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Researching in Huntington New York:
The Resource Center and Archives of the
Huntington Historical Society
Spawned by the success of
Huntington’s 250th birthday celebration in 1903 a group of
women, many of them Huntington founding families, met to organize a
society to “perpetuate an interest in things historic;…in fact all
historic items relating to the Town of Huntington since 1653.” The
first embodiment of the Huntington Historical Society came on December
3, 1903 when the group received a State Charter for the Colonial Society
of Huntington. Active membership was restricted to women, but the
charter was revised eight years later with membership open to all.
The focus of the present Society
continued with the new charter issued on April 19, 1911 renaming it the
Huntington Historical Society. The organization continues the policy of
collecting and preserving artifacts, original documents, photographs,
account books, and records relating to non-governmental history
involving individuals, families, organizations, churches and cemeteries,
and local businesses. The Society is the focal point for preserving the
ongoing heritage of the Town of Huntington through educational programs
that maintain museums, collections, and a regional research center.
The Resource Center and
Archives is located on two floors of the historic Sewing and Trade
School Building at 209 Main Street, Huntington.. The following brief
descriptions list the variety of collections and indexes available for
researching local families. In addition the collections are useful for
obtaining copies of photographs, ethnic studies, local history,
collectables, and information on historic houses and neighborhoods,
The Nellie Ritch Scudder Collection of Long
Island Genealogical Records-
(1890-1920)
Nellie Ritch Scudder (1862-1920)
collected genealogical records from churches, cemeteries, town records,
local newspapers and publications, and libers at the County Center for
about 9000 individuals. The family gave her material to the Society
after her death. The materials were typed and put into 7 loose leaf
books listing sources used. In addition a card index was created by
CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) workers, who
consolidated all of the citations per individual family member. Details
appear in the Historical Documents Inventory data base available through
the New York State Library or Archives website.
The Edwin L. Soper Family History Records
Collection
Edwin L. Soper (1917-1990)
collected information about local families and their allied lines. He
donated copies of his material on a regular basis and upon his death the
remainder of his material was donated to the Resource Center. He used
records similar to Nellie Ritch Scudder plus correspondence and
occasionally assumptions, which are so noted. The collections are
listed below:
Bunce
Family----------------------------------------- 4 volumes
Carll Family------------------------------------------- 2
volumes
Creiger Family ---------------------------------------- 1
volume
Gardiner Family--------------------------------------- 1
volume
Gildersleeve Family (other than Richard 1, 2, 3)-- 5 volumes
Gildersleeve Family (Richard 1, 2, 3) ------------- 3 volumes
Jarvis Family------------------------------------------- 1
volume
Ketcham Family--------------------------------------- 10
volumes
LaFort Family------------------------------------------ 1
volume
Elizabeth Scudder Lathrop Family------------------ 4 volumes
Lewis Family------------------------------------------- 1
volume
Oakley Family------------------------------------------ 1
volume
Platt Family--------------------------------------------- 1
volume
Rogers Family------------------------------------------ 5
volumes
Rogers Family in England---------------------------- 1
volume
Scudder Family-descendants of Thomas Scudder
who settled in Salem, Ma. 1632
(includes 2 volume index) ------------------ 35 volumes
Scudder
Family (Oklahoma & Georgia Scudders)- 1 volume
Scudder
Family III-------------------------------------- 1 volume
Soper Family
descendants of Henry Soper,
of Huntington, New York---------------------- 3 volumes
Soper Family
miscellaneous branches---------------- 1 volume
Richard
“Bull” Smith Family-------------------------- 1 volume
Valentine
Family (Nathan branch) ------------------- 1 volume
Records of the Presbyterian Church (Old First)
in Huntington, NY
Volume I, 1766-1834, Volume II,
1794-1940. The records were copied from the microfilm copy of the
church records. Two Index books were created from these records. The
records vary over time and include early Church Session records
(1767-1771), brethren and sisters (1785-1800), burials in the graveyard
(1832-1834), admissions and dismissals, lists of church members and
communicants, deaths, funerals, marriages, and a brief list of early
black members.
Church Records
The collection of church records
include minute books, membership lists, baptisms, deaths, marriages,
burials, programs, ministers notes, clippings, and church histories.
This material can be found in the manuscript vertical file, Special
Collections, and in loose leaf books on the library shelves. The time
periods vary from the 1840’s to 1913. The local Huntington area church
records and registers are available for St. Johns Episcopal Church, St.
Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Quarterly Conference of the
Methodist-Episcopal Church Circuit Records, Woodbury Methodist Church,
the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and the Cold Spring Harbor Baptist
Church.
Index to the Huntington Rural Cemetery,
1853-1990
Members of the Society’s Genealogy
Workshop extracted records from a microfilm copy of the internment
records of the Huntington Rural Cemetery. The index includes over 9,000
names of people from Maine to California who are buried in the
cemetery. The index shows five fields (surname, given name, last
residence, burial date, volume and page in the burial book.) Volume and
page numbers refer to detailed records usually giving age at death, date
of death, cause of death, location of the grave, names of others buried
in the same plot and in some cases, owner of the plot with an address
and funeral home. Information can be provided for a small fee.
Cemetery Records
Over the years various
individuals and organizations visited local cemeteries and copied the
information from the tombstones in family plots, churchyards, rural
cemeteries and association plots. The library has transcriptions and
notes from 91 burial grounds and sites. The records span burials from
1723 to 1990. The William A. Eardley records also include
transcriptions from the bibles of William Covert (1753-1911) and Seth
Purdy (1752-1800). The records primarily cover the present area of
Huntington but also include entries from Cold Spring Harbor, Syosset,
Woodbury, Amityville, Farmingdale, Babylon, Brentwood, Wyandanch,
Brookhaven and Flanders. There is a consolidated index of 13,000 names.
World War I and II Military Service Information
In 1920 and 1921 Society members
created a card file for individuals from Suffolk County who served in
the military, stored in 6 card file drawers. The cards are filed by
post office name and there under in surname alphabetical order. The
cards vary in information from name of individual and post office, date
of birth, parents or spouse, enlisted or drafted, branch of service,
rate or rank, military action, death or wounded, military action, date
of discharge and on a rare occasion activity after discharge. It should
be noted that the list includes some women. The honor roll of
Huntington’s 3,860 men and women who served in World War II which was
compiled by the Official Honor Roll Committee American Legion Huntington
Post 360, Huntington, NY the project started April 1942 and was
completed November 1946.
Atlases, Travel, and Land Ownership Maps
This collection includes: J. Chace
Jr. Map of Suffolk Co. 1858, F. W. Beers, Comstock, and
Cline Atlas of Long Island 1873, E. Belcher Hyde Atlases of
Nassau County 1906 & 1914, Suffolk County 1909 & 1917
and Real Estate map of Suffolk County Westerly part, Dolph &
Stewart Road & Land Ownership Map of Nassau County 1939, Hagstrom
Co. Inc. Hagstrom’s Road and Land Ownership Atlas of Suffolk County,
L.I., N.Y (Western Half) 1941 & 1944, Street and Road Atlas of
Suffolk County, N.Y., 1952 and Atlas of Suffolk County, N.Y.,
1961. In addition there are 284 national, state, and local maps from
1639-1997 and19 United States Geological Survey Maps.
James R. Reilly Collection
The James R. Reilly (1921-2000)
Collection was donated to the Society by the family. The collection
consists of 344 books primarily dealing with Irish history and
genealogical research, Irish Journals, articles from Irish journals and
books, 159 “Townland Index Maps” showing the boundary of townlands
including a useful selection of roads, railways, major rivers and public
buildings. The collection also includes a fiche collection of “Index of
Surnames of Householders in Griffith’s Valuation and Tithe Applotment
Books” and fiche of the Griffith’s Valuations Record Books.
Special Collections
The Special Collections are comprised
of materials dating from 1653 to 2008. The 225 collections range in
size from 3 inches to 60 linear feet and consists primarily of original
materials stored on 900 linear feet of shelving. The collections cover
individuals, families, businesses, estates, homes, farms, clubs and
organizations. The collections vary in content and can contain
individual and family genealogical records, business and institutional
papers, ledger, day and account books, diaries, programs,
correspondence, post cards, newspaper clippings, bills and receipts,
probate information, deeds and bonds, bible records, scrapbooks, minute
books, architectural drawings. The Guide to Historical Resources for
Suffolk County was never published, therefore, the descriptions of
the 107 collections surveyed by a field archivist can only be found on
the New York State Archives or Library website or by accessing a copy at
the Society’s Resource Center.
Books
The non-circulating collection of over
5,000 books covers Huntington, New England, and New York City and
includes genealogies, town records, local and county histories,
churches, the colonial period, the American Revolution, the Civil War,
profiles of early settlers, church and ecclesiastical records, the
historical documents inventory, how and where to find genealogy
information, US National Archives publications and books from state and
local historical agencies and societies. There are also books
pertaining to hobbies and craft work.
Microfilm and CD ROMS
The collection consists of microfilm of
newspapers including The Long Islander, Suffolk Bulletin, The
Suffolk Democrat, Huntington Times, The Virginia Gazette
of Williamsburg and The Portico. There are select
copies of the census of state and federal records, city directories, H.
F. Seversmith’s Long Island Families, Emigrant Savings Bank
Records and the Huntington Official Honor Roll for WW II. The CD
collection includes North American, Irish, British, Scandinavian and
European source records.
Photograph Collection
The collection contains over
250,000 images documenting the history of the Town of Huntington its
people, places, industry, and events. They are in various formats such
as prints, negatives, glass plates, slides, tintypes, daguerreotypes and
postcards. The material includes collections from several local
professional photographers, collectors and local individuals. Images
may be accessed with the assistance of the Archivist Karen Martin.
Newspaper Collection
Microfilm copies of: The long
Islander-July 12, 1839 to present; The Portico-March 1826 to
march 1827; Virginia Gazette-6 rolls-1736; The Suffolk
Democrat-Feb 1846 to Sept. 1864 with missing issues. Bound volumes
containing portions of 36 local and regional newspapers-1822 to 1934.
Unbound newspapers, 106 titles from local regional and various
states-1704 to today.
Oral History Collections
These collections are comprised of
local history oral interviews conducted with 51 local citizens,
historians, small groups and Society members from 1966 to1979. The
record of the interviews includes an abstract listing of topics with the
topics ranging from personal experiences to memories of events and
activities. In 1987, the Huntington Historical Society, in
collaboration with the Town of Huntington, began an oral history project
to record the history and traditions of some of the Town’s various ethic
and racial communities. These 62 interviews provided the basis for the
Historical Society’s exhibition and publication, Reaching For A
Dream: Huntington’s Ethnic Heritage. The ethnic groups were
African-American, Italian-American and the Latino communities
Town of Huntington-Historic Site Survey
A survey requested by the State of New
York to list all structures that have historic connections and or to
represent a unique period of American architecture. It was used by the
Town of Huntington as a basis to create local historic districts or
individual land marks. The survey covered four types of data: 1) all
extant structures appearing in Beers, Comstock, and Cline’s Atlas of
Long Island (1873) would be listed individually 2) more recent
vernacular structures 1880-1920 would usually be listed where their
numbers and integrity were sufficient to create a sense of neighborhood;
3) structures of considerable architectural merit and integrity would be
listed regardless of age; and 4) archeological sites would be listed if
subsequent development had not obliterated all traces. The Resource
Center and Archives has copies of the 802 forms describing nearly 1500
structures or sites. For further details read the article by Gay Wagner
“Huntington’s Survey of Historic Structures” in The Quarterly of The
Huntington Historical Society, Volume 19, Number 2, Winter
1979-1980.
Index and Abstracts of Land Titles-Primarily in
the Town of Huntington and a few in Southold [1763-1949]
The collection is housed in 6 archival
boxes or 3 cubic fee of material. This select group of records is
primarily of 20th century title searches that go back to the
17th and 18th century records of earlier sale of
the land in question and copies of wills which transferred title to
other individuals.
Vertical
File Collections
Family History and Biography File
A vertical file collection
of 178 individuals or families containing an assortment of materials.
The materials may include: newspaper clippings, business notes and
records, bible information, personal correspondence, military records
and organizations, foundation material, clergy and church records,
estate information, fire department information, school attendance
records, ancestor charts, genealogies, small publications, tributes,
shipping information, photo images, and maps.
Huntington Vertical File
A collection of
clippings, brochures, pamphlets, reports, and articles about
organizations, businesses, activities, local communities, and events
that deal with the Huntington area. There are over 500 separate
listings that appear in the on-site Guide.
Vertical File
A collection of clippings,
brochures, pamphlets, reports, magazines, and advertisements about the
activities and history of various towns , villages, communities
organizations, ethnic groups, hobbies, covering the four counties of
Long Island, excluding Huntington. There are over 275 listings in the
on site Guide.
Manuscript Vertical File
The material is primarily individual
original items (primary) thus could not be included in Special
Collections. The files include small account books, booklets,
magazines, mementos, almanacs, exhibit brochures, correspondence,
atlases, broadsides, reception tickets, receipts, 1790 census of
Huntington, cemetery booklet, commemorative church histories, deeds,
directories, minute books, Huntington Alumni Records, and items dealing
with activities and individuals on Long Island.
Genealogy Vertical File
The collection includes articles,
brochures, newsletters, and booklets dealing with genealogy
organizations, localities, events, and techniques. There are over 150
separate listings that appear in the on-site Guide.
Access to Materials
All of these collections are available
when visiting the Resource Center and Archives. The collections are
housed at the Society’s Sewing and Trade School Building at 209 Main
Street, Huntington, New York. Access to the Resource Center is free to
Society members. There is a $4.00 daily use fee for non-members. For
information about remote research fees, contact Richard Holliday at the
Society address noted above or through our website.
Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
Appointments are recommended to confirm staff
availability
Phone: 631-427-7045 Wed. ext. 407 and Thurs. ext
406.
Fax: 631-427-7056
Society website:
www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org
Archivist Email:
kmartin@huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org
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