I have two branches of my family tree that  lived in Brooklyn: PHILLIPS:  Charles MacLean Phillips was a  shoemaker whose family originated in Redruth, Cornwall,.  First they emigrated from to Cornwall to Swansea, Wales where Charles was born in August 1825. He emigrated to Brooklyn before 1858 when his Declaration of Intention was fo;ed in June 1858.  He died Dec 23, 1903 in Brooklyn.  He was married to Mary Hazelwood, b 1831 in England. His brother, my gr gr grandfather, William Phillips emigrated to New Rochelle NY where he died in 1893. SMITH: The Smiths first emigrated to NYC, in the early 1800s from England but were known to be of Scottish origins.  They emigrated to NYC from England. The oldest was JAMES, b 1785 England, d 1840 NYC who married Mary Brownlee in 1809 in NYC.  She was born in 1790 County Down, Ireland The SMITHs were printers and publishers.  James married in NYC in 1809 and while parents lived in NYC, their children (all born in NYC) moved to Brooklyn when they got married.  They included: Charles b 1811, Nathaniel b 1815, Susan, b 1815, William B b 1815, Thomas (my gr gr grandfather) b 1816, James Lillie b 1818, Albert b 1822, John E b 1823, Mary Jane b 1825, Amelia b 1829, Robert H b Sep 1829, Samuel b 1833. My direct ancestor was Thomas found in the Brooklyn directories/censuses 1850-1860 when then found in Yonkers NY. b 1816 NYC and died 1874 Yonkers NY.  He started the first newspaper in Yonkers, The Yonkers Herald.  He married Amanda Smith of the Smithtown Smiths of Long Island.  Children included  Thomas, Amanda, James, Henry, Emma, Augustine (my Gr gr father), and Thomas. Would love to hear from connections. -- Pat Connors http://www.connorsgenealogy.com