First Settlers of Schenectady, from 1662 to 1800

From the introduction to the book:

“The site of the present city of Albany was first occupied as a trading post in 1614. After the charter of the Privileged West India Company, in 1621, Fort Orange was built, around which clustered the little hamlet occupied by the servants and factors of the Company, who claimed and exercised the entire Indian trade.”

“The early population of Fort Orange and Beverwyck, though almost pure Dutch at first, was changeable: after a few years spent in traffic with the Indians some returned to Patria; some retired to New Amsterdam (New York), whilst others passed beyond the limits of the Colonie and purchased lands at Kinderhook, Claverac, Catskill, Coxsackie, Niskayuna, Half Moon, and Schenectady.

The conquest of the province by the English in 1664 introduced a new element into the population; the sheriff of the county, clerk of the village and city, and officers and soldiers of the garrison were mainly English or New Englanders: a few of these intermarried with Dutch maidens and became permanent citizens. Later another nationality was introduced: through the bounty of Queen Anne some thousands of Palatines were sent over in 1708-22; they settled at East and West Camps on the Hudson, and afterwards in the Schoharie valley, and at German Flats on the Mohawk.

Until 1661 the powers of the magistrate of Fort Orange extended south to the Esopus (Kingston). By the division of the province into counties in 1683, Albany county comprised all the territory north of Dutchess and Ulster on both sides of the river, and the village of Albany was regarded as the fountain of authority both in church and judicial matters by the scattered inhabitants of this great region.”

This database contains the names of 7,695 individuals and families. Descriptive information regarding these names is contained on images of the original pages, which may be viewed from the search results page.

As observed by Prof. Pearson: “The student who searches the early Dutch records meets with many difficulties, none of which are more vexatious than their personal names.” To help researchers understand these difficulties, Prof. Pearson wrote the explanation given here:

The original volume is available in our Boston Research Library, call number: F127 S27 P3.

To locate additional genealogy and local history resources, search our library catalog.