Van Siclen family papers
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Abstract
The Van Siclen family papers date from circa 1770 to 1988 and contain materials relating to family members residing in the New Lots district of Flatbush in Kings County, and family members residing in the town of Gravesend in Kings County (who often spelled their surname as Van Sicklen). Items include land deeds and other legal documents, financial records, military commissions and discharges, certificates, wills, photographs, and genealogical notes.
Biographical Note
The Van Siclen (also spelled Van Sicklen) family resided in the New Lots district of Flatbush in Kings County (present-day Brooklyn), and the town of Gravesend in Kings County. The family was descended from one of the first Dutch families to settle on Long Island in the 17th century.
Little is known about the individuals most prominent in this collection. Materials pertaining to the branch of the Van Siclen family residing in Flatbush indicate that Abraham Van Siclen (d. circa 1830) was married to Cornelia Van Siclen, and that in his will he bequeathed his estate to her, stipulating that upon her death the estate would be equally split between his eldest sons, John Van Siclen, an inn-keeper, and Abraham Van Siclen, Jr, a yeoman. There are also documents that indicate that John Van Siclen was a soldier in several regiments of the New York State Militia.
Materials pertaining to the family branch in Gravesend (the members of which often spelled their surname as Van Sicklen) identify such family members as Richard Emerson Van Sicklen (1880-1969) and Daisy F. (Reiss) Van Sicklen (1881-1969), Henry Johnson Van Sicklen (1835-1909) and Anna Maria (Robe) Van Sicklen (1840-1909), Lester Robe Van Sicklen (1876-1975), Mabel Chase Van Sicklen (b. 1877), Anna Elisabeth Van Sicklen (1863-1946), and Mary (Van Sicklen) Suydam. While these materials provide details regarding the relationships of these individuals through birth and/or marriage, as well as birth, death, and marriage dates, they contain little more in the way of biographical information.
Although little is known about the individuals represented in this collection, certain locales in present-day Brooklyn recognize the significance of the Van Siclen/Van Sicklen family name, including Van Siclen Avenue, which runs north and south through the neighborhoods of Cypress Hills, East New York, and Canarsie; and Van Sicklen Street, which runs north and south through a small part of the neighborhood of Gravesend. Furthermore, several members of the family, including some featured in this collection, are interred at Gravesend's Van Sicklen Cemetery.
Scope and Contents
The Van Siclen family papers date from circa 1770 to 1988 and contain materials relating to family members residing in the New Lots district of Flatbush in Kings County, and family members residing in the town of Gravesend in Kings County (who often spelled their surname as Van Sicklen). Materials also pertain to John H. Van Siclen of Montauk, Long Island.
Items pertaining to the family branch in Flatbush chiefly document the affairs of Abraham Van Siclen and his sons, John Van Siclen and Abraham Van Siclen, Jr., though other family members, such as James C. Van Siclen; Abraham Van Siclen, Sr.'s wife, Cornelia; and Abraham Van Siclen, Jr.'s wife, Phebe, are briefly featured as well. Items include land deeds and other legal documents, financial records, military commissions and discharges, certificates, and wills.
Items pertaining to the family branch in Gravesend consist of photocopied official and legal documents, typescript genealogical notes, and copy photographs documenting multiple generations of the family. Documents and notes cover the period 1775 to 1970 and were photocopied or transcribed circa 1988. Photographs originate from the period circa 1885 to 1915 and were also copied circa 1988.
The collection also contains a photograph album, circa 1900, assembled by John H. Van Siclen of Montauk, Long Island. The album mostly contains views of houses, lighthouses, and farmland in Montauk, as well as houses in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Flatlands and the Queens neighborhoods of Flushing and Jamaica.
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Organizations
Families
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Reproduction rights for photographs have not been evaluated. Please consult library staff for more information.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Van Siclen family papers, ARC.110, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession 1977.555 was the gift of John H. Van Siclen, 1960. Accession V1986.024 was the gift of Donald E. Turner, 1988. Sources and dates of acquisition for 1978.011 and V1986.032 are unknown.
Other Finding Aids
Item-level descriptions and digital versions of images from the collection are available for searching via the image database in the Othmer Library. Please consult library staff for more information.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Minimally processed to the collection level.
The collection combines the accessions 1977.555, 1978.011, V1986.032, and V1989.024.
