Archives & Library Special Collections
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Call Number: 1979.021
Extent: 3.75 Linear feet, in 9 document boxes.
This collection comprises the subject files of the Downtown Brooklyn Development Association. The association was founded in 1929 as a civic group concerned with the problems of the business and shopping center in downtown Brooklyn. The papers are news clippings, correspondence, brochures, newsletters, pamphlets, legislative documents, photographs, city plans and maps, and other items relating to organizations and causes with which the association was involved. The majority of the documents were produced by external bodies or individuals but were integral the association’s activities. The three subjects most comprehensively addressed are the development of the Brooklyn Civic Center (Cadman Plaza), the redevelopment of Fulton Street, and traffic and transportation.
Names:
- Downtown Brooklyn Development Association
- Blum, Robert E.
- Bourke-White, Margaret, 1904-1971
- Davenport, Henry J.
- Moses, Robert, 1888-1981
- Roscoe, Andrew S.
- Stamm, Godfrey A.
- Swift, Thomas A.
- Abraham & Straus
- American Red Cross
- Better Business Bureau of New York City
- Brooklyn Borough Hall (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn daily eagle
- Brooklyn Law School
- Brooklyn Public Library
- Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Company
- Citizens Budget Commission (New York, N.Y.)
- Citizens Union Foundation (New York, N.Y.)
- Citizens’ Zoning Committee, Inc
- Independent Subway System (New York, N.Y.)
- Interborough Rapid Transit Company
- New York (N.Y.). City Planning Commission
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Commerce and Industrial Development
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Correction
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Parks
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Public Works
- New York (N.Y.). Dept. of Traffic
- New York (N.Y.). Landmarks Preservation Commission
- New York Naval Shipyard
- Pratt Institute
- Regional Plan Association (New York, N.Y.)
- Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (New York, N.Y.)
- George Washington Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
- Holland Tunnel (New York, N.Y.)
- Lincoln Tunnel (New York, N.Y.)
- Park Slope (New York, N.Y.)
- Prospect Park (New York, N.Y.)
- Throgs Neck Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
- Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Central business districts
- City planning
- Community centers — New York (State) — New York
- Courthouses — New York (State) — New York
- Ebbets Field (New York, N.Y.)
- Local transit — New York (State) — New York
- Parks — New York (State) — New York
- Post office buildings — New York (State) — New York
- Railroads, Elevated
- Transportation
- Urban renewal — New York (State) — New York
Types of material:
- Blueprints (reprographic copies)
- Brochures
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Legislative hearings
- Maps
- Negatives (photographic)
- Newsletters
- Pamphlets
- Photographs
- Press releases
- Resolutions (administrative records)
- Speeches
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Call Number: V1984.001
Extent: 0.8 Linear feet, in three binders and seven folders.
The Brooklyn slide collection dates from 1963 to 1978 and contains 1,471 items. Slides in this collection are duplicates of original photographs, illustrations, manuscripts, maps, museum objects, and books from the collections of the Brooklyn Historical Society and other sources. The collection is arranged by subject, including aerial views, American Revolution and Battle of Long Island sites, the Army, banks, bridges, Native Americans in Brooklyn, churches, clubs, fire companies, post offices, hotels, docks, mills, the Navy, portraits, schools, neighborhoods, and public transit, and the Long Island Historical Society (now known as the Brooklyn Historical Society). In addition to these subjects, the collection contains tax photographs of buildings along Flatbush Avenue and cross streets from Downtown Brooklyn to Prospect Heights. Neighborhoods documented in the collection include Bay Ridge, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Coney Island, Flatbush, East New York, Fort Greene, Gravesend, Park Slope, and Williamsburg. Images of Prospect Park, Grand Army Plaza, and Green-Wood Cemetery are also included.
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Types of material:
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Call Number: ARC.235
Extent: 53.5 Linear feet, in 87 oversize manuscript boxes, 12 record cartons, and 10 flat boxes
The bulk of the collection includes documents supporting the assessments to be levied for sewer projects; the binders of this material include maps of the blocks and lots relevant to a sewer project, lists of property owners, and certifications. The bulk of the assessment binders are from the twentieth century (circa 1900-1960), but there are also many binders from the late nineteenth century. There are a few assessment binders from prior to the 1880s, with the earliest dating from 1859.
Other materials in the collection include blueprints of sewer projects and designs, field books concerning special sewer structures, notes on land valuation assessments, journals of work on particular projects, materials test results, and other matter. The bulk of this other material is from the early decades of the twentieth century, up to the 1930s. The latest material in the collection are excavation notices from the late-1980s.
Names:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.). Bureau of Sewers
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Real property — New York (State) — Kings County
- Sewer districts — New York (State) — Kings County
- Sewerage — New York (State) — Kings County — Design and construction
- Tax assessment — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Blueprints (reprographic copies)
- Cadastral maps
- Correspondence
- Logs (records)
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Call Number: 1977.180
Extent: 1.6 Linear feet, in two folders and one oversize flat box
The Andrew J. Provost collection of Bushwick, N.Y., family papers includes documents compiled by Provost and his son likely in connection, at least in part, with their genealogical research and writings. The documents include deeds, indentures, wills, and property maps ranging from 1653 to 1835, some with certifications and other official notations ranging to 1859. The earliest original document is 1709; documents dated from the 1600s are nineteenth century certified copies. The materials concern Bushwick (Kings County, N.Y.) families and property, including that in the Greenpoint section (now part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn). Surnames appearing in the collection include Arundius, Bennet, Calyer, Cappoens, Meserole/Miserol, Praa, Provost, and Volckertsen, among others.
Names:
- Provost, Andrew J., 1834-1925
- Bennet family
- Calyer family
- Meserole family
- Praa family
- Provost family
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Bushwick (New York, N.Y.)
- Bushwick (New York, N.Y.) — Manuscript maps
- Greenpoint (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Genealogy
- Real property — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Cadastral maps
- Deeds
- Family papers
- Indentures
- Manuscript maps
- Wills
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View Collection Item List
Call Number: 1978.157
Extent: 0.3 linear feet, in eleven folders, including one oversize
The Teunis G. Bergen collection of Van Brunt family genealogy papers spans the period 1770 to 1881 and measures 0.3 linear feet. The papers include letters, legal documents, and genealogical notes and transcriptions concerning the Van Brunt family, collected by Teunis G. Bergen. Much of the material concerns Kings County (N.Y.), especially New Utrecht (now part of Brooklyn), but New Jersey and other locales also appear in the genealogical documents. Many of the letters are from John Van Brunt (1802-1880) of Englewood, N.J.; these typically concern genealogy and family history, but some also include his perspectives on politics, the development of Englewood, and local issues such as a controversy over racially segregated schools. The legal documents include deeds, wills, and slave bills of sale.
Names:
- Bergen, Teunis G., 1806-1881
- Van Brunt family
- Van Brunt, John
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Englewood (N.J.)
- Kings County (N.Y.)
- New Utrecht (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- African Americans
- Families — New York (State) — Kings County
- Genealogy
- Slavery — New York (State) — Kings County
- Wills — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Cadastral maps
- Correspondence
- Family papers
- Genealogical tables
- Genealogies
- Indentures
- Legal documents
- Manuscript maps
- Research notes
- Slave bills of sale
- Transcripts
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Call Number: 1974.164
Extent: 0.02 Linear feet, in one folder
The collection includes one document, a hand drawn map of a lot at the ferry in Brooklyn, New York, surveyed by Rutgert Van Brunt for the town trustees, March 27, 1716. It is not known which Rutgert Van Brunt created the map. The map had been owned by historian and genealogist Teunis G. Bergen (1806-1881).
Teunis G. Bergen (1806-1881) of New Utrecht (Kings County, N.Y.), now part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, was a historian and genealogist. He was connected to the Van Brunts by marriage, and in 1867 he published a genealogy of the family. According to Bergen, Rutger Joesten Van Brunt was the common ancestor of Van Brunts in what became the United States. Van Brunt emigrated from the Netherlands and settled in New Utrecht in 1657. The name Rutgert was common in the family’s succeeding generations so it is unknown which Rutgert Van Brunt drew the map in this collection. It seems likely that it was one of Rutger Joesten’s grandsons, either Rutgert (died 1758) or Rutgert (died 1760), both of New Utrecht. (See Teunis G. Bergen, Genealogy of the Van Brunt Family, 1653-1867, page 10-11, 13-14)
Names:
- Bergen, Teunis G., 1806-1881
- Van Brunt family
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Maps
Types of material:
- Cadastral maps
- Manuscript maps
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Call Number: ARC.280
Extent: 2.8 Linear feet, in one manuscript box and two flat boxes
Francis Skillman (1817-circa 1897) of Roslyn, Nassau County (part of Queens County in the nineteenth century), on Long Island, N.Y. was a Justice of the Peace from 1851-1876 in North Hempstead, a genealogist who published a family history of the Skillmans in 1892, and a farmer. The Francis Skillman papers include materials from each of these aspects of Skillman’s life. These materials include correspondence, a genealogy manuscript and the research underlying the manuscript, journals, a docket book, property agreements, and miscellaneous historical documents. The journals principally concern Skillman’s farming activities and his hiring of help. The correspondence can generally be categorized as: letters from the Civil War years to Skillman from Christian Walthert, a private in the 15th New York Regiment of Engineers; letters from Skillman to his brother principally concerning family matters; and responses to Skillman’s genealogical inquiries. Genealogical information on the Schenck and Onderdonk families can also be found in the collection.
Names:
- Skillman, Francis
- Onderdonk family
- Schenck family
- Skillman family
- United States. Army. New York Engineers Regiment, 15th (1861-1865)
Places:
- Nassau County (N.Y.)
- North Hempstead (N.Y. : Town)
- Queens County (N.Y.)
- Roslyn (N.Y.)
- United States — History — Civil War, 1861-1865
Subjects:
- African Americans — New York (State) — Long Island
- Agriculture — New York (State) — Long Island
- County courts — New York (State) — Long Island
- Crime — New York (State) — Long Island
- Family life
- Farmers — New York (State) — Long Island
- Genealogy
- Judges — New York (State) — Long Island
- Real property — New York (State) — Long Island
Types of material:
- Cadastral maps
- Correspondence
- dockets
- Genealogies
- Indentures
- Journals (accounts)
- Manuscript maps
- Manuscripts (document genre)
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Call Number: ARC.263
Extent: 94.55 Linear feet, in 7 manuscript boxes and 85 flat boxes
The Pierrepont family papers (1761-1918) document the intersection of commercial, civic and personal interests across three generations of one of the most prominent and influential families of nineteenth century Brooklyn, New York. The bulk of the collection concerns the business dealings of Henry Evelyn Pierrepont from 1838 to his death in 1888. This especially includes an extensive set of accounting and transactional records concerning the Pierrepont Stores, the family’s warehouse on Brooklyn’s East River waterfront; these include records of ships arriving at the Stores and their cargoes delivered. Additionally, there are substantive correspondence, legal documents and other materials concerning the Union Ferry Company, of which Henry was an officer. In addition to commerce and shipping, a major theme of the collection is that of land acquisition in Brooklyn Heights and at the adjacent waterfront in the early nineteenth century, and the development of that property over the course of the century. Included in the collection are correspondence, deeds, indentures, leases, accounting records, diaries, maps, invoices, receipts, business proposals, legal filings, clippings, and historical and genealogical manuscripts.
Names:
- Pierrepont family
- Pierpont, Hez. B., 1768-1838
- Pierrepont, Henry Evelyn, 1808-1888
- Pierrepont, Henry Evelyn, 1845-1911
- Pierrepont, John Jay, 1849-1923
- Brooklyn Heights Railroad Company
- Covered Tube Cable Railway Co. (Brooklyn, New York, NY)
- Long Island Historical Society
- Nassau Cable Railway Company of Brooklyn (Brooklyn, New York, NY)
- Pierrepont Stores (Brooklyn, New York, NY)
- Union Ferry Company (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Maps
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- East River (N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Bonded warehouses and goods — New York (State) — New York
- Business enterprises — New York (State) — New York
- Ferries — New York (State) — New York
- Imports — New York (State) — New York
- Landowners — New York (State) — New York
- Real estate development — New York (State) — New York
- Real property — Ownership — New York (State) — New York
- Shipping — New York (State) — New York
- Waterfronts — New York (State) — New York
Types of material:
- Account books
- Cadastral maps
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Daybooks
- Deeds
- Diaries
- Indentures
- Invoices
- Journals (accounts)
- Ledgers (account books)
- Manuscript maps
- Manuscripts (document genre)
- Scrapbooks
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Call Number: ARC.145
Extent: 14.25 Linear feet, in 2 record cartons, 7 document boxes, and 14 oversize or odd-size boxes
The Lefferts family papers contain documents created and collected by members of the Lefferts family, a Brooklyn family of Dutch origin that played a prominent role in the city’s politics, society, and development. The collection also contains records created and collected by the stewards of the Lefferts Historic House Museum in relation to the Lefferts family and the house’s history. The documents span from the 1650s to the 1970s and include those created by members of the Lefferts family in Brooklyn (particularly in the town of Flatbush) as well as members of the family that branched out into other parts of America including Ohio and Illinois. The collection covers a variety of subjects including the development of Flatbush, the Lefferts family role in the political, economic, religious, and social life of Flatbush and Brooklyn, colonial life, slavery, and more. The documents include personal papers and correspondence of the family members, papers related to maintenance of their farm and businesses, genealogical records of the family, and photographs and other graphic materials of family members and the Lefferts house. The collection also contains related clippings, some maps, and an assortment of books either owned by or related to the Lefferts family and Flatbush. There are some documents related to the maintenance of the Lefferts Historic House and some documents and graphic materials collected over time by the stewards of the house.
Names:
- Lefferts family
- Cortelyou, John, 1772-1855
- Hegeman family
- Lefferts, Eliza, 1831-1865
- Lefferts, Femmetie Hegemann, 1760-1847
- Lefferts, Jacobus L.
- Lefferts, James, 1800-1862
- Lefferts, John, 1719-1776
- Lefferts, John, 1785-1829
- Lefferts, John, 1814-1877
- Lefferts, John, 1826-1893
- Lefferts, Leffert, 1774-1847
- Lefferts, Maria Lott, 1786-1865
- Lefferts, Peter
- Lott family
- Schenck, Sarah Lefferts
- Vanderbilt, Gertrude Lefferts, b. 1824.
- Brooklyn, Flatbush, and Coney Island Railway Company
- Brooklyn, Jamaica, and Flatbush Turnpike Company
- Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church (Flatbush, New York, N.Y.)
- Flatbush Plank Road Company
- Gravesend and Coney Island Bridge and Road Company
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Maps
- Flatbush (New York, N.Y.)
- Kings County (N.Y.) — History — Revolution, 1775-1783
- Long Island (N.Y.) — History — Revolution, 1775-1783
- New York (N.Y.) — Maps.
Subjects:
- Deeds — New York (State) — Kings County
- Draft Riot, New York, N.Y., 1863
- Farms — New York (State) — Kings County
- Genealogy
- Long Island, Battle of, New York, N.Y., 1776
- Real property — New York (State) — New York — Maps
- Roads — New York (State) — Kings County
- Slavery — New York (State) — Kings County
- Transportation — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Account books
- Bible
- Birth records
- Cadastral maps
- Cookbooks
- Daguerreotypes (photographs)
- Death records
- Engravings
- Financial records
- Genealogies
- Indentures
- Land titles — New York (State) — Kings County
- Manuscript maps
- Marriage records
- Photographs
- Picture postcards
- Receipts (financial records)
- Slave bills of sale
- Tintypes (prints)
- Wills
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View PDF Finding Aid
View An American Family Grows in Brooklyn, an online exhibit of materials from the Lefferts family papers made possible by the Leon Levy Foundation
Historical Map Collection, ca. 1562-2012
The Brooklyn Historical Society possesses a collection of historical maps spanning the years ca. 1562-2012. The geographic coverage of the collection includes the five boroughs, New York City, Long Island, New York State, New Jersey, New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Eastern United States. Additionally, the collection contains some items covering the United States, North America, and the Western Hemisphere.
The collection contains a variety of different types of maps, including: physical maps, political maps, transportation maps, property maps, survey maps, pictorial maps, manuscript maps, topographic maps, cultural maps, and nautical charts. It is an excellent resource for all types of research.
Currently, library staff is working to catalog all of the maps into our catalog BobCat. Many of the items in this collection have been cataloged, so we recommend that you begin your search in BobCat. The following list shows the most commonly used search terms.
Access Points
Geographic Names
Bay Ridge (New York, N.Y.)
Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.)
Brighton Beach (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
Canarsie (New York, N.Y.)
Coney Island (New York, N.Y.)
Crown Heights (New York, N.Y.)
East New York (New York, N.Y.)
Green-Wood Cemetery (New York, N.Y.)
Fort Greene (New York, N.Y.)
Fort Hamilton (New York, N.Y.)
Kings County (N.Y.)
Park Slope (New York, N.Y.)
Prospect Park (New York, N.Y.)
Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects
Canals
Cemeteries
Ferries
Landowners
Parks
Piers
Railroads
Real property
Riparian rights (Note: This refers to water rights)
Roads
Sewerage
Submerged lands
Genre terms
Aerial views
Atlases
Cadastral maps (Note: This is another word for a property map)
Early maps
Fire insurance maps
Historical maps
Physical maps
Pictorial maps
Public utility maps
Manuscript maps
Military maps
Nautical charts
Road maps
Topographic maps
Tourist maps
Transportation maps
If you do not find what you are looking for in BobCat, you can search our map inventories. The maps are divided into three sub-collections based on their physical condition. The sub-collections are as follows: 1) Flat Maps; 2) Folded Maps; and 3) Map Reproductions. Please note that access to some of our maps is restricted, based on the age and condition of the item. If you are interested in seeing a restricted access map, please email the library.
There are separate inventories for each of the sub-collections. They contain the following information for each item: 1) Title/Description; 2) Date of Publication; 3) Call Number; and 4) Subjects. The subjects use a controlled vocabulary, which is also accessible below.
Click here to view the Flat Maps Inventory
Click here to view the Folded Map Inventory
Click here to view the Map Reproductions Inventory
Click here to view the Subject Controlled Vocabulary
There is no appointment necessary to view items in this collection, unless they are restricted access maps. If you are interested in seeing a restricted access map, please email the library.
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Recently Added Collections
- John Kissam papers, 1778-1823; 1864-1868
- 90th Regiment New York Veteran Volunteer Association papers, 1862, 1882-1897
- Women’s Alliance of the First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn records, 1922-2004
- Collection of Brooklyn, N.Y., Civil War relief associations records, ephemera and other material, circa 1798-1964
- Brooklyn Heights, South Africa, and Germany photograph album, circa 1890s-1930s
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