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, [...]]]> 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.

25 boxes (10.42 linear feet)

Photographs and printed matter, including reproductions of drawings, engravings, and paintings, featuring people from Brooklyn and beyond ranging from the 18th to 20th centuries. Organized alphabetically by last name of the person featured in the portrait.

Subjects:

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The Brooklyn Historical Society’s collection of city directories includes copies of both New York City and Brooklyn directories, available to researchers on microfilm and/or microfiche, with a very small portion of the collection available in print.  The New York City directories include information pertaining to the boroughs of Manhattan and [...]]]> New York City and Brooklyn Directories

The Brooklyn Historical Society’s collection of city directories includes copies of both New York City and Brooklyn directories, available to researchers on microfilm and/or microfiche, with a very small portion of the collection available in print.  The New York City directories include information pertaining to the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx, spanning the years 1786-1934, and are largely available only on microfilm (76 reels).  The collection does include physical copies of New York City directories for the years 1915-1917 and 1925.

Brooklyn city directories are available on 28 microfilm reels for the period 1847-1913, or on microfiche for the period 1822-1861.  The collection also includes one physical copy of a Brooklyn city directory covering the years 1933-1934, as well as four Brooklyn classified telephone directories spanning the years 1932-1938.  Finally, the collection also includes separate directories for the city of Williamsburgh prior to its annexation as a part of the City of Brooklyn, which are available on microfiche and cover the years 1847-1854.

The collection of directories serves as a valuable resource of information pertaining to residential, municipal, and commercial life in both New York City and Brooklyn during from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries.  Directories are quite extensive and regularly include features such as registers of public departments and institutions, street and avenue directories, purchaser’s guides, general directories (including occupations and businesses of local residents), and advertising indexes, while also occasionally featuring illustrated city plans, maps of transit lines, and information pertaining to public parks, ward boundaries, freight depots, locations of piers, cabs and taxicabs, and borough histories.

There is no appointment necessary to view this 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 [...]]]> 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.

The Brooklyn Historical Society possesses a collection of historical atlases of  Brooklyn spanning the years 1846-1932. The atlases included in the collection were generated for various purposes, i.e., for insurance purposes, for use by real estate brokers and/or lawyers, for the mapping of farm lines, or for the use of government officials.  [...]]]> Brooklyn Historical Atlases, 1846-1932

The Brooklyn Historical Society possesses a collection of historical atlases of  Brooklyn spanning the years 1846-1932. The atlases included in the collection were generated for various purposes, i.e., for insurance purposes, for use by real estate brokers and/or lawyers, for the mapping of farm lines, or for the use of government officials.  The intended purpose of each atlas reflects which features of the surveyed area are emphasized.

As the atlases advance chronologically,  so too do they advance in technical sophistication.  Depending on the level of detail, atlases can include information such as the material content of every building, house and block numbers, content and condition of pavement, street status and usability, locations of sewers and water mains, locations of subway and rail lines, plate boundaries, section and ward division lines, and original farm lines, among further information.

This collection is an excellent historical resource for researchers looking to map the changes that have occurred to the neighborhoods of Brooklyn over time. Collectively, the atlases present a nearly exhaustive survey of the borough of Brooklyn as it existed in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Most atlases are physically represented in the collection, but some are only available on microfiche. The collection is accompanied by a navigational index.  For each atlas, the index lists the atlas number (and location within the collection); microfilm reel; date of publication; author/surveyor; title, including the townships and/or wards surveyed; and neighborhoods included.

Click here to view the atlas index.

There is no appointment required to view this collection.

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 [...]]]> 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.

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 [...]]]> 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.

Accessions 2004.003 and 1997.471

This collection of documents and news clippings is a selected portion of the papers of former Brooklyn National League Baseball Club (Brooklyn Dodgers) president Walter O’Malley. The bulk of the collection comprises correspondence and memoranda from 1946-57, covering the [...]]]> Walter O’Malley Brooklyn Dodgers Papers, 1946-1957. 1 cubic foot in 1 record carton.

Accessions 2004.003 and 1997.471

This collection of documents and news clippings is a selected portion of the papers of former Brooklyn National League Baseball Club (Brooklyn Dodgers) president Walter O’Malley. The bulk of the collection comprises correspondence and memoranda from 1946-57, covering the period of O’Malley’s roles as counsel to, and vice president of, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and afterward his ascension to the presidency of the organization in 1950.

The collection consists of correspondence, memoranda, and reports, chiefly typewritten, some original letters and many carbon copies as typed by office staff. Other items include stadium plans, city committee and consulting engineers’ reports, press releases, and clippings from New York City and Brooklyn newspapers that cover the 1946-57 period. The material chiefly relates to the Dodgers’ efforts to secure a site and build a new stadium in Brooklyn to replace Ebbets Field, and failing to do so, the team’s move to Los Angeles in 1957. Included in these records is correspondence with such notable figures as city construction coordinator Robert Moses, Mayor Robert F. Wagner, New York State Governor Averell Harriman, Brooklyn Borough President John Cashmore, and architect/engineer Buckminster Fuller.

A number of documents includedin the collection are available for viewing on the Walter O’Malley website.

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AccNo 1985.005

Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital was established in 1868 by prominent Brooklynites as a philanthropic clinic, and opened on April 20th, 1869.  Increasing demands for patient space necessitated the purchase of a Juvenile High School building c. 1881. In 1930, a new [...]]]> Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital Records, 1868-1976. 9 boxes (3.8 cubic feet).

AccNo 1985.005

Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital was established in 1868 by prominent Brooklynites as a philanthropic clinic, and opened on April 20th, 1869.  Increasing demands for patient space necessitated the purchase of a Juvenile High School building c. 1881. In 1930, a new building was begun to accommodate growing staff, but the onset of the Depression made it difficult for the hospital to recover its large construction costs. Financial difficulties continued to plague the hospital’s operations until it was eventually forced to close in 1976.

The Brooklyn Eye and Ear Hospital Records contain mostly administrative and financial documents reflecting the various aspects of the hospital’s operations, such as the minutes of the Board of Directors, Superintendent reports, minutes of the Board of Surgeons, and minutes of the Ophthalmic Committee.  Other items include a two-volume history of the hospital’s first one hundred years, a medical manual, a report on emergency room sanitary conditions, and a sub-committee directory.

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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 [...]]]> 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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