Seneca Club of Kings County records: Seneca Club of Kings County records: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids

Call Number

2016.042

Dates

1928-2018, inclusive

; 1961-1985, bulk

Creator

Seneca Club of Kings County (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)

Extent

12.16 Linear Feet

in ten manuscript boxes, nine shoe boxes, and three oversize flat boxes

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The Seneca Club of Kings County was established in 1899 in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, and is the oldest Democratic club in Brooklyn. The Seneca Club provides a social setting for community leaders, elected representatives, and public officials to meet and discuss issues important to the community and neighborhood. The Club helps citizens with local problems, such as housing, job placement, and neighborhood conditions. This collection includes administrative and financial records, correspondence from local residents on personal and local issues, and ephemera from electoral campaigns and the Seneca Club's annual Dinner-Dance. This collection also includes photographs of Seneca Club events, members, affiliated organizations, and prominent politicians.

Historical note

The Seneca Club of Kings County was established in 1899 with headquarters originally at 125 Division Ave and later at 93 Division Ave, in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. The club was formed in the wake of 1898 vote to consolidate Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx into New York City, which the Seneca Club founders opposed. The Seneca Club was led by prominent leaders such as Frank Kelly from 1944 to 1946, Joesph Sharkey from 1946 to 1962, Leonard Scholnick from 1962 to 1972, Abraham Gerges from 1972 to 1982, and Steven D. Cohn since 1982. It is the oldest Democratic club in Brooklyn.

The Seneca Club provides a social setting for community leaders, elected representatives, and public officials to meet and discuss issues important to the community and neighborhood. The Club helps citizens with local problems, including housing, job placement, and neighborhood conditions. The Seneca Club holds an annual dinner at Polonaise Terrace in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Scope and Contents

This collection documents the internal organization of the the Seneca Club, through administrative and financial records, as well as the club's interactions with local residents. Correspondence from local residents addresses personal and local issues such as housing, immigration status, military service, and employment. Seneca Club's annual Dinner-Dance is documented through souvenir programs and other ephemera. Electoral campaigns are similarly represented through ephemera, a sample voting maching, and a ledger containing handwritten and published election results, clippings, and campaign advertisements. This collection also includes photographs of Seneca Club events, members, affiliated organizations, and prominent politicians.

Subjects

Organizations

Democratic Party (New York, N.Y.)

Genres

Ledgers (account books); Ephemera; Correspondence; Cashbooks

Topics

Places

Greenpoint (New York, N.Y.); Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.); Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) |x Emigration and immigration

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for material in this collection is held by the Seneca Club of Kings County.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Seneca Club of Kings County records, 2016.042, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Steven D. Cohn, Gerald Esposito, Minerva Moises, Ramona Vergara, John Witkowski, and Marc Liebman, 2016.

Appraisal

Routine financial documentation and correspondence was removed from the collection, as were newspaper clippings and blank forms. Duplicate material, including a substantial quantity of duplicate sample ballots, were removed from the collection. Plaques were reviewed in consultation with the donor, and the majority were discarded.

Copies of New York Red Book: An Illustrated Legislative Manual of the State (from 1912, 1929, 1930 and 1943) were separated to the library collection.

Related Materials

Puerto Rican Oral History Project records (1976.001), Interview with Edna Rosado Oliveras

Alan Maisel and Bernard Catcher collection on Brooklyn politics (2016.001)

Brooklyn Democratic Club records (1978.145)

United Progressive Democratic Club records (2005.018)

Civitas Club collection (ARC.300)

Collection processed by

Maggie Schreiner

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:17:49 +0000.

Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

All materials in this collection were unfoldered, and there was no apparent intellectual arrangement at the time of donation. Materials were physically grouped by subject, and paper materials were housed in archival folders and boxes. All folder titles were supplied by the archivist.

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society