Archives & Library Special Collections
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Extent: 83 bound volumes.
This weekly magazine chronicles the social and economic life of Brooklyn from 1890 to 1931. Looking through the issues one can see in the early issues the importance of bicycles, but at the turn of the century the emphasis turns toward the automobile. Other topics of the magazine include fashion trends, advertisements by Brooklyn businesses, real estate developments in up-and-coming neighborhoods like Flatbush and Ditmas Park, photographs of the then new construction in those areas, documentation of the move from Brownstone Brooklyn into as yet undeveloped Brooklyn.
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Call Number: ARC.212
Extent: 28.0 cubic feet, in 75 boxes: 32 manuscript boxes, 38 flat boxes, and 5 small boxes.
The Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims and Henry Ward Beecher collection traces the career of the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, the well known 19th century preacher, and the history of Plymouth Congregational Church, of which Beecher was the first pastor. Plymouth Church was a major institution in 19th century Brooklyn, first gaining recognition on national and international levels as Beecher’s pulpit. Beecher was well known for his oratorical ability and for his vocal opposition to slavery and support of the Northern cause during the Civil War. He also spoke out on subjects ranging from women’s suffrage and evolution to organized labor and temperance. Beecher was a popular figure despite controversy that surrounded his activities, including a charge of adultery that resulted in a widely reported trial in 1875.
The collection relates principally to Beecher’s pastorate at Plymouth Church from 1847 until his death in 1887. Other materials, ranging through 1980, concern the church’s other pastors and the history of Plymouth Church itself, which consolidated with the Church of the Pilgrims in 1934. The papers provide insight into the church congregation’s various activities, illustrate the history of Beecher’s influence on his congregation and on 19th century congregationalism, and shed light on both the public and private life of a major American personality of the 19th century.
Names:
- Beecher, Henry Ward, 1813-1887
- Abbott, Lyman, 1835-1922
- Beecher, Henry Ward, 1813-1897
- Beecher, William Constantine, b. 1849
- Durkee, J. Stanley, 1866-1951
- Fifield, Lawrence Wendell, b. 1891
- Hibben, Paxton, 1880-1928
- Hillis, Newell Dwight, 1858-1929
- Hunt, Rose Ward
- Tilton, Elizabeth M. Richards, b. 1834
- Tilton, Theodore, 1835-1907
- Bethel of Plymouth Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Church of the Pilgrims (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Sunday School
- Church of the Pilgrims (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Henry Ward Beecher Literary and Debating Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Henry Ward Beecher Missionary Circle (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Plymouth Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.). Sunday School
- Plymouth Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Plymouth Institute (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Ellinwood, T. J., 1830-1921
- King, Horatio C., 1837-1918
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Church history
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Religious life and customs
- Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- United States — Religion
Subjects:
- Plymouth chimes (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Abolitionists — New York (State)
- Adultery — New York (State) — Kings County
- Antislavery movements — United States
- Authors, American
- City clergy — New York (State) — New York
- Clergy as authors
- Congregational churches — New York (State) — Kings County — Clergy
- Congregationalists — New York (State) — Kings County
- Lectures and lecturing — New York (State) — Kings County
- Pews and pew rights
- Reformers — United States
- Religious education of children — New York (State) — Kings County
- Religious institutions — New York (State) — Kings County
- Sunday schools — New York (State) — Kings County
- Trials (Adultery) — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Cartes-de-visite (card photographs)
- Church newsletters
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Correspondence
- Cylinder phonographs (phonographs)
- Photographs
- Picture postcards
- Scrapbooks
- Sermons
- Typescripts
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 Photography by James Dee The Brooklynite publication caters to Brooklyn society, photos of various socialites, humorous anecdotal stories, poetry, and artwork. The library holds the following issues:
- April 1926, vol 1., no. 1
- May 1926, vol 1., no. 2
- June 1926, vol 1., no. 3
- August 1926, vol 1., no 4
- September 1926, vol 1., no. 5
- October 1926, vol 1., no. 6
- November 1926, vol 1., no. 7
- December 1926, vol 1., no. 8
- January 1927, vol 1., no 9
- February 1927, vol 1., n0 10 (2 copies)
- April 1927, vol. 2, no. 1
- June 1927, vol 2, no. 2
- December 1927, vol. 2, no. 3
- January 1928, vol. 2, no. 4
- March 1928, vol. 2, no. 5
- April 1928, vol. 2, no. 6 (2 copies)
- October 1928, vol. 2, no. 10
- November 1928, vol. 2, no. 11
- January 1929, vol. 3, no. 1
- February 1929, vol. 3, no. 3
- March 1929, vol. 3, no. 3
- April 1929, vol. 3, no. 4
- May 1939, vol. 3, no. 5
- July 1929, vol. 3, no. 7
- August 1929, vol. 3, no. 8
- June 1930
- July 1930
Call Number: 1987.008
Extent: 0.08 Linear feet, in one folder
A single bound volume, dated 1891, that consists of a report on the paving, curbing, and guttering of New Jersey Avenue between Atlantic Avenue and Jamaica Avenue in Brooklyn.
Names:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Places:
- Atlantic Avenue (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Roads — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
View Finding Aid
Call Number: 2005.021
Extent: 1.0 Linear feet, in one record carton
The Conklin and Bedell families papers (1839-1917) contain financial records and some personal correspondence generated by Ebenezer Conklin of Brooklyn, New York, and his descendants. The bulk of the records were generated by Ebenezer Conklin, and mostly concern household expenses, repairs and improvements made on Conklin’s several properties. The records of Nathaniel Augustus Conklin and Sarah Bedell, two of Ebenezer’s children, continue the history of Ebenezer’s properties. The small amount of correspondence contains Civil War letters, and a copy of the General Orders of the 19th Army Corps Headquarters at Camp Russell, Virginia. The collection also holds a cash accounts book and a pew ledger of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Bushwick for the years 1876-1884.
Names:
- Bedell family
- Conklin family
- Old Bushwick Reformed Church (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Bushwick (New York, N.Y.)
- United States — History — Civil War, 1861-1865
- Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.)
Subjects:
- Real property — New York (State) — Kings County
- Retail trade — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Account books
- Church records
- Correspondence
- Financial records
- Invoices
- Land titles
- Receipts (financial records)
- Tax records
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Call Number: 1974.114
Extent: 1.0 Linear feet, in one flat box
John C. Bergen (1826-1907) was a farmer on Bergen’s Island in Flatlands, Kings County, New York (now part of Brooklyn). His papers include pages from his diary (1846-1848, 1854); an account book with daybook and other transactional entries (1827-1835, 1865-1894); and Bergen’s 1866 federal tax return. The diary entries focus principally on daily farming activities, hunting (including at Barren Island), weather, and bringing goods to market in Brooklyn and other Kings County towns, with references to illnesses, participation in town meetings, Bible readings, and other aspects of daily rural life. A farmhand named John J. who appears frequently in the diary’s 1840s entries is, judging from an 1854 entry, an African-American.
Names:
- Bergen, John C.
- Bergen family
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Flatlands (New York, N.Y.)
- Flatlands (New York, N.Y.) — Climate
Subjects:
- African Americans — New York (State) — Kings County
- Agriculture — New York (State) — Kings County
- Farmers — New York (State) — Kings County
- Farms — New York (State) — Kings County
- Markets — New York (State) — New York
Types of material:
- Account books
- Daybooks
- Diaries
- Journals (accounts)
View Finding Aid
Call Number: 1978.008
Extent: 3.0 Linear feet, in one oversize flat box.
The Union Army Light Artillery, 5th New York Independent Battery records consist mainly of muster rolls for the period 1861-1865, covering the unit’s service during the Civil War. In addition to periodic muster rolls, the collection also holds the unit’s initial muster-in roll and the 1864 muster-out roll from the conclusion of the unit’s initial term of service. Additional items include rolls of absentees and deserters, and discharge, furlough and other documents of Private (later 2nd Lieutenant) William H. Cornell. Finally, the collection includes the printed roster and by-laws of the Brooklyn (N.Y.) George C. Strong Post No. 534 of the Grand Army of the Republic, circa 1910 with annotated updates through circa 1912.
Names:
- Grand Army of the Republic. George C. Strong Post No. 534 (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- United States. Army. New York Artillery. Independent Battery, 5th (1861-1865)
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- New York (State) — History — Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States — History — Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States — History — Civil War, 1861-1865 — Veterans
Subjects:
- Soldiers — New York (State)
- Veterans — New York (State) — Kings County — Societies, etc.
Types of material:
- Bylaws (administrative records)
- Discharges
- Membership lists
- Military records
- Muster rolls
- Rosters
View Finding Aid
Call Number: ARC.257
Extent: 2.25 Linear feet, in one manuscript box and two flat boxes
The collection includes the journals maintained from 1790 to 1826 by Flatlands (Kings County, N.Y.) farmer John Baxter (1765-1826) and from 1826 to 1835 by his son, Garret (1792-1835). In addition, the collection includes a manuscript attributed to Garret Bergen with extracts from the journals of both Baxters. The Bergen manuscript also includes extracts dated 1824 from a journal not in the collection, that of one John Bergen. Access to the documents in this collection is restricted because they are in exceptionally fragile condition. Researchers are requested to use the typescript transcriptions available in the library. Researchers requiring access to the original documents need to request permission in writing from the Director of Library and Archives.
With attributes of diaries, the subjects covered by the Baxter journals include farming and agriculture, market transactions, health and illness, social relationships, civic duties, and weather conditions. The division and overlap of labor across gender, age, and race can be discerned. References to African-Americans, including those enslaved, are found in the journals. Social networks and matters of genealogical interest are illustrated by the journals because individuals are attributed by name in connection with labor, social visits, recreation, Sunday preaching, medical assistance, marriages, births, and deaths. Among the many family names well-represented in the journals are Wyckoff, Stoothoff, Bergen, and Lott.
Names:
- Baxter, Garret S.
- Baxter, John, 1765-1826
- Bergen family
- Hegeman family
- Lott family
- Stoothoff family
- Vanderveer family
- Voorhees family
- Wyckoff family
- Bergen, Garret
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Flatlands (New York, N.Y.)
- Flatlands (New York, N.Y.) — Climate
- Flatlands (New York, N.Y.) — Social life and customs — 19th century
- Kings County (N.Y.)
- Kings County (N.Y.) — History — War of 1812
Subjects:
- African Americans — New York (State) — Kings County
- Agriculture — New York (State) — Kings County
- Families — Health and hygiene
- Farmers — New York (State) — Kings County
- Fishing — New York (State) — Kings County
- Genealogy
- Labor — New York (State) — Kings County
- Markets — New York (State) — New York
- Piety
- Slavery — New York (State) — Kings County
Types of material:
- Diaries
- Journals (accounts)
- Transcripts
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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.
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