Howell, George Rogers, 1833-1899

George Rogers Howell, M.A. (1833-1899) was born in Southampton, Long Island, N.Y., and graduated from Yale College in 1854. He then taught at Princeton Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1864. He worked as a minister in western New York until 1872, when he became the first librarian of the State Library of New York. He later served as the archivist of the State Library. Howell was also a prolific historian of New York State and published local histories of the early colony of New York, the capitol of Albany, the county of Schenectady, and the Long Island towns of Southampton, East Hampton, and Southold. Many of his historical works included detailed family genealogies as well.

From the guide to the George R. Howell papers, circa 1625 to 1876, (Brooklyn Historical Society)

Andersonville Prison, represented in the collection through its hospital records and registers, was located in southwest Georgia and operated for 15 months between 1864 and 1865. The site was used by the Confederate Army as a prisoner-of-war camp for captured Union soldiers. At the time of its closure, almost 13,000 Union soldiers had died at Andersonville. The records were collected by E. P. Hopkins, a captured soldier from Ohio who worked as a steward in the prison hospital.

From the guide to the Civil War collection, 1804-1865, (Brooklyn Historical Society)