Electronic Resources

New in the Othmer Library: free access from Library computers to selected electronic resources of the New England Historic Genealogical Society that contain New York-related information, including the following:

• Abstracts of Wills, Administrations & Guardianships in New York State 1787-1835
• Death Notices and Marriage Notices from the New York Evening Post, 1801-1890
• Free Negro Heads of Families in the United States in 1830
• Marriages and Deaths Published in the Christian Intelligencer of the Reformed Dutch Church,1830-1871

Finding Aids For Brooklyn Historical Society's Archival Collections:
Finding aids are guides to collections of primary source materials.  The finding aids currently available online are listed below.

Note: You will need Acrobat Reader (available as a free download) to open these files.

The Pierrepont Papers (PDF 59 kb)
The Pierrepont Papers document the business activities of three generations of the Pierrepont family, one of the most prominent and influential families of nineteenth century Brooklyn.  Covering a span of one hundred and fifty seven years, the collection begins in 1761 with the papers of Hezekiah Beers Pierpont and continues to 1918 with the papers of his grandsons, John Jay Pierrepont and Henry Evelyn Pierrepont II.  The bulk of the collection concerns Hezekiah Beers Pierpont's son, Henry Evelyn.  Father and son played an influential role in the history and development of the city of Brooklyn.  The Pierrepont family involved itself in the conception and development of Green-Wood Cemetery, the Long Island Historical Society and the prototypical Brooklyn Promenade.  Their business ventures included the development of the ferries between Brooklyn and New York City and the expansion of the Brooklyn shipping industry.  The material found in this collection provides insight into the life of a prominent and socially elite nineteenth century Brooklyn family, and into the development of the Brooklyn waterfront, nineteenth century business dealings and trends in overseas trade during the period.

The Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims -  Henry Ward Beecher Collection (PDF 117 kb)
The Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims - Henry Ward Beecher Collection (Plymouth-Beecher Collection) traces the career of the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, the well known nineteenth century preacher, and the history of Plymouth Congregational Church, Beecher's congregation from its establishment in 1847 through his death in 1887.  Plymouth Church was a major institution in nineteenth century Brooklyn, first gaining recognition on national and international levels as Beecher's pulpit.  Today the church maintains a prominent place in the Brooklyn Heights community and the collection details the history of Plymouth Church as a community church through 1965.

Although materials in this collection date from 1847 to 1980, this collection deals primarily with Beecher's pastorate at Plymouth Church from 1847 until his death in 1887, and traces the history of the church through 1965.  The papers provide insight into the church. s daily operations and illustrate the history of Beecher's influence on his congregation and on nineteenth century Congregationalism.  The collection illuminates both the public and private life of a major American personality of the nineteenth century.

Brooklyn Civitas Club Collection (PDF 32 kb)
The Civitas Club Collection traces the history of the Civitas Club of Brooklyn, New York. The club was founded in 1893 as a women's social group with a mission to "awaken an interest in matters pertaining to municipal welfare, and to foster all movements within the circle of its influence that have for their end the improvement of any phase of civic life."  The Civitas Club and its members were politically and socially active throughout its century of existence.  Members were encouraged to present papers, make their voices heard within the community and gain knowledge of timely issues through the many lectures and debates sponsored by the club.  The collection traces these activities, the organization of the club and the more social ventures of Civitas, illustrating the functions of a women's social group and the development of women's political voice through the twentieth century.

Records of the Brooklyn Division of the Protestant Council of Churches (PDF 57 kb)  
The Records of the Brooklyn Division of the Protestant Council of Churches trace the history of the Brooklyn Division and its predecessors. Represented in this collection are, the Brooklyn City Tract Society (1829-1858), the Brooklyn City Mission and Tract Society (1858-1929), the Brooklyn City Mission Society (1929-1932), the Brooklyn Federation of Churches (1920-1932), and the Brooklyn Church and Mission Federation (founded 1932). The organizations documented in this collection trace the history of Protestantism and missionary work in Brooklyn well into the twentieth century. In their missionary and evangelical work, these organizations involved themselves in numerous aspects of Brooklyn's growth as a city, promoting immigrant acculturation, aiding in social reform, supporting education, and facilitating interracial relations.

Brooklyn Firefighting Collection (PDF 67 kb)
The Brooklyn Firefighting Collection traces the history of firefighting in the village, city, and borough of Brooklyn. The first record of organized firefighting in Brooklyn dates from 1772, when six men were recruited to combat fires. Three fire companies with a total roll of ninety-five men were on duty at the time of the incorporation of the Village of Brooklyn in 1816. In 1865, "An Act to Create a Metropolitan Fire District" was passed, combining the Fire Departments of the City of New York and the Eastern and Western Districts of the City of Brooklyn.

Firefighting played an important social and political role in early Brooklyn, and the influence of firefighters and firefighting associations is tracked in this collection. The materials in the collection provide insight into the development of firefighting practices during the nineteenth century and illustrate how Brooklyn's massive nineteenth century population growth and the city's growing prominence as a seat of industry affected the city's need for a reliable and modern fire department.

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