New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-28
BALLOTS OF LONG AGO.
SOME INTERESTING OLD ELECTION
RECORDS FOUND.
THE TOWN OF FLATBUsH SENT JOHANNES l.
LOTT TO THE ASSEMBLY NEARLY HUN
DRED YEARS AGO WITH MAJORITY
OF THIRrY-Two VOTES OUT


OF THIRTY-Two VOTES OUT
OF LIGHTWEIGHT CAST.
In looking over the old records at the office OF the
Board Of Elections, No 10 Smith-st.. the Eectioh
Commissioners have found some unbound RECORDS
which contain matters Of much interest 10 oid
Brooklyn!tes These the election records OF the
towns OF Fatbush and New Utrecht. those or rat
bush dating back 1899. up to and including 1884,
and those Of New-Utrecht dating from lS2S 10 1854
inclusive. These records, which give the ISIS Oh
candidates. records OF votes cast. poll lists tally
sheets and other matters, came Into the possession
OF the Board OF Elections at the time OF the con-
so1dation of the county towns with the city OF
Brooklyn.
Under Section 1863 OF the Greater NewYork char
ter the Superintendent Of Elections for Brooklyn Is
directed to sell or destroy all registers Of electors
statements OF canvass and tally sheets. Inc Com-
nlssloners. deemng these old records OF much his
torical value and considering that II would be I'M
fortunate to destroy them have obtained the con-
sent Of the Mayor to place them In the archives OF
the Long Island Historical Society, at Pierrepont
and Clinton sts., and they have been sent to the
Rev. DR.. Richard B. Storrs, president OIL the eo
ciety.
The Flatbush records In three volumes. the
first dating from 1893 to 1885, the second from lof 10
1870 and the third from 1870 TO 1894 In the nrst
volume the paper Is faded and yellow and some OF
the leaves will fall In pieces II not handled with the
time these records were made up. and everything Is
written The ink is badly faded and in some places
thu writing cannot be read The Election Commits
sioners believe them to be the Oldest election rec
ords In existence In New-York State.
In 1893 the candidates for Member of Assembly In
Fletbish were Johannes T. Lott and Jacob Sharpe,
r. The following Is a copy OF the statement OF
canvass for that office:
A statement OF the votes taken for member o,
Assembly for the County OF Kings In the state OF
New-York at the anniversary election began and
held in and for the town OF Fat6psh 1 IN the sals
T Lott, 90 votes; Jacob Sharpe, jr.. % votes
We the subscribers, being inspectors OF the cleo
ton lor the town Of Flatbush, abovesaid. DO hereby
certify the above to be true and just statement;
In testimony whereof we have hereunto suDsc1Ioeu
our respective names this third day OF May l'Ss.
n WV WYE JOHN VAN DER BILT
John c. VANDEVEER.
In fsno IN. successful candidate for the Assembly
was Jacob Sharpe. jr.. who received IS votes MS
opponent John Tcrhune. receiving Sa In lo'l Jonn
Terhune was again defeated. this time by John G.
yandeveer who received Il votes, as against q Tor
his opponent In 1917 and 1903 John Hicks ran for
the Office without opposition. but In 1904 he was
opposed by John II. Van Beuren, who. however
only received 81 votes to a for Hicks ana al
though opposed by various candidates Al each eiec
ton. John Hicks continued TO represent flatoush
In the Assembly until 1905. In 1915 there were three
candidates-Richard Fish. who polled 81 votes
Charlie, J. Doughty. who received %, and Robert
Fish who received vote probably cast by himself
Fish was probably a reformer. and could not %
snuned out by one defeat. so he ran at the foLo"-
| ing election. when he also received vote I'M
doubtedly cast by tho same voter as al the pre-
vious election,
The following IS n copy OF the statement or can
vass for Senators for the Southern District TOT l''
said TO be the oldest in existence:
Statement OF the Votes taken for Senator's tors foT
Inc Anniversary Election BEGAN & held In q TOT
30 Town OF Flatbush in Kings County q T Sta,e
sand seven Hundred and Ninety-nne.
John B Coles Forty-seven votes; Richard HAT
ned Thrty-nIne Do Pierre p kaa Tw1nfy.:. Do
We the subscribers, being inspectors OF me Eiec-
ton for the Town o: IIatbush aSoyessd "a. 90 hete
m.nt IL TESTIMONY whereof we have heTeunt92
subscribed our respective names this third Gay OF
May ono Thousand seven Hunoreq nt epd t trI'
true e'P' john c. VANDEVEER.
were william Dennlng, Benjamin Hunting ana
Ebenezer Purdy each OF whom received 70 votes.
seah strong and Samuel HRight
The Oldest record OF the lot for an election Tor
Governor Is that for 1901. when George clinton re-
ceived SO votes 70 % for his opponent stephen Van
Van Rensselaer, received 60 and James watson ~
In $50. Aaron Burr was defeated Tor governor OF OF
t,i,,hnsb according 10 the oflc, Statement OF
canvass" was 80 FOR Lewis and 20 FOR Burr John
proorne was the Lieutenant Governor running on
The ticket with Lewis, and received the same num-
her OF votes while oliver Phelps was Burrs com
For pepresentati9e In Congress in 1879 John Smith
received q votes 70 II for Sas Wood Some OF
the names appearing as election INSPECTORS a are
best famie. OF the Brooklyn OF to-day. includlns
Cornelius Bergen. John Van Der Bit, John Low
John schenck. stephen d. schoonmaker ana Jo-
Eldert.