County Tips

The area that is now Rensselaer County was originally home to Mohican Indians. In 1610, Dutch vessels plied the waters of what would become known as the Hudson River and surveyed the area; thirteen years later, a group of eighteen Walloon families became its first European settlers.

This week we have some essential tips for those researching ancestors from Albany County, New York. Read on for a brief county history, useful online resources, some recommended repositories to visit in person and a few little-known facts about Albany County.

At the time of European arrival to Onondaga County, the Onondaga people (their name means “People of the Hills”) had resided in the area for centuries. In fact, their land was both physically and spiritually central within the Iroquois Confederacy.