guide to the william f. wyckoff papers...

Brooklyn Historical SocietyApril 2011

128 Pierrepont Street

Brooklyn, NY, 11201

718-222-4111

[email protected]

Guide to the William F. Wyckoff papers 1978.002

Finding aid prepared by Robyn Hjermstad

Developed with grant funds from the U.S. Department of Education

Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural (URR) Program.

This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit

December 16, 2011

Describing Archives: A Content Standard


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Table of Contents

Summary Information ................................................................................................................................. 3

Biographical/Historical note.......................................................................................................................... 5

Scope and Contents....................................................................................................................................... 5

Arrangement note...........................................................................................................................................7

Administrative Information .........................................................................................................................7

Related Materials ........................................................................................................................................ 8

Controlled Access Headings..........................................................................................................................8

Collection Inventory.................................................................................................................................... 11


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Summary Information

Repository Brooklyn Historical Society

Creator Wyckoff, William Forman, 1858-1930

Title William F. Wyckoff papers

Date [inclusive] 1695-1942

Extent 3.25 Linear feet in 3 manuscript boxes and 1 oversize flat box.

Language English

Language of Materials The bulk of the material is in English. Some documents are in Dutch.

Abstract This collection contains the personal and family related papers of William

Forman Wyckoff (1858-1930) spanning the years 1695-1942. Material

types include deeds, indentures, property maps, bills of sale, and estate

matters from 1695 through 1825. Later documents include extracts

of financial records, clippings, reunion books, correspondence, and

genealogical notes and research pertaining to many families in Brooklyn

and other nineteenth century towns of Kings and Queens Counties, New

York. The Eldert, Lott, Suydam, and Wyckoff families are prominent in

this collection in deeds, estate inventories, and financial records. Also

included in this collection are documents from the Revolutionary War

period, those related to John Wyckoff's tenure as sheriff of Brooklyn about

1817-1833, and those concerning enslaved African-Americans.

Preferred Citation


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Identification of item, date (if known); William F. Wyckoff papers, 1978.002, Box and Folder number;Brooklyn Historical Society.


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Biographical/Historical note

William F. Wyckoff is a descendant of Pieter Claesen Wyckoff, the common ancestor of the Wyckofffamily, and one of the most influential leaders during 17th century settlement in New Amsterdam.Claesen-Wyckoff and his wife, Greitje van Ness, eventually settled in Flatlands, Brooklyn, in what isnow the historic Wyckoff Homestead. Claesen-Wyckoff and his wife had a total of eleven children,who married into several different families, creating a vast and complex genealogy spanning the entirecountry.

William F. Wyckoff (1858-1930) is the son of Sarah Hays Forman (1823-1901) and Reverend Jacob S.Wyckoff. The common ancestor on the Forman side is John Forman, one of many Scotch passengers thatcame to the United States in 1685 via the "Henry and Francis," led by George Scot. Scot had originallyplanned to sell the passengers as servants once they reached the new world, but he died on board, so thesurvivors appealed to the courts for their freedom; upon which, John Forman settled at Woodbridge inMiddlesex County, N.J. William F. Wyckoff's grandfather, William P. Forman, was in the Navy in theCivil War, and was paymaster of the fleet at Pensacola, Florida, and died there of yellow fever in 1863.William F. Wyckoff's father, Jacob S. Wyckoff, was the first minister of the Reformed Dutch Church ofColts Neck in New Jersey from 1856 until 1864.

William F. Wyckoff was a writer and genealogist; a good portion of his genealogical notes and researchis located in this collection. Wyckoff's genealogical achievements were widely recognized, and in 1939,nine years after his death, Wyckoff received a certificate of merit, the highest ranking achievement, fromthe Institute of American Genealogy. Wyckoff's publications include: The Wyckoff Family in America: aGenealogy (1934, four years after his death); Inscriptions from Lott family burying ground [and others](1914, with Josephine C Mayou Frost), and The Old Town Church Jamaica, NY (1910), pertaining to theold Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens.

Scope and Contents

The William F. Wyckoff papers consist primarily of deeds, indentures, estate records, and genealogicalresearch for various families in Brooklyn (Kings County) and Queens County. While the collections spansover two hundred years, from 1695-1942, approximately half of the material in this collection are datedbefore 1825. The material in this collection closely documents the real estate and financial transactionsfrom various areas of Queens and Brooklyn, as well as the personal and professional interests of membersof the Wyckoff family, primarily William F.

The genealogical material in this collection includes correspondence, descriptions, and typed andhandwritten notes and charts by William F. Wyckoff on numerous families. Family names include theSpader, Griffin, Forman, King, Titus, Lott, Lawrence, Vandervoort, Van Nostrand, Suydam, Renne,


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Williamson, Moore, and Wyckoff families. Some of Wyckoff's manuscript writings about people andplaces in New York are also included, such as "Old Clove Road" and "The Red Man in the United States."Subjects of correspondence pertain to Wyckoff's genealogical work.

There is a significant amount of material pertaining to Jamaica, Queens in this collection, includingseveral deeds and indentures, as well as a patent, an article of agreement for the erection of an electriclight plant and appliances (1893), descriptions of property, and documents pertaining to the oldPresbyterian church in Jamaica, including church charters, descriptions, and a draft of Wyckoff's The OldTown Church Jamaica, NY (1910).

The deeds and indentures in this collection are for land in Flatbush, Flatlands, Gravesend, Hempstead,Jamaica, New Jersey, Newtown, New Utrecht, and Orange County, many of which are accompanied bytypescript copies. There is also material pertaining to New Lots, including an agreement of people in thetown to aid the reverend with payment to rent a house, an agreement of subscribers to pay to have a fencebuilt, and a list of inhabitants of western road district in New Lots, including John Ferdinand and JamesWyckoff. Members of the Suydam, Eldert, Wyckoff, and Lott families make up the majority of the estaterecords in this collection.

Other document types in this collection include property maps for Gravesend, Flatlands, Flatbush, andJamaica, as well as an Eastern Long Island Railroad map. Also included herein are stock certificates(1838-1890) for Atlantic State Bank (John and Peter Lott) and Long Island City of Newtown RailroadCompany (John H. Sutphin), two General Society Daughters of the Revolution certificates for CorneliaSpader Wyckoff (1901), a Washington National Monument Society certificate for Ferdinand L.Wyckoff, a tavern license, an apprenticeship certificate for cordwinder and tanner, and various otherprograms and official government and financial documents for Cornelius, Hendrick, Justice John, andWilliam F. Wyckoff. A 1917 homeopathic medical index is also located in this collection, as well as acommencement program for Rutgers University (1839), and programs for the New York Chorus (1881),Brooklyn Philharmonic society programs, and a New Lots school exhibition (1850).

The collection also holds documents relating to Justice John Wyckoff's position as Sheriff of Brooklynincluding his commission (1817), assignments of prisoners, court summons and recordings, addressesto the board of supervisors and to the people of Kings County referring to the fire at the court houseand jail that took place in 1833, and receipts and notifications concerning prisoners. A small numberof agreements and business financial information for the Williamsburgh Turnpike Road and BridgeCompany is in the collection. There is also a petition from the Black Stump Hook, Ladder and BucketCompany of Queens County with a blueprint of its fire district and alarm system route.

The Revolutionary War-era documents (1701-1782) herein consist of inventories and accounts of cattleand wood. Other military-related material in this collection is a Department of Interior War of 1812survivor's pension for John S. Lott (1871) and a commission to Nicholas Wyckoff as Ensign in the 93rdregiment (1814).

This collection includes several documents related to African-Americans. There are two slave bills ofsale; one mentions two children that were "born free" (1814) and the second mentions the ownership ofa slave boy "until he gets his freedom by due course of the law" (1813). Various estate records refer toenslaved African-Americans, either to be inherited or to be freed (1746). Correspondence to JohannesEldert states that "a free black" had made complaint of being "infirm and unable to provide support forhimself," and that he, being an overseer of the poor, should pay him 10 shillings per week until he can


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be transported to his legal residence (1807). Among other miscellaneous documents concerning African-Americans is a family tree for the Van Voorhees family with references to inheritances of slaves.

Arrangement note

Either William F. Wyckoff or someone at a later date began to arrange the deeds in this collection bylocation, and estate matters by name; these materials were left as found by the archivist. Some unlabeledand miscellaneous material in this collection was arranged by the archivist. The term "unclassified"used on some folders is a transcription of Wyckoff's original folder description. A significant number ofoversized documents are in the collection; these were moved from their original folder location into aflat box. The container list and the folder labels indicate the relationship of each oversize document to itsoriginal folder.

Administrative Information

Publication Information

Brooklyn Historical Society April 2011

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use note

Materials in this collection are in the public domain.

Immediate Source of Acquisition note

This collection was donated to the Brooklyn Historical Society in 1978; the provenance of this collectionis unknown.

Processing Information note

The collection was processed by Robyn Hjermstad in April 2011.


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Related Materials

Related Archival Materials note

Other collections held by the Brooklyn Historical Society relate directly to the Wyckoff family, includingreminiscences of Peter Wyckoff of Bushwick, 1828-1910 (call number 1973.258) and the Wyckoff Housecollection (call number 1977.350). Material on the Wyckoffs can be found in various other collections,including the Teunis Bergen papers (call number ARC.006).

Other collections at Brooklyn Historical Society hold documents that directly relate to material found inthe William F. Wyckoff papers. The Terhune and Wyckoff families papers (call number ARC.279) holdsmaterial relating to the Gravesend property map in this collection, as well as to various members of theextended Wyckoff family. The DeWitt Clinton papers (call number ARC.021) holds a letter from Clintonto Sheriff John Wyckoff, who is well-represented in this collection.

In addition to archival collections, there is material concerning the Wyckoffs available on the BHS libraryshelves. This includes The Wyckoff family in America: A genealogy, a collection of records collected byForman and edited by Milford B. Streeter and Harriet E. Wyckoff (call number CS71.W935.1978).

Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

• Williamsburgh Turnpike Road and Bridge Company (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.).

Family Name(s)

• Eldert family• Lott family• Suydam family• Wyckoff family

Genre(s)


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• Cadastral maps• Correspondence• Estate inventories.• Estate records• Family papers• Genealogies• Indentures• Manuscript maps• Maps• Programs (documents)• Receipts (financial records)• Slave bills of sale• Transcripts• Wills

Geographic Name(s)

• Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) |v Maps• Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) |x Genealogy• Bushwick (New York, N.Y.) |v Manuscript maps• Flatbush (New York, N.Y.)• Flatlands (New York, N.Y.)• Gravesend (New York, N.Y.)• Jamaica (New York, N.Y.)• Long Island (N.Y.) |x History |y Revolution, 1775-1783• New Utrecht (New York, N.Y.)• Newtown (Queens County, N.Y.)• Newtown (Queens County, N.Y.) |v Maps

Personal Name(s)

• Eldert, Hendrick, fl. 1790• Eldert, Johannes, fl. 1788• Wyckoff, Cornelius, 1656-1748• Wyckoff, Cornelius, 1722-1789• Wyckoff, Hendrick, 1733-1749• Wyckoff, John, 1771-1864• Wyckoff, John• Wyckoff, William Forman, 1858-1930


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Collection Inventory

Dates Box Folder

Genealogical writings of William F. Wyckoff

General note

3 oversize maps in box 4.

1855-1935 1 1

Genealogical correspondence and notes 1853-1926 1 2-3

Deed, James V. B. Wyckoff to Ferdinand L. Wyckoff 1857 1 4

Wyckoff, William F., miscellaneous 1877-1942 1 5

Deeds, Flatbush

General note

7 oversize deeds in box 4.

1719-1839 1 6

Deeds, Flatlands 1687-1845 1 7


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General note

One oversize deed in box 4.

Deeds, Gravesend 1842 1 8

Deeds, Hempstead

General note

3 oversize documents in box 4.

1700-1770 1 9

Deeds, Hudson County, NJ 1842 2 1

Deeds, Jamaica

General note


1692-1889 2 2

Deeds, Monmouth County, NJ

General note

1700 2 3


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One oversize document in box 4.

Deeds, New Lots

General note


1744-1854 2 4

Deeds, Newtown

General note


1706-1835 2 5

Deeds, New Utrecht

General note

All documents are oversize; in box 4.

1768-1769 4 6

Deeds, Orange County

General note

All documents are oversize; in box 4.

1731 4 7


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Military 1814-1871 2 6

Apprenticeship 1756 2 7

Jamaica material circa

1900-1914

2 8

New Lotts material 1817-1826 2 9

Jamaica Presbyterian Church, typescript material 1910 2 10

Stock certificates 1838-1890 2 11

Descriptions of property 1802 2 12

Printed matter 1901 2 13


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Tavern license (Flatlands) 1712 2 14

Revolutionary War 1703-1787 2 15

Miscellaneous Ephemera and Receipts 1789-1833 2 16

Norman Baker confession 1820 2 17

Estates, Boerum, William 1776 2 18

Estates, Bound, Amos 1842 2 19

Estates, Christmas, Charles 1859 2 20

Estates, Duryea, Hetty 1852-1857 2 21

Estates, Eldert, Hendrick 1768-1797 2 22


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General note


Estates, Eldert, Johannes 1784-1788 2 23

Estates, Eldert, Lucas

General note


1771-1780 2 24

Estates, Forman, Ann 1865 2 25

Estates, Johnson, William

General note

Only one document, which is oversized and in box 4.

1749 4 12

Estates, Lott, Hendrick 1813-1833 2 26


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Estates, Lott, Peter 1879-1905 2 27

Estates, Lott, Stephen 1809 2 28

Estates, Lucasen, Eldert

General note

This folder holds transcriptions of the original documents.

The originals are oversize and are in box 4.

1714-1734 2 29

Estates, Snediker, Isaac 1758 2 30

Estates, Stevenson, John 1781-1793 2 31

Estates, Suydam, James 1700-1786 2 32

Estates, Suydam, John 1779-1801 2 33


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Estates, Van Duyn, Cornelius 1780 3 1

Estates, Wyckoff, Cornelius 1746-1782 3 2

Estates, Wyckoff, Ferdinand L. 1859-1901 3 3

Estates, Wyckoff, Hendrick 1749-1817 3 4

Estates, Wyckoff, Jacob L. 1890 3 5

Estates, Wyckoff, Nicholas 1796 3 6

Estates, Wyckoff, Sarah 1879-1892 3 7

Wyckoff, William F., bills and programs 1884-1917 3 8

Wyckoff, Hendrick, bills and receipts 1791-1794 3 9


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Wyckoff, William F., maps

General note

4 oversize maps in box 4.

circa 1850 3 10

Wykcoff, William F., writings circa 1800s 3 11

Slave sales 1779-1814 3 12

Stryker family receipts 1788-1792 3 13

Unclassified papers: accounts and inventories 1776-1814 3 14

Unclassified papers: bonds 1730-1813 3 15

Unclassified papers: court documents 1785-1828 3 16

Unclassified papers: Dutch 1746-1787 3 17


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Unclassified papers: miscellaneous 1702-1854 3 18

Unclassified papers: receipts 1759-1853 3 19

Sickler family correspondence and financial documents 1703-1783 3 20

Wyckoff family wills, inventories, Cypress Hills burial plots,

and other documents

1826-1935 3 21

Wyckoff, Justice John

General note


1776-1868 3 22

Wyckoff, Cornelius

General note

2 oversized documents in box 4.

1700-1939 3 23


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Flatbush material 1832-1833 3 24

Eldert, Hendrick, Johannes, and Isaac 1735-1842 3 25

Miscellaneous deeds, bonds, and indentures

General note


1700-1722 3 26

Oversized materials - 4 -

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