Little Publicized New York City Sources: The Landon Papers and Military Records | New York Genealogical & Biographical Society

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The Landon Papers

The article “Helps for New York Genealogists” by Henry R. Stiles, M.D., published in the Record during its infancy in October 1871 (2:186-89), was one of the first to mention the Landon Papers that had been acquired five years earlier by the Long Island Historical Society (now the Brooklyn Historical Society). Dr. Stiles was the first president of The NYG&B Society and a major figure in the Record's early history, which was described in "The Founding of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record" (Rec. 126:3-11). His article included extracts of wills and administrations of Revolutionary soldiers from the papers of Judge Jared Landon

During the one hundred-plus years since, others have cited the collection and have referred to it as unique. The Landon papers are comprised of the personal papers and documents of Samuel Landon, 18th century Judge of the Suffolk County Surrogate's Court, followed by those of his successor Judge Jared Landon, and then by successive members of the family who apparently continued the family tradition of service to Suffolk County through their legal, political and civic works. It is obvious today that some of the original 1866 contents have been removed; nonetheless, analysis of the remaining manuscripts reads like a potpourri of diverse records rarely found in a small collection. Following are examples of them:

Box 1

Journal of a trip through Connecticut (1784) and travels in Connecticut (1782).
A diary, probably of Samuel Landon, kept at the “Provoost Prison” in 1778.
An August 1768 memorandum listing wills that had been proved by Judge Samuel Landon or Judge Jared Landon, as Surrogates, and hand-delivered to the Prerogative Court in New York City by Robert Hempstead
A 1735 description of the seashore of New England. Items concerning Suffolk County shipping and whaling that include a 1760 list of members of a crew. Some Revolutionary War period papers.
Correspondence of Colonel Alexander Hamilton.
Copies of wills and extracts of wills (1781, 1777, 1827), an inventory of 1787, and an accounting of 1838, the testators chiefly of Dutchess and Suffolk counties.
>Correspondence (1812-14) re foreign affairs. Documents concerning land matters, e.g., conveyances, proprietors' meetings, mostly of Suffolk County but one of Smithfield (R.I.), a few of Flatbush and of Rye.
An 1828 list of pews in Cutchogue for “Colored Men and Women”; some 1742 sermon notes; and rentals of pews.
Suffolk County peddler licenses issued in 1826 (a number of Irish names on the list).
Account book (n.d.) of David Conklen.
Civil War correspondence concerning Confederate passes; and Suffolk County anti-slavery society memoranda.
Henry Landon's 1826 list of townsmen who produced skunks' heads conforming to the Town Act of April 1826 (probably Southold) for the destruction of skunks and allowing rewards for their heads!

Box 2

Accounts of six trials in Riverhead, 1835-1838, defendants charged with assault, burglary and attempted rape.
An account book (1784-1789) of Jared Landon.
Account book (1819-1852) of Henry Landon.
Account book (1780s and 1790s) of Thomas Wiggins.
Account books (1769-1771 and 1787-1795), owner of them not identified.
Account book (1767-1825) includes entries re Free Blacks.

Box 3

Suffolk County legal cases dating from the 18th century to the first half of the 19th century, involving trials and suits and documents of Suffolk and New York counties.
Miscellaneous real estate and property-related materials.

Box 4

Southold church and school matters, and political items:

Nominations (1843) in Orient.
A grand jurors list of 1789.
A list of the delegates to conventions in 1833.

Box 5

Summons and attachments between Suffolk and New York counties, dating from the 18th century to about 1840.

Military Records

The Military Census of 1917 was ordered by the Governor of New York State in compliance with the Laws of 1909 (Military Law). The enrollment lists include the name of the man aged 18 to 45, his full residence, his full date of birth, occupation, whether any previous or present military or naval service, and whether exempt. The volumes are alphabetized, but only by the first letter of the surname; inasmuch as the entries were typed, though, the researcher is able to read quickly through the appropriate volumes. Aside from its obvious value, this Census might be the only key to enable a search of the 1915 New York State Census—perhaps also of the 1925 New York State Census. Without a known address of a family (for example, no directory was published for Brooklyn between 1913 and 1933/4), generally a search of the New York State Censuses cannot be initiated. The Military Census of 1917 is available for Manhattan at the New York County Clerk's Office (Division of Old Records) and for Brooklyn at the Kings County Clerk's Office.

At the Municipal Archives there are two reels of microfilm concerning many of those who served during the Spanish-American War. One reel, United Spanish American War Veterans, is comprised of forms bearing the title “Mayor's Memorial Day Fund Committee, City of New York Graves Registry.” The name of the deceased veteran heads the items on the form, then his address, date and place of birth, date and place of death, name of person to be notified in an emergency, the question “Do you own a private plot?,” the veteran's pension number, and the section/grave/range/plot of the cemetery. (The history of these forms is not explained.)

The other reel is identified as U.S. Soldiers in Cuba and Puerto Rico: Deaths 1898-1900. Those records were issued to New York City by the appropriate Army or Navy Medical Officer, certifying that the body to be shipped through the City would be in a hermetically sealed casket and not a hazard to public health. The purpose of those death certificates was the same as that described concerning the Bodies in Transit Collection in the Summer 1992 issue of The NYG&B Newsletter. The Medical Officer entered the name of the deceased soldier or sailor, his rank, cause of death, date of death, and where in Cuba or Puerto Rico he died. Occasionally, there is a penciled jotting of the name of the cemetery and means by which the body would be transported to it (e.g., the initials of a railroad line).

by B-Ann Moorhouse, CG, FGBS

Originally published in The NYG&B Newsletter, Fall 1994

Vetted for accuracy July 2011