New York Land and Property: Difference between revisions

* Gehring, Charles T., translator and editor. ''New York Historical Manuscripts. Dutch. Land Papers, Volumes GG, HH, & II.'' Published under the direction of The Holland Society of New York. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980. (Family History Library book [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=120798&disp=Land+papers%2C+volumes+GG%2C+HH+%26+II%2%20%20&columns=*,0,0 974.7 R2lp].) This book is a translation of land patents, 1630–1651 and 1654–1664, the earliest land records of New Netherland.  

* O'Callaghan, Edmund Bailey, comp. ''Calendar of New York Colonial Manuscripts, Indorsed Land Papers in the Office of the Secretary of State of New York, 1643–1803. 1864''. Revised reprint, Harrison, New York: Harbor Hill Books, 1987. (Family History Library book [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=557896&disp=Calendar+of+N%2EY%2E+colonial+manuscript%20%20&columns=*,0,0 974.7 R2n]; older edition on Family History Library film [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=74620&disp=Calendar+of+N%2E+Y%2E+colonial+manuscrip%20%20&columns=*,0,0 947853].) This indexes the ''Land Grant Application Files, 1642–1803'', commonly referred to as the ''New York Colonial Manuscripts, Endorsed Land Papers'', in 63 volumes at the state archives (not at Family History Library). The records pertain to New York and Vermont. They give name and date and place of residence. These records have recently been microfilmed by the New York State Archives, and the films are available for sale by the New York State Archives or through interlibrary loan.  

* Van Laer, Arnold Johan Ferdinand, translator; Kenneth Scott and Kenn Stryker-Rodda, editors. ''New York Historical Manuscripts. Dutch. Register of the Provincial Secretary''. Three Volumes. Published under the Direction of The Holland Society of New York. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1974. (Family History Library book [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=196619&disp=Register+of+the+Provincial+Secretary+%3B%20%20&columns=*,0,0 974.7 H2vL v. 1–3].) This book contains translations of conveyances recorded in the minutes of the provincial secretary, 1638–1660. Gives name, date, and location of the patent.  

* Ruth L. Higgins, editor, ''Expansion in New York with Especial Reference to the Eighteenth Century'' (1931; reprint edition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Porcupine Press, 1976; Family History Library book [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=180475&disp=Expansion+in+New+York%20%20&columns=*,0,0 974.7 H2h 1976, film 1036688 item 2]). For more information about patent maps, see [[New York Maps|New York Maps]].  

All colonial patents and land grant applications and many deeds are in the State Archives. Patents and deeds from 1664 on are also on microfilm at the Family History Library. Some of the major collections of early land records are described in the following sections.

New York. Department of Transportation. ''Land Survey Field Notes, 1665–1927''. These are at the state archives and consist of notes and maps of land surveyed as well as books of sale, cashbooks, and registers (not available at the Family History Library).

Some pre-1810 land sales between individuals were recorded by the secretary of state instead of a county clerk. Many are deeds in which one of the parties resided in another county, state, or country. Many are transfers between wealthy people. The deeds are not recorded chronologically. Deeds deposited with the Secretary of State are now at the State Archives.

* New York. Secretary of State. ''Grantor Card Index to Deeds, abt 1640–1973''. (Family History Library films [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=634818&disp=Deeds%2C+1659%2D1846%20%20&columns=*,0,0 947643–51]).  

* New York. Secretary of State. ''Grantee Card Index to Deeds, abt 1640–1973''. (Family History Library films [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=634818&disp=Deeds%2C+1659%2D1846%20%20&columns=*,0,0 947652–54], and [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=634818&disp=Deeds%2C+1659%2D1846%20%20&columns=*,0,0 947838–41).]  

* New York. Secretary of State. ''Deeds, 1659–1846''. 43 Volumes. (Family History Library films [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=634818&disp=Deeds%2C+1659%2D1846%20%20&columns=*,0,0 945268–8]). Deeds in volumes 40–43, 1810–1855, are ''Deeds to State-Owned Real Estate'', where the state is represented as the grantee or the grantor. These valuable indexes refer to deeds, manors, patents, military bounty lands, Vermont lands, court, probate, Indian, and other records.  

* New York. Secretary of State. ''Abstracts and Indexes of Deeds''. Seven Volumes. (Family History Library films [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=634818&disp=Deeds%2C+1659%2D1846%20%20&columns=*,0,0 947105–106] and [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlefilmnotes&columns=*%2C0%2C0&titleno=634818&disp=Deeds%2C+1659-1846++ 947114–15].) These are handwritten ledgers indexing and abstracting the 43 volumes of deeds, years 1659–1846, giving volume and page references.

A source for more historical information about the manors is Kim, Sung Bok, ''Landlord and Tenant in Colonial New York: Manorial Society, 1664–1775'' (Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press for the Institute of Early American History and Culture, 1978; Family History Library book [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=321503&disp=Landlord+and+tenant+in+colonial+New+York%20%20&columns=*,0,0 974.7 R2k]). The appendix, "A Note on Sources," describes the manorial records that exist and where they are located.

* New York. Secretary of State. ''Military Patents and Abstracts, 1764–1846''. Ten Volumes. The first eight volumes (to 1797) are available on microfilm at the Family History Library (Family History Library films [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlefilmnotes&columns=*%2C0%2C0&titleno=629503&disp=Patents+of+the+state+of+New+York%2C+1649++ 945291–95]). The patents give the name of the patentee, reason for the grant, location by township, lot number, and acreage. Each volume is indexed by the name of the patentee.  

* The names of Military Tract and Old Military Tract patentees are indexed by the ''Grantee Card Index to Patents, 1775–1912''. There is also a card index for the Military Tract. It is arranged by the township and lot number and found in the Family History Library Catalog Author/Title Search under ''New York, Secretary of State, Military Card Index for Patents'' (Family History Library films [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlefilmnotes&columns=*%2C0%2C0&titleno=629503&disp=Patents+of+the+state+of+New+York%2C+1649++ 946418–20]).  

* Soldiers that drew land are listed in ''The Balloting Book, and Other Documents Relating to Military Bounty Lands in the State of New York'' (Albany, New York: Packard & Van Benthuysen, 1825; Family History Library film [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlefilmnotes&columns=*%2C0%2C0&titleno=61263&disp=The+Balloting+book%2C+and+other+document++ 812864 item 4]). The book is arranged by township, lot number, and grantee name. There are volume and page cross references to the military patent books. An index to this source is M. Frances Ferris, ''Index, the Balloting Book and Other Documents Relating to Military Bounty Lands in the State of New York''(Syracuse, New York: Onondaga Historical Association, 1954; Family History Library film [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlefilmnotes&columns=*%2C0%2C0&titleno=61274&disp=Index%2C+the+balloting+book+and+other+do++ 896803 item 6]).  

* The state archives has ''Revolutionary War Accounts and Claims''. These records were abstracted in James A. Roberts, ''New York in the Revolution as Colony and State'', Revised Edition. (Albany, New York: 1904). See Revolutionary War at [[New York Military Records|New York Military Records]]. About two-thirds of the original documents plus the entire name index were destroyed in the Capitol fire of 1911. The surviving records have been microfilmed and the films are available for purchase or interlibrary loan from the New York State Archives at http://www.archives.nysed.gov/aindex.shtml.

The Macomb Purchase was made in 1792. This four-million-acre tract included all of modern Lewis County; most of modern St. Lawrence, Franklin, and Jefferson counties; and parts of Oswego and Herkimer counties.