Schwanekamp and Lankes visit Burchfield-Penney

 

Keep Alley, 1925

Among the original works of art held in the Rare Book Room of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library are items by local artists William J. Schwanekamp (1893-1970) and J. J. Lankes (1884-1960).  Their masterful prints are held in institutions around the globe and they maintain stellar reputations in the art world today.

New Hampshire title page

The Rare Book Room recently loaned out several items from its collection, including copies of the Robert Frost book, New Hampshire, illustrated by Lankes, and prints from the ‘Buffalo Alley’ series of etchings by Schwanekamp, to the Burchfield-Penney Art Center on the Buffalo State campus.  The informative and well-designed exhibit runs through October 2nd, and is a must-see for fans of local art and culture.

Frost's New Hampshire on display

Schwanekamp prints on display

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

More information about the exhibit can be found at the Burchfield-Penney web site at: http://www.burchfieldpenney.org/?select=exhibitions&data=exhibitions

A Quick Start to Researching Your New York State Civil War Ancestors

• Search  New York Soldiers in the Civil War—*E523.3 .W55 1999 to find your ancestor’s regiment.
• Find the volume of the following set which corresponds to your ancestor’s: regiment:
  • Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York 1894—E523.2 N6 no.2— Will give basic details of your ancestor’s service such as date and place enlisted and discharged, promotions, injuries, death.
• Search the following record sets in Ancestry Library Edition:
  • Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934—Will provide the application number, which will help if you would like to order a copy of your ancestor’s pension file from the National Archives.
  • New York, Town Clerks’ Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War, ca. 1861-1865—May provide residence, date and place of birth, parents’ names, rank, regiment, place of enlistment, discharge date, occupation, cause of death, place of burial.
  • U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865—May list town of residence, occupation, age, former military service.
• Search New York in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865  – *F118.P4 v.1; to find the history of your ancestor’s regiment.
• Check the Grosvenor Room’s Civil War subject guides to see if we carry a history of your ancestor’s regiment.  These are available at the Reference Desk or online at: https://www.buffalolib.org/special-collections/guides-publications

New Exhibit! “Lafayette Square: Then & Now”

Come view the Central Library Rare Book Room’s latest exhibit, an exploration of the architectural history of Lafayette Square!  Featuring photographs, postcards, maps, & ephemera of the Square itself and the grand buildings that have come and gone, this exhibit is a fascinating glimpse of Buffalo’s amazing architectural heritage.  On display now through January 2012.

Lafayette Square: Then and Now Exhibit is Open for Viewing!

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Lafayette Square: Then and Now is the Rare Book Room’s latest exhibit and it is open now through January 2012. The Square was part of the original 1804 design by Joseph Ellicott for Buffalo, then known as the Village of New Amsterdam. Come see and learn about the town square once known as Court House Park that Lafayette Square was and the urban park that it has become. Read about the buildings surrounding the Square and what was there before–each building has its own story to tell.

A Quick Start to Researching Your World War I Ancestors

• Search the following in Ancestry Library Edition:
  • World War I Draft Registration Cards—May provide birth date and place, nearest relative, dependents, father’s place of birth, physical description, marital status, occupation and employer.
    • The Grosvenor Room also carries draft records for Buffalo and Erie County on microfilm.
  • U.S. World War I Mothers’ Pilgrimage, 1930— This is a list of mothers and widows of soldiers killed in World War I who were eligible to travel to their loved one’s final resting place in Europe; a trip which was paid for by the U.S. government.  It gives the name of the widow or mother, city and state of residence, and relationship to the deceased;  soldier’s name, rank, unit, and cemetery.

 

• Search in History of Buffalo and Erie County 1914-1919—Buffalo *F129 .B8 S97
  • Includes Buffalo and Erie County rosters of soldiers killed in the war, volunteer chaplains, soldier rosters, Buffalolnians in the Polish Army, Red Cross leaders and nurses, Buffalo military doctors, Volunteer Medical Service Corps members (women), as well as other local citizens involved with WWI.  Soldier data may include rank and regiment.

For more resources, click here to see our military research guides.