BROOKLYN—The Center for Brooklyn History (CBH) at Brooklyn Public Library has been awarded a $105,500 grant from The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. The funds will be used to hire an archivist to uncover and conceptualize materials related to the history of Long Island, digitize and conserve CBH’s holdings, and increase public access to the Center’s vast collection of Long Island materials.
“Since 2020, the Center for Brooklyn History is proud to serve the borough of Brooklyn as part of the Brooklyn Public Library system, but CBH’s history actually stretches back to 1863 with our founding as the Long Island Historical Society,” said Dominique Jean-Louis, Chief Historian, Center for Brooklyn History. “Long Island’s people, artifacts, and stories shaped the earliest collections of this institution, and we’re thrilled that with generous funding from The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, we will be able to bring new access and understanding to these collections on Long Island’s history for a wide public audience.”
“The collections of the Center for Brooklyn History are a treasure for researchers of Long Island history. Founded in 1863 as the Long Island Historical Society they became the first regional repository of Long Island’s material culture, art and archives. Accessing the Lloyd ledgers will open the way for new research,” said Kathryn M. Curran, Executive Director of the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.
Six ledgers were kept by Henry Lloyd (1685-1763), a merchant and son of early Long Island Property owner James Lloyd. The volumes record financial transactions and accounts throughout the period of 1703 to 1744, including details on the management of the Manor of Queens Village, the Lloyd family’s 3,000-acre plantation in modern day Suffolk County. These materials are of critical importance to the study of Long Island during the early colonial period.
“The Lloyd family’s history is incredibly complex; some fought for the American Revolution, others remained loyal to the British. We are only just beginning to unlock and understand this family’s central importance to colonial encounters on this island, and digitizing the ledgers in our collection is a critical next step in expanding our knowledge,” Jean-Louis said.
Of particular significance are records associated with the life and labors of the enslaved community, including Jupiter Hammon (1711–before 1806), the first published African American poet. The funding will allow CBH to digitize and publish these materials for the first time, while also making efforts to share them with scholars and the public through virtual programming and storytelling on the Revealing Long Island History website.
Additional materials include papers of the Smith families of the towns of modern-day Brookhaven and Smithtown in Suffolk County, dating from 1659 to 1848, which include court records and various financial documents; and an array of other collections relating to Suffolk County and the broader region. The proposed project will position CBH to extend the useful life of these materials, furthering efforts to expand public understanding of the nuanced history of the Long Island region.
Established in 1987, The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation primarily supports the study of New York State history. Robert David Lion Gardiner was, until his death in August 2004, the 16th Lord of the Manor of Gardiner's Island, NY. The Gardiner family and their descendants have owned Gardiner's Island since 1639, obtained as part of a royal grant from King Charles I of England. The Foundation is inspired by Robert David Lion Gardiner's personal passion for New York history. For more information, please visit rdlgfoundation.org/.
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