Kings County Historical Society records
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Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The Kings County Historical Society records provide a window into the activities of the Society and its membership throughout its history, circa 1911 through the 1940s. With both administrative and financial records, the collection details the Society's regular events, such as celebrations of historical anniversaries, speeches and lectures, and dinners. Included in the collection are correspondence; secretary's minutes; event programs and planning documents; speeches and short research articles; annual reports; financial documents, such as ledgers, check books, invoices, and bank statements; membership applications, which include genealogical information; membership ledgers; publications; notecards, possibly containing Society accession records; photographs; founding documents; and dissolution documents.
Historical note
The Kings County Historical Society was founded in 1911 and incorporated in 1913. Its objectives included the dissemination of knowledge of the early history of Kings County through lectures and publications, the promotion of historic research, the collection of items of historic interest, the creation of historic place markers, and the acquisition of historic sites.
Admission into the Society required applicants to detail their genealogy and personal ties to Brooklyn. Officers of the Society included such prominent Brooklyn residents as Charles Ditmas, Frederick Van Wyck, George Tiffany, and John Van Siclen. Active until the late 1930s, the Society's board voted to dissolve in 1941. The Long Island Historical Society (now Brooklyn Historical Society) received the organization's records and collections in 1947.
Scope and Contents
The Kings County Historical Society records provide a window into the activities of the Society and its membership throughout its history, circa 1911 through the 1940s. With both administrative and financial records, the collection details the Society's regular events, such as celebrations of historical anniversaries, speeches and lectures, and dinners. Included in the collection are correspondence; secretary's minutes; event programs and planning documents; speeches and short research articles; annual reports; financial documents, such as ledgers, check books, invoices, and bank statements; membership applications, which include genealogical information; membership ledgers; publications; notecards, possibly containing Society accession records; photographs; founding documents; and dissolution documents.
Subjects
Organizations
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Kings County Historical Society records, ARC.058, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Kings County Historical Society and John Van Siclen, 1939-1958.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Minimally processed to the collection level.
This collection is composed of three accessions: 1977.210, 1977.305, and 1981.004.
A postcard was added to the collection in 2014 (v1998.033).
