Archives & Library Special Collections
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Call Number: 1990.026
Extent: 0.42 linear feet, in one manuscript box and one oversize box
The Murray S. Barkan papers cover the period October 1941 to June 1944 and measure 0.42 linear feet. The papers document Barkan’s tenure as an Air Raid Warden in Brooklyn during the Second World War and provide insight into the duties and responsibilities of Air Raid Wardens, the types of war preparedness activities undertaken by civilians on the homefront during the war, as well as the NYPD’s central role in coordinating New York City’s war preparedness. Materials in the collection include extensive Air Raid Warden training materials; pamphlets and bulletins published by the Office of Civilian Defense and the NYPD; correspondence; memoranda; reports on blackout and other preparedness drills coordinated by Barkan; and a map of the area covered by Barkan’s post.
Murray Barkan lived at 41 Eastern Parkway in the Propsect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. During the Second World War, from 1941 to 1944, Barkan served as an Air Raid Warden in Zone 1 of Brooklyn’s 80th police precinct, which covered the area bounded by Eastern Parkway, Vanderbilt Avenue, Fulton Street, and Franklin Avenue.
The U.S. Office of Civilian Defense was established in May 1941 as the Second World War intensified and the likelihood of direct U.S. involvement in the war increased. It was responsible for the overall coordination of preparations for war-related emergencies, though the preparations themselves were organized and executed by agencies at the state and local level. As part of these efforts, civilian volunteers were recruited to fulfill a number of roles, including that of Air Raid Warden. The Air Raid Warden’s primary purpose was to coordinate the protection of civilians and serve as a first responder in the event of an airborne attack. The duties of an Air Raid Warden included the enforcement of blackout rules during an attack; directing civilians in the street to shelters; reporting fallen bombs and fires to the appropriate authorities and responders; detecting and reporting the presence of weaponized gases; providing primary first aid care; and setting an example of calmness under all conditions.
An Air Raid Warden’s post was usually organized to serve a population of 500 people, with four Wardens assigned to each post, providing 24-hour service. Though not given police powers, Air Raid Wardens often functioned as an arm of local police forces and were given police assistance. In New York City, Air Raid Wardens reported directly to the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Throughout the duration of the Second World War, roughly 6 million volunteers served in civilian protection roles mobilized by the Office of Civilian Defense before its official disbandment in June 1945.
Names:
- Barkan, Murray S.
- New York (City). Police Dept
- United States. Office of Civilian Defense
- Kurtz, Dede Barkan
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Maps
- Prospect Heights (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Air raid wardens — New York (State) — New York
- Civil defense — New York (State) — Kings County
- World War, 1939-1945 — New York (State) — New York
Types of material:
- Bulletins
- Correspondence
- Memorandums
- Pamphlets
- Training manuals
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Call Number: 1991.007
Extent: 0.08 Linear feet, in one folder
This collection consists of 14 ration books dating from the Second World War and assigned to Joan, Catherine, and Salvatore Carvo. During the war, the United States government introduced rationing on the homefront due to a lack of supplies and goods as a result of the war effort. War ration books were issued to each family that dictated the amount of gasoline, tires, sugar, meat, nylon, shoes, and any other items one person could purchase. Also included in the collection is one notice of maximum rent issued by the United States Office of Price Administration.
Names:
- United States. Office of Price Administration
- Carvo family
- Carvo, Joan
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Families — New York (State) — Kings County
- World War, 1939-1945
Types of material:
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Call Number: 1989.010
Extent: 0.08 Linear feet, in one folder
This collection consists of six war ration books of the Mittleman Family of Brooklyn, circa 1941-1945. During the Second World War, the United States government introduced rationing on the homefront due to a lack of supplies and goods as a result of the war effort. War ration books were issued to each family that dictated the amount of gasoline, tires, sugar, meat, nylon, shoes, and any other items one person could purchase.
Names:
- United States. Office of Price Administration
- Mittleman family
- Check, Marilyn
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Families — New York (State) — Kings County
- World War, 1939-1945
Types of material:
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Call Number: 2001.009
Extent: 0.1 Linear feet, in one envelope housed in one oversize box.
Letters of the Viebrock family of 1124 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, including the correspondence of a World War II soldier. Additional items include one bulletin of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, located at Ditmas Avenue between East 21st and 22nd Streets in Brooklyn, and one monthly news publication of the Confectioners and Ice Cream Manufacturer’s Association.
Names:
Subjects:
- Families — New York (State) — Kings County
- Soldiers — Family relationships — New York (State) — Kings County
- World War, 1939-1945
Types of material:
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Call Number: ARC.048
Extent: 0.42 Linear feet, in one manuscript box.
Alfred “Al” Kolkin and Lucille “Lucy” Gewirtz both grew up in the Brooklyn Jewish community of Bensonhust. They were married in 1943. Al Kolkin worked as a Navy radio technician during World War II, while Lucy worked as a ship fitter at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The Alfred and Lucille Kolkin papers span 1942 to 1965 and contain correspondence between Al and Lucy Kolkin during Al’s Navy training and active service in the Pacific in World War II. The collection also includes handwritten training notes by Lucy Kolkin and official Navy publications from her employment at the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a ship fitter, along with employment records, identification badges, union membership materials, and miscellaneous personal papers.
Names:
- Kolkin, Alfred, b. 1918
- Kolkin, Lucille Gewirtz, 1918-1997
- New York Naval Shipyard
- Patroclus (Auxiliary repair ship)
- United States. Navy
Places:
- Bensonhurst (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Social life and customs
Subjects:
- Electric industry workers — Labor unions — New York (State) — Kings County
- Electric industry workers — New York (State) — Kings County
- Iron and steel workers — Labor unions — New York (State) — Kings County
- Iron and steel workers — New York (State) — Kings County
- Jews — New York (State) — Kings County
- Jews — United States
- Local transit — New York (State) — Kings County
- Military life
- Shipbuilding — New York (State) — Kings County
- Shipfitting
- Ships — Maintenance and repair
- Ships — Welding
- Shipyards — United States
- Women — Employment — New York (State) — Kings County
- World War, 1939-1945
- World War, 1939-1945 — War work — New York (State) — Kings County
- World War, 1939-1945 — Women — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Badges
- Booklets
- Certificates
- Correspondence
- Documents
- Employees’ manuals
- Membership cards
- Notes
- Receipts (financial records)
- Technical drawings
- Training manuals
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Call Number: ARC.113
Extent: 0.2 Linear feet, in three folders.
The Warren K. Zerbe papers and photographs span the 1920s to 1978, though they primarily focus on Zerbe’s childhood and his service in the United States Coast Guard during World War II. The collection is organized into two series: Papers and Photographs.
Names:
- Floral Park- Bellerose School
- Zerbe, Warren Kenneth, 1923-1988
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- United States. Coast Guard
- Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y. : Hanson Place)
- Sewanhaka Central High School (Floral Park, N.Y.)
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Floral Park (N.Y.)
- Islip (N.Y.)
- Long Island (N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Public Schools — New York (State) — Long Island
- School children — New York (State) — Long Island
Types of material:
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Call Number: 1977.278
Extent: 0.3 Linear feet, in three folders.
This collection consists of color illustrations and black-and-white cartoons relating to air, land, and sea activities during World War I and World War II. The cartoons were collected by Edward B. Watson and were clipped from various New York City newspapers and magazines.
Names:
Places:
Subjects:
- American newspapers — New York (State) — New York
- American periodicals — New York (State) — New York
- World War, 1914-1918
- World War, 1914-1918 — Art and the war
- World War, 1914-1918 — Caricatures and cartoons
- World War, 1939-1945
- World War, 1939-1945 — Art and the war
- World War, 1939-1945 — Caricatures and cartoons
Types of material:
- Editorial cartoons
- Illustrations (layout features)
- Political cartoons
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Brooklyn Navy Yard Oral History, 2006-2011. Sound recordings: 47 digital audio WAV files (80hrs)
2010.003
In partnership with the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, Brooklyn Historical Society collected interviews with men and women who worked in or around the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The majority of the interviews are with people who worked in the Yard during WWII. The narrators discuss growing up in New York, their work at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, their relationships with others in the Yard, gender relations and transportation to and from work. Many narrators bring up issues of ethnicity, race, and religion at the Yard or in their neighborhoods. Several narrators describe the launching of the U.S.S. Missouri battleship and recall in detail their daily tasks at the Yard as welders, office workers, and ship fitters. While interviews focus primarily on experiences in and around the Yard, many narrators also discuss their lives after the Navy Yard, relating stories about their careers, dating and marriage, children, social activities, living conditions, and changes in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
View List of Interviews
Recordings of these interviews and accompanying transcripts are available in the Brooklyn Historical Society’s Othmer Library and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Center at Building 92.
Brooklyn Navy Yard Oral History, 1987-1989. Sound recordings: 12 digital audio WAV files (6hr, 23min)
1995.005
In 1987-1989, Brooklyn Historical Society interviewed 10 people who worked in the Brooklyn Navy Yard during WWII. Interviews were conducted by Benjamin Filene and Diane Esses and focus on working conditions and the experiences of women doing nontraditional labor such as welding and shipfitting. These interviews were recorded on cassette tape and have been digitized to make them available for listening.
Recordings of these interviews and accompanying transcripts are available in the Brooklyn Historical Society’s Othmer Library and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Center at Building 92.
Arthur I. Okanst Scrapbooks, 1928-1965. 2 record cartons and 1 manuscript box (2.5 cubic feet).
ArMs 2004.023
Arthur I. Okanst was a Jewish-American Brooklynite who documented his life and interests in numerous scrapbooks. Born on 22 March 1886, Okanst lived with his wife and daughter in Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was an active member of his Jewish community and followed news related to the world and national state of Jewish affairs. Okanst also enjoyed popular entertainment, followed celebrity news, and frequently attended the theater. Nothing is known of his professional life. Okanst died in September of 1965.
A total of seventeen scrapbooks, as well as an incomplete index, are included in this collection. They contain clippings and published obituaries; theater and event programs and playbills; souvenirs, menus, leaflets and other printed ephemera; greeting cards (especially Birthday and Anniversary cards), telegrams, and invitations to weddings and bar mitzvahs. Also included are newsletters from Okanst’s local Temple and clippings documenting the events leading up to and during World War II.
Access Points:
Personal Names
- Grossfield, Anne Faith, b. 1942
- Grossfield, Avery
- Grossfield, Harriet
- Grossfield, Rena
- Okanst, Arthur I., 1886-1965
- Okanst, Helen (nee Newman), d. 1970
Subjects
- Temple Ahavath Sholom (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Jews
- Jews-Charities-20th century
- Jews-United States-20th century
- Antisemitism in the press-20th century
- Zionism in the press-20th century
- World War, 1939-1945
- United States-Foreign relations-20th century
- United States presidents-20th century
- United States-Politics and government-20th century
- Celebrities-United States-20th century
- Theater-United States-20th century
- Television-United States-20th century
- Radio-United States-20th century
- Sports-United States-20th century
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y)-Social life and customs-20th century
- Flatbush (New York, N.Y.)-Social life and customs-20th century
- New York (N.Y) -Social life and customs-20th century
- United States-Social life and customs-20th century
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