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New York City Fire Engine Company Rosters

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator: New York (N.Y.). -- Fire Department.
Title: New York City Fire Engine Company Rosters
Inclusive Dates: 1813-1838
Quantity: 2 volumes
Abstract: Bound volumes containing lists of names of firefighters for fire engine companies and hook-and-ladder companies in New York City.
Language: English
Repository: Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

The origins of the New York City Fire Department trace back to 1648 when the first fire ordinance was adopted in the city then known as New Amsterdam. Fire fighting equipment (buckets, ladders, etc.) was purchased with funds derived from fines on dirty chimneys, and an eight-man "fire watch" was established. The first New York fire brigade entered service in 1731, the city's first firehouse was built in 1736, and the following year the Fire Department of the City of New York was officiall established. The department was an all-volunteer force until 1865, when state legislation created the Metropolitan Fire Department (MFD), staffed with paid professionals.

[Adapted from information found on the FDNY website at http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/history/fire_service.shtml.]

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The New York City Fire Engine Company Rosters consists of two volumes listing the names of fire fighters in New York City fire engine companies and hook-and-ladder companies between 1813 and 1838. The names are listed by company.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection. The volumes have considerable red rot on their covers; researchers should be advised to take reasonable care in using them.

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Subject Headings

Corporate Bodies

New York (N.Y.). -- Fire Department -- History.

Subjects

Fire departments -- New York (State) -- New York.
Fire fighters -- New York (State) -- New York.

Places

New York (N.Y.) -- History.

Genres and Forms

Rosters.

Occupations

Fire extinction.
Fire fighters.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

New York City Fire Engine Company Rosters,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchase, 1969.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MRC
Date: 30 Jun 2010
Revision history:

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Inventory

Rosters
Oversize 1 Fire engine companies and hook-and-ladder companies 1813-1824
Oversize 2 Fire engine companies and hook-and-ladder companies 1820-1838

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