Albany the 4th day of January [1699]. The Mayor*, Hendrik Hanse Esq., Jan Janse Bleeker, Rekorder, together with Jan Vinnagen and Albert Rykman, Aldermen, did meet at ye Citty Hall, where all ye Inhabitants of this Citty were appointed to appear and take ye oaths and sign ye test and association, who accordingly came, ye Oath being administered to them by Robert Livingston Esq., one of his Majesties Councill of this Province. The Oaths which each respective person took, and ye Test and Association which each respective person signed are as follows:

The Oath.

   I, A. B. do hereby Promise and Swear yt I will be faithfull and bear true allegiance to his Majesty King William, so help me God.

   I, A. B. do swear that I do from my heart abhor, detest and abjure as Impiuous and Hereticall, yt damnable Doctrine and Position, yt Princes Excommunicated or Deprived by ye Pope or any authority of ye See of Rome, may be deposed or murthered by their subjects or any other whatsoever.

   And I doe delcare yt no foreign Prince, Person, Prelate, State or Potentate, hath or ought to have any Jurisdiction, Power, Superiority, Preeminence or Authority, Ecclesiasticale or Spirituall within this Realm. So help me God.

The Test

   We underwritten do solomnly and sincerely, in ye presence of God, profess and declare yt wee doe believe yt in ye Sacrament of ye Lord's Supper there is not any transubstantiation of ye Elements of Bread and Wine into ye body and blood of Christ, or after ye Consecration thereof by any person whatsoever, and yt ye Invocation or Adoration of ye Virgin Mary and ye Sacrifice of ye Mass, as they are now used in ye Church of Rome, are Superstitious and Idolatrous, and we do Solemnly in ye presence of God, Profess, Testify and Declare, yt we do make this declaration and every part thereof in ye plain and ordinary Sense of ye words now read unto us as they are commonly understood by English Prodistants without any Evasion, Equivocation or Mentall Reservation whatsoever, and without any Dispensation already granted for yt ppurpose by ye Pope or any other authority or person whatsoever, or without any hope of any such Dispensation from any person or authority whatsoever, or without thinking yt we are or can be acquitted before God or Man, or absolved of this Declaration or any part thereof, although ye Pope or any other person or persons or power whatsoever should dispense with or annull ye same, or declare that it was null and void from ye beginning.

The Association

   Whereas there has been a horrid and detestable conspiracy formed and carried on by Papists and other wicked and trayterous persons for Assassinating his Majesties Royal Person in order to Incourage an Invasion from ffrance to Subvert our Religion, Laws and Liberties, we whose names are underwritten do heartily, sincerely and solemnly profess, testify and declare yt his present Majesty King William is rightful and lawful king of these Realms, and we do mutually promise and engage to stand by and assist each other to ye utmost of our power in ye Support and Defence of his Majesties most sacred person and government against ye late King James ye pretended Prince of Wales and all theire adherents, and in case his Majesty come to any violent or untimely death (which God forbidd) we do hereby freely and unanimously oblige ourselves to unite, associate, and stand by each other in Revenging ye same upon his enemies and all their adherents, and in ye supporting and defending ye succession of ye Crown according to an act made in ye first year of ye Reign of King William and Queen Mary, intituled an act declaring ye Rights and Liberties of ye Subjects, and settling ye succession of ye Crown.

Wee doe hereby Certify and Declare that the above Subscribers to the Test being all the Male Inhavitants of ye Citty of Albany from ye age of sixteen years and upwards, consisting of one hundred and eighty men have taken ye Oaths established by act of Parliament, in England, instead of ye oaths of allegiance and supremacy which were tendered and administered by us pursuant to his Excellency the Earl of Bellomont's Proclamation, and yt they have also signed the Association, none of ye Inhabitants refusing ye same except two Papists, called Frans Pruyn a Taylor, and Peter Villeroy a Frenchman, Laborer, who by reasons of their Perswasion could not take ye same, but will willing to take an oath of fidelity to his Majesty King William, only some few have neglected to appear at ye time prefixed to take ye oaths and subscribe ye test and association, but shall tender and administer ye same before ye time be expired mentioned in ye said Proclamation. Whereof we doe by these presents make this our Return to the Secretary's office at New York, in witness whereof we have hereunto sett our hands and scales in Albany this 16 of January, 1699.

Lists: Survey lists like this one help us define the community mainline. With 180 names, it compares closely with the 174 names on the census of Albany householders taken in 1697.