Albany County, New York Guide

Albany County is situated along the western bank of the Hudson River, approximately 150 miles north of New York City. It is bordered on the north by Saratoga and Schenectady Counties (which lie across the Mohawk River); on the south by Greene County; on the east by Rensselaer County (which lies across the Hudson River); and on the west by Schoharie County.

County Formed: 1683

Parent County: Original county

Daughter Counties: Cumberland 1766; Gloucester 1770; Montgomery 1772 (as Tryon); Washington 1772 (as Charlotte); Columbia 1786; Rensselaer 1791; Saratoga 1791; Schoharie 1795; Greene 1800; Schenectady 1809

Major Land Transactions: Rensselaerswijck 1629

 

Albany County Map

Table of Contents

 

 

 

History

Albany County, founded in 1683, was once the largest counties in colonial New York and is approximately 150 miles north of New York City. In 1624, the Dutch West India Company established Fort Orange, the first permanent settlement in the area, as a trading post for Dutch and French fur traders. A large portion of the present Albany County and neighboring Rensselaer County once belonged to the Van Rensselaers, a family of wealthy Dutch landholders. One of the twelve original counties designated by the English governor of New York in 1683, Albany County has existed within its current boundaries for the past two hundred years.

Historically, the Hudson River was the primary highway for travel between New York City and all of the communities located along the river. The railroad runs parallel to the river between New York City and Albany on the eastern shore of the river, while the New York Thruway facilitates motor vehicle transportation following a similar route on the west bank of the Hudson River to Albany. From Albany, the Thruway and Northway provide convenient connections to Western New York and Quebec, Canada. Also, Albany was the eastern terminus for the Erie Canal, which played a significant role in the development of the region during the 19th century.

The Encyclopedia of New York State, 45-48

 

 

Repositories, Resources, and Societies – County

Albany County Clerk

Website: Albany County Clerk

Address: County Court House Room 128; 16 Eagle Street, Albany, NY 12207-1077

Phone: (518) 487-5100

Email: countyclerk@albanycounty.com 

Albany County – City, Town, and Village Clerks

Website: www.albanycounty.com

Birth, marriage, and death records are maintained by the clerk of the municipality in which the event occurred. For contact information, see municipal websites. Unlike most city clerks, Albany City Clerk holds some vital records not available at the New York State Department of Health.

Albany County Surrogate’s Court

Website: Albany County Surrogate’s Court

Address: Albany County Family Court Building; 30 Clinton Avenue, Albany, NY 12207

Phone: (518) 285-8585

Albany County Hall of Records

Website: Albany County Hall of Records

Address: 95 Tivoli Street, Albany, NY 12207

Phone: (518) 487-5148

Albany County Public Libraries

Albany is part of the Upper Hudson Library System. Bethlehem Public Library, Guilderland Public Library, and William K. Sanford Town Library have particularly strong collections. The New York State Library is located in Albany.

See Upper Hudson Library System for access to each library.

​​Albany County Historian

Address: Albany County Office Building, Office of the Albany County Historian; 112 State Street, Room 825, Albany, NY 12207

Phone: (518) 447-7040

​Albany County – All Municipal Historians

While not authorized to answer genealogical inquiries, city, town, and village historians can provide valuable historical information and research advice; some maintain collections and webpages which may include transcribed records, local histories, and other genealogical material, e.g. the Town of Bethlehem historian. Some have webpages which may include transcribed records, local histories, etc.

See contact information at the Albany County website or the website of the Association of Public Historians of New York State.

 

 

Repositories, Resources, and Societies – Regional

Bard College Archives and Special Collections

Website: Bard College Archives and Special Collections 

Address: Stevenson Library Archives and Special Collections; One Library Road, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504

Phone: (845) 758-7396

Email: archives@bard.edu

Capital District Genealogical Society 

Website: Capital District Genealogical Society 

Address: Empire State Plaza Station, PO Box 2175, Albany, NY 12220

Phone: (518) 212-7685

Email: contactcdgs@gmail.com 

 

Fulton-Montgomery Community College Evans Library: The Kenneth R. Dorn Regional History Study Center

Website: Fulton-Montgomery Community College Evans Library: The Kenneth R. Dorn Regional History Study Center

Address: 2805 State Highway 67, Johnstown, NY 12095

Phone: (518) 212-7685

Email: libinfo@fmcc.edu

 

The Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region

Website: The Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region

Address: PO Box 10851, Albany 12201

Phone: (518) 432-4432 

 

University of Albany, SUNY

Website: University of Albany, SUNY

Address: 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222

Phone: (518) 437-3835 

 

 

 

Repositories, Resources, and Societies – Local

 

Alphabetized by location

 

Albany City Clerk and Vital Statistics

Website: Albany City Clerk and Vital Statistics

Address: City Hall, Albany, NY 12207

Phone: (518) 434-5090

Email: cityclerk@ci.albany.ny.us

 

Albany Institute of History and Art

Website: Albany Institute of History and Art

Address: 125 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12210

Phone: (518) 427-4300

Email: library@albanyinstitute.org

 

Albany Public Library: Pruyn Collection of Albany History

Website: Albany Public Library, Main Branch: Pruyn Collection of Albany History

Address: 161 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12210

Phone: (518) 427-4300

Email: nyheritage.org@gmail.com

 

Town of Berne Historical Society

Website: Town of Berne Historical Society

Address: Historical Center, Main Street; PO Box 34, Berne NY 12023

Phone: (518) 872-0212 

 

Bethlehem Public Library: Local History

Website: Bethlehem Public Library: Local History

Address: 452 Delaware Avenue, Delmar, NY 12054

Phone: (518) 439-9314

 

Guilderland Public Library

Website: Guilderland Public Library

Address: 2228 Western Avenue, Guilderland, NY 12084-9071

Phone: (518) 456-2400 

 

William K. Sanford Town Library: Genealogy and Local History

Website: William K. Sanford Town Library: Genealogy and Local History

Adress: 629 Albany-Shaker Road, Loudonville, NY 12211-1196

Phone: (518) 810-0314 

 

Ravena-Coeymans Historical Society and Museum

Website: Ravena-Coeymans Historical Society and Museum

Address: Ravena Village Hall, 15 Mountain Road, PO Box 324, Ravena, NY 12143

Email: genealogy@coeymanshistory.org

 

Rensselaerville Historical Society

Address: PO Box 8, Rensselaerville, NY 12147

Phone: (518) 797-5154

 

New Scotland Historical Association and Museum

Website: New Scotland Historical Association and Museum

Address: 7 Old New Salem Road, PO Box 541, Voorheesville, NY 12186

Phone: (518) 765-4652 

 

​The Dutch Settlers Society of Albany​

Email: president@dutchsettlerssociety.org

 

 

 

Civil, Public, and Vital Records

Civil Records are those created, recorded and/or maintained by a governmental body and include births, marriages, deaths, censuses, property, and probate. NB: The New York State government began collecting vital record data in 1880. Birth, marriage, and death records from New York State (excluding the five boroughs of New York City) after 1880 on can be obtained from the New York State Department of Health.

For vital records previous to 1880, consult the municipality in which the event took place.

Learn more about New York's vital records in our online guide.

The city of Albany maintained its own vital records until 1915. These records are held by the Albany City Registrar.

 

Other Resources:

 

 

 

Federal Census Record

Population schedules: 1790-1940 (except 1890).

Online at Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, and Findmypast.com (free to NYG&B members).

Access on Findmypast:

1790

1800

1810

1820

1830

1840

1850

1860

1870

1880

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

 

 

 

 

 

State Census Records

  • County originals at Albany County Hall of Records: 1855, 1865, 1875, 1892, 1915,1925 (1825, 1835, 1845 are lost)
  • State originals at the NYSA: 1915, 1925
  • Microfilm at the FHL, NYPL, NYSHA, and NYSL
  • Many years are online at FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com.

 

 

 

Articles in The Record

Visit the NYG&B eLibrary (powered by findmypast.com) to access these and other materials related to Albany County.

 

Online Resources

 

General Resources

Albany Hill Towns

Provides historical information on the Helderberg Hilltowns of Albany County: Berne, Knox, Rensselaerville, and Westerlo. Wiki includes biographies, maps, general history, military history, family histories and genealogy, photographs, and information on land divisions, churches, cemeteries, schools, organizations, businesses, and communities.

Ancestry.com

There are vast numbers of records on Ancestry.com that pertain to people who have lived in New York State. A search of the online card catalog by county may reveal lesser known resources that pertain to a locality, such as town records, abstracts, transcriptions, city directories, and local histories.

Capital District Library Council

The Council is the service provider for the Capital District Region of the Documentary Heritage Program. Its online Directory of Repositories provides a comprehensive list of organizations in the region (including Albany County) that hold historical records. It includes collection details, location and contact information, as well as links to websites.

FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch has extensive collections of New York records, including religious records, which are searchable by name and location, but not by county. For land records in Albany County, search in both Albany County and the “all counties” database; this is necessary because of cataloging errors made by FHL.

New York State Museum exhibit: People of Colonial Albany Live Here

This interactive web exhibit of the Colonial Albany Social History Project presents material relating to residents of the city of Albany born before 1800; includes articles, biographies, family pages, images, maps, wills, and information on Albany militia, businesses, churches, ethnic groups, land divisions, laws, and cemeteries.

World Our Fathers Made: A Survey of the Records in the County of Albany During the Constitutional Era 1783–1815.

This online finding aid on the Hall of Records website identifies published and unpublished records and indexes to records of Albany County, including those held by the county clerk. Print version available at NYSL.

 

Deaths and Burials

 

Military Records

 

Religious Records

 

Ethnic Groups and Organizations

  • New York State Museum: Afro-Albanians
  • Hartwick College: Native Americans in Albany Bibliography
  • Hotchkiss, Jacob I. The Diverse Backgrounds of Old Albany: A Concise History of Nationality Groups from Albany's Beginnings to the Time of the Erie Canal. Albany, NY: The Institute, 1964. Available on Ancestry.com ($), Family History Library, and various libraries.

Connors Genealogy

The website provides transcriptions of Albany County naturalizations 1836–1864 for many Irish-born residents and an online surname registry (lists surname, year arrived/moved to Albany, last known Albany address, and current contact information of the researcher).

The New Netherland Research Center

The center’s New Netherland Project transcribes, translates, and publishes seventeenth-century documents from Dutch New Netherland that are held in New York repositories. Holdings of the NYSL that have been transcribed and translated by the Project include: Dutch Colonial Council Minutes, Van Rensselaer Manor Papers, and Holland Land Company Records.

 

Maps

 

Transportation

 

 

 

Selected Bibliography

 

  • Albany County (NY). Index to the Public Records of the County of Albany, State of New York, 1630–1894. 39 vols. Albany County: Argus Co., 1902–1917. Includes grantors, grantees, mortgagors, lis pendens, and maps.
  • Christoph, Florence A. Upstate New York in the 1760s: Tax Lists and Selected Militia Rolls of Old Albany County, 1760–1768. Camden, ME: Picton Press, 1992. Book includes index.
  • Christoph, Florence A. Vital Records of Jerusalem Reformed Church, Feura Bush, Albany County, NY: Baptisms 1792–1886, Marriages 1822–1885, Deaths 1851–1890. Rhinebeck, NY:  C. M. Kelly, 1987.
  • Christoph, Florence A., and Peter R. Christoph. Records of the People of the Town of Bethlehem, Albany County, New York, 1698–1880. Selkirk, NY: Bethlehem Historical Association, 1982.
  • Cook, William B. “Transcript of the Baptismal and Marriage Records of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of the Boght, Albany County, NY.” Typescript, 1954. NYPL, New York.
  • Conway, Martin D. Surrogate’s Court, County of Albany: Index to Wills and Letters of  Administration, 1780–1895. Albany, 1894. Organized by probate date.
  • County of Albany Abstracts. Syracuse: Central New York Genealogical Society, 2000. Abstracts for a range of genealogical records originally published in the quarterly Tree Talks.
  • Crounse, Appalona, comp. “Record of Deaths, Albany County, 1736–1897 (some notables included who died elsewhere . . .).” Typescript, 1994. NYPL, New York.
  • Daughters of the American Revolution, comps. New York DAR Genealogical Records Committee Report. Since 1913 DAR volunteers have transcribed many thousands of unpublished cemetery, church, and town records throughout New York. The reports are at the DAR Library; copies are at the NYSL and the NYPL. The DAR has a searchable name index to all the GRC reports at http://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search/?Tab_ID=6. See Jean Worden’s index below for a listing by county of the New York record sets that were transcribed by the DAR before 1998.
  • Donhardt, Pat. Second Dutch Reformed Church of Berne, Albany County, New York (Thompsons Lake Reformed Church): Church Records from March 1826 to May 1891. Collierville, TN:  Donhardt and Daughters Publishers, 1997.
  • Fernow, Berthold. Calendar of Wills on File and Recorded in the Offices of the Clerk of the Court of Appeals, of the County Clerk at Albany, and of the Secretary of State, 1626–1836. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967. Reprint of 1896 ed.
  • First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, Albany, New York. Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany, New York, 1683–1809: Marriages, Baptisms, Members, etc. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1978. First published in the Year Books of the Holland Society of New York for 1904–1908 and 1922/23–1925/27.
  • Fitzgerald, Edward. A Hand Book for the Albany Rural Cemetery, with an Appendix on Emblems. Albany, 1871. Book includes list of officers of the Albany CemeteryAssociation and biographical information on people interred; arranged by section of cemetery.
  • Gehring, Charles T., trans. and ed. Fort Orange Court Minutes, 1652–1660. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1990.
  • Gehring, Charles T., trans. and ed. Fort Orange Records, 1656–1678. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2000.
  • Gehring, Charles T., and Janny Venema, trans. and ed. Fort Orange Court Records, 1654–1679. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2009.
  • Hannay, William V. Early Albany County, NY, Death Records, 1654–1883. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, 2000. Book includes deacon’s accounts, churchmaster’s accounts, sexton’saccounts, funeral information, and list of Albany pioneers/settlement dates.
  • Keefer, Donald A. Marriages by the Rev. Harmanus Van Huysen, Minister of the United Dutch Reformed Congregations [sic] of Helderberg (Guilderland), Jerusalem (Feura Bush), and Salem (New Salem), Albany County, New York, from 1794 to 1825. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, 1993.
  • Kelly, Arthur C. M. Eighteenth-Century Persons of Albany City and  County, New York: 1726–circa 1762. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, 2005. Book includes indexed census substitute lists for Albany City/County.
  • Kelly, Arthur C. M. Index to Tree Talks County Packet, Albany County, NY: 1733–1936. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, 2002.
  • Kelly, Arthur C. M. Marriage Records of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Albany City, Albany County, NY, 1841–1899. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, 2006.
  • Kelly, Arthur C. M.. Vital Records of the Hamilton Union Church, Guilderland, Albany, New York, 1829–1899. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, 1994.
  • Luckhurst, Charlotte T.  “Cemetery at South Bethlehem,  Albany Cou-nty, NY.” Typescript, 1929. NYPL, New York. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Luckhurst, Charlotte T. Coeymans Cemetery Records. Albany: The Author, 1928.
  • Munsell, Joel. “A List of the Heads of Families.” In vol. 9, The Annals of Albany. Albany: J. Munsell, 1858. Contains 1697 census.
  • Pearson, Jonathan. Early Records of the City and County of Albany, and Colony of Rensselaerswyck. 4 vols. Albany: University of the State of New York, 1869–1919. Translated from the original Dutch. Vols. 2–4 edited by Arnold Johann Ferdinand van Laer; vol. 1 published by J. Munsell of Albany, NY.  Vol. 1 contains Fort Orange records, vol. 2 contains deeds, vol. 3 contains notarial records, vol. 4 contains mortgages andwills.
  • Piwonka, Ruth. “Tax Lyste van d Stadt en County van Albany 1708/9 (Tax List of the City and County of Albany).” NYG&B Record, vol. 139, no. 1 (2008): 55–62. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Rankin, Russell B. “Gravestone Records from the Nicoll-Sill Burying Ground,  Albany County, N.Y.” NYG&B Record, vol. 58, no. 2 (1927): 151–153. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • “Records of the Reformed Church of Bethlehem and of Reformed Church at Coeymans, Albany County, NY.” Typescript, 1951. NYPL, New York.
  • Scott, Kenneth, comp. New York: State Census of Albany County  Towns in 1790. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1975. Transcription of rescued portion of NewYork state census for Albany conducted in the same year as federal census.
  • Van Laer, Arnold Johann Ferdinand, trans. and ed. Minutes of the Court of Albany, Rensselaerswyck and Schenectady, 1668–1685. 3 vols.  Albany: University of the State of New York, 1926–1932. Vol. 1 is a continuation of the Minutes of the Court of Fort Orange and Beverwyck.
  • Van Laer, Arnold Johann Ferdinand, trans. and ed. Minutes of the Court of Fort Orange and Beverwyck. 2 vols. Albany: University of the State of New York, 1920–1923.
  • Van Laer, Arnold Johann Ferdinand, trans. and ed. Minutes of the Court of Rensselaerswyck, 1648–1652. Albany: University of the State of New York, 1922.
  • Van Laer, Arnold Johann Ferdinand, trans. and ed. Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts, Being the Letters of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, 1630–1643, and Other Documents Relating to the Colony of Rensselaerswyck. Albany: University of the State of New York, 1908. Includes Van Laer’s “Settlers of Rensselaerswyck 1630–1658.”
  • Venema, Janny, trans. and ed., Deacons’ Accounts 1652–1674 First Dutch Reformed Church of Beverwyck/Albany, New York. Grand Rapids, MI:  Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998.
  • Vosburgh, Royden Woodward, ed. “Records of the First Lutheran Church in the City of Albany.” 2 vols. Typescript, 1917. NYPL, New York. Includes records 1774–1901.
  • Vosburgh, Royden Woodward, ed. “Records of the Presbyterian Church of New Scotland in the Town of New Scotland, Albany County, NY.” Typescript, 1919. NYPL, New York.
  • Vosburgh, Royden Woodward, ed. “Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of the Beaver Dam in the Town of Berne, Albany County, NY.” Typescript, 1918. NYPL, New York. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Vosburgh, Royden Woodward, ed. “Records of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Town of Berne, Albany County, NY.” Typescript, 1916. NYPL, New York. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Worden, Jean D. “Albany County, New York: Rensselaerville Presbyterian (or Congregational) Church, 1794–1920; Rensselaerville Cemetery, Trinity Church Cemetery, Coeymans Reformed Church; Greene County, New York: Prattsville Church; Cairo Presbyterian Church.” Typescript, 1993. NYPL, New York.
  • Worden, Jean D. “Book 1, Subject Index.” In Revised Master Index to the New York State  Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Records Volumes.
  • Zephyrhills, FL: J. D. Worden, 1998. The Subject Index includes a listing by county of the cemeteries and other sources of records transcribed by the DAR.

 

The materials above are a compilation of resources available, with an emphasis on online resources, which might be useful to someone doing research within this county.  The inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement of its content or accuracy.  Please send any additions or corrections to webmaster@nygbs.org.