Collections

Explore original documents, photographs, interviews, and other primary sources from the special collections of the Rochester Public Library.

19th Ward Oral Histories

Located in the Southwest quadrant of Rochester, New York, the 19th Ward is the largest neighborhood in Rochester.

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Frederick Douglass Voice

The Voice, published by Howard Wilson Coles from 1933 to 1996, is the longest running Black-owned newspaper in Rochester, NY.

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African American Oral Histories

The roots of Rochester’s African American community run deep, with a small but vibrant population first emerging in the early to mid-19th...

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Latino Oral Histories

Rochester welcomed its first Latino residents in the late nineteenth century, but these initial migrants were few and far between. The lo...

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George A. Custer Letters

Born on December 5, 1839, in New Rumley, Ohio, George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander during the ...

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Irene M. Conole Collection

Born July 25, 1927, Irene Marion Conole (1927-1954) grew up on Glenwood Avenue, on the northwest side of Rochester. She attended elementa...

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Kate Gleason Letters

Born in Rochester, NY, on November 24, 1865, Catherine Anselm “Kate” Gleason (1865-1933) was just 12 years old when she asked for and rec...

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Robert N. Abbott Collection

Known as “Rochester’s most decorated soldier,” Robert Noe Abbott (1915-1964) served in both the Second World War and Korea. He rose throu...

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Susan B. Anthony Letters

Susan Brownell Anthony (February 15, 1820 - March 13, 1906) was an American reformer and women's rights activist. She supported a number ...

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Vietnam Veterans Oral Histories

In 1954, Vietnam established its independence from France, raising questions about how the newly liberated nation would be ruled. The cou...

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