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New-York Historical Society Schenectady collection

Call Number

MS 544

Date

1688?-1883, undated (bulk, 1710s-1840s), inclusive

Creator

New-York Historical Society

Extent

0.63 Linear feet in two document boxes

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are primarily in English, with several in Dutch.

Abstract

Deeds, indentures, surveys, leases, patents, charters, tax lists, receipts, promissory notes, warrants, accounts, petitions of early subscribers and city residents, memoranda, bills, charters, military orders, receipts, and commissions; acts; election records; summons; official correspondence; minutes of meetings of residents and local officials; and various other public and private documents, 1688-1883 (bulk 1710-1840), pertaining to the city and residents of Schenectady, New York.

Arrangement Note

The collection is arranged in two boxes. The first box advances in rough chronological order. The second box includes mostly undated documents, along with a few folders of material with date ranges that did not fit cleanly into the chronological sequence of box 1. The container list below attempts to smooth the chronological presentation of these files but some box 2 folders of dated material will be found at the end of the box 1 chronological sequence. Also, undated documents found with dated documents in box 1 were left in place.

Scope and Contents Note

Deeds, indentures, surveys, leases, patents, charters, tax lists, receipts, promissory notes, warrants, accounts, petitions of early subscribers and city residents, memoranda, bills, charters, military orders, receipts, and commissions; acts; election records; summons; official correspondence; minutes of meetings of residents and local officials; and various other public and private documents, 1688-1883 (bulk 1710s-1840s), pertaining to the city and residents of Schenectady, New York.

Several early documents concern local government and government officials, elections, etc., as well as the provisioning of the colonial army and military defense of Schenectady during the French and Indian War; land transfers, ownership, and land use, including the division and sale of common lands; and the organization, funding, and administration of churches, schools, and local militia.

Individual documents include a tax list of residents, 1737-1738; drafts of charters for the Borough Town of Schenectady, 1765 and 1768; statement of election of yearly officers, 1749; will of Adam Einick, Jan. 29, 1770; an agreement between Abraham Dudly and Ebenezer Belknap relative to a patent steam engine designed by Junia Curtis, Sep. 6, 1816; lists of residents and local officials for various years; letters to Gen. Richard Dodge of Johnstown, Montgomery County, 1820-1829, from the Mohawk Bank of Schenectady; 70 summons signed by H. R. Wendell; reports of the trustees of school district 1, 3rd and 4th wards, 1847 and 1848; various legal and financial papers related to Schenectady ferries and ferry service; and several depositions, bonds, receipts, contracts, letters, estate papers, powers of attorney, warrants, etc. recording the commercial and legal affairs of city residents during the eighteenth and early nineteenth century.

Included are several documents pertaining to members of the Van Eps, Sanders, Glen, Schuyler, Brat (Bradt), Vrooman, Groot, Empie, Mynderse, Wendell, and other early families of Schenectady, New York, and vicinity.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers.

Use Restrictions

Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to 20 exposures of stable, unbound material per day. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation Note

This collection should be cited as Schenectady Collection, MS 544, New-York Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition Note

To be determined.

Collection processed by

Alison Barr and Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:46:52 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information Note

The collection was rehoused at some point, likely in the 2000s. An inventory was prepared by volunteer Alison Barr in 2017-18, with additional notes based on an existing Bobcat catalog record added by archivist Larry Weimer for publication of a finding aid in May 2020.

When the finding aid was published in May 2020, the collection was re-titled, with revisions to the catalog record; the collection was originally cataloged under the title "Schenectady boxes."

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024