Finney family collection
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The Finney family papers contain items mainly pertaining to the career and personal life of William Finney, though there is a small number of items pertaining to William's brother, Peter, as well as Ellen Phinney, a family relative (possibly William and Peter's mother). Included is a diploma from Kings County Hospital Training School for Nurses issued to Kate Florence Sharp in 1900. Sharp was William Finney's nurse, and she was left a sum of money in William's will. The collection spans the period circa 1865 to 1913, with the majority of the items dating from the 1890s and the first decade of the 1900s.
Biographical Note
William Finney (1831-1913) was a prominent Brooklyn citizen who lived at 558 Putnam Avenue with his brother, Peter (1833-1902). William was a businessman who, along with Henry Hoffman, ran the Brooklyn company Finney & Hoffman, a manufacturer of steam boilers and engines located on Water Street between Bridge and Jay Streets. Though the collection does not testify as to the degree of William's formal scientific training, it is evident that he possessed significant knowledge of the field, as he was also an associate member of the Department of Microscopy at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences. William was also involved in several business ventures throughout Brooklyn, including being a shareholder of the Brooklyn Union Gas Company, the Brooklyn City Railroad Co., and the Long Island Traction Company.
Peter Finney (1833-1902), William's brother, was a shipbuilder and oarsman working under George Steers of New York. He helped build the yacht America, which was the first boat to win the International Cup.
Sources:
- Brooklyn Institute. The Second Year Book of the Brooklyn Institute (1889-1890). Brooklyn, N.Y.: The Brooklyn Institute, 1890.
Scope and Contents
The Finney family papers contain items mainly pertaining to the career and personal life of William Finney, though there is a small number of items pertaining to William's brother, Peter, as well as Ellen Phinney, a family relative (possibly William and Peter's mother). The collection spans the period circa 1831 to 1913, with the majority of the items dating from the 1890s and the first decade of the 1900s. Items relating to William Finney include personal correspondence, notebooks and journals in which William recorded financial transactions and business and personal errands, business and calling cards, a stock certificate issued by the Brooklyn Union Gas Company, receipts, news clippings pertaining to various companies and business ventures in which William was interested or involved, photographs, documentation regarding William's purchasing of a plot of land at Green-Wood Cemetery, and a notice regarding William's date of death and the filing of his will. Items relating to Peter Finney include an obituary and photographs, as well as an undated letter from Portland, Maine, regarding his citizenship status. Items related to the Finney family as a whole include books from 1831-33 and 1902 chronicling the births/deaths/movements of Peter, Margaret, William and Ellen Finney. An additional photograph depicts Ellen Phinney, as does an 1841 letter from Buffalo New York regarding Ellen Finney's monetary situation.
The collection also includes a diploma issued to Kate Florence Sharp from the Kings County Hospital Training School for Nurses. Sharp was a nurse to William Finney in the years before his death. According to a newspaper clipping included in the collection, Sharp inherited money from William Finney's estate after he passed in July 1913.
Subjects
Organizations
Families
Genres
Topics
Places
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Reproduction rights for photographs have not been evaluated. Please consult library staff for more information.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Finney family collection, ARC.052, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Virgina F. Clair, 1976 and 1988.
Other Finding Aids
Item-level descriptions and digital versions of images from the collection are available for searching via the image database in the library. Please consult library staff for more information.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Minimally processed to the collection level.
The collection combines the accessions 1978.067, V1988.006, 1988.012, and V1997.074.
Accession 1988.012 added to the collection in August 2015 by processing intern Stephanie Coy.
Material found in repository added to the collection by Lena Evers-Hillstrom in October 2018.
