 to 1863. The collection is on microfilm only and is accompanied by a navigational card index documenting the occurrence of marriage and death records posted in the newspaper between the years 1809 and 1845.
Information included in marriage records relates to the place and date of the ceremony, immediate family members and places of origin of the newlyweds, and, occasionally, the reverend who performed the service.
Information included in death records relates to the deceased’s relation to the Long Island/Brooklyn area, place and date of death, immediate familial and spousal relations, and occupation and/or titles of distinction. Occasional mentions are also made regarding place of birth, site of funerary ceremony, place of burial, and the family line of the deceased.
This collection is an excellent resource for genealogy researchers. No appointment is necessary to view this collection.
The Dick Family Papers. 1 folder.
ArMs 1985.1
Archibald L. Dick (c.1793- 1856) of Brooklyn worked as an engraver, while his son, James L. Dick (c.J.833-l868), was an artist. James was also one of the founding members of the Brooklyn Art School and Academy of Design.
The Dick Family Papers consist of 26 items concerning the business affairs and careers of both Archibald and James Dick. Included in the collection are business documents, deeds, mortgages, wills, correspondence, engravings by Archibald Dick, James Dick’s obituary notice, and a photograph of James Dick in Civil War-era uniform, among other items.
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Nehemiah Denton Papers (1785 - 1844). 3 linear inches.
AccNo 1977.171
Nehemiah Denton (1773-1844) was born in Jamaica, N.Y. His family were descended from Rev. Richard Denton who came to Hempstead, L.I. in 1650. He was related to Daniel Denton, one of the first settlers of Jamaica. Nehemiah Denton was a miller in Gowanus and a merchant in New York, and also owned land in Brooklyn. He attended the Dutch Reformed Church in Brooklyn and was appointed Elder in 1824. He was the director of Brooklyn’s first bank, the Long Island Bank, and was an assessor for the Town of Brooklyn in the 1820s and 30s.
The Nehemiah Denton Papers consist of more than 300 items in manuscript relating to the personal and business concerns of Denton. The time period covered is from 1785 to 1844, with the major portion of the collection dating from the late 1830s to 1844. The bulk of the material in the collection is in the form of legal papers, deeds, bills, receipts and account books. Items of special interest in this collection include a license to use the patented milling machinery designed by Oliver Evans, with a diagram of the machine on the back; and a bill of sale dated 1808 showing the purchase of a sixteen-year-old black boy for $80. Also, among the account books is one detailing the names and amounts paid by pew renters of the Dutch Reformed Church in Brooklyn from 1819 to 1826. Finally, Denton’s brother, Samuel, as well as a cousin named William Skidmore, are also briefly represented.
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Records of the Central Congregational Society and Church (now Cadman Memorial Church), 1845-1945. 5 record cartons, 3 over-size.
ArMs 1989.003
The Central Congregational Society and Church was founded in 1858. In 1939 it was re-named in memory of Dr. Samuel Parkes Cadman (1864-1936), the church’s highly respected pastor and the leading Congregational clergyman in the US, as well as the first US radio preacher. In the 1950’s the church merged with the Clinton Avenue Congregational Church at the latter’s location, and afterward came to be known as “Cadman Memorial Congregational Church.”
This collection includes papers, correspondence, account books, deeds, bills, and publications from the Central Congregational Society of Brooklyn and its affiliates. Also included are member lists and baptism records that may be of particular interest to genealogists.
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Bishop Family Papers (1828-1879)
ArMs 1977.316
The Reverend Alexander Hamilton Bishop was pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church in Astoria, Long Island. His wife, Susan Holmes (1817-1847), was the daughter of Obadiah Holmes (1790-1867) and Sarah Van Wyck (1793-1825), who descended from two well-known Long Island families.
The Bishop Family Papers are a collection of two play scripts written by Reverend Bishop, a family almanac with added pages noting weather conditions, family correspondence, and a journal kept by Susan Holmes during a trip to Europe, Asia Minor, and Africa before her marriage to Reverend Bishop.
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Terhune-Wyckoff Family Papers (1747-1932). 10 linear inches.
ArMs 1977.192
Albert Terhune (1715-1806) was a supervisor of the town of Gravesend, a member of the Gravesend Dutch Reformed Church (ca.1766) and an elder of that church (ca.1795). Upon his death, he left a sizable estate to his six surviving children (three sons and three daughters). One of his sons, John (1767-1842), was a judge in Gravesend and a supervisor of that town during the 1810’s and 20’s, and a founder of the Gravesend & Coney Island Road & Bridge Company. Before his death, he wrote but failed to execute a will, and upon his passing his estate was administered by the sons of his sister Margaret, Albert Wyckoff and Jacob V.D. Wyckoff (1805-57), a New York hardware merchant.
The Terhune-Wyckoff Papers span the years 1747-1932. They are primarily the records of family finances and estates administration for the period 1800-58. The bulk of the material in the collection is in the form of bills, receipts and promissory notes issued by or to the Terhune brothers, and notes or records kept by administrators of the estates of several Terhunes and Wyckoffs.
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Lawrence Family Papers (1759-1852). 3 boxes (1.6 cubic feet).
ArMs 1977.105
This collection contains log books, account books, journals, and day books belonging to the Lawrences of Bayside and Flushing, N.Y.
Joseph Lawrence (1741-?) was a merchant captain from Flushing. He was at one time employed by Samuel Townsend, who was the son of one of the first settlers of Oyster Bay, L.I. One of Townsend’s vessels, the brig Audrey, built some time before the Revolution, was commanded by Joseph’s brother, Effingham. Another brother, John L., (1731-?) may be the “John” who appears on the cover of an account book in this collection. Joseph’s son, Effingham, was a judge in Queens County in the early 19th century. He lived at the family homestead, “Stone-House,” in Bayside and was possibly the source of the later account books.
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