Rensselaer County, New York Guide

Rensselaer County is located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River approximately 150 miles North of New York City and directly across the river from the New York state capital of Albany.  The states of Massachusetts and Vermont form its eastern border.  Most of the county was included within the Rensselaerwyck patent.

County Formed: 1791

Parent County: Albany

Daughter Counties: None

Major Land Transactions: Rensselaerwyck, 1629; Saratoga Patent, 1684

 

 

Rensselaer County Map
Map of Rensselaer County

 

Table of Contents 

 

 

 

History

Rensselaer County was settled by the Dutch in the early 17th century. In 1629, Kilean van Rensselaer established the manor of Rennselaerwyck along the Hudson River. The area played a pivotal role in the American Revolution, especially leading up to the British surrender at Saratoga. The county itself was founded in 1791, as more people began to settle there. Until the mid-19th century, the county was maintained much like a feudal manor, until tenant farmers began to revolt and new laws were enacted. The county produced iron horseshoes for the Union Army during the Civil War. During the industrial revolution beginning in the late 19th century, Rensselaer County became known for its clothing products. Today, Rensselaer County is home to many high tech institutions in the Rensselaer Technology Park.

The Hudson River was the primary highway for travel between New York City and all of the communities located along the river for commercial and military purposes.  The railroad parallels the river between New York City and Troy in Rensselaer County while the New York Thruway facilitates motor vehicle transportation following a similar route on the West bank of the Hudson to Albany.  From Albany, the Thruway and Northway provide convenient connections to Western New York and Quebec, Canada.  Albany was also the Eastern terminus for the Erie Canal, which played a significant role in the historic growth of the region during the 19th century. 

 

 

 

Repositories, Resources, and Societies - County 

Rensselaer County Clerk

Website: Rensselaer County Clerk

Address: 105 Third Street, Troy, NY 12180

Phone: (518) 270-4080

Land records, court records, naturalization records 1824–1908, and original copies of the New York state census for Rensselaer County 1855, 1865, 1875, 1905, 1915, and 1925.

 

Rensselaer County - City, Town, and Village Clerks

Website: Rensselaer County – City, Town, and Village Clerks

Birth, marriage, and death records are maintained by the clerk of the municipality in which the event occurred; see Introduction to County Guides for details of other records which may also be held by municipal clerks.

 

Rensselaer County Surrogate's Court

Website: Rensselaer County Surrogate's Court

Address: Rensselaer County Courthouse, 1504 Fifth Avenue, Troy, NY 12180

Phone: (518) 285-6100

 

Rensselaer County Public Libraries 

Website: Upper Hudson Library System 

 

Troy Public Library: Troy Room Collection of Genealogy and Local History

Website: Troy Room Collection of Genealogy and Local History

Address: 100 Second Street, Troy, NY 12180

Phone: (518) 274-7071

 Email: troyref@thetroylibrary.org

Books and periodicals, biographies, census microfilm, church and cemetery records, city directories, immigration books and naturalization record microfilms, military records, newspapers and newsletters, school records, scrapbooks, newspaper vital record indexes, wills, and Local History and Portrait Index. 

 

Rensselaer County Historical Society and Historian

Website: Rensselaer County Historical Society and Historian

Address: 57 Second Street, Troy, NY 12180

Phone: (518) 272-7232

Email: research@rchsonline.org

Holds origina probate records from 1794 to early–1900s, business records, diaries, letters, maps and atlases (early 1800s–1990), photographs, scrapbooks, ephemera, city directories, county and family histories, social and labor histories, and town and village histories. Special Collections include papers of local institutions, businesses, and families. Offers research services for a fee. Publishes Current History, quarterly.

 

Rensselaer County - All Municipal Historians 

Website: Municipal Historians 

While not authorized to answer genealogical inquiries, 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. See contact information here or at the website of the Association of Public Historians of New York State.

 

 

 

Repositories, Resources, and Societies - Regional

University of Albany, SUNY

Website: University of Albany, SUNY

Address: 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222

Phone: (518) 437-3835

 

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

Categories include Hudson Valley Archives (local history materials), Tivoli Photograph Collection, historical journals, and Bard College history. Complete list of holdings available on website.

 

Capital District Genealogical Society 

Website: Capital District Genealogical Society

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

Email: contactcdgs@gmail.com

 

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

Website:  The Kenneth R. Dorn Regional History Study Center

Address: 2805 State Highway 67, Johnstown, NY 12095

Phone: (518) 212 - 7685

Email: libinfo@fmcc.edu

 

 

 

Repositories, Resources, and Societies - Local

Alphabetized by location

Brunswick Historical Society 

Website: Brunswick Historical Society

Street Address: 605 Brunswick Road, Troy, NY 12180

Mailing Address: PO Box 1776, Cropseyville, NY 12052

Phone: (518) 279-4024

Email: president@bhs-ny.org

Genealogies, surname files, books, church and cemetery records, census microfilm, newspaper files (1960–present), photographs, and ephemera. Offers research services for a fee.

 

Grafton Historical Society 

Website: Grafton Historical Society

Address: Grafton Town Hall, 2379 Route 2, PO Box 244, Grafton, NY 12082

Phone: (518) 641-9660

Email: historicgrafton@aol.com

Genealogies (list of surnames on website), Hydorn Collection, newspapers (Defender, 1942–1955), obituary database, photographs, school records, and scrapbooks.

 

Hoosick Township Historical Society and Museum 

Website: Hoosick Township Historical Society and Museum

Address: 166 Main Street, Hoosick Falls, NY 12090

Phone: (518) 686-4682

Email: Staff@HoosickHistory.com

Holdings include cemetery information and name index for local families; website includes online articles, biographies, local history timeline, and photographs.

 

City of Rensselaer Historian and Rensselaer City History Research Center

Website: City of Rensselaer Historian and Rensselaer City History Research Center

Address: Rensselaer City Hall, Second Floor, 62 Washington Street, Rensselaer, NY 12144

Phone: (518) 694-3126

Histories and genealogies, family papers, directories, maps, newspapers, photographs, and yearbooks documenting history of City of Rensselaer and villages of Bath-on-the-Hudson, Greenbush, East Albany, and Rensselaerwyck.

 

The Knickerbocker Historical Society and Knickerbocker Mansion

Website: The Knickerbocker Historical Society and Knickerbocker Mansion

Address: 132 Knickerbocker Road, PO Box 29, Schaghticoke, NY 12154

Phone: (518) 664-1700

Email: knickinfo@aol.com

Documents Knickerbocker genealogy and Old Schaghticoke history. Publishes the Knickerbocker semiannually.

 

Stephentown Historical Society and Museum & Library 

Website: Stephentown Historical Society and Museum & Library

Address: 5 Staples Road, PO Box 11, Stephentown, NY 12168

Phone: (518) 733-6070

Email: shs@fairpoint.net

Cemetery records, newspapers, and town records. Website includes local cemetery list (locations and lists of burials), and name index to cemetery records.

 

Lansingburgh Historical Society and Herman Melville House 

Website: Lansingburgh Historical Society and Herman Melville House

Address: Two 114th Street, PO Box 219, Lansingburgh Station Troy, NY 12182-0219

Phone: (518) 235-7647

Email: lhssecretary@gmail.com

Most of Society’s collection of diaries, business records, maps, photographs, town and village records, and other documents are held at Rensselaer County Historical Society Library (see above). Society maintains collection of documents relating to history of Town of Lansingburgh.

 

Pittstown Historical Society 

Website: Pittstown Historical Society

Address: PO Box 252, Valley Falls, NY 12185

Phone: (518) 686-7514

Email: pittstownhs@gmail.com

Family histories, local history books, transcriptions of early Baptist records, diaries, and photographs. Some digitized records on website.

 

Troy Irish Genealogy Society 

Website: Troy Irish Genealogy Society

Society transcription projects are ongoing. The website includes:  online indexed death and marriage announcements from local newspapers 1812–1885 transcribed by the DAR with support from the WPA, an index of 240 Rensselaer County newspapers, a wide range of transcribed local records and indexes, meeting minutes, surname list, research tips, and list of resources and links.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Federal Census Records

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 Rensselaer County Clerk’s Office
  • 1855, 1865, 1875, 1905, 1915, 1925 (1825, 1835, 1845, and 1892 are lost)
  • State originals at the NYSA: 1915, 1925
  • Microfilm at the FHL, NYPL, and NYSL; many years are online at FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com.
  • 1865 City of Troy index 

 

 

 

Online Resources

General Resources

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.

Connors Genealogy: City of Troy, Rensselaer County

Website includes indexes for naturalization 1844–1884 (mainly Irish), censuses both New York State (1855, 1865, 1875) and federal (1880, 1900), Civil War deaths, cemetery inscriptions (mainly Irish), records of baptisms at St. Joseph’s R.C. church 1820–1893, name index Court of Common Pleas 1855–1857, and local directories. The website also has an online surname registry (list of surnames being researched with contact information on researchers) and lookups (list of repositories that local researchers will search for records).

FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch has extensive collections of New York records, including religious records, which are searchable by name and location, but not by county. The following collections include record images (browsable, but not searchable) that are organized by county.

NYGenWeb Project: Rensselaer County

Part of the national, USGenWeb volunteer initiative, the website provides information and resources for county research.

 

Deaths and Burial Records

 

Ethnic Groups and Organizations

 

Maps

 

Military Records

 

Newspapers

Old Fulton New York Postcards

The website provides free access to a vast collection of digitized New York newspapers, including six titles for Rensselaer County.

 

Religous Records

 

 

 

 

 

Other Records

 

Transportation

 

 

 

Selected Bibliography

Indexes and Abstracts

  • Broderick, Frances D. Lansingburgh Village Cemeteries, Rensselaer County, NY, 1786–1951. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, 2002. Originally published as Burial Grounds of Lansingburgh. Rensselaer County, New York,1965.
  • Cook, William B., Jr. “Schaghticoke Dutch Reformed Church Records, Schaghticoke, Rensselaer County, New York.” NYG&B Record, vol. 63 (1932) no. 1: 52–59, no. 2: 191–198, no. 3: 291–298, no. 4: 366–373; vol. 64 (1933) no. 1: 73–82, no. 2: 191–196, no. 3: 280–287, no. 4: 388–395; vol. 65 (1934) no. 1: 74–82, no. 2: 174–182, no. 3: 266–275. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Coons, W. S. “Inscriptions from the Second Cemetery of Zion’s Lutheran Church, West Sandlake, Rensselaer Co., NY.” Typescript, n.d. NYPL, New York. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • County of Rensselaer Abstracts. Syracuse: Central New York Genealogical Society, 2000. Abstracts for a range of genealogical records originally published in the quarterly Tree Talks.
  • 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.
  • Kelly, Arthur C. M. Index to Tree Talks County Packet: Rensselaer County. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, 2002.
  • Nial, Loretta M. Tombstone Inscriptions in Cemeteries in Troy, Rensselaer County, N.Y., Indicating a Foreign Place of Origin. Troy, NY:  The Author, 1976.
  • Phillips, Ralph D. “Inscriptions from Rensselaer County, N.Y., Gravestones.” Typescript, 1939. NYPL, New York.
  • Phillips, Ralph D. “Wills of Rensselaer County, New York: Abstracts of All Wills, 1794–1850.” Typescript, 1937. Index available from Berkshire Family History Association. [Ancestry.com]
  • Shepard, Charles, and Milton Thomas. Some Rensselaer County Gravestone Inscriptions. Washington, DC: Charles Shepard, 1923. Book includes Groesbeck, Reed, Barberville, Peek, Slouter, Barringer, Sharp, Myers, and East Poestenkill Cemeteries.
  • Stearns, J. W., comp. Membes: Sabbatarian Brethren at Little Hoosack of the Seventh Day Baptist Church (Petersburgh, Stephentown, Berlin, in Rensselaer Co., N.Y.). 1946. Reprint, Pittsfield, MA: Berkshire Family History Association, 1990.
  • Tax Records of Stephentown, New York, for 1789, 1790, and 1791. Pittsfield, MA: Berkshire Family History Association, 1992. Index available from Berkshire Family History Association.
  • Thomas, Milton. “Records of the Park Presbyterian Church of Troy, NY.” Typescript, n.d. NYPL, New York. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Vosburgh, Royden Woodward, ed. “Records of the First Presbyterian Church of Lansingburgh in the Town of Lansingburgh, Rensselaer County, N.Y., Vol. 2.” Typescript, 1915. NYPL, New York. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Vosburgh, Royden Woodward,ed. “Records of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in the Town of Nassau, Rensselaer County, NY.” Typescript, 1919. NYPL, New York. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • Vosburgh, Royden Woodward,ed. “Records of the Second Street Presbyterian Church in the City of Troy, Rensselaer County, N.Y.” Typescript, 1915. NYPL, New York. [NYG&B eLibrary]
  • 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, churches, towns, and other sources of records transcribed by the DAR.

Other Resources

  • Anderson, George B. Landmarks of Rensselaer County, New York. Syracuse, 1897. Book includes biographies and family sketches. Index available from Berkshire Family History Association.
  • Beers, F. W. County Atlas of Rensselaer, New York: From Recent and Actual Surveys and Records. New York, 1876.
  • Capital District Genealogical Society Newsletter. Albany: Capital District Genealogical Society, 1982–present. [capitaldistrictgenealogicalsociety.org]
  • Child, Hamilton. Gazetteer and Business Directory of Rensselaer County, N.Y., for 1870–71. Syracuse, 1870.
  • County Atlas of Rensselaer, New York: From Recent and Actual Surveys and Records. New York, 1876.
  • Clark, Donna K. Rensselaer County, New York, Directory of Genealogical Records by TAD.  Arvada, CO: Ancestor Publishers, 1986.
  • Craib, Stephanie H., and Roderick H. Craib. Our Yesterdays: a History of Rensselaer County.  Troy, NY: n.p., 1948.
  • Foley, Janet W. Early Settlers of New York State: Their Ancestors and Descendants. 9 vols. Akron, NY: 1934–1942. Reprint, 2 vols. Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1993.
  • Hayner, Rutherford. Troy and Rensselaer County, New York: A History. 3 vols. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1925. Index available from Berkshire Family History Association. [OneBigFamilyTree.com (vol. 3)]
  • Hudson River Valley Review: A Journal of Regional Studies. Poughkeepsie, NY: Hudson River Valley Institute at Marist College, 2002–present. [hudsonrivervalley.org]
  • Kelly, Arthur C. M. The Capital. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, quarterly 1986–1998, annually 1999–2001.
  • Kelly, Arthur C. M. Valley Quarterlies. Directory of articles (vols.1–15) and every-name index to the Capital, the Columbia, the Mohawk, and the Saratoga. Rhinebeck, NY: Kinship, CD-ROM, 2000.
  • Lisk, Edward H. Representative Young Irish-Americans of Troy, N. Y. Troy, NY, 1889.
  • Miller, Richard Joseph. “Patroons of Modernization: The Economic Elite of Rensselaer County, New York, 1800–1860.” Thesis (B.A.), Williams College, Department of American Studies, 1986.
  • New York Historical Resources Center. Guide to Historical Resources in Rensselaer County, New York, Repositories. Ithaca, NY: New York Historical Resources Center, Olin Library, Cornell University, 1983.
  • Rittner, Don. Legendary Locals of Troy, New York. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Press, 2011.
  • Rittner, Don. Troy. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Press, 2007.
  • Sylvester, Nathaniel B. History of Rensselaer Co., New York: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia, 1880. Index available from Berkshire Family History Association.
  • Walkowitz, Daniel J. Worker City, Company Town: Iron and Cotton-Worker Protest in Troy and Cohoes, New York, 1855–84. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978.
  • Weise, Arthur James. History of the Seventeen Towns of Rensselaer County: From the Colonization of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck to the Present Time. Troy, NY, 1880.
  • Weise, Arthur James. Troy’s One Hundred Years 1789–1889. Troy, NY: William H.  Young, 1891
  • Weise, Arthur James. Troy’s One Hundred Years: 1789–1889. Troy, NY, 1891.

 

The materials below 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.