by David Kendall Martin,
M.A., F.A.S.G.
Originally published in
The NYG&B Newsletter, Fall 1990
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| The Albany Stadt
Huys or City Hall, erected 1740, New York's State Capitol 1797-1808
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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 (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). 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, 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 (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).
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 (Howell and Tenney, p. 72). Pittstown
had been made a township by patent 23 July 1761, and Duanesburgh 13 March
1765 (J. H. French, Gazetteer of the State of New York, 1860, pp.
558, 596). 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)
Rensselaerville 1790
Coeymans
1791
Bethlehem
1793
Guilderland
1803
Niskayuna,
Schenectady Co., 1809