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All Roots Lead to Brooklyn

Genealogy by Jahongir “Jhon” Usmanov. I feel a ring of truth in an old saying about every seventh American being able to trace his family roots back to Brooklyn. The journey to my own roots lies elsewhere, but while I am in Brooklyn I shall help others on their path. If in your search for your family’s history you found this blog, you are welcome to use anything you find here. And if you still have roadblocks in your research, you can write me for assistance.
Molly Williams: the first female firefighter

Molly Williams: the first female firefighter

Recently, while watching an episode of The Alienist, I was curious if the character of Sara Howard, played by Dakota Fanning, was based on a real person. After all, the show was based on events in New York City in late 1800 and included such individuals as Theodore...

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Ship of the Line Pennsylvania

Ship of the Line Pennsylvania

On August 11, 2017, when researching the story about Margaret Pine, I went to the the Archives and Manuscript Division of the NYPL, to review the papers of Wynant Van Zandt Jr. Within the Van Zandt’s collection, I found an interesting document; a description of a...

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New Utrecht: Settlement & Slavery

New Utrecht: Settlement & Slavery

Brooklyn in 1639 Readers are advised to visit the following link -- Digital Sources: Books -- for additional information regarding sources on this page. Chronology 1624—The first Dutch settlers arrive on the Noten Eylant (now Governor’s Island) 1625—The Dutch begin...

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Digital Sources: Books

Digital Sources: Books

While writing histories of my hometown, I often find myself cluttering the text with my sources. To simplify the text, the authors whose works I use are listed here. It is a sort of bibliography, and I hope a mention of their names in future posts will be sufficient....

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