Register of land grant applications, petitions, and correspondence

Chronological by date application or other document presented to the Commissioners.

The Commissioners of the Land Office were first appointed in 1786 to direct the disposition and granting of unappropriated state lands.

Among the activities preformed to carry out this function were the approval, rejection, or direction of other actions concerning land grant applications and related land matters.

This register is a central record of actions taken on land grant applications and related land matters.

The register provides: name of applicant, petitioner, or correspondent; land applied for or subject of petition or correspondence, such as: "Letter relative to a lot in Orange County mortgaged to the state by J. Conkling", "Lease of a lot at the head of the Albany Pier", "50 acres of Lot 122 Lake Oneida Reservation"; "remarks and decisions," i.e. actions taken, such as: "Ordered that the Surveyor General advertise and sell the same", "Location asked for cannot be granted", "Grant ordered", and "Rejected".

The register provides only vague information on the subjects of the correspondence and other documents listed. Most apparently concern actual grant applications, land surveys, or the payment of taxes or rents on land.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.