Adirondack Survey:  In 1872, Verplanck Colvin was named to the newly created post of Superintendent of the Adirondack Survey and authorized by the Legislature to institute a survey of the Adirondacks. Colvin directed surveying parties throughout the Adirondacks.  He believed that the entire Adirondack region should be protected by the creation of a state forest preserve. His work lead to the creation of New York's Forest Preserve and the Adirondack Park. The annual reports from 1872 - 1898 that are being digitized include many maps, drawing and illustrations.  IN PROCESS.

Certified Copies of Ancient Field Notes and Maps, 1772-1796, 1797-1798:  This short volume published in 1903 contains certified copies of four original maps that were on file at the time in the office of the Secretary of State. These copies were certified by William Judson, State Engineer and Surveyor of New York. The text of the volume are copies of the original field notes from the surveyors of Macomb's Purchase, Totten and Crossfield's Purchase and the Old Military Tract.

Census of the State of New York: These are the published statistical schedules compiled from the original returns under the direction of the Secretary of State which describe the population and economy of counties, cities and towns in New York State.  Volumes for 1808, 1814, 1821, 1825, 1835, 1845, 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1905, 1915 and 1925 have been digitized.

New York State Census Records, 1790-1925: This publication, compiled in 1981 by New York State Library staff members Marilyn Douglas and Melinda Yates, contains an inventory of federal and state census manuscripts and microfilm holdings in repositories throughout New York State. A list of the questions asked on federal population schedules (1780-1980) is included on pages 43-46 and a list of the questions asked on state population schedules (1825-1925) is included on pages 48-49. A survey of the data included on the federal census special schedules is also included. This publication contains additional information about statistical census records, a "Genealogy of New York State Counties" chart that shows when and how counties were formed, etc. Although some of the information in this publication is a bit outdated, such as the inventory of New York State Library federal and state census holdings, it is still a good reference source.

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 the dedication of the monuments erected in honor of the New York regiments at Gettysburg and the location, dimension, construction and cost of each of the New York monuments at Gettysburg.

New York in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 to 1865: This six-volume set compiled by Frederick Phisterer provides detailed information on various aspects of New York State's role in the Civil War and is an important resource for conducting research into New York State regiments during the Civil War. Each regimental history in this set includes information on when and where a regiment was recruited, the names of its officers, the battles in which the regiment participated, and the casualties suffered.

Registers of New York Regiments in the War of the Rebellion listed in the Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of New York: The Annual Reports for 1893-1905 have supplementary volumes that contain the registers of New York regiments in the Civil War. The registers list the officers and enlisted men in each New York State volunteer regiment and battery during the Civil War and include a sketch of their service with the unit.

Constitutional Conventions and Constitutional History

The Constitutional History of New York: This five-volume set by Charles Z. Lincoln was published in 1905 and is a fundamental resource for NYS constitutional history from the beginning of the colonial period to 1905. Volume 1 includes the text of the first Constitution of New York (1777), the second Constitution of New York (1821), and the third Constitution of New York (1846). Volume 4 includes the text of the Constitution of the State of New York as revised in 1894 with the amendments of 1899, 1901 and 1905. Volume 5 includes a general index, index of persons and table of cases, as well as, tables of statutes held to be constitutional and unconstitutional. Charles Lincoln was a member of the New York Constitutional Convention of 1894 and chairman of the Statutory Revision Commission from 1895 -1900.

New York State Constitutional Convention Committee. [Reports] 1938: The New York State Constitutional Convention Committee was established by Governor Lehman as "an unofficial committee, non-partisan and non-political in character and in motive, to undertake and direct the preparation and publication of accurate, thorough, and … impartial factual studies on the important phases of government, certain to be considered at the Constitutional Convention." The reports of the Constitutional Committee, commonly known as the Poletti Report, were prepared prior to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1938 and printed as a series of twelve volumes. These volumes were intended to serve as research and background information for the delegates of the Convention so that the delegates were prepared "to discharge their duties wisely, deliberately and without waste of time and money."

Volumes 1-5 are general reference volumes and were prepared by staff of the Law Revision Commission, the research staff of the NYS Commission on the Revision of the Tax Laws and others. Volumes 6-11 are the studies and reports of the six sub-committees of the Constitutional Convention Committee. The volumes are:

• volume 1: New York State Constitution annotated;
• volume 2: Amendments proposed to New York Constitution, 1895-1937;
• volume 3: Constitutions of the states and United States;
• volume 4: State and local government in New York;
• volume 5: New York City government: functions and problems;
• volume 6: Problems relating to Bill of Rights and general welfare;
• volume 7: Problems relating to legislative organization and powers;
• volume 8: Problems relating to executive administration and powers;
• volume 9: Problems relating to judicial administration and organization;
• volume 10: Problems relating to taxation and finance;
• volume 11: Problems relating to home rule and local government and
• volume 12: General Index.
  

Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of the State of New York, April fourth to September twenty-sixth, 1967: This twelve-volume set includes the journal, record, propositions and documents of the 1967 Constitutional Convention. The 1967 Convention was the last State Constitutional Convention held in New York State to date. (New Yorkers voted against calling a constitutional convention in 1977 and 1997.) All of the 1967 Convention’s proposals were rejected by the people when the proposals were submitted to the voters. The volumes are:

• volume 1: Directory of delegates and staff;
• volumes 2 - 4: Records;
• volume 5: Journal, the Calendar and the Resolutions;
• volumes 6 - 10: Propositions;
• volume 11: Documents no. 1 - no. 60; and
• volume 12: Index.

The Annotated Lists and Indexes of the New York State Assembly and Senate Document Series, 1831-1918: This guide was compiled by Robert Allan Carter, a former State Library reference librarian, and provides a list, by date, of the documents contained in the Assembly and Senate document series for 1831-1918. This guide also provides indexes to Senate and Assembly documents by subject, keyword in titles, name of chairperson, geographical names, etc.

Annotated List and Indexes of the New York State Legislative Document Series, 1919-1976: This guide was compiled by Robert Allan Carter, a former State Library reference librarian and provides a list, by date, of the documents contained in the legislative document series for 1919-1976. This guide also provides indexes to the documents by subject, keyword in title, name of chairperson, geographical names, etc.

Index of Economic Material in Documents of the States of the United States: New York, 1789-1904: This volume was prepared by Adelaide Hasse and is one of the most comprehensive single-volume records on NYS documents. This useful guide lists and indexes materials contained in printed reports of NYS administrative officers, NYS legislative committees, special commissions, and governors' messages from 1789-1904. The term "economic" was given a broad interpretation in the preparation of this index. The index itself is an alphabetical arrangement of topics such as "Canals: Individual," "Commerce: Domestic Trade" and "Street Railways."

Laws of the State of New York, 1802: The Laws of the State of New York published in 1802 is a two volume set which contains selected early statutes and is the first consolidation of local law (county, town, city and village law), banking laws, corporation (turnpike and toll bridges) law, navigation law, etc. This set is commonly known as the Kent and Radcliff Revision; James Kent and Jacob Radcliff were judges of the NYS Supreme Count at the time.

Laws of the State of New York, 1807: The text of the 1807 edition is almost the same as the 1802 version; some errors in text and binding were corrected in 1807 edition.

Revised Statutes of the State of New-York, 1829: This three-volume set includes the statues passed during 1827 and 1828, as well as, former acts which had not been revised. The Articles of Confederation, the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of New York State are included in volume one of this set.

Revised Statutes of the State of New York, 1882: This three-volume set, the seventh edition of revised statutes, was the first of two commercially published editions edited by Montgomery H. Throop. Montgomery Throop was the grandson of Governor Enos T. Throop and a member of the New York State Statutory Revision Commission from 1870-1878. This set includes statutes in force passed from the year 1778 to the close of the Legislative session of 1881, together with statues as altered by subsequent legislation. Annotations, explanations, and references to judicial decisions are also included.

Consolidated laws of the State of New York, Official Edition of 1909: Complied by the Board of Statutory Consolidation in 1909 and 1910. Adolph J. Rodenbeck was chairman of the Board. Volumes include:

• v.1 Agriculture law to education law;
• v.2 Election law to insanity law;
• v.3 Insurance law to partnership law;
• v.4 Penal law to real property law;
• v.5 Religious corporations law to village law;
• v.6 Statutory record;
• v.7 Index;
• v.8 Education law;
• v.9 Public service commissions law and railroad law.

Native American Culture Collection: These items are from the Native American Language and Culture Preservation Project. The majority are in English with some texts, grammars and glossaries, in whole or part, in indigenous languages such as Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, and Delaware.

Report of the New York State Indian Commission to Investigate the status of the American Indian Residing in the State of New York: The findings of the New York State Indian Commission (1919-1922) are described in this report, commonly known as the Everett Report. The purpose of the Commission was to investigate the status of Indian welfare and land rights in NYS. Assemblyman Edward Everett was chairman of the Commission. The report was presented to the legislature on March 17, 1922 only to be rejected for filing. It wasn't until 1971 that the report was finally released. Lulu Stillman served as stenographer for Assemblyman Edward Everett and was credited for preserving the only remaining record of the report from which the 1971 transcript was made. As Everett's stenographer, Stillman retained copies of most of the material produced by or related to the commission. (Many of the original documents are either missing or unavailable.) The published report released in 1971 and Stillman’s annotated draft have both been digitized.

Report of the Special Committee to Investigate the Indian Problem of the State of New York: This report is commonly known as the Whipple Report, after the chairman of the Special Committee, J.S. Whipple. The Committee was charged to investigate and ascertain the following: the social, moral and industrial condition of the tribes; the amount of land cultivated; the tribal organizations and manner in which they allot land among their tribal members; the title to the lands on their reservations; the claims of the Ogden Land Company, and of other companies or individuals; all treaties made between the state and the Indians and all treaties between the United States and the Indians; and such other matters as would aid the Legislature in future action. The first section is a chronological survey of land deals in New York between the Indians and the whites from the time of discovery. App. A lists the state laws relating to Indians; App. B, reprints the treaties between the Iroquois and the US; App. C reprints relevant land grants; App. D, reprints the treaties with the NYS; and App. E has miscellaneous papers including letters to Chairman Whipple, legal opinions on land, the amended constitution of the Seneca Nation (1968) and the copy of the deed of 1808 by which the Senecas gave the Tuscarora the land on which they were already living.

Civil List and Constitutional History of the Colony and State of New York: This volume by Edgar A. Werner was published in 1891 and includes lists of officers "connected with the public service of the State," a constitutional history of New York State and the history of development of each department that was part of New York State government. The lists of officers "connected with public service of the State" includes a wide range of state and county elected and appointed officials such as representatives in colonial assemblies, members of the Senate and Assembly, port wardens, school commissioners, commissioners of fisheries, justices of the Supreme Court, associate judges of the colonial court, city mayors and county sheriffs. Included in this volume is the text of the Constitution of New York (1846) as amended and in force as of 1/1/1891 A useful feature of this volume is the Index of Names on pages 677-801. This index lists all names included in this volume along with the county or town of residence of each individual.

New York Red Book: The Red Book has been published since 1892 and presents pertinent facts concerning New York State, its political subdivisions and the officials who administer NYS affairs. It includes pictures and brief biographies of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, all members of both houses of the legislature, the Judges of the Court of Appeals and Court of Claims, department heads and other officials in executive positions in various departments and divisions. It also includes lists of county officials and officers of recognized political parties. We have digitized 1892 through 1923.

Annual Report of the State Historian of the State of New York: In 1895, Governor Morton appointed a state historian, who duties were "to collect…edit, and prepare for publication all official records…and data, relative to the colonial wars, war of the revolution, war of 1812, Mexican war and war of the rebellion." The 1st Annual Report (1895), 2nd Annual Report (1896) and 3rd Annual Report (1897) were digitized from volumes in the State Library’s collection. Volume 1 of the Colonial Muster Rolls for 1664-1760 can be found in Appendix H of the 2nd Annual Report. Volume II of the Colonial Muster Rolls for 1664-1760 can be found in Appendix M of the 3rd Annual Report. An index of names contained in the Colonial Muster Rolls can be found on pages 899-1130 of the 3rd Annual Report.

Orderly Books, 1759-1760. 1762: These are the orderly books of Captain Amos Hitchcock’s Connecticut provincial companies during the French and Indian War. The orderly books are the companies’ official record of all military orders, and include courts martial, disciplinary actions and promotions. The volumes also provide a record of troop movements in northern New York and Canada and encampments at Albany, Fort Edward, Lake George, Crown Point and Fort Ontario.

Papers of Sir William Johnson: In his official capacity as Indian agent or military officer, Sir William Johnson corresponded with people from all walks of life. His papers, covering the time period of 1738-1808, form an invaluable source of information on the political, military, social and agricultural history of the period. (Papers that date after Johnson's death in 1774 relate to matters with which his relatives were connected.) The 14-volume set that has been digitized is the most comprehensive source of printed transcripts from the original manuscripts.

A CD of the Johnson Papers was recognized as a "notable document" for 2007 by the American Library Association. The CD is available for sale.

A Set of Plans and Forts in America, Reduced From Actual Survey: This volume was published in 1763 in London. The author is John Rocque. The volume consists of 30 maps of forts in America, such as Fort William Henry and the Redoubts at Crown Point. The volume also includes a "Map of the British Dominions in North America according to the Treaty of 1763."

New York State History - Towns and Counties

Gazetteer of the State of New York…by J.H. French (1860): Also known as French's Gazetteer, this one-volume work contains information on the geography, geology, institutions and general history of New York State. It also contains a history and description of every county, city, town, village and locality in NYS and includes founding dates, leading institutions, early settlements, prominent citizens, etc.

Selected New York State Town and County Histories: Forty-one county and town histories selected from the State Library's collection have been digitized. Titles include:

• Annals of Albany;
• Pioneer Days and Later Times In Corning and Vicinity 1789-1920;
• Centennial History of the Town of Dryden 1797-1897;
• Schuylerville, New York, "The Historical Village";
• Portrait and Biographical Record of Orange County, New York;
• Troy and Rensselaer County, New York, a History;
• Stony Point Illustrated, an Account of the Early Settlement on the Hudson with Traditions and Relics of the Revolution; and
• History of Herkimer County, NY.

Note: Many New York State town and county histories have already been digitized by a commercial vendor and are included in HeritageQuest, ProQuest's genealogy and local history collection. This online database is available at the New York State Library.

The New York State Museum can trace its beginning back to 1836 with the appointment of staff for the State’s first official Geological and Natural History Survey.  Since that point, Museum research scientists and staff have conducted "systematic investigations into the geology, biology, anthropology and history of New York" and produced a wealth of publications that detail the results of their work.  Some of these publications, such as the Bulletin of the New York State Museum, Memoir of the New York State Museum and Natural History of New York, have been digitized by the NYSL.

List of Museum publications with links to the digital documents.

Contract of sale of land along the Hudson River from the Mahican Indians to Kiliean Van Rensselaer, 6 August 1630: This document is a scan of an original parchment copy of the land title that established the Colony of Rensselaerwyck within the province of New Netherland. The lands in the conveyance comprised much of present Albany and Rensselaer counties of NYS. Peter Minuit, Director General New Netherland signed this document, along with others on the governing council. The original document is In Dutch; an English translation by A.J.F. van Laer with revisions by Charles Gehring is included with the original.

A map of the Manor Renselaerwick: This is a scan of a copy made by David Vaugnam from the original that was held by Stephen Van Rensselaer. It includes landforms, drainage, roads and farmstead locations. This map was originally engraved and printed by J.E. Gavit in 1767.

Patent for the Manor of Rensselaerwyck: This is a copy of the original manuscript from November 5, 1685. The document confirmed the right of the former Dutch colony known as Rensselaerwyck in 1630 as a colony under the jurisdiction of New Netherland, with the exception of lands reserved for the settlement called Albany and special right away connecting the settlement on the Hudson River to the Mohawk River. The document was signed and sealed by Thomas Dongan, Governor of the colony of New York.

Renselaerswyck: map: This is a scan of the original manuscript map on vellum that was part of the Rensselaerwyck Manor Records. "The scale to which the map purports to be drawn is 16 7/8 inches to the Dutch mile, or 3 5/8 inches to the English mile." "The map is without date or makers name…[but] is commonly ascribed to Gillis van Schendel" in 1631 or 1632.

Atlas of School Districts and Units of Local Government: This document, published in 1957, shows the school district boundaries in relation to county and town boundaries. This is an important tool because school district boundaries and town and county boundaries often don't coincide.

Master Plan for School District Reorganization in New York State, revised 1958: This document shows the details of the school district reorganization for each school district in New York State as of July 1, 1957. In 1942, the Joint Legislative Committee on the State Education System began the task of creating a master plan for school district reorganization. The plan was completed and published in 1947. Chapter 723 of the Laws of 1956 authorized and directed the Commissioner of Education to bring the 1947 plan up to date. The revised plan was published in 1958.