Bronx Old Timers Association Records, 1911–1978
Information, Description, and Finding Aid
Collection Information
Reference: MS-BOTA
Dates: 1911–1978 (bulk 1930s–1950s)
Extent: 1 linear ft. across 2 archival boxes
Finding Aid Information
Creator(s): Steven Payne, Ph.D., Librarian and Archivist
Date created/updated: May 19, 2020
Administrative History
The Bronx Old Timers Association was founded in 1911 to provide a meeting place for longtime Bronx residents interested in discussing and preserving Bronx history. Membership was limited to males who had lived in The Bronx continuously for at least fifty years. For many years, The Bronx Old timers Association met at the German/Deutsch American Turn Verein Club, located at 428 E. 158th Street. In the final years of the Association’s existence, much of the early focus on collecting and preserving the history of the borough disappeared, leaving the institution to act more as a social club.
Description/Scope and Content
The Bronx Old Timers Association records are arranged in four series:
1) Administrative Documents, which contains financial and membership records, minutes, roll calls, and rosters.
2) Correspondence and Notes, which is comprised of correspondence and notes between club members.
3) Events and Publicity, which includes information about and advertisement for club events.
4) Member Manuscripts, which contains manuscripts created in the 1920s–1930s by members of the club recounting the history of Bronx people and places as well as experiences in the area from the nineteenth century. One of the main contributing members was James A. Towart, of Scottish descent, who had lived continuously in The Bronx since the 1860s. He sheds special light on the villages of Morrisania and Fordham during the second half of the nineteenth century. He also regularly makes mention of neighborhood change, particularly demographic, throughout The Bronx and, though clearly expressive of racist sentiments of his day, shares a handful of otherwise unattested stories about the borough's Black residents in the nineteenth century.
Provenance
The Bronx Old Timers Association records were donated to The Bronx County Historical Society in 1986 by the three final members of The Bronx Old Timers Association. John McNamara presided over the transaction.
Preferred Citation
[Item name or description,] Bronx Old Timers Association records, box _, folder _, The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library.
Points of Access
- Community organizations -- Bronx Old Timers Association -- German/Dutch American Turn Verein Club
- Ethnic groups and nationalities -- African Americans -- Germans -- Irish -- Italians -- Jews
- Individuals -- Towart, James A.
- Neighborhoods (The Bronx, New York) -- Clason Point -- Fordham -- Hunts Point -- Melrose -- Morrisania -- Mosholu Parkway -- Mott Haven -- Throggs Neck (Throgs Neck) -- West Farms
Related Collections
- The Bronx African American History Project Digital Collection of Oral Histories. Fordham University Library.
- Bronx African American History Project records. The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library.
- Bronx County Historical Society records. The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library.
- Bronx Society of Arts and Sciences records. The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library.
- City History Club records. The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library.
- Louis F. Haffen papers. The Bronx County Archives at The Bronx County Historical Society Research Library.
Series
| Series | Title | Box | Folders |
| 1 | Administrative Documents | 1 | 1–14 |
| 2 | Correspondence and Notes | 2 | 1–2 |
| 3 | Events and Publicity | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Member Manuscripts | 2 | 4–8 |
Container List
Series 1: Administrative Documents
|
Box |
Folder |
Contents |
Date |
|
1 |
1 |
Financial records |
1915–1936 |
|
1 |
2 |
Financial records |
1937–1953 |
|
1 |
3 |
Financial records |
1965–1976 |
|
1 |
4 |
Membership records |
1911–1945 |
|
1 |
5 |
Membership records |
1911–1947 |
|
1 |
6 |
Membership records |
1917–1957 |
|
1 |
7 |
Membership records |
1917–1977 |
|
1 |
8 |
Membership records |
1911–1983 |
|
1 |
9 |
Minutes |
1911 |
|
1 |
10 |
Minutes |
1912 |
|
1 |
11 |
Minutes |
1970–1978 |
|
1 |
12 |
Roll Calls |
1948–1952 |
|
1 |
13 |
Roll Calls |
1953–1958 |
|
1 |
14 |
Roster |
1911–1941 |
Series 2: Correspondence and Notes
|
Box |
Folder |
Contents |
Date |
|
2 |
1 |
Correspondence and notes |
1931–1939 |
|
2 |
2 |
Correspondence and notes |
1939–1941 |
Series 3: Events and Publicity
|
Box |
Folder |
Contents |
Date |
|
2 |
3 |
Events and publicity |
1925–1957 |
Series 4: Member Manuscripts
|
Box |
Folder |
Contents |
Date |
|
2 |
4 |
Member manuscripts, general |
1927–1941 |
|
2 |
5 |
Member manuscripts, James A. Towart, folder 1 |
1930 |
|
2 |
6 |
Member manuscripts, James A. Towart, folder 2 |
1933–1935 |
|
2 |
7 |
Member manuscripts, James A. Towart, folder 3 |
1933–1935 |
|
2 |
8 |
Member manuscripts, James A. Towart, folder 4 |
1931–1936 |