Sub-series H: Research notes, 1937-1970

Containers:
Box 47-83
Abstract:
This series is comprised of Rochester City Historian Blake McKelvey's research notes used to write his four volume history of Rochester, New York. The materials were assembled between 1937 and 1970. The series includes handwritten transcriptions of newspaper articles and journals; newspaper clippings, source and illustration citations, pamphlets, and notes.
Extent:
15.0 Cubic Feet 37 custom boxes
Scope and content:

This series is comprised of Rochester City Historian, Blake McKelvey's research notes, used to write his four volume history of Rochester, New York. The materials were assembled between 1937 and 1970. The series includes handwritten transcriptions of newspaper articles and journals; newspaper clippings, source and illustration citations, pamphlets, and notes. McKelvey's four volume history of Rochester is possibly, the most comprehensive historical study of any mid-sized American city.

The intellectual content dates of the sub-series; data, articles, and anecdotes, are between 1784 to 1970. The assembly and transcription of the sub-series was created by McKelvey between 1937 and 1970. A bulk of the material consists of information regarding Rochester between 1834 and 1945.

The research notes cover a variety of topics such as, World War I and World War II, the Civil War, transportation, industries, the pioneer and early days of the village of Rochester, labor unions, and important Rochester personalities. It also covers Rochester's social, civic, cultural, and economic environment from 1834 to 1970.

Language:
English .
Acquisition information:
This series was created during the daily operations of the City Historian's Office.
Biographical / historical:

Blake McKelvey's four volume history of Rochester includes:

Rochester, The Water-Power City: 1812-1845. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1945.

Rochester, The Flower City: 1855-1890. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1949.

Rochester, The Quest for Quality: 1890-1925. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1956.

Rochester, An Emerging Metropolis: 1925-1961. Rochester, NY: Christopher Press, 1961.

Processing information:

This project was made possible by a grant from the Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund.

The collection of boxes were originally found scattered in storage. The boxes have been arranged, by the archivist, chronologically and then by subject based in part on the organization of the books. The boxes labelled "Civil War" and "World War II" were inserted between the correct years. The boxes that were labeled by subject instead of by time period were arranged alphabetically by the archivist and placed after the chronological boxes.

The original individual folders were discarded and new folders were created. All identifying information from the boxes and folders were copied verbatim onto the new boxes and folders. The folders were kept in the original order.

All metal fasteners were removed; newspaper clippings were placed into acid-free envelopes or inter-leaved with acid-free paper. Each box has a multitude of individual folders containing notes that are separated by subject. Each box is its own section of time in Rochester's history, while each folder is a subject from the aforementioned time period.

Arrangement:

This sub-series consists of 37 boxes divided into 33 sub sub-series:

Sub Sub-series i: Pioneer Times to 1820, Village days to 1820
Sub Sub-series ii: Rochester Village 1820-1934, Monroe County Area
Sub Sub-series iii: Rochester 1834-1934
Sub Sub-series iv: Rochester 1844-1854
Sub Sub-series v: Rochester 1855-1866 Miscellaneous for Volume II
Sub Sub-series vi: Rochester in the Civil War
Sub Sub-series vii: Notes on Civil War
Sub Sub-series viii: Rochester 1865-1876
Sub Sub-series ix: Rochester 1875-1890 Economic and Civic
Sub Sub-series x: Rochester 1875-1890 Social and Cultural
Sub Sub-series xi: Rochester 1890-1900 Economic
Sub Sub-series xii: Rochester 1890-1893 Civic and Cultural
Sub Sub-series xiii: Rochester 1894-1900 Civic and Spanish War
Sub Sub-series xiv: Rochester 1894-1900 Social and Cultural
Sub Sub-series xv: Rochester 1900-1915 Civic
Sub Sub-series xvi: Rochester 1900-1915 Cultural
Sub Sub-series xvii: Rochester 1900-1915 Industry and Trade
Sub Sub-series xviii: Rochester 1900-1915 Religion, Charity, and Recreation
Sub Sub-series xix: Rochester 1915-1925 1st World War and Miscellaneous
Sub Sub-series xx: Rochester 1925-1930
Sub Sub-series xxi: Rochester 1930-1940
Sub Sub-series xxii: World War II
Sub Sub-series xxiii: Rochester 1946-1952
Sub Sub-series xxiv: Rochester 1950's
Sub Sub-series xxv: Rochester Biographical to 1890
Sub Sub-series xxvi: Rochester Biographical 1890-1970
Sub Sub-series xxvii: Rochester Press History, Miscellaneous, and Clothing Industry
Sub Sub-series xxviii: Ethnic Groups
Sub Sub-series xxix: Labor History – Late 1800's, Early 1900's
Sub Sub-series xxx: Mayors, Populations Trends, and George Eastman
Sub Sub-series xxxi: Monroe County and Western New York
Sub Sub-series xxxii: Railroads and Transit Lines
Sub Sub-series xxxiii: Miscellaneous
Subjects:
Agriculture -- New York (State) -- Monroe County -- Rochester
African Americans--New York (State)--Rochester
Automobile industry workers -- Labor unions
Bridges -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Baseball
Banks and banking.
Banks and banking--History.
Building
Civic improvement -- New York (State) -- Rochester
City planning -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Cemeteries -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Clubs -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Clothing trade -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Clothing industry -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Civil War America
Crime
Diseases -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Elections -- New York (State) -- New York
Flour Mills -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Farming -- New York (State)
Ethnic groups
Great Depression (Rochester, N.Y.)
Immigration
Housing -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Industries -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Libraries -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Law and social problems -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Penitentiary -- New York (State) -- Monroe County
Police
Pioneers -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Population -- United States -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Public health -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Religion and social problems -- New York (State)
Railroads -- New York (State) -- 1880-1900
Railroads -- New York
Schools -- New York (State) -- Rochester
Subways--New York (State)--Rochester.
Spiritualism -- New York (State), Western
Trolley buses-Electric equipment
Temperance.
Women -- New York (State) -- Rochester -- Societies and clubs
World War, 1914-1918 -- New York (State) -- Rochester
World War, 1939-1945 -- Civil defense -- New York (State) -- Rochester
World War, 1939-1945
Automobiles -- Design and construction.
Rochester (N.Y.)--History.
Names:
Lyceum Theatre (Rochester, N.Y.)
Places:
Barge Canal (N.Y.)
Brockport (N.Y.)
Carthage (N.Y.)
Civic Center (Rochester, N.Y.)
Chamber of Commerce (Rochester, N.Y.)
Erie Canal (N.Y.)
Genesee Country (N.Y.)
Monroe County (N.Y.) -- Politics and government
Port of Rochester
Rochester (N.Y.) -- Social conditions
Rochester (N.Y.) -- Politics and government
Rochester (N.Y.) -- Newspapers
Rochester (N.Y.) -- History -- 20th century
Rochester (N.Y.) -- History -- 19th century
Rochester (N.Y.) -- History -- 18th century
Rochesterville (N.Y.)

Contents

Access and use

Restrictions:

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this series.

Terms of access:

Copyright is held by the Office of the City Historian, Rochester Public Library. Copyright of the papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder[s] of copyright and the Office of the City Historian before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Most papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures unless otherwise specified.

Parent restrictions:
There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this collection.
Parent terms of access:
Copyright is held by the Office of the City Historian, Rochester Public Library. Copyright of the papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder[s] of copyright and the Office of the City Historian before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Most papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures unless otherwise specified.
Preferred citation:

Office of the City Historian's Records. Series III: Blake McKelvey. Sub-Series H: Research Notes, [box#:folder#]. Local History and Genealogy Division, Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County N.Y.

Location of this collection:
Rundel Memorial Building
115 South Avenue
Rochester, NY 14604, United States
Contact:
585-428-8370
lochist@libraryweb.org