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TABLE OF CONTENTSInventory |
Guide to the Charles T. Chatfield Legal Research Papers
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Descriptive Summary | ||
| Creator | Chatfield, Charles T. | |
| Title | Charles T. Chatfield Legal Research Papers, | |
| Dates: | 1935-1936 | |
| Extent: | 1 box, .2 cubic feet | |
| Identification: | C-4 | |
| Location: | The material is located in the Archives at Queens Library. | |
Historical/Biographical Note
From what can be gathered, Charles T. Chatfield was Assistant Engineer in the Division of Street Openings of the Topographical Bureau of Queens. He probably held this office during the decades of the 1920s and 1930s. One of his duties was to conduct research into questions of legal title to lands in which the City government was involved. One such research project, evidently one of great importance, involved land at Rockaway Park fronting Jamaica Bay. There may have been prior or subsequent names by which the legal action involving this area was known, but apparently in essence it was designated as the City of New York (Defendant), and the case was argued in the mid 1930s. To bolster claims, it was necessary to conduct research into the very earliest history of the Jamaica and Rockaway peninsula areas. Essentially then, this small collection, ca. ¼ of a cubic foot, consists of the results of this research (copies of Indian deeds, copies of early patents and grants, etc.), as well as of the legal briefs directly or indirectly related to this case, said briefs in themselves containing large portions of historical evidences. All material1 in this collection is in typescript including several letters of Mr. Chatfield to the Engineer-in-Charge of the Division of Street Openings, Mr. H.K. Endemann, as well as to Mr. Alvin G. Smith, an historian interested in the matter.
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Scope and Content Note
This collection is arranged in folders bearing the following headings:
The Rockaway Park Improvement Co. vs. The City of New York (2 folders)
Marba Sea Bay Corp vs. Clinton Street R. Corp.
The Welles Line Boundary of Hempstead Town
Indentures and extracts from Town Records
Charles T. Chatfield letters 1935, 1936
The letters number about half a dozen. The Welles Line was the western boundary of the Town of Hempstead and apparently had some bearing in the case.
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Creator of item, date of item (if known), identification of item, if a photograph its control number. The Charles T. Chatfield Legal Research Papers, Archives at Queens Library, Queens Borough Public Library.
Provenance
The typescripts of the letters, as well as of the legal briefs and other data in this collection were probably presented by Mr. Chatfield to the Library, or perhaps transcribed by the Library or staff of the W.P.A. who in the 1930s were active in copying historical materials. It is rather doubtful if the material in the collection represents the total amount of research or the total number of legal briefs originally part of the case.
Access Restrictions
Open for research without restrictions. Manuscripts are only available in the Archives at Queens Library, please call (718) 990-0770 for hours. Manuscript users will be required to complete the division's Manuscript Usage Form and deposit their photograph identification or Queens Borough Public Library card with a staff member. The identification will be returned to the user after she/he has returned the material. Manuscript users will deposit all their personal items behind the reference desk. Manuscript users must use the division's loose sheets of paper for note taking. To reiterate, no pen of any type is permitted. Paper and a pencil are available upon request. Manuscript users may be required to use special handling procedures depending on the conditions of the material.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the:
- Archives at Queens Library
- Queens Borough Public Library
- 89-11 Merrick Boulevard
- Jamaica, NY 11432
- Phone: (718) 990-0770.
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Access Points
Subject Names:
- Chatfield, Charles T.
Subject Places:
- Queens (New York, N.Y.)
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Inventory
[The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.]
