New York (N.Y.) -- History

Originally from England, the Franks family were colonial merchants who settled in New York City in the 1700s. This collection documents parts of their life through correspondence, legal documents, and financial records. The correspondence is primarily written by Abigail Franks in New York to her son, Naphtali, in England. Also included in the collection are the notes and correspondence of Dr. Leo Hershkowitz, who co-edited a book on the letters of the family entitled the Lee Max Friedman Collection of American Jewish Colonial Correspondence: Letters of the Franks Family (1733-1748), written with Isadore S. Meyer in 1968.

The Leo Hershkowitz Collection of Court Records consists of affidavits, complaints and various orders that were filed in New York City between 1835 and 1910 presumably by Jews based on name or company of those involved in lawsuits. This includes cases of divorce, naturalization, business and estate disputes, and petitions for guardianship, among a variety of other lawsuits.

The collection consists of microfilm and bound photocopies of all records in the Marine Court of New York City, called the "Mayor's Court," 1674-1860, in which Jews or Jewish names appear in any capacity. Included are records of briefs, warrants, jury lists, and lists of cases, in chronological order. The entire collection has been indexed by last name.

This collection consists of microfilm, and bound photocopies of incorporation papers for all Jewish or Jewish-related organizations incorporated in New York City, 1848-1920. The types of organizations included are fraternal societies, political clubs, professional associations, synagogues, landsmanshaften, benevolent organizations, and social clubs. The entire collection has been indexed by name of the organization and, in some cases, by the European town from which the incorporators came, or by general type of organizations.