Furman, Gabriel, 1800-1854

Gabriel Furman (January 23, 1800-November 11, 1854) was a respected historian of early Brooklyn. Among his works were the Notes Geographical and Historical, Relating to the Town of Brooklyn, on Long-Island (1824), still available in a recent reprint. Little is known of Furman's youth; he attended Columbia Academy in Bergen (now part of Jersey City), New Jersey, from 1814-1816. Professionally, Furman became a lawyer, having studied law beginning in 1823 in the office of Elisha W. King of Beekman St., New York. Furman was later a justice of the Brooklyn municipal court, a member of the New York State Senate (1839-1842), and an unsuccessful Whig candidate for lieutenant governor. For further biographical information, see Brooklyn Historical Society's guide to its collection of original Furman journals and commonplace books; the guide is available on-line and the call number for the collection itself is ARC.190.

From the guide to the Typescripts of Gabriel Furman's notes on Brooklyn, N.Y., 1821-1823, circa 1920 typescripts of 1821-1823 journal, (Brooklyn Historical Society)

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