The Districts of Albany County, New York, 1772-1784

The Albany Stadt Huys or City Hall, erected 1740,
New York's State Capitol 1797-1808

Formed in November 1683 as one of New York's twelve original counties, Albany's first boundaries were vast. The county encompassed what today is the entire state of Vermont, all of upstate New York north of the counties of Dutchess and Ulster, and stretched vaguely west to the Pacific Ocean.1 Those researching their family in this area and time period will benefit from understanding the different boundaries.  

From 1772 until 1786 Albany included what are now Albany, Columbia, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady counties; large parts of Greene and Washington counties; and the disputed southwest corner of Vermont.

As spreading settlement made more accessible local government necessary for such a large territory, the county was repeatedly divided into smaller units.

The first step in this process was the creation, 3 July 1766, of Cumberland County, followed 16 March 1770 by Gloucester County, both from that part of Albany County in Vermont.

Next, on 12 March 1772, the colonial legislature divided the remaining county into the counties of Albany, Tryon, and Charlotte. Twelve days later, 24 March 1772, the new counties of Tryon and Albany were divided into districts.

In 1775, 1779, 1782, and 1784 several of these districts were themselves divided to create additional districts. The freeholders and inhabitants of the districts were given power to elect officers to govern them on a level below that of the county.2

Between 1683 and 1772 government had been vested in the Crown, the colony, and the county, with an added lower level in Albany County for two cities and two townships incorporated individually. Schenectady had been created as a patent with certain municipal rights 4 November 1684 and became a borough 23 October 1765.

Albany had been chartered as a city 22 July 1686 with an extension of land 16 miles northwest known as the Liberty of Albany, originally set aside to provide firewood for the city.3 Pittstown had been made a township by patent 23 July 1761, and Duanesburgh 13 March 1765.4

Eventually, both Schenectady and Albany were divided into wards. The cities became districts in 1772, while the two townships were included in the territory of other districts. Duanesburgh was united with Schoharie as the United Districts of Duanesburgh and Schoharie, and Pittstown fell within the District of Schaghticoke.  

The Districts of Albany County, New York, 1772

By an act of the state legislature 7 March 1788 these districts ceased to function as administrative units when the entire state was divided into towns (Laws of the State of New York, 1886, 1:748f.). In most cases the districts were simply turned into towns.  

The Districts of Albany County, New York, 1784

Between 1772 and 1788 various records were generated by the districts which are useful to genealogists. Primary among them are several tax lists to be found in the New York State Archives and the State Library Manuscripts and Special Collections, both in Albany, and The New-York Historical Society in New York City.

As I worked with these tax lists and needed to know the extent of the districts, I searched in vain for a map showing their boundaries. To help visualize the different locations, I devised the accompanying rough maps, which my son Peter has given a more professional presentation, for which I express my gratitude to him.

Although not precise, I find the maps useful and would like to share whatever value they have with others; the information they show was not easily come by. The maps' value is increased by knowledge of what towns are included in each district. The table below has been constructed from French's 1860 Gazetteer, which see for further detail concerning boundaries and name changes.  

Development of Towns in the Area of Old Albany County

(arranged by present-day counties)

1788 Towns Subsequent Towns [pt. = part of]

Albany County

Albany (City)
Watervliet
(West District of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck)

Rensselaerville 1790

Bern 1795

Knox 1822

pt. Westerlo 1815

Coeymans 1791

pt. Westerlo 1815

Bethlehem 1793

New Scotland 1832

Guilderland 1803
Niskayuna, Schenectady Co., 1809

Columbia County (1786)

Canaan (Kings District)

pt. Chatham 1795

pt. Austerlitz 1818

pt. Ghent 1818

pt. Austerlitz 1818
New Lebanon 1818
Claverack

Hudson (City) 1785

pt. Stockport 1833

Greenport 1837

pt. Ghent 1818

Clermont (from East Camp)
Germantown (East Camp District)
Hillsdale pt. Austerlitz 1818
Kinderhook pt. Chatham 1795

pt. Ghent 1818

pt. Stockport 1833

Stuyvesant 1823

pt. Stockport 1833

Livingston

Ancram 1803

Gallatin 1830

Taghkanick 1803

Copake 1824

Greene County (1800)

Catskill (Great Imboght District) pt. Cairo 1803
pt. Athens 1815
Coxsackie

Durham 1790

pt. Cairo 1803

pt. Greenville 1803

pt. Windham 1803

pt. Conesville, Schoharie Co., 1836

pt. Greenville 1803
pt. Cairo 1803
New Baltimore 1811
pt. Athens 1815

Rensselaer County (1791)

Rensselaerwyck (named Greenbush 1792)

Troy 1791 (City 1816)

Brunswick 1807

pt. Grafton 1807

pt. Lansingburgh 1807

Schodack 1795

pt Berlin 1806

pt. Nassau 1806

pt. Sand Lake 1812

Poestenkill 1848

East Greenbush 1855
North Greenbush 1855
Stephentown

Petersburgh 1791

pt Berlin 1806

pt. Nassau 1806

pt. Grafton 1807

pt. Lansingburgh 1807

pt. Nassau 1806

pt Berlin 1806

pt. Sand Lake 1812

Hoosick
Pittstown (township 1761, part of Schaghticoke District)
Schaghticoke pt. Lansingburgh 1819

Saratoga County (1791)

Ballston Charlton 1792

Galway 1792

Providence 1796

Edinburgh 1801

pt. Day 1819

Milton 1792

pt. Greenfield 1793

Halfmoon Waterford 1816
Clifton Park 1828
Saratoga pt. Easton 1789 (to Washington Co. 1791)

pt. Greenfield 1793

pt. Hadley 1801

Corinth 1818

pt. Day 1819

Northumberland 1798

pt. Hadley 1801

Moreau 1805

pt. Corinth 1848

Wilton 1818

pt. Malta 1805
Saratoga Springs 1819
Stillwater (part of Halfmoon District) pt. Easton 1789 (to Washington Co. 1791)
Malta 1802

Schenectady County (1809)
(see also Albany County)

Duanesburgh
Schenectady (City 1798) Princetown 1798
Glenville 1820
Rotterdam 1820
pt. Niskayuna 1853

Schoharie County (1795)
(see also Greene County)

Schoharie Blenheim 1797

Jefferson 1803

pt. Summit 1819

pt. Gilboa 1848

Broome 1797

pt. Conesville 1836

pt. Gilboa 1848

Cobleskill 1797

pt. Carlisle1807

pt. Summit 1819

Richmondville 1845

Middleburgh 1797

Fulton 1828

pt. Broome 1849

Sharon 1797

pt. Carlisle1807

Seward 1840

Esperance 1846
Wright 1846

Washington County
(see also Saratoga County)

Cambridge (to Washington Co. 1791) Jackson 1815
White Creek 1815

 

Citations

1. George R. Howell and J. Tenney, Bicentennial History of Albany [History of the Counties of Albany and Schenectady], 1886, pp. 70-72; Historical Souvenir Program, Schenectady Sesquicentennial, 1959.

2. The Colonial Laws of New York, 1894, 4:903f., 383f., 400f., 772-73; Laws of the State of New York, 1886, 1:118-19, 229f., 438-39, 610-11.

3. Howell and Tenney, p. 72.

4. J. H. French, Gazetteer of the State of New York, 1860, pp. 558, 596.