An illustration of a stage coach, from The Annals of Albany, Volume IV, p. 239. (Click picture to see full page.)

April 2007 Feature

Selected New York State Town and County Histories

Selected county and town histories from the State Library's collection have been digitized. This group, online in PDF, were recently indexed and are now searchable.

These titles include the following:
(The publications will open in a new browser window.)

Annals of Albany; compiled by Joel Munsell. Publication includes ten volumes published by him in Albany between 1850 and 1859.
Pioneer Days and Later Times In Corning and Vicinity 1789-1920, by Uri Mulford. Chapters include "Original Occupants of the Soil," "The Indian Treaty of Canandaigua," "The Log Cabin Homes of Pioneer Days."
Centennial History of the Town of Dryden 1797-1897, compiled and edited by Geo. E. Goodrich. Chapters include "Indian Occupation," The Approach of Civilization," "The War of 1812," "The Civil War Period."
Schuylerville, New York, "The Historical Village," Official Souvenir Book.
Portrait and Biographical Record of Orange County, New York; "Containing Portraits and Biological Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County. Together with Biographies and Portraits of all the Presidents of the United States." Published in 1895.
Troy and Rensselaer County, New York, a History; by Rutherford Hayner. Published in 1925. (See excerpt below.)
Stony Point Illustrated, an Account of the Early Settlement on the Hudson with Traditions and Relics of the Revolution; "It is the purpose of the author of the following pages to preserve for the generations to come Revolutionary and home pictures of Stony Point; also, some of the characteristics of the people. If the descendants of the present families who shall live here an hundred years from this time shall read this Book with as much interest as its author takes in the writing and publication, our labor will have been amply rewarded." --from the Preface.
History of Herkimer County, NY, "with illustrations descriptive of scenery, private residences, public buildings, fine blocks and important manufactories." Published in 1879.

*From the Introduction, Troy and Rensselaer County, New York, a History:

"...In such pioneer educational movements as the practical study of engineering and science and the higher education of women Troy has blazed the way, and the ideas of its early educators have been impressed upon the curricula of the educational institutioins of the world until to-day they may be regarded as generic. The production of the first ironclad vessel through Trojan enterprise transformed the naval architecture of the world. The development of the steel hardening processes, the invention of the collar and of the horseshoe making machines have been more than mere industrial evolutions. "Uncle Sam" and "Yankee Doodle" are known where the city of Troy and the county of Rensselaer have never been heard of. The Battle of Walloomsac, miscalled the Battle of Bennington, fought in Rensselaer County, led directly to the defeat of Burgoyne at Saratoga and turned the tide of the Revolution in this part of the new republic..."

From Stony Point Illustrated,an Account of the Early Settlement on the Hudson with Traditions and Relics of the Revolution, page 134.

Related Resources:

New York State Library, Archives, Museum:

Library Catalog - Search the combined records of the New York State Library and the New York State Archives.

Library Digital Collections (opens in new window) - In addition to the histories featured on this page, the State Library's Digital Collections contain New York State Agency publications, digital images, maps, and works of art related to the history of the New York. To try the indexed search, select the radio button for "Full-Text Search" from the Digital Collections "Search" screen.

If you prefer to browse the available titles, go to any Digital Collections page,and click the "Browse" button. Then click "New York State Library Government Publications" or "New York State Library Scanned Documents Collection". The Scanned Documents Collection is organized by subject. For example, in the "900 History" section, you can browse other digitized documents related to the history of North America.

Office of Cultural Education Digital Collections - Images and documents from the State Library, Archives and Museum. (Search opens in new window).

Previously Featured:

March 2007: Selected Women's History Collections held by the New York State Library: In honor of Women's History Month, in March the Library featured collections from our Manuscripts and Special Collections division that are related to women's history, particularly those listed in the finding aid, or guide, to Selected Women's History Collections. The finding aid is arranged alphabetically, with a brief description of each collection. Browsing the list will give you a taste of the size and scope of our collections, which may be as small as individual letters and diaries or as large as the 60 boxes of records from the Adirondack Forty-Sixers Club (60 boxes) or the 43 boxes from the Gilead Evangelical Lutheran Church.

February 2007: Lincoln's Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation: On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that "all persons held as slaves...shall be free." The Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation is an earlier version which Lincoln read to his Cabinet on September 22, 1862. Handwritten by President Lincoln, it also contains annotations by Secretary of State (and former Governor of New York) William Seward. One of the nation's greatest documentary treasures, the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation has been part of the New York State Library's collection since 1865.

January 2007: Final Report on the Battlefield of Gettysburg - This three-volume set contains New York at Gettysburg by William F. Fox and includes regimental histories of the numerous New York State regiments that fought at Gettysburg. The report also includes information about the monuments erected in honor of the New York regiments at Gettysburg. (The scanned document opens in a new window.)

(Note: Beginning in January 2007, the Library's Web Team began to feature NYSL resources or services of interest to New Yorkers.)

Archives of Previously Featured Sites

2006 Features | 2005 Features | 2004 Features | 2003 Features

2002 Features: Web Sites | Documents

2001 Features: Web Sites | Documents

2000 Features: Web Sites | Documents