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.
Subjects
People
Topics
Donors
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.
Sponsor Note
Repository
Series 1: Annual reports and manuals, 1834-1998, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series 1: Annual reports and manuals, 1834-1998, includes mostly Manuals and Annual Reports, along with a 1951 Biennial Report and Acts of Incorporation and By-laws from 1834 and 1933-1945. The Manuals run from 1860-1907 and the Annual Reports run from 1908 to 1998. These materials 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.
Arrangement
The series is arranged chronologically.
Constitution and By-laws and Annual Report, 1834
Manual, 1860
Manuals, 1861-1866, inclusive
Manuals, 1868-1872, inclusive
Manuals, 1873-1876, inclusive
Manuals, 1877-1880, inclusive
Manuals, 1881-1884, inclusive
Manuals, 1885-1888, inclusive
Manuals, 1889-1892, inclusive
Manuals, 1893-1896, inclusive
Manuals, 1897-1900, inclusive
Manuals, 1901-1904, inclusive
Manuals, 1905-1907, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1908-1911, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1912-1915, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1916-1920, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1921-1924, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1925-1927, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1928-1931, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1932-1935, inclusive
Acts of incorporation and by-laws, 1933-1945, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1936-1938, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1939-1941, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1942-1944, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1946-1948, inclusive
Biennial Report, 1951
Annual Reports, 1949-1955, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1956-1968, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1969-1971, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1974-1987, inclusive
Annual Reports, 1991-1998, inclusive
Bound volume of manuals, 1834-1885, inclusive
Bound volume of manuals, 1885-1900, inclusive
Series 2: Promotional materials, circa 1910-1986, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series 2: Promotional materials, circa 1910-1986, includes printed materials used to promote the Orphan Asylum Society of the City of Brooklyn and Brookwood Child Care. The bulk of this series are souvenir programs and booklets from anniversary dinners from 1926 to 1986.
Arrangement
The series is arranged chronologically.
Souvenir Photo Album, circa 1910, inclusive
Donation requests, 1918 - circa 1960, inclusive
93rd Anniversary, 1926
94th Anniversary, 1927
96th Anniversary, 1929
97th Anniversary, 1930
100th Anniversary history booklet, 1933
The Courier newsletter, 1942
125th Anniversary history booklet, 1958
150th Anniversary history booklet, 1983
152nd Anniversary, 1985
153rd Anniversary, 1986
Series 3: Citations and proclamations, 1983-1990, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series 3: Citations and proclamations, 1983-1990, includes citations and proclamations from the Brooklyn Borough President and the State of New York Executive Chamber on the occasion of the Orphan Asylum Society of the City of Brooklyn's 150th anniversary in 1983 (then Brookwood Child Care). There is also a proclamation from the State of New York Executive Chamber naming April 1990 the Month of the Child in recognition of the organization; and a proclamation from the Brooklyn Borough President naming May 23, 1985 Brookwood Child Care Day.
Arrangement
This series is arranged in one folder.
Citations and proclamations, 1983-1990, inclusive
Series 4: Register and certificates of indenture, 1855-1974, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series 4: Register and certificates of indenture, 1855-1974, includes an Orphan Asylum and Brookwood Hall Register, dated 1907 to 1974, which 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 are certificates of indenture and a certificate confirming the placement of children in the care of the Orphan Asylum.
Arrangement
The series is arranged chronologically.
Conditions Governing Access
Due to sensitive personal information, these materials are not open for research. Information from these materials can be requested on a case by case basis with a signed Center for Brooklyn History confidentiality agreement.
Certificates of indenture, 1855-1880, inclusive
Copy of register, 1907-1974, inclusive
Register, 1907-1974, inclusive
Series 5: Photographs, circa 1900-circa 1990, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Series 5: Photographs, circa 1900-circa 1990, includes photographs of children in the care of the Orphan Asylum Society of the City of Brooklyn and Brookwood Child Care, the attending physician in 1881, and exterior and aerial photographs of the building at Atlantic Avenue and Brookwood Hall on Long Island.
Arrangement
The series is arranged chronologically.
