Bayles Local History Room

The Thomas R. Bayles Local History Room, located in the Adult Department, is a room full of local history. Most of the books, pamphlets, postcards and photographs were donated by Mr. Bayles in 1976. The collection was dedicated in his honor on October 4, 1980. The portrait of him by Audrey Swanson Marlow that hangs in the room was donated by his wife, Gertrude Bayles and his son, Donald M. Bayles.

Mr. Bayles lived in Middle Island all his life. He was born February 4, 1895 and died June 29, 1977. He spent most of his life working for the Long Island Rail Road. He got his start in the freight office at Camp Upton during World War I. His father, Richard M. Bayles, had been a Suffolk County historian who wrote several books on the history of Suffolk County. When Thomas retired in 1958, he wrote a local history column for years entitled “Footnotes to Long Island History” for the Long Island Advance. He also published over 50 pamphlets on the history of Long Island. Several were published by the Town of Brookhaven during the Bicentennial.

The Bayles Local History Room houses the following collections:

Bayles photographs and family files
Biographies
Cemetery transcriptions
Correspondence
Deeds
Local population censuses
Genealogical reference books
House histories
Long Island Forum
Manuscripts, clippings and scrapbooks
Maps and atlases
Minutes of library and some school board meetings
Periodicals
Postcards
Town records
War histories
Wills

Photocopies may be obtained from a staff member when no damage will be sustained by the material and if the material is in no other way restricted or protected. Librarians are prepared to respond to research requests. Routine questions will be answered without charge. Click here to ask a local history reference question.

Meet the Bayles Brothers - Civil War Letters

Local History

Bayles Pamphlets

The Bayles Pamphlets collection consists of pamphlets, newspaper clippings, and fliers detailing the early history of various towns and villages on Long Island. Subjects include the history of churches, industry, war, and social life.

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Camp Upton Postcards

The Camp Upton Postcard collection consists of postcards depicting Camp Upton as well as general postcards of the Western Front as seen by the average Dough Boy.

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Civil War Letters of Albert and Edward Bayles

Albert and Edward Bayles, two brothers from Middle Island, enlisted in the Union Army in 1862, signing on to Company A of the 139th New York Volunteers. From August 1862 until their deaths in June 1864, they wrote over 50 letters home, which are now in the Thomas R. Bayles Local History Room. These letters detail the brothers' lives as soldiers in the Civil War and their impressions of the Longwood community in the mid-1800s.

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Civil War Primary Source Documents

From the New-York Historical Society, Civil War Primary Source Documents is an archive of unique manuscripts chronicling the American Civil War as it was experienced. Providing both Northern and Southern perspectives, it covers all aspects of the war, including reactions and impressions from the home front.

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Outside the Library: click here.

Gateway to North America: People, Places, and Organization of the 19th-Century New York

A collection of historical directories, member lists, and other name-rich sources, focusing on New York City during the long 19th century. Documents are fully text-searchable and originate from the print collection of the New-York Historical Society. Other categories of documents include maps, illustrated advertisements, burial lists, and gazetteers.

Inside the Library: click here.

Outside the Library: click here.

Longwood Historic Photographs

The Longwood Historic Photographs collection consists of over 400 photographs showing the history of various towns and villages in Suffolk County in Long Island. Subjects include residential and commercial buildings, people, the Long Island Railroad, civic events, schools, amusement parks, agricultural activities, etc.

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Longwood Journey

Longwood’s Journey is a collaborative community project resulting from the work of Social Studies students at Longwood Middle School, local historians, and residents from around the world, and features primary source material from the library’s Bayles Room collection.

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Longwood Scrapbooks

The Longwood Scrapbooks collection consists of scrapbooks compiled by the Bayles Family in the early 20th Century. The scrapbooks contain postcards, photographs, and other ephemera relating to Miller Place, L.I, the Long Island Railroad, and various towns in Suffolk County.

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New York Heritage

Research the people, places and institutions of New York State. Provides access to more than 170 distinct digital collections, totaling hundreds of thousands of items. Ideal for students, educators, historians, and genealogists.

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New York State Historic Newspapers

Access to a wide range of historical newspapers that reflect New York's unique history. Search by newspaper title, publishing date, or keywords for content.

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Newsday Historical

Newsday Historical (1940-1995). This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.

Inside the Library: click here.

Outside the Library: click here.

Revolutionary War Era Orderly Books from the New-York Historical Society

A collection of over 30,000 pages of historically unique material from more than 200 orderly books spanning from 1748 to 1817. The collection includes both British and American orderly books, a form of manuscript journals kept by military units containing their orders from higher-ranking officers in addition to other information essential to military operations, dating from the French and Indian War through the War of 1812, with the bulk representing the activities of American forces during the Revolutionary War.

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Suffolk's Historic Newspapers

Access to local newspapers covering nearly 100 years of Suffolk County, NY history. Including obituaries.

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Thomas Bayles Collection

The Thomas R. Bayles collection includes paintings of historic landmarks in Coram, Ridge, Yaphank and various other sites on Long Island, using watercolors. These were painted by Peter Haase and donated by Donald M. Bayles. Also included in the collection are engravings of military officers and government officials from the 19th century and photos from a prisoner of war camp in WW2.

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Genealogy

American Ancestors

More than 1.4 billion records spanning twenty-two countries covering the United States, the British Isles, continental Europe, and beyond, including one of the most extensive online collections of early American genealogical records, the largest searchable collection of published genealogical research journals and magazines, and the largest collection of U.S Catholic records online. Inside library access only.

Inside the Library: click here.

American Hebrew & Jewish Messenger

This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers, and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society, and events of the time. Coverage: 1857 - 1922.

Inside the Library: click here.

Outside the Library: click here.

Ancestry Library Edition

There are many paths to finding your family story. Whichever way you choose—tracing your family generations back with a family tree or uncovering your ethnicity with AncestryDNA—we'll be here to help you. Available for use in the library only.

Inside the Library: click here.

Take an Ancestry Tutorial: click here.

FamilySearch

The Family History Library has extensive collections of primary genealogical records from around the world. Many images found in the catalog that include the notation that they must be accessed at a FamilySearch Affiliate Library can be viewed from computers at the library. This includes personal devices accessing the library's wireless network (Wi-Fi). Those using FamilySearch must have (free) personal accounts to access it.

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fold3

Fold3 features premier collections of original military records. These records include the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served in the military.

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Outside the Library: click here.

HeritageQuest

Provides access to thousands of family and history books, the complete U.S. Federal Census, PERSI, Revolutionary War Pension & Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, Freedman's Bank Records, and more.

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Outside the Library: click here.

MyHeritage

Search records from around the world including birth, marriage, death, military, census, and parish records.

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New York City Municipal Archives Historical Vital Records

The New York City Municipal Archives is undertaking a mass digitization project to provide online access to 13.3 million historical birth, death, and marriage records.

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New York City Telephone Directories

Search or browse city directories published from 1913 to 1975 for family names and addresses, commercial listings and advertisements, as well as other information including maps, bus routes, community services, indexes, and more. Includes listings for Nassau County and some Suffolk County numbers. A project of the Great Neck Library.

Click here to access this resource.

New York Heritage

Research the people, places and institutions of New York State. Provides access to more than 170 distinct digital collections, totaling hundreds of thousands of items. Ideal for students, educators, historians, and genealogists.

Click here to access this resource.