About Archives & Special Collections
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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.
Helen Zunser Wurtis Collection. 3 Toedteberg Room Packages.
ArMs 1977.351
The daughter of Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, Helen Zunser Wortis (1906-1976) was a humanitarian and scholar. In her personal life Mrs. Wortis was actively involved in community affairs and various charities.
The Helen Zunser Wortis collection consists mainly of research notes compiled by Mrs. Wortis. The research is mostly dedicated to slavery and the Black population on Long Island, and Shelter Island history. The collection also contains articles published by Mrs. Wortis in the Journal of Long Island History and Long Island Forum, as well as a copy of her memorial service, among other materials.
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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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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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Thomas Messenger Family Papers, 1829-1923 (Bulk dates: 1853-1881). 3 Record Cartons (3 Cubic Feet).
ArMs 1978.124
Thomas Messenger (1810-1881) was a prominent landowner and businessman. Born in the county of Surrey in Southeast England, Messenger’s family relocated to America when he was very young and settled in Great Neck, Long Island. As an adult, Messenger would continue to reside in Great Neck with his wife and daughters, eventually coming to own the largest plot of land in Long Island and being elected President of the Queens County Agricultural Society. Along with their Long Island farm, the Messengers also resided at a property in Brooklyn Heights. Messenger and his brother, Harry, founded the tobacco company T. & H. Messenger & Co., which held its headquarters in New York City, and Messenger served as President of the Brooklyn Bank for twenty-five years until his death in 1881. The Messengers were also well known for their generous donations to both All Saints’ Church and St. Ann’s Church in Brooklyn.
The collection consists of 3 cubic feet of personal and business papers associated with Thomas Messenger and his family. The materials conveyed in the collection primarily consist of handwritten personal and business correspondences, as well as receipts, ephemera, insurance policies, writings and business transactions. The bulk of the collection comprises of materials written for or by Thomas Messenger. Correspondences to his wife, Ann, and youngest daughter, Marie, are also represented within the papers. The materials are primarily in English, but there are materials also written in French, Italian, and German, reflecting the extensive traveling the Messenger Family did oversees ca. 1874.
Access Points:
Personal Names
Messenger, Ann
Messenger, Harry
Messenger, Marie Gerard
Messenger, Thomas
Corporate Names
Brooklyn Bank (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
St. Ann’s Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
T. & H. Messenger & Co.
Geographic Names
Great Neck (N.Y.)
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Manhattan (New York, N.Y.)
Westchester Co., N.Y.
Subjects
Banking
Tobacco industry New York (State) New York.
Travel
Long Island Railroad
Queens County Agricultural Society (N.Y.)
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Lefferts Family Collection (1671-1980). 6 record cartons, 1 document box, 1 flat box (7 cubic feet).
ArMs 2006.004
Since the eighteenth century, the Lefferts family, decended from the Dutch settlers of New York, has fostered a notable Brooklyn legacy, anchored by such family members as Pieter Leffert, a farmer, army lieutenant, and judge, who in 1783 built a farmhouse in Flatbush that has remained a Brooklyn landmark, currently standing in Prospect Park and housing the Lefferts Historic House Museum; and Gertrude Lefferts Vanderbilt, Pieter’s granddaughter, who documented her family life and that of the Flatbush community in The Social History of Flatbush, published in 1881.
This collection was originally discovered in the Lefferts family’s summer home in Bellport, Long Island, built by James Leffert in 1917. The collection, spanning the mid-17th century through mid-20th century, includes personal family books and letters, archival documentation, slave bills of sale, indentures, manuscripts, business and legal papers, newspaper clippings, a sub-division map of John Lefferts’s Flatbush property, as well as visual arts materials: scrapbooks, glass slides, photographs, and other materials from the Flatbush- and extended Lefferts family branches. It also includes information on other multi-generational Brooklyn families.
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Meeker Brothers Land Records Collection, 1757-1882. 3 document boxes (1.5 cubic feet).
ArMs 1977.236 and 1977.247
This collection contains land records from the Brooklyn law office files of Samuel M. and David E. Meeker, located at 64 Broadway in Williamsburg, an independent Long Island city until its merger with Brooklyn in 1855. The records include mortgages, deeds, title abstracts, tax bills, wills, and correspondence relating to Brooklyn property transactions from 1757-1882. The collection is arranged by street address and/or approximate location. Names associated with the listed properties are also included.
Access Points:
- Meeker, Samuel M.
- Meeker, David E.
- Land titles- Brooklyn (New York, New York)
- Deeds- Brooklyn (New York, New York)
- Lawyers- Brooklyn (New York, New York)
- Mortgages- Brooklyn (New York, New York)
- Wills- Brooklyn (New York, New York)
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Saretta Hicks Papers, 1963-1965. 4 boxes (2 cubic feet).
AccNo 1978.170 and 1980.003
This collection consists of papers gathered and, in many cases, written by author Saretta G. Hicks. The material includes her notes and research for an unfinished book about Lady Deborah Moody titled Dangerous Woman: A Biography of Deborah, Lady Moody of Coney Island. Lady Moody is best known as the founder of the town of Gravesend in what was then New Amsterdam and later became a part of Brooklyn, New York.
The collection was donated to the Brooklyn Historical Society in two parts (1978.170 and 1980.003). Each accession number is treated as a separate series. The first of these, 1978.170, contains Ms. Hicks’ research and related correspondence. The second part, 1980.003, contains the manuscript, chapter outlines and indexes. The collection contains undated materials and is organized by topic. Of particular note is the inclusion of copies of original documents pertaining to Lady Moody’s family history. There is also a four page typed transcript of Gravesend town meeting records from 1656.
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