A History of the City of Brooklyn and Kings County, Volume I.

This volume offers a vivid, ground‑level portrait of Brooklyn’s earliest days, pieced together from Stephen M. Ostrander’s extensive manuscripts, newspaper reports, and contemporary maps. The editor has woven together a series of 1870s newspaper articles with later research, creating a cohesive narrative that traces the settlement’s beginnings from Henry Hudson’s exploration through the Dutch era and the establishment of the first ferry and church. Rich illustrations—ranging from sketches of the original ferry to period maps of Revolutionary‑war Brooklyn—bring the city’s formative landscape to life.

The work continues through the turbulent years of the American Revolution, detailing how local militia and civilians defended the area while everyday life unfolded around them. It then moves into the post‑war period, describing the growth of neighborhoods such as Williamsburg and Bushwick and the early steps toward municipal consolidation. Throughout, careful footnotes acknowledge the many earlier histories and almanacs that informed this thorough, scholarly account of Brooklyn’s first centuries.