Seneca Club of Kings County records
1928-2018, inclusive
; 1961-1985, bulk
Seneca Club of Kings County (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
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.
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
Brooklyn Historical Society
Series 1: Administrative Records, 1945-2009, inclusive
This series contains internal administrative and financial records for the Seneca Club of Kings County. Financial records include leases and a mortgage for the Club headquarters at 93 Division Ave, tax documents, cash books, and expense ledgers. Administrative records include membership ledgers, Executive Committee meeting minutes and correspondence, and certificates and proclamations. Also included are ledgers from the War Effort and Entertainment committees.
93 Divison Ave Lease, 1968, inclusive
1, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
93 Divison Ave Mortgage, 1946-1951, inclusive
1, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Advertisers War Effort Committee Ledger, 1945, inclusive
1, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Applications Ledger for Housing at Jonathan Williams Plaza, 1960
20, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Bills Paid Ledger, 1963-1966, inclusive
1, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Books Distributed Ledger, 1964, inclusive
1, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Business Cards, undated
1, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Cash Book, 1946-1951, inclusive
1, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Cash Book, 1959-1965, inclusive
1, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Cash Book, 1978-1979, inclusive
1, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Certificates, 1972-1982, inclusive
10, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Disbursements Ledger, 1968-1978, inclusive
1, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Donations and Funding, 1970-2009, inclusive
1, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Entertainment Committee Ledgers, 1961, inclusive
2, Folder: 1-2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Executive Committee, 1969-1980, inclusive
2, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Gavels, undated, inclusive
20 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Harold Cohn Certificates, 1960-1972, inclusive
12, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Membership Applications, 1961-1983, inclusive
2, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Membership ID Cards, 1986-1987, inclusive
2, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Membership Dues, 1973-1975, inclusive
20, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Membership Ledger, undated
2, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Membership Ledgers, 1963-1964, inclusive
2, Folder: 8-9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Membership Ledger, 1964, inclusive
2, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Membership Sign-In Sheets, 1984-1986, inclusive
20, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Officers, 1968-1973, inclusive
2, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Proclamations, City of New York, 1999-2009, inclusive
10, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Seneca Club Certificates, 1997-2008, inclusive
2, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Seneca Club Raffle, 1964-1971, inclusive
2, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Seneca Club War Efforts Committee Members, 1945, inclusive
3, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Steve Cohn Certificates, 1970-1993, inclusive
12, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Tax Documents, 1961-1971, inclusive
2, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Tax Returns and Documents, 2003-2008, inclusive
2, Folder: 13-16 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Series 2: Correspondence and Subject Files, 1951-2009, inclusive
The majority of material in this series is comprised of correspondence from local residents to elected officials and Seneca Club representatives regarding local and personal matters. Elected officials often referred constituent correspondence to the Seneca Club, and conversely the Seneca Club lobbied elected representatives on behalf of neighborhood residents. There is a significant body of correspondence regarding employment opportunities, immigration status, and military service, including deferements and reassignments of active duty soldiers during the Vietnam War. There is also a significant group of correspondence with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) regarding the availability of apartments in new NYCHA developments. Other topics represented in constituent correspondence include crime and incarceration, federal benefits, education, and local development issues in Williamsburg and Greenpoint. The series also includes correspondence from Seneca Club leaders, and a small number of subject files.
Abe Gerges Personal Correspondence, 1973-1980, inclusive
3, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Allard Lowenstein Controversy, 1972, inclusive
3, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Benefits, 1959-1972, inclusive
3, Folder: 4-5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Clermont Ave Armory Community Center, 1967, inclusive
3, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Council Of Jewish Organizations Of Flatbush, 2009, inclusive
3, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Crime, 1966-1972, inclusive
3, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Education, 1966, inclusive
3, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Employment, 1959-1974, inclusive
3, Folder: 10-12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Finance Department Drawings, undated
3, Folder: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Fort Greene Correspondence and Newsletter, 1974-1977, inclusive
3, Folder: 14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
George Swetnick Personal Correspondence, 1963-1972, inclusive
3, Folder: 15 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Greenpoint Food Depot, 1970, inclusive
3, Folder: 16 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Greenpoint Incinerator, 2001, inclusive
3, Folder: 17 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Housing, 1960-1980, inclusive
3, Folder: 18-21 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
4, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Immigration, 1959-1974, inclusive
4, Folder: 2-3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Incarceration, 1964-1980, inclusive
4, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Invitations and Greetings, 1959-2008, inclusive
4, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Joseph Sharkey Resignation, 1951, inclusive
4, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
John Smolenski Memorial Democratic Club Inc., Banquet, 1971, inclusive
4, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Legislative Reports, 1976-1985, inclusive
4, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
MTA Campaign, 1973, inclusive
4, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Mid-Brooklyn Health Association, 1972-1974, inclusive
4, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Mid-Brooklyn Health Association, Neighborhood Health Center Blueprints, 1972
Flat File (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Military Service, 1961-1974, inclusive
4, Folder: 11-13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Miscellaneous Bulletins, 1974-2001, inclusive
4, Folder: 14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Miscellaneous Constituent Correspondence, 1962-1973, inclusive
4, Folder: 15 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1972-2005, inclusive
4, Folder: 16 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
National Congress Of Neighborhood Women Newsletter, 1986, inclusive
4, Folder: 17 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Neighborhood Conditions, 1968-1972, inclusive
4, Folder: 18 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
New York City Housing Authority Brochures, 1973-1982, inclusive
4, Folder: 19 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
NYC Municipal Government Bulletins, 1967-1987, inclusive
4, Folder: 20 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Nomination and Endorsement Correspondence, 1973-2004, inclusive
4, Folder: 21 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
North Brooklyn Development Corporation, 1984, inclusive
4, Folder: 22 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
North Brooklyn Independent and Friends Of McCarran Park Inc.,, 1984-2004, inclusive
4, Folder: 23 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Police Brutality, 1969, inclusive
5, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Police Precinct Closure, 1968, inclusive
5, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Preliminary Report of the Senate Democratic Force on NYC, 1976, inclusive
5, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Program Funding, 1965-1985, inclusive
5, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Proxy Paperwork, 1970-1990, inclusive
5, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Pulaski Association of Business and Professional Men, 2001-2002, inclusive
5, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Redistricting Fact Sheet, 1974, inclusive
5, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Resignations, 1953-1985, inclusive
5, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Seneca Club Mailings, 1965-1988, inclusive
5, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
St. Stanislaus Memorial Post, 1982, inclusive
5, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Steve Cohn Personal Correspondence, 2001-2009, inclusive
5, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Survey of the NYC Mortgage Program, 1976, inclusive
5, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Taxation, 1966-1976, inclusive
5, Folder: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Zoning and Rehabilitation, 1966-1972, inclusive
5, Folder: 14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Series 3: Seneca Club Events, 1931-2018, inclusive
Souvenir programs and other ephemera from the Seneca Club's annual Dinner-Dance comprise the majority of this series, with the bulk of programs dating from the Diamond Jubilee dinner in 1973 until the present. A number of earlier Seneca Club events are also represented in this series, as well as several programs from the Brooklyn Democrats Awards Dinner.
Souvenir Program, 1931, inclusive
5, Folder: 15 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Seneca Night, 1940, inclusive
5, Folder: 16 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Event Brooklet, 1941, inclusive
5, Folder: 17 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Annual Dinner and Dance, 1962-1988, inclusive
5, Folder: 19 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Diamond Jubilee Dinner, 1973, inclusive
5, Folder: 20 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
76th Anniversary Annual Dinner-Dance, 1974, inclusive
5, Folder: 21 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Annual Dinner and Dance RSVPs, 1974, inclusive
6, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
77th Anniversary Annual Dinner-Dance, 1975, inclusive
6, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Annual Dinner and Dance RSVPs, 1975, inclusive
6, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
79th Anniversary Annual Dinner-Dance, 1977, inclusive
6, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Annual Dinner and Dance RSVPs, 1977, inclusive
6, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Seneca Dinner Ledger, 1978
20, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
87th Annual Dinner-Dance, 1986, inclusive
5, Folder: 18 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Brooklyn Democrats Awards Dinner, 1997, inclusive
6, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
98th Anniversary Dinner Dance, 1997, inclusive
6, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Brooklyn Democrats Awards Dinner, 1998, inclusive
6, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Brooklyn Democrats Awards Dinner, 1999, inclusive
6, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Brooklyn Democrats Awards Dinner, 2000, inclusive
6, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
King County Democratic County Committee Awards Dinner, 2001, inclusive
6, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
102nd Anniversary Dinner Dance, 2001, inclusive
7, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
102nd Anniversary Annual Dinner and Dance RSVPs, 2001, inclusive
7, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
103rd Anniversary Dinner Dance, 2002, inclusive
7, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
104th Anniversary Dinner Dance, 2003, inclusive
7, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
105th Anniversary Dinner Dance, 2004, inclusive
7, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
105th Anniversary Annual Dinner and Dance RSVPs, 2004, inclusive
7, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Dinner-Dance Proclamations, Borough of Brooklyn, 2004-2013, inclusive
10, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
106th Anniversary Dinner Dance, 2005, inclusive
7, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
106th Anniversary Dinner and Dance RSVPs, 2005, inclusive
7, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
107th Anniversary Dinner Dance, 2006, inclusive
7, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
108th Anniversary Dinner Dance, 2007, inclusive
7, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
108th Anniversary Dinner Dance RSVPs, 2007, inclusive
7, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
109th Anniversary Dinner Dance, 2008, inclusive
7, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
109th Anniversary Dinner Dance RSVPs, 2008, inclusive
7, Folder: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
110th Annual Dinner Dance, 2009, inclusive
8, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
110th Annual Dinner and Dance RSVPs, 2009, inclusive
8, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
119th Annual Dinner, 2018, inclusive
8, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Seneca Club Dinner Committee Stamps, undated
8, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Series 4: Electoral Campaigns, 1928-2009, inclusive
This series contains electoral campaign materials, including ephemera produced by candidates, as well as materials produced by the Sencea Club itself. Candidates that are particularly well-represented in this series include Abe Beame, Al Lownstein, George Swetnick, and Steve Cohn. This series also includes one ledger containing handwritten and published election results, clippings, and campaign advertisements from 1928 through 1966 concerning races for a variety of national, state, and local positions. Other materials included in the ledger are election appeals sent out by the Club with voting guidance, poll information, and candidate photographs with a suggestion to take these recommendations into the voting booth. The series also includes a sample voting machine.
4th Assembly District Map, 1963
Roll 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
50th Assembly District Alternate Delegates Signatories, 1984
20, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
57th Assembly District Maps, 1972-1974, inclusive
Flat File (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Abe Beame Campaign Materials, circa 1970s, inclusive
8, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Al Lowenstein Campaign Materials, 1972, inclusive
8, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
County Committee, 1980
20, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Designating Petition Instructions, circa 1970s, inclusive
20, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Election District Interpreters, undated, inclusive
20, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Election Night Tally Charts, 1969-1978, inclusive
10, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Flat File (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
20, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Election Night Tally Sheets, 1961-1968, inclusive
8, Folder: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Election Results Ledger, 1928-1966, inclusive
11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Electoral Campaign Posters, 1960-2009, inclusive
10, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
George Swetnick Electoral Campaign, 1962-1965, inclusive
8, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Inspectors of Election, 57th Assembly District, 1970
20, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Kings County Polling Places, circa 1970s, inclusive
Flat File (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Miscellaneous Campaign Materials, 1960s-1980s, inclusive
8, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Pollwatcher Information, 1980-1993, inclusive
8, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Primary Day Electoral District Tally Sheets, 1980
20, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Sample Ballots, circa 1970s, inclusive
8, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
10, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Sample Voting Machine, undated
9, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Seneca Club Campaign Materials, 1958-1970, inclusive
8, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Steve Cohn Electoral Campaign, 1982-1984, inclusive
8, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Series 5: Photographs and Plaques, 1940-1998, inclusive
This series includes photographs of Seneca Club events and members, as well as photographs of affiliated organizations and prominent politicians. There are a number of unidentified photographs in this series. This series also contains six plaques presented to Seneca Club members.
Basketball, undated
9, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Building Damage, undated
9, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Clemente Sukkah, 1982, inclusive
9, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Dinner-Dance, 1957
12, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Election Campaigns, 1960, inclusive
9, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Events, 1963, undated, inclusive
10, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Harold Cohn United Jewish Appeal Plaque
23 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Harold Cohn Wallabout Houses Plaque
23 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Harvey Strelzin Membership Plaque, 1982
23 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Jewish War Veterans of King County, undated
9, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Operation Understanding Photo Album, 1967, inclusive
9, Folder: 6-8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Pen Certificate for Act to Amend Retirement and Social Security, 1966
24 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Portraits, undated, inclusive
10, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Portraits on Printing Plates, undated, inclusive
20 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Presidents, United States, undated, bulk
10, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Seneca Club Little League Baseball, 1993, inclusive
9, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Steve Cohn Independence Towers Tenants Association Plaque
23 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Steve Cohn United Negro College Fund Plaque
23 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Unidentified Photographs, circa 1950s-1980s, inclusive
12, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
8, Folder: 14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Flat File (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
US Army Plaque in Memory of Private Louis Sobel, 1918
24 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
War Veterans, circa 1940s-1950s, inclusive
12, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Series 6: Membership Cards, circa 1950 to 1980, inclusive
22 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
15 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
16 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
17 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
18 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
19 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
21 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Membership cards were maintained at the Seneca Club offices, and were used by the organization's leadership to track members and their interactions with the Seneca Club. Membership cards include names, addresses, and dates and descritpions of individual assistance provided by the Seneca Club. The Seneca Club frequently provided neighborhood residents with assistance in housing, employment, immigration, military status, and more. This information was used to encourage voter turnout during election campaigns.