New Netherland Council Dutch Colonial Patents and Deeds

Statement on Language

Some content in this finding aid may contain offensive terminology. For more information on why this language is occasionally retained, see: New York State Archives Statement on Harmful Language in Descriptive Resources.

Overview of the Records

Repository
New York State Archives
222 Madison Avenue
Albany, NY 12230
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.
Title
New Netherland Council Dutch colonial patents and deeds
Quantity
0.8 cubic feet
Inclusive Dates
Series Number
A1880
Creator
Arrangement

Chronological by date.

Administrative History

On June 24, 1638, the council of New Netherland issued an order allowing private individuals, via the granting of land patents, to possess land "in freehold" as opposed to the previous policy of only granting permission to hold land for cultivation.

Scope and Content Note

This series consists predominantly of land patents, through which the director-general and council of New Netherland allowed private individuals to take possession of land in freehold. However, book GG also contains "Indian deeds" which record the purchase of land from Native Americans for the West India Company and several patroons. Records in the series span the years 1630-1649, 1651, 1654-1661, and 1664.

During Willem Kieft's tenure as director-general (1638-1647) the entire text of each patent was copied, sometimes requiring two pages to complete; under Petrus Stuyvesant (1647-1664) many patents were abbreviated and two often were copied on one page.

This series originally constituted Dutch record books GG and HH (referred to as HH, Part 2 in E.B. O'Callaghan's Calendar of Historical Manuscripts in the Office of the Secretary of State, Albany, N.Y.). The original records are in the Dutch language.

Alternate Formats Available

Microfilm is available at the New York State Archives (produced by the New York State Library); however, the film is not fully legible and may be incomplete.

High resolution images of all original documents in this series are available in State Archives Digital Collections.

A0270 Register of the Provincial Secretary contains additional patents and deeds from the Dutch period.

A1882 Dutch Colonial Land Deeds contains deeds from the period 1652-1653. There are also deeds from the period 1653-1665 in the "Records of New Amsterdam" held at the New York City Clerk's office. The Albany County (New York) Hall of Records holds deeds from the Dutch period beginning in 1654.

Other Finding Aids

Item list: E.B. O'Callaghan's Calendar of Historical Manuscripts in the Office of the Secretary of State (1866).

Translated in: New York Historical Manuscripts, Dutch: Land Papers, Volumes GG, HH & II, trans. and ed. Charles T. Gehring (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980).

Access Restrictions

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

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