This collection contains genealogical information and biographical sketches of immigrants to New York during the Dutch and English colonial era.
Searches entered from this page will query all volumes in the collection (with the exception of one). Read below for detailed information on the contents of each volume and waypoint links.
Watch a free Collection Close-Ups webinar recording for this collection, in which the NYG&B team explains what you can find and how you can search it.
Quick Links
- Colonial Immigration Records from The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record
- Scandinavian Immigrants in New York, 1630-1674
- Papers Relating to the First Settlement of New York by the Dutch Containing a List of the Early Immigrants to New Netherlands, 1657-1664
- True and Authentic Register of Persons Who in the Year 1709 Journeyed from Germany to America or New World
- Settlers of Rensselaerswyck, 1630-1658
- List of Passengers to New Netherland, 1654 to 1664, Year Book of the Holland Society of New York
- Names, Trades, etc. of the German Protestants to be Settled at New-York
- Argyle Patent and Accompanying Documents
Colonial Immigration Records from The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record has published many articles that will be useful to those tracing their New York colonial ancestors.
This colonial immigration collection includes transcribed colonial immigration records that can be found in The Record. Searching this collection will query all of these articles, which can also be read by clicking the links below. Make sure to search the full archive of The Record to find useful compiled genealogies, case studies, and biographical sketches in addition to these articles:
- Emigrants to New Netherland: Account Book 1654 to 1664
- A List of Early Immigrants to New Netherland
- Representative Pioneer Settlers of New Netherland and Their Original Home Places
- Settlers of the Colony of Rensselaerswyck, 1637
- New York "Knickerbocker" Families; Origin and Settlement
- Ulster County Naturalizations, 1715
- Colonial Naturalization Act of 1740 With List of Persons Naturalized 1740-1769
- Some Emigrants to America from the Ludwigsburg District, Wurttemberg, Germany, 1738-1750
Note: The above articles can also be found our collections related to The Record. They have also been included in this collection for convenience.
Scandinavian Immigrants in New York, 1630-1674
This volume focuses on Scandinavian immigrants in New York during the colonial era. Researchers will find biographical sketches and genealogical information on immigrants from Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. There are also appendices that discuss Germans in New York as well as Scandinavians in Mexico, South America, and Canada.
Information includes place of birth, occupation, family names and the lives they left behind in their home countries. This volume is organized alphabetically by surname.
Use the waypoint links below to jump to a specific section or to get an overview of what can be found:
- Preface
- Introduction
- Contents
- Norwegian Immigrants in New York, 1630-1674
- Danish Immigrants in New York, 1630-1674
- Swedish Immigrants in New York, 1630-1674
- Appendix I, Scandinavians in Mexico and South America, 1532-1640
- Appendix II, Scandinavians in Canada, 1619-1620
- Appendix III, Some Scandinavian Immigrants in New York in the Eighteenth Century
- Appendix IV, German Immigrants in New York, 1630-1674
This book was written by John O. Evjen in 1916.
Papers Relating to the First Settlement of New York by the Dutch Containing a List of the Early Immigrants to New Netherlands, 1657-1664
This volume contains a list of early immigrants to the Dutch’s New Netherland settlement. Only the heads of families are included; names of wives and children were not listed.
Researchers will find the following information:
- Name of the ship families took to New Netherlands
- Name of individuals or head of families and information about their families
- Occupation
- Town or city people migrated from
- Year people migrated to New Netherland
Click here to view this volume.
This list was compiled by E.B. O’Callaghan in 1888.
True and Authentic Register of Persons Who in the Year 1709 Journeyed from Germany to America or New World
This volume contains a register of people that traveled to North America in 1709. The author briefly recounts his story, which speaks to leaving a well-developed Germany to a Western Hemisphere full of uncertainty. His story gives researchers a perspective on how their ancestors possibly felt moving from Germany to North America.
Here researchers will find the following information:
- Name of individuals or head of families and information about their families
- Occupation
- Where people settled when they landed in North America
Click here to view this volume.
This register was translated by Ulrich Simmendinger in 1962.
Settlers of Rensselaerswyck, 1630-1658
This volume is extracted from the New York State Library’s Van Rensselaer Bowier Manuscripts and contains information about the settlers that arrived in New Amsterdam between 1630-1658.
Organized first by year, names are then listed alphabetically by last name.
Information includes:
- Settlers’ First & Last Names
- Settlers’ Place of Origin
- Occupation
- Name of Ship Settlers Arrived In
- Dates Ships Departed & Arrived
Click here to view this volume.
This volume was written by A.J.F. Van Laer in 1908.
List of Passengers to New Netherland, 1654 to 1664, Year Book of the Holland Society of New York
This volume contains a list of the passengers to New Netherland between 1654-1664.
This list had been published in a volume of E.B. O'Callaghan's work, Documentary History of New York, but was republished to address errors found in that version.
Researchers will find ship names, names and ages of passengers (including children), occupations and other genealogical information.
Click here to view this volume.
This book was arranged by Theodore M. Banta in 1902.
Names, Trades, etc. of the German Protestants to be Settled at New-York
Note: This volume is not searchable, images must be browsed.
This volume is extracted from Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New York and contains a table with information on German Protestants that settled in New York during the colonial era.
Researchers will find information including names, ages, and occupations of the heads of households, their wives, and/or children.
Click here to view this volume.
The book this table was extracted from was written by E.B. O’Callaghan in 1853.
Argyle Patent and Accompanying Documents
This volume is a part of a book titled, History of the Somonauk United Presbyterian Church.
This book contains appended documents that trace migration from New York to the Somonauk Colony (located in DeKalb County, Illinois), as well as the original immigrant ancestors of those who migrated from New York. Predominantly Scots and Scots Irish people, many settlers of Somonauk were from Washington County, New York.
The documents that are in this volume consist of patents, petitions, arrival lists, and more.
This book was written by Jennie M. Patten in collaboration with Andrew Graham in 1928.
Suggested citations for this collection:
New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, “Colonial Immigration Records” digital images, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, (www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org), 2022.