Patrick Hayes papers
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Abstract
The materials in this collection primarily document the life and career of Patrick Hayes. Included are Hayes' discharge papers from the Union Army, as well as documents pertaining to his military pension; correspondence written to Hayes; certificates of appointment to various positions in the police department; several photographic portraits of Hayes; resolutions adopted by the Keepers' Mutual Benevolent Organization and the Grand Army of the Republic upon the occasion of Hayes' death; a pocket-size journal kept by Hayes' daughter, Katherine; and a scrapbook compiled by Hayes' brother, Daniel, primarily consisting of newspaper clippings that document Patrick Hayes' life and work.
Biographical note
Patrick Hayes was born in County Waterford, Ireland in 1844, and came to the United States as a child with his family. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the Union Army as a member of the 3rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He fought in several battles of the Civil War, and following the war he worked both as a police officer and a firefighter in Brooklyn. On July 1, 1889, Hayes was appointed Warden of the Kings County Penitentiary on Crow Hill (in the neighborhood currently known as Crown Heights), and when that prison was shuttered, he was made Superintendent of the New York City Penitentiary on Blackwells Island (which was subsequently known as Welfare Island from 1921 to 1973, and Roosevelt Island thereafter). He retired from this position in January 1916.
Hayes was very active in Brooklyn Democratic Politics, particularly in the Eastern District. He was also active in civic and veterans' organizations, including the Iriquois Club and the Grand Army of the Republic, George Richard Post, No. 364. Hayes died of pneumonia at his home on November 6, 1917.
Scope and Contents
The materials in this collection primarily document the life and career of Patrick Hayes. Included are Hayes' discharge papers from the Union Army, as well as documents pertaining to his military pension; correspondence written to Hayes; certificates of appointment to various positions in the police department; several photographic portraits of Hayes; resolutions adopted by the Keepers' Mutual Benevolent Organization and the Grand Army of the Republic upon the occasion of Hayes' death; a pocket-size journal kept by Hayes' daughter, Katherine; and a scrapbook compiled by Hayes' brother, Daniel, primarily consisting of newspaper clippings that document Patrick Hayes' life and work.
Also included is a bound visitor's register from the Kings County Penitentiary. The first few pages of the volume contain lists of names of visitors to the prison, as well as their places of residence. The remainder of the volume features records of monthly grand jury inspections of conditions at the prison. Each record consists of a list of names of grand jury members, as well as their remarks. This volume spans the years 1891-1906.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Hayes family collection, ARC.051, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The materials that comprise this collection were donated to the Long Island Historical Society by Mrs. Paul J. Brown on March 20, 1963.
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Processed minimally to the collection level.
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This finding aid does not include an online listing of contents.
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