Inquiries On Researching Historical New York

Currently, I'm outlining and researching a book I plan to begin writing early to mid next year. Characters and plots, I can do, but the setting is hard. It's set in the Lower East Side of Manhattan during the 1911-1920 period, and I'm having trouble finding where to start.

I have been to New York once, four years ago for a visit. In that time, I never set foot in the Lower East Side. I got a feeling for the city in in general, and I can grasp the basics of urban life, but the world today is a very different place. Even if I lived for a year in that area, I'd still have trouble getting onto what it was like back then.

Every time I attempt to gather information, like the outdated architecture, streets, censuses, personal accounts, et cetera, I get very lost. I need to get accurate and thorough information so that I can write from the perspective of someone who lived through that time, in that place. I need to know the facts so that I can properly bend them to write the fiction. Research is coming along slowly, but it is coming. I intend to write this with or without the tips, but I'm not one to refuse to get help.

I was hoping someone could give me some tips and pointers in the right direction. Methods of researching more effectively, good places to find the info I need... Anything is deeply appreciated.

 

I'm sure there are people who may have heard stories from their Grandparents or Great-Grandparents. Maybe you could ask someone that had asked these people when they were still alive.

There are a couple things you can go with though. Radio wasn't in homes yet. I'm pretty sure there were still some homes that didn't have electricity. From my own family history in Baltimore, I know families in the early twentieth century tended to live together. You might have had a dozen or so people living in the same house. Cars existed but I doubt if most people had one. You can see street pictures from the 1910's and see a potpourri of cars, horse drawn wagons, and bicycles. I would guess that things were pretty active in the daytime during that period.

 

Thanks, I think I'll buy some books.

I will certainly look out for people who knew those that lived through the era, and that is good info. Thank you kindly.

 

See if you can find this:
American Experience: New York A Documentary Film Directed by Ric Burns

You should find a lot of what you're looking for in this doc.

The great thing about Burns ' documentaries is, when authors are interviewed in these films, the title of their book is often underneath. At the very least, it says their name and "Author" so you can find their books on Amazon. I always watch docs with a pen and paper handy, because I got a lot of great books out of them.

 

17 1/2 hours of info stocked with book references for even more info... Thanks!