Research

Administrative History

Early relations between New York and Vermont were inextricably linked to the land, and marked by a struggle to establish boundaries and defend property rights. The period covered by the bulk of these records correlates with the formative years of Vermont statehood.

New York Governor George Clinton initially refused to recognize the state of Vermont, although in 1778 he offered to confirm land titles to all inhabitants who would admit the jurisdiction of New York. In 1790 commissioners from the two states agreed that New York would recognize Vermont independence and boundaries in return for Vermont paying New York for land claims. Vermont entered the union in 1791.

Migration was a continuing factor in relations between the two states. The landed aristocracy, through close association with the merchant class, acquired large tracts of land in western and northern New York. Large numbers of people migrated to New York's north country from the Green Mountains across Lake Champlain to settle. It has been estimated that in 1850 one-fifth of the population of Vermont had become citizens of New York.