Kings County Records from the St. Francis College Collection Now at the Municipal Archives of the City of New York | New York Genealogical & Biographical Society

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James A. Kelly, Deputy County Clerk of Kings County from 1944 to 1971, arranged that the historical records of the county be turned over to St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, "on permanent loan." By 1971, those documents, said to number over four million, were housed in the new James A. Kelly Institute for Historical Studies at the College. The Institute had no catalogue and it appears that its holdings may not have been thoroughly analyzed. Access to the Collection by non-students was not encouraged, and attempts by local genealogists and historians to learn just what the Collection contained usually ended in frustration. Then, in 1988, because of financial cutbacks, the College closed the Institute, after which the majority of the records were turned over to the Municipal Archives of the City of New York.¹

Today, although the budget of the Archives still does not permit a thorough analysis by an archivist and creation of a proper catalogue of the St. Francis College Collection, the records are now accessible. As the temporary catalogue of the collection is too generalized, leaving many items of genealogical value hidden, I have prepared the following analysis of some of the items I have examined thus far. Volume, box and shelf location numbers are entered in parentheses after each item. Researchers should give these numbers to the person on duty at the Archives, and the materials will be brought to them.

Much more of the Collection remains to be analyzed, but for the time being, such additional analysis shall have to be left to the user.

Brooklyn (Old Town and City):

Town meetings 1783-1823 include names of officials, earmarks registered, slave manumissions² (Vol. 500, Shelf 9781).
Brooklyn's Assistant Clerk's Private Index, includes names of individuals and titles of subjects (Vol. on Shelf 9739).
"Secret Sessions of the Board of Aldermen," 1835-1866; minutes of special sessions concerning plans for City Hall, the public burial ground, the removal of tombstones in Potters Field, and problems with Fire Department personnel; when the secrecy of a meeting was lifted, the minutes noted that "the present minutes can be found in the regular minutes" (Vol. 30, shelf 9691).

Flatbush (Old Town, annexed to Brooklyn 1894):³

Records of manumitted and abandoned⁴ slaves 1800-1814, and an 1807 document of the Overseers of the Poor re their selections of black children to be indentured, among the documents for the period 1796-1895 (Box 1, Shelf 9397).
Town boundaries 1666-1688, town records 1792-1799, slave birth certificates 1827, abandonments prior to 1827, manumitted and abandoned slaves 1799-1814 (Vol. 11, Shelf 10123).
Liber A of deeds and wills 1670-1708 with an index and English translation (Vol. 160, Shelf 10123).
Court records 1679-1681, town meetings 1762-1818, slave records 1799-1819 (Vol. 107, Shelf 10135).
Liber A of deeds and wills 1670-1673, Liber AA of deeds 1673-1682, Liber B of deeds (various select dates), Liber C of deeds 1666-1686, Liber D of deeds 1664-1670 (separate Volumes, Shelf 10135).
Criminal docket 1887-1892 with entries for names of the accused and accuser, the accusation, the pleading, fine, sentence, etc., whether trial or warranty; minor offenses, e.g., breach of peace, assault, vagrancy, drunkenness (Vol. "?103," Shelf 10093).
The 1845 New York State Census for Districts 1 and 2 of Flatbush, two volumes not previously examined and thus thought to be merely a statistical return, is instead the complete census with names 0f heads of households and entries in the appropriate columns (of more than 32 columns on the schedule). Both volumes have been removed from the shelves to be photocopied by the Archives for use by researchers.

Gravesend (Old Town, annexed to Brooklyn 1894):

Deeds, agreements, leases, common land 1660-1803, some of which concern Coney and Pine Islands 1790/1; boundaries, suits, agreements and awards 1656, 1732, 1734; lists of lots, tax rolls, quit rents, rate rolls 1734-1800; Town Clerk;'s Filed Papers 1886/7-1893; Election Returns and lists (Box 23, Document Envelopes⁵ Nos. 2-7, 9-16, Shelf 9451).
Document Envelope #8, marked "Births, Marriages, Deaths Slaves 1800-1891" with pencil notation "See Slave Record Book in Vault" (i.e., the Institute's), instead contains several partial records of births c.1881-1885 of children, that include full date of birth, name of the child and name of the parent, the reason for the special form not yet known. In this envelope I also discovered the "1849 Return of Births, Marriages and Deaths for the 1st School District of Gravesend."⁶ (Box 23, D.E. #8, Shelf 9451).
Jury lists, Justices of the Peace 1830-1870 (Box 24, D.E. #26, Shelf 9451).
Fire Department Hook and Ladder Co. members 1855-1894 (Box 25, D.E. #33, Shelf 9451). Records of School District No. 1, 1817-1894 include an 1853 list of "colored" children in school; a form dated 1828 on which are entered the names of the school children, their parents' names, number of children between ages 5 and 15, and the time spent in school; form apparently issued to other Old Towns (Box 25, D.E. #36, Shelf 9451).
Records of School District No. 2, 1823-1893, contain other types of records (Box 25, D.E. #37, shelf 9451).
Records of School districts Nos. 3-6, 1874-1894 contain little if anything of genealogical value (Box 25, D.E. #37, Shelf 9451).
Sexton Reports 1815-1893 may only consist of receipts for moneys for repairs as I did not note any burial records among them (Box 25, D.E. #32, shelf 9451).
Coney Island Road Co. records contain an 1852 document with the signatures of residents who complained against the Company (Box 30, D.E. #87, shelf 9457).
Coney Island Plank Road Co. papers include an 1851 list of signatures by several members of each family awarded for damages; an 1880 list of jurors to assess damages; and an 1868 list of applicants for claims for damages (Box 30, D.E. #88, Shelf 9457).
Slave records 1799-1819 with entries for date of birth, name of the child and name of the master (Vol. on Shelf 9841).

Bushwick (Old Town, annexed to Brooklyn 1854):

Town records 1660-1825, include deeds, births of slaves, road records, etc. (Vol. on Shelf 9781).
"Translation and Abstracts of Instruments in Liber Called `Bushwick MS Record Book 1660-1825' bequeathed to the L.I.H.S. by Samuel Bowne Duryea" (Unboxed, loose sheets from a large 2-hole punched folder) (Acc'n 88-83 on Shelf 9781). [A typed copy by DeWitt Van Buren in 1935 is in the NYG&B Library, MS. B-11.]

Flatlands (Old Town, annexed to Brooklyn 1896):

Police blotters; police receipts for items taken from bodies of decedents and from those arrested, and items found at the scene of a crime (Vol. 4010, Shelf 10027).
History of meadow land at Canarsie Bay, rented out 1894-1896 at the rate of $3 per acre for one year, lists names, places, dates, and amounts (Vol. 4023, Shelf 10027).

New Lots (Old Town created 1852, annexed to Brooklyn 1886):

My cursory examination thus far of the items on Shelves 9871 and 9799 indicated little of genealogical help; the volumes are chiefly of street improvements and the like, with the exception of the tax assessment books.

New Utrecht (Old Town, annexed to Brooklyn 1894):

School records 1796-1829 include a 1796 list of scholars, an 1829 account by the School Board using the same form as that used by Gravesend mentioned above (Box 10, Shelf 9407).
"Record to 'A' 1857" is an abstract of part of Teunis G. Bergen's MS.
History of New Utrecht, the original of which is in the Brooklyn Historical Society; the 1719 drawing for lots in the 2nd Division of New Utrecht with the lot numbers, names and lot measurements; a translation of deeds and miscellaneous documents 1661-1686; records of land divisions; the old town church and cemetery properties (Volumes, Shelf 10009) .
Reports concerning Bath Beach 1889-1895 (Vols. 237 and 239, Shelf 9991) .
Records of slaveholders 1796-1823 listing births and manumissions (Vol. 2010, Shelf 9895).

Williamsburgh (Old Village 1827, Town 1840, City 1851, annexed to Brooklyn 1854):

My cursory examination of these items did not indicate anything of exceptional genealogical help; e.g., village records 1832-1837, trustees minutes 1827-1852, minutes of the Common Council 1853-1854, some indexed (Vols. 1-12, Shelves 9745+), and some tax books, ledgers, 1842 town records (Shelves 9757-9763).

Kings County (Brooklyn and the other Old Towns):

Licenses 1874-1896, a broken run, of peddlers, express, bondsmen (Vols. 1-10, Shelves 9709-9715).
Department of Correction record of burials in Potters Fields 1881-1981, broken run, not thoroughly checked by me; however, the catalogue indicates interesting contents (93 Vols., Shelves 20275-20317).
Oyer and Terminer records 1787-1840,1845-1851,1849-1855. Court of Common Pleas 1840-1848, 1837-1844. Circuit Court 1800-1833. (All on Shelves 11209-11215.)
County Clerk applications for citizenship c.1900 (Box 2, Shelf 9397).
Physicians and Surgeons affidavits 1908-1924 (Shelves 11221-11227).
Register of Master and Journeymen Horseshoers 1896-1904 (Shelves 11221-11227).
Wills 1658-1891 (3 Vols., Shelf 11197).
Lists of Trial Jurors and Grand Jurors 1897-1898 (2 Vols. Shelves 9745 +) .
Deeds 1702-1724, 1752-1875, 1639-1888, 1655-1909, 1633-1869, a selected group; patents 1638-1708; grantees 1808-1896. (Volumes, Shelves 11185+).
Indexes to marriages performed by Brooklyn Mayors 1837-1887 and to marriage records in the Mayor's Office Brooklyn c.1600s-1700s (Shelves 11245+).
Births, marriages and deaths in the Old Towns during the period 1847-1851 are the same as those on microfilm at the Archives (Shelves 11245-11251).

Kings County Surrogate's Court Records:

Note. Most files contain merely one document; there is no index and the estates are in chronological order; these represent the only extant documents in those earlier proceedings no longer in the Court. It would appear that they do not represent all of the proceedings; those I spot-checked, however, were found in the Index at the Court. These are of extreme value to the genealogist:

Wills (but no Wills, merely probate proceeding papers) 1830-1866, 1881, 1889 (17 Boxes, Shelves 9291-9332).
Administrations 1844-1865 (1 Box, Shelf 9387).
Guardian Accounts 1851-1862 (1 Box, Shelf 9379).
Final Accountings 1838-1869 (21 Boxes, Shelves 9325-9365). Estates (1815-1838) apparently miscellaneous matters or documents (7 Boxes; Shelves 9367-9379).
Sales of Estates (i.e., the real property assets sold by the Executor or Administrator with the consent of the Court) 1790-1859 (3 Boxes, Shelf 9379).

Kings County - Civil War Period:

Kings County Bounty Commissioners records re 1861-1864 blacklisted and refused certificates, with index; refused or rejected payments to dependents of servicemen; the 1864/5 certificates contain name of the serviceman, rank, service data, occasionally home address, and the reason for the rejection of the claim (for moneys to aid his dependent wife, mother, etc., while he was in the War) (4 Vols., Shelf 9745).
Principal receipts for State Bounty and principal claims include 1865 receipts for payments to those who furnished substitutes, giving the name, name of the attorney, amount of payment, with an index (Boxes 5 and 6, Shelf 9751).
Record of Troops on a form issued to the Old Towns, on which were entered the name of the serviceman, his rank, date and place of birth, his enlistment data, marital status, names of his parents, name of his dependent wife or mother, if any, and his previous occupation, with the final column for promotions/discharges/deaths, etc. (those for Flatbush are in Vol. 421, shelf 10063; Flatlands' are in Vol. 4021, shelf 10027; Gravesend's in Vols. 3019 and 3020, Shelf 10027; and New Utrecht's, which cover the years 1851 to 1865, in Volume "233 to 235," Shelf 9991).

Conclusion

The preceding covers the majority of items in the Collection. Titles on spines of a number of volumes not mentioned before may be of interest to certain researchers. These include various Minute Books (e.g., of the Boards of Health, Common Council, Town Supervisors, Oyster Boards and Licenses Boards), the 19th Century Assessment Rolls, some Foreclosures, Reports of Committees (e.g., Roads, Sewers), a number of volumes concerning Elections (e.g., Oaths of Commissioners, Inspectors and Canvassers, and Returns of Inspectors of Elections).

Again, I want to emphasize that this article is based on my examination of the Collection and does not represent the thorough analysis that we hope will be made in the future by an archivist. In the meanwhile, the Collection is available at the Archives on microfilm, and by checking the film the user can learn rather quickly whether a particular item I have listed holds that hoped-for information.

[1] Some records from the St. Francis Collection were given to other institutions. Among fifty cubic feet of documents transferred to Brooklyn College was one genealogical item, namely, its subcollection "Brooklyn Families Collection" (90-007) comprised of notes, published works, maps and charts gathered during research by three former associates of the Kings County Clerk's Office on six original Kings County families: Cropsey, Ditmas, Stillwell, Van Cowenhoven, Voorhees and Wyckoff. This is according to Anthony Cucciara, Professor in Charge of Special Collections at the College; I have not yet examined those materials.

The Brooklyn Historical Society received the records of the Fire Departments of Brooklyn's Western and Eastern Districts, Gravesend, and New Lots. The collection was analyzed by an archivist who also prepared an excellent guide enabling the researcher to know exactly what each ledger, box, or item of ephemera contains. The records (ArMs 1989.006) run from the mid-19th century to the second half of the 20th century.

John Jay College in Manhattan is said to have received police records from the St. Francis Collection. The College does have a collection of police records, but the Professor in Charge of Special Collections is on sabbatical and the present staff is unfamiliar with the scope or origin of the material. There are contradictory statements whether the records concern Kings County or were received from St. Francis; it is known that most of the entries are from the 1920s and 1930s.

Researchers should keep in mind that these libraries need a full day's notice in advance of the researcher's arrival to examine these Special Collections.

[2] Some Kings County records of slave births and manumissions were transcribed by Dr. Kenneth Scott and published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly 65(1977):177-80 and 66(1978):97-103.

[3] The Holland Society of New York made photocopies of some of the town records of Flatbush, Gravesend, and New Utrecht while they were still at St. Francis College. These copies are available in that Society's library, located in the NYG&B building. They cover Flatbush Libers A-C, 1659-1718; Gravesend Books 2-6, 1645-1705; and New Utrecht Liber A and other records 1659-1894.

[4] That is, the master abandoned his rights to the slave.

[5] Loose documents of same or similar categories are placed in an envelope, hereafter "D.E."

[6] The existence of this document had not been known; it is not on film the Archives, of course, but will be available to examine when it has been photocopied by the Archives. There are no entries in the section for Marriages; and thus far, I have not found the same 1849 or other Return that period for the other School District of Gravesend, No. 2.

by B-Ann Moorhouse, CG, FGBS

Originally published in the NYG&B Newsletter, Spring 1994

Vetted for accuracy July 2011