New York State Canal Commissioners Contracts and Accounts for Construction and Repair

Chap. 295, Laws of 1816, provided for the appointment of Canal Commissioners who were empowered to employ agents, engineers, and other persons, and to expend money for building a canal between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Chap. 124, Laws of 1819, required the Canal Commissioners to settle accounts with the Comptroller on January 15 of each year, submitting abstracts and vouchers for all expenditures. Chap. 26, Laws of 1829, required the acting Canal Commissioner to take duplicate receipts for all money spent. Chap. 401, Laws of 1825, empowered Commissioners to enter into contracts for building and repairing the canal. The office was made permanent by Chap. 302, Laws of 1817.

This series consists of accounts submitted by the Canal Commissioners for audit by the Comptroller's office. It includes original contracts made by the Commissioners for the Construction of the Erie and Champlain Canals with their locks, feeders, aqueducts, etc., accompanied by contractors' receipts for payment; check rolls for labor submitted by Superintendents of construction; abstracts and vouchers of the principal engineers and their assistants; and various documents relating to canal finances.

Many of the papers were filed in small drawers labeled with the name of the Commissioner and the numbers of the documents within. (Most are for Henry Seymour, a few are for William C. Bouck, Myron Holley, and Samuel Young.) Others were bundled in red tape and labeled in a mid 19th century hand; others are completely disorganized. After 1827 the various documents in this series were filed separately.

Invoice from Brigham Young for painting he completed on Erie Canal structures has been digitized and is available in State Archives Digital Collections.

A1267 Accounts of monies paid to contractors and others for construction, repair, and enlargement of Erie and Champlain canals, contains summary accounts of contracts for the construction of the Erie and Champlain Canals.

A1086 Account of expenditures for constructing Champlain Canal, includes summary accounts for the construction of the Champlain Canal only.

A1126 Abstracts and vouchers of expenditures, contains additional documents relating to payments by Canal Commissioners.

Container list and item list are available at the repository.

Account and Receipt of Brigham Young with Canal Superintendent R. Matson for Painting Structures on the Erie Canal, November 27, 1825. This item was removed from the series (box 3) for preservation because of its unique historical value.

Series B1886, Obsolete index to canal records, may have formally indexed this series at one time.

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