The American Jewish Historical Society is home to microfilms of selected New York (County) Hall of Records selected incorporation papers, 1848-1920. The New York Incorporation papers were legal filings made by Jewish landsmanshaftn in order to officially register the organization with the New York City government. "Each certificate of incorporation includes the name of the organization, the purposes or objects for which it was formed, the principal office or territory of principal operation (for example, the "Borough of Manhattan"), the names and addresses of the initial directors or trustees or officers, and the names of the incorporators."
While not all landsmanshaftn that existed in New York are included in the incorporation papers, these papers will often give a unique insight into specific founding members of organizations, how the organization was structured, and what the organizations proposed purpose was.
For a comprehensive list of all the organizations included in the microfilmed incorporation papers, consult the Jewish Genealogical Society of New York's list.
Below are SOME of the organizations included in AJHS' microfilmed incorporation papers. Information on how to further access this collection is below.
MINSK:
Chebra Chai Odom Anshi Minsk
Congregation Chai Odom Minski
Chebra Anshei Borisow Uminsk
Chebrah Ohawei Chessed Anschei Minsk
Chewra Ahawath Achim Ansah Minsk
Society Brotherly Love People of Minsk
Minsker Emigranten Unterstützung Verein
Minsk Emigrants Aid Association
Congregation of Faithful Brethren of the City of Minsk
Chevra Poel Zadek Anshai Minsk
Congregation Chebra Kadisha Anshei Minsk
Minsker Daughters of Israel Association
The American Benevolent Minsker Association
SLUTZK:
Benevolent Association of the City of Sluzk, Russia
Beth Hakneses Anshei Slutzk Mishnaies Anshai Sluzk
Slutzker Aid and Benevolent Association of New York City
Slutzker Business Corporation
Slutzker Free Aid Association
Slutzker Ladies Aid Society
The Progressive Slutzker Young Mens Benevolent Association
1. Visit JGSNY for a comprehensive list of all the organizations included in the incorporation papers collection: https://www.jgsny.org/index.php/ajhs-incorporation-data-menu
Once you find the specific organization you are looking for, take note of the search term associated with that organization. This is located in the column to the far right of the name of the organization. Make sure to write down this search term as it will be essential in finding the organization entry in the Center's database.
2. With this information, go to the Center’s family history collection website http://www.genealogy.cjh.org/familycollections.php. When you arrive at the webpage you will see a search form.
3. In the search term box, enter the specific search term that you gathered from the JGSNY website on the specific organization you are researching. When entering the search term make sure to put * after the search term. Ex: Aran*.
Inserting the incorporation date on the form is not necessary. Below in the "Search As" section make sure select the collection: "New York Court Records. Incorporation Papers." Once you click search, the database will then pull up information based on your search term. An example of the information you will be given is below. I retrieved this information by entering the search term "Aran* ".
Remember to make note of the document number as using the microfilm machine will be much easier.
4. When you want to request the microfilm: Login to your Aeon account (the account you use to request materials).
Hit "New Request" and enter the information in the form. Make sure to include the name of the collection."I-154 Incorporation Papers (1848-1920)" and the reel number which is in roman numerals.
Things to keep in mind when using microfilm:
Once you have started to scroll through your microfilm reel, recall the specific document number you wrote down from the JGSNY website for the organization you are looking for. This will enable you to fast forward through the reel until you see a document number that is similar in the range to the document number of incorporation you are looking for. The document number is usually on the first page of the incorporation document so remember to pay attention to that first page. An example of what the page will look like is below:
