New York State Engineer and Surveyor Card Index to Correspondence of the State Engineer and Surveyor

The card index is arranged roughly chronologically by year, then alphabetically by correspondent. Some cards are grouped by subject or type of record indexed.

Extensive interfiling has occurred, especially in the earlier years of this series. Multiple years are grouped together in the same box and alphabetical filing is not consistent throughout. Certain years are represented by multiple alphabetical sets. For example, Box 1 contains letters A-C from 1901 while Box 2 contains letters A-J for the same year. The arrangement is more consistent as the series progresses and many of the later boxes do not have the issues that earlier boxes do.

In addition to the alphabetical arrangement, many of the boxes contain cards grouped by subject (aqueducts, bridges, dams); type of record (canal contracts, surveys); or major correspondent (state officers, Special Deputy State Engineer).

This series consists of index cards that act as a partial index to the correspondence files of the New York State Engineer and Surveyor, Series B0226. The index only covers the years 1901-1925, whereas the correspondence files date from approximately 1700-1921. Correspondence files from 1922-1925 were not received by the State Archives and are no longer believed to be extant.

The index consists of orange and white colored cards which are interfiled. The orange cards index subseries 1 of Series/Accretion B0226-83, Bound Outgoing Correspondence. This subseries consists of bound volumes of outgoing correspondence dating from 1903 to 1920. White cards index subseries 2 of Series/Accretion B0226-83, Numerically Arranged Incoming Correspondence. This subseries consists of correspondence received by the State Engineer and Surveyor's office.

Both orange and white cards follow a similar format. The name of the recipient/sender is written at the top of the card along with the date correspondence was received. A table underneath the header contains four columns with information on the date sent/received, assigned number, name of correspondent, and topic of the correspondence. The number corresponds to a typewritten number given to each piece of correspondence in either subseries 1 or 2 in Series/Accretion B0226-83. An index card may have multiple numbers associated with it if more than one piece of correspondence was exchanged with a correspondent during a given year.

Main topics represented in the index include the construction, maintenance, and operation of the Barge Canal; road construction; land claims pursued by the state; damage claims filed against the state; progress of work on Barge Canal contracts; opinions on proposed structures to be built on state canal lands by private companies; and canal contract alterations and revisions.

Frequent correspondents include private citizens; the Special Deputy State Engineer; Deputy State Engineer; division, assistant, and resident engineers; personnel within the offices of the state comptroller, governor, and attorney general; members of the Canal Board; the Advisory Board of Consulting Engineers; private construction companies and law firms; the Superintendent of Public Works; counsel to the Governor; State Civil Service Commission; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and the New York State Department of Labor.

Arrangement: The card index is arranged roughly chronologically by year, then alphabetically by correspondent. Some cards are grouped by subject or type of record indexed.

Extensive interfiling has occurred, especially in the earlier years of this series. Multiple years are grouped together in the same box and alphabetical filing is not consistent throughout. Certain years are represented by multiple alphabetical sets. For example, Box 1 contains letters A-C from 1901 while Box 2 contains letters A-J for the same year. The arrangement is more consistent as the series progresses and many of the later boxes do not have the issues that earlier boxes do.

In addition to the alphabetical arrangement, many of the boxes contain cards grouped by subject (aqueducts, bridges, dams); type of record (canal contracts, surveys); or major correspondent (state officers, Special Deputy State Engineer).

B0226Series B0226, New York State Engineer and Surveyor Correspondence Files, is partially indexed by this series.

A box list is available at the repository

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