*The City Records

guide to and inventory of originals held at the Albany County Hall of Records

City of Albany Records

Albany County and City Records

Location: Albany County Hall of Records
Arrangement: Numerically; grouped by subject
Indexing: None

Series Description:  This collection, originally stored in City Hall, was transferred to the custody of the State Regents in 1911. This transfer was prompted by an 1880 City Hall fire that destroyed numerous valuable documents. The collection, which is comprised of 300 cubic feet of Albany County records and 65 cubic feet of Albany City records, was transferred from the State Archives and Records Administration (S.A.R.A.) to the custody of the city and county of Albany after their archives were established.The records within the Constitutional Era provide evidence of an expanding city with growing needs. The record group includes deeds, leases, land patents, election records, assessment rolls, Alms House records, laws and resolutions of the Common Council, Chamberlain accounts, and other records relating to the functions of city government.

Albany City Records. 1726-1895. 47 file boxes.

Common Council Records

Albany's 1686 Dongan Charter defined the power of the Common Council to make laws and ordinances. By charter provision the Common Council was thus established as the legislative body of the city. Members of the Common Council were also Commissioners of Highways for the City of Albany. Accordingly, this collection contains a large number of documents relating to the maintenance and development of the city's streets and roads. The role of the Common Council has remained relatively unaltered. Today, as a legislative body, it reviews and acts on legislation and resolutions for the government of the City and the management of its business.

Common Council Records. (1783-1815). Box

Laws and ordinances passed by the Common Council (52-57)
Street assessments and paving 1,10
Granting of burial grounds 11
Leases of ferry boats to individuals 13
Granting of deeds and leases 11,12,17,18,22,44
Survey of Corporation land 20
Petitions to Common Council for land grants 4,5
Land patents 21
Petitions (misc.) 36
Inventory of papers of the city of Albany,Charter
deeds, leases and bonds 1686-1774 31
Conditions of sale 37
Granting of licenses by Common Council 150

Common Council Minutes. 1723-1817. (16 volumes).

The minutes of the Albany Common Council provide the names of those present, the date, and a description of the issues discussed.

Chamberlain's Records. (1783-1815). The Chamberlain or treasurer was elected by the members of the city corporation. The Chamberlain received and disbursed all moneys raised by tax in the city. This included such duties as collection of all assessments, apportionments, and rents and also the disbursement of salaries and payment of corporation expenses. Today, the responsibilities of the city treasurer have changed little and include collection,custody and deposit of all taxes and other city funds. The treasurer's office annually processes the billing and collection of property and other tax accounts.

Chamberlain Records

Inventory of City Chamberlain papers - 1790-1791,1803   ( box 31)
Chamberlain accounts, letters, receipts and vouchers:  box nos: 1,5,14,16,22-29,31,32,33,35, (45,46,48-51), (58,59,61,62,63), (64,65,66,67),75,77,78,87.

Alms House Accounts 2,5,(45,46,48-51)

Poll lists 14
Albany Academy accounts 30
Record of Albany County Bonds 1815 151
Indictments 1803-1815 669-1
Recognizances 1790-1835 674-1

CITY ENGINEER MAPS

Location: Albany County Hall of Records

Indexing: Some indexing through Grantors' Map Index - see The Index to the
Public Records of the County of Albany page* = available on microfilm

These maps are products of the City's Bureau of Engineering. The first official City Engineer and Surveyor was Abraham Oake who took office in 1800. Still in existence today, the Bureau is responsible for all public works engineering projects in the City, makes engineering investigations, prepares drawings, and maps, and supervises public construction throughout the city.

Title Surveyor Date

*-Albany-Schenectady Turnpike - 1808

-Albany & Vicinity, Property Maps (69 maps) - c. 1750-1829
-Barrack St., Survey for Street Extension Between Orange St. & Fox St. - 1804
*-Bleecker, Barent & George Wray's Lots - 1794
*-Church Property at State Street & Barrack St. - 1793
-City of Albany, Map of Sundry Lots Laid Out Within Van Alen 1803
-City of Albany, Northern & Southern Boundary Lines - 1800
*-Columbia St., Montgomery St., Quay & Steubon, Map of Van Alen 1812
-Court St., Cowlane, and Bone Lane Properties - 1802 *-Dutch Church, Lower Pasture - 1791
-Dutch Church Pasture - c. 1800
*-Eagle St., Map of Lots lying West of - 1794
-Eagle St. & Beaver St., Property Between - 1814
-Eagle St. & Beaver St., Property - 1804 fifth Ward of Albany, Map of Schuyler 1799
-Fonda, Isaaic and Abraham Van Vechten, Map of Houses Built By - 1798
*-Foort, John J., Farm in Scaghticoke Van Alen 1815
-Fort Frederick, Johnson, & DiVeke, Map of - 1790
*-Fort Hunter,.Map-of Land Belonging to the Corporation of the City of Albany Bleeker 1783
-Gallows Hill, Lots of Schuyler 1794
*-Gallows Hill, Map of Schuyler - 1799
*-Green St., Map of Property of - 1802
-Hawk St. & Eagle, Property Between Oake 1810
-Hawk, Wolf, Otter & Eagle St. Properties Oake 1810
-Hospital Lot, Lodge & Steuben St. - 1806
-Hudson St. and Lancaster, Lots on Barclay 1807
-Hudson St. & Lydius St. Properties Between Barclay 1805
*-Hudson River to Rensselaerwyck Van Alen 1800
-John St. from Franklin to the River - 1802
-Kilby's Dock - 1790
-Knox St. - 1791
-Lark St. & Dove St., Property Between Barclay 1804
*-Lark St., Dove St., & Hawk St., Map of - 1790
-Lion St. & Sand St., Hawk St. & Elk St., Property Between Barclay 1801
-Lower Church Pastures, Map at - 1803
-Lyon St., Map of Boundaries of lots on North Side - 1802
*-Maiden Lane and Dock St. Bogart 1790
-Maiden Lane & State St. Oake 1810
-Maiden Lane & State St., Lots Between Being Sold - 1811
*-Mansion House (Phillip Schuyler), Map of Carpenter 1806
*-Market St. to Hudson River, Orange St. to Columbia St., Lots Between - 1802
-Montgomery St. From Orange to Quackenbush, Map of Van Alen 1813
*-New Road Laid Out From Foxes St. to theSchenectady Road - 1801
-New St. Between Montgomery, Quay & & Columbia St. - 1812
*@New Street". (Columbia) Barclay 1808
*-Oake St., Lot of Ground North of and West of Barrack St.
Belonging to the Corporation Campbell 1794
*-Old Dutch Church Along the Albany Schenectady Turnpike, Map for the Property of - 1806
*-Post Road Between the Cities of Albany & New York Randel 1810
*-Pearl St. & Market, Columbia St. & Trump St. at Fox Creek Chutt 1799
-Proposed Road Bleeker 1793
-Public Square, Maiden Lane & State Street Map of - 1810
*-Publick Square Area Including Lodge, Barrack, and Fox St. - 1803
-Schaticoke, Map of Corporation Lands at - 1792
-Schachticook, Map of - 1801
*-State St. East Toward Eagle Barclay 1809
*-State St., South of and East of Eagle St., Map of Lots - 1809
*-Swallow St. Including Area of Washington Square - 1809
-Tiger St., Lark St., Deer St. & Dove St., Map of Properties Oake 1811
*-Townsend Park, Map of area of - 1808
*-Van Schaack, Grant W., Map of Land Belonging To Schuyler 1795
-Van Woert St. From Market St. West - 1800
*-Washington St., Map of Sundry Lots Van Alen 1815
-Washington St., Lydius St., & Gansvoort St., Map of Property Between Van Alen - 1817
*-Water Street, Near Upper Dock - 1792
*-Watervliet St. & Orange St., Property at Corner of Winne 1793
*-Wendell, John., Map of Land on Court St. - 1792
Wendle, Phillip., Map of Land Granted to - 1812
Wolf St., Hawk St., Otter St. & Eagle St., Survey of Hooker 1810
*Wolf St. & Lark St., Property Between Visscher 1813
Wolf St., Hawk St., Otter St. & Eagle, Map of Oake 1810
Wray, George, Map of Dock Lots Including
Steuben St. and Dock St. Bleeker 1798

notes

Copied almost verbatim from the online description and presented here simply for the sake of easy and ongoing access. Again, this section is only a copy and is largely undigested and unedited.This information page is very much in-progress.



Home | Navigation | Email | Site Index | New York State Museum


First posted 9/1/07