Finding Aid Search

Title

Military patents

Series Number

A0447

Summary

This series consists of records of land grants by letters patent for military service. Grants were made to individuals holding land bounty rights originally issued to commissioned officers and private soldiers who served in New York Continental regiments during the Revolutionary War. Series also includes records of land grants to demobilize British officers and private soldiers who had served in America during the Seven Years' War.

Creator

• New York (State). Secretary of State

Title

Report and abstract of sales of land forfeited to New York State by Roger Morris and claimed by John Jacob Astor

Series Number

A4013

Summary

These records were generated because of a claim by John Jacob Astor to lands forfeited by Roger Morris and wife Mary Philipse. Included are abstracts of sales of land by the commissioners of forfeitures giving descriptions of lands; acreage; purchaser's names; purchase date and price paid. Also included is a report prepared for the surveyor general providing information on certain lots in Morris' estate.

Creator

• New York (State). Surveyor General

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Land acquisition case files

Series Number

B2883

Summary

This series contains case files related to the state's acquisition of real property, either by purchase, appropriation, or court judgment. Files include sale contracts, final deed or court award, title and lien histories, correspondence, maps, etc. Files document acquisition of lands for purposes such as state facilities, Forest Preserve, Barge Canal, state highways, flood control, railroad grade crossing elimination, Thruway, Empire State Plaza, etc.

Creator

• New York (State). Department of Audit and Control

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Receipt book of land grants from Gerrit Smith to African Americans and poor white people

Series Number

B2912

Summary

This receipt book lists land grants issued by Gerrit Smith in 1846 to various African Americans and poor white people. Approximately 3,000 deeds were awarded. The amount of land given to each individual ranged from 40 to 60 acres. The volume, kept by Charles Ray (Smith's secretary), lists the following information relating to these grants: county name; township; tract; lot; quarter of lot; acres; and remarks (i.e. names of grantees).

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Records of original land grants and land under water

Series Number

A0558

Summary

This series consists of applications and petitions for grants of land under water, often including the right to erect a wharf or pier. The series is closed for use, as the records are unreadable in their current format. Series A0272, Applications for land grants, 1642-1803, contains earlier records that document the same function.

Creator

• New York (State). Department of State

Access Restrictions

Series is closed for use, as records are unreadable in current format.

Title

Original drafts of letters patent

Series Number

A0179

Summary

This series consists of severely burned fragments of original drafts of letters patent issued by the governor of the province of New York in the name of the king of England. Prior to the New York State Capitol fire of 1911, the series most likely included six volumes of original drafts, arranged in chronological order, including indexes.

Creator

• New York (Colony). Secretary

Access Restrictions

Series is closed to research due to severe burn damage. Researchers should consult Series 12943, Letters Patent, 1664-2010.

Title

Leasing and franchise ledgers

Series Number

B2691

Summary

This series contains 20 ledgers documenting specific parcels of land that have been leased or franchised and the taxes paid on the lands underwater. Information found within the ledgers includes the date of transaction, name of parcel lessee or franchisee, and amount of taxes paid. The bureau uses the information in this series to issue shellfish bed permits which give exclusive harvesting rights to individuals for specific parcels of the state's underwater lands.

Creator

• New York (State). Division of Marine Resources. Bureau of Shellfisheries

Access Restrictions

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

Title

List of patentees referenced in "Revolutionary Manuscripts"

Series Number

A1476

Summary

This series consists of a duplicate index to patentees for lands located on bounty rights issued during the Revolutionary War. The list gives names of patentees in alphabetical order, with page references to their respective locations in volumes 27, 28, and 29 of "Revolutionary Manuscripts."

Creator

• New York (State). Department of Audit and Control

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Lands under water application files

Series Number

B2321

Summary

This series consists of applications for grants to lands under water. Each file typically consists of an application and accompanying map. Information on the application includes applicant name; date; attorney's name; notes related to the final determination of application; date patent was ordered to be issued; patent date; and signature of the attorney.

Creator

• New York (State). Office of General Services. Bureau of Land Management

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Charter of the proprietary colony from Charles II to the Duke of York

Series Number

B1371

Summary

This series consists of the charter from Charles II, King of England, granting land to his brother James, Duke of York. The charter gave James the authority to send an armed force to compel the Dutch surrender of the New Netherland province to the English. It grants territory that now comprises most of Maine, part of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and part of Pennsylvania to James and specifies details of governanceand management.

Creator

• New York (Colony). Secretary

Access Restrictions

Restricted: Access by permission of state archivist under supervision of archives staff only. Published version is first use copy.

Title

Legal records regarding grants of land under water and sale of state lands

Series Number

B0243

Summary

This series consists of petitions; notices; legal memoranda, correspondence, maps, sketches; tracings; notices of application; Attorney General's opinions; transcripts of testimony; and briefs and affidavits that were submitted to the Commissioners of the Land Office. Most records deal with the applications of Philip Hoatling for grants of land under water in the Hudson River and provide detailed information regarding the land for which application was made. Also included are records relating to land sales in Syracuse, Yonkers and Richmond County.

Creator

• New York (State). Commissioners of the Land Office

Access Restrictions

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

Title

New Netherland Council Dutch colonial patents and deeds

Series Number

A1880

Summary

This series consists predominantly of land patents, in Dutch, through which the director-general and council of New Netherland allowed private individuals to take possession of land in freehold, as opposed to the previous policy of only granting permission to hold land for cultivation. Also included are some deeds that record the purchase of land from natives for the West India Company and several patroons.

Creator

• New Netherland. Council

Access Restrictions

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

Title

New York State Engineer and Surveyor records of applications for and grants of land under water

Series Number

A4025

Summary

These volumes record actions taken on applications to purchase land under water and provide name of individual, corporation, or city applying for the grant; town and county applicant is from; location of land applied for; body of water under which the land lies; name of applicant's attorney; and actions taken on the application and dates of actions.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Letters patent issued to Philip Embury and others

Series Number

B2390

Summary

Original letters patent documenting the grant of 8000 acres of land in Albany County to Philip Embury and others.

Creator

• New York (Colony). Secretary

Access Restrictions

Restricted due to fragile condition of the material.

Title

Outgoing correspondence regarding land matters

Series Number

B0268

Summary

This series consists of letters from the State Engineer and Surveyor regarding applications for land grants, usually lands under water, by individuals, businesses, or towns; scheduling and requests to publish notices of land sales; hearings notices on applications to work mines; requests for copies of maps, sales, and survey records; State Engineer and Surveyor requests for maps, memorandums, receipts, or other records; and instructions on preparing maps to be submitted with land grant applications.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Description of lots granted to New Yorkers in compensation for land lost to Vermont

Series Number

A4010

Summary

These lots were in a tract set aside by New York State for grants to persons who lost land as a result of the New York-Vermont boundary dispute. The descriptions of lots provide lot number, boundaries, and number of acres in each lot.

Creator

• New York (State). Surveyor General

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Partial calendar of "Assembly Papers"

Series Number

A1828

Summary

This series consists of a calendar covering Volumes 5 and 6 and pages 1-90 of Volume 8 of the "Assembly Papers." Entries include date of document; addressee; names of petitioners or other persons involved; summary, sometimes very detailed, of document; number of pages; and volume and page number(s) in the original "Assembly Papers." Documents calendared concern land titles and grants; expenditures; payment of debts or other compensation owed by state; construction of fortifications at New York City; and organization of the military.

Creator

• New York State Library. Manuscripts and History Section

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Abstracts of letters patent

Series Number

A4005

Summary

This series consists of abstracts of patents granted for land in New York State. Information includes patentee's name; patent date; land location; land description and acreage. Also included are some undated certifications stating that the preceding abstracts had been compared with the originals in the Secretary's office.

Creator

• New York (State). Surveyor General

Access Restrictions

Microfilm is not available for duplication or interlibrary loan.

Title

Upland application files

Series Number

13633

Summary

This series consists of upland application files documenting grant, easement, lease, permit, transfer of jurisdiction, and license transactions of state lands during the years 1799-1916 and 1954-2001. Other transactions documented in this series include state surplus real property; gold, silver, mineral, and fossil deposits on state lands; and leases and transfers of unappropriated lands to the federal government and cessions of jurisdiction to the United States. Documents relating to individual applications are either bundled or filed together in discrete folders.

Creator

• New York (State). Office of General Services. Bureau of Land Management

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Description and map of Storm King grant to the New York Central Railroad

Series Number

A4020

Summary

This series contains survey descriptions and a map of a land grant for which the New York Central Railroad Company applied. The map was prepared to accompany the application for the grant of land under water of the Hudson River. The Railroad Law, Section 8, gives all corporations authority to enter land to have it surveyed in order to decide upon the best possible railroad route.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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