Claire: I did a search on 39th and 9th avenue and foudn only the building information for buildings built during the late 1890's to present. The area in 1840's to about 1870's were private homes and farms. If your relative listed that corner as an address, he may have been an employee or laborer of the landowners. Sometimes, there were organizations that represented immigrants. However, that area during that timeframe would not have had that. Lucy