New York State Assembly Surveyor General's Reports on Petitions to the State Legislature A1820

New York State Assembly Surveyor General's Reports on Petitions to the State Legislature

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Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:

These reports concern value of land; land claims and title disputes; errors in previous surveys; requests for unappropriated state land; surveys and sales of state land; grants of land to persons in the problematic military tracts; and requests for title to unappropriated lands settled and improved. Also included are survey maps; minutes and resolutions of the Commissioners of the Land Office; reports from the surveyor general; and affidavits supporting petitions.

Creator:

New York (State). Legislature. Assembly

Title:

Surveyor General's reports on petitions to the State Legislature

Quantity:

1 cubic foot

1 microfilm roll 35mm

Inclusive Dates:

1795-1829

Series Number:

A1820

Arrangement

Chronological.

Scope and Content Note

The Legislature referred most petitions relating to land transactions to the surveyor general for comment. The surveyor general prepared these reports in response. The reports concern: value of land; land claims and title disputes; errors in previous surveys and results of new surveys; requests for grants of unappropriated state land; surveys and sales of state land; grants of land to persons whose grants in the military tract could not be cultivated or contained fewer acres than they were supposed to; and requests for title to unappropriated lands which the petitioner(s) had settled and improved.

There are also supporting records interfiled with the reports, including: survey maps; minutes and resolutions of the Commissioners of the Land Office regarding orders to or receipt of reports from the surveyor general; original petitions on which the surveyor general reported; and affidavits supporting petitions.

Transcripts of a few surveyor general's reports, including one from this series (p. 295 of "Assembly Papers" volume 38), are in series A0042, Transcripts of Reports Regarding Claims for Revolutionary War Service (see especially p. 877ff).

Alternate Formats Available

Microfilm is available for use at the New York State Archives or through interlibrary loan.

Other Finding Aids

Available at Repository

Two alphabetical name and location indexes (to volumes 37 and 38).

Custodial History

In the 1830s the secretary of state's office bound these records as Volumes 37 and 38 of "Assembly Papers." The records suffered burn damage in the State Capitol fire of 1911 and were disbound.