Orphan Asylum Society of the City of Brooklyn records
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Abstract
The Orphan Asylum Society of the City of Brooklyn records, dated 1834 to 1998, contains the annual reports, photographs, and register of the Orphan Asylum Society of the City of Brooklyn, later named Brookwood Child Care.
Historical note
The Orphan Asylum Society of the City of Brooklyn was founded in 1833 by a group of wealthy Brooklynites in response to an 1832 cholera epidemic, which left many children as orphans. The Orphan Asylum Society cared for children who were destitute or orphaned, offering shelter, food, and schooling. Throughout the 19th century, the society housed children until adulthood, or arranged indentures to families outside of Brooklyn.
The asylum moved several times due to overpopulation. Its original location was at the Jackson Mansion on Willow Street and Love Lane in Brooklyn Heights. In 1869, the Society bought 47 lots at the intersection of Atlantic and Kingston Avenues and moved into the new building in 1872. The organization moved out to Brookwood Hall in East Islip, NY in 1942. In 1952, a new branch of the society named Brookwood Child Care opened on Adelphi Street in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, offering adoptions, foster care, and social services to families in Brooklyn and other boroughs. Brookwood Child Care sold Brookwood Hall in 1965, leaving only their Brookwood Child Care offices on Adelphi Street. The society continued operation under the Brookwood name until its dissolution in 2006.
Arrangement
The records are organized in five series:
Series 1: Annual reports and manuals, 1834-1998
Series 2: Promotional materials, circa 1910-1986
Series 3: Citations and proclamations, 1983-1990
Series 4: Register and certificates of indenture, 1855-1974
Series 5: Photographs, circa 1900-circa 1990
Scope and Contents
The Orphan Asylum Society of the City of Brooklyn records, dated 1834 to 1998, contains the annual reports and register of the Orphan Asylum Society related to its locations in Brooklyn and Brookwood Hall in East Islip, NY. The bulk of the collection is annual reports, by-laws, and regulations, which provide financial data, advisory board member names, and personnel information. While lists of contributors and society members are provided in annual reports, names of children in the society's care are not provided.
The Orphan Asylum and Brookwood Hall Register, dated 1907 to 1974, lists orphan names, dates of birth, dates of admission to the society's care, parents' names and addresses, status of parents, and comment on final disposition of the child. Also included in this collection are certificates of indentures and placement in the Orphan Asylum from the 19th century, proclamations from the State of New York and Borough of Brooklyn, and enlarged publicity photographs used for society publications and appear to have been hung in the organization's offices.
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Conditions Governing Access
The collection may only be used in the library and is not available through interlibrary loan.
Series 4 is closed for research. See the Conditions Governing Access note at that level for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Orphan Asylum Society of the City of Brooklyn records, ARC.131, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession 2005.012 is the gift of Janna Collins, 2005. Manuals from 1902-1924 were transferred to the Long Island Historical Society in 1927 by Carrie Adams, Secretary to the Board of Managers at the Orphan Asylum. The immediate source of acquistion for the other accessions is unknown.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Due to the fragility of the volumes, bound Manuals should only be used when the needed year is not represented among the unbound Manuals.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection combines three accessions: 1985.118, 2005.012, and S351. Accession 1985.118 added to the collection by John Zarrillo in March 2017. Processed to the series level with folder list by Alice Griffin in August 2022. All folder titles are supplied by the archivist.
