The review starts with the 1800's when the European fingerprint classification system was studied for possible use in the United States. The American System of Fingerprint Classification was published in 1944. The Parke family was influential in the development of fingerprint systems in the United States and in the subsequent establishment of the New York State Bureau of Investigation. The person who eventually succeeded James Parke at the New York Prison Department and who became the first Bureau Chief to head the New York State Bureau of Identification was Clara Parsons. Miss Parsons was an ardent feminist and kept the bureau free from male influence. She directed fingerprint file operations until the recording of Bertillon fingerprint measurements was abandoned in 1931. The article focuses, however, on the Parke family's influence in bureau operations. 1 photograph