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.