Research


New York State Division of Lands and Forests Cockburn Field Notes, Land Records, and Maps


Some content may contain outdated and offensive terminology. See: New York State Archives Statement on Language in Descriptive Resources


Overview of the Records

Repository:

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

Summary:
This series is comprised of land records (survey notes, copies of deeds, maps, quit claims, and indentures) created or accumulated by William Cockburn, his sons William Jr. and James, and his grandson Walter A. Cockburn, and maintained by the Division of Lands and Forests. The series contains three small bound volumes; miscellaneous survey notes, drawings, and maps arranged by date; and one disbound folio containing miscellaneous large maps.
Creator:
Title:
Cockburn field notes, land records, and maps
Quantity:

2 cubic feet

Inclusive Dates:
[circa 1755]-1884
Series Number:
B1773

Arrangement

Roughly chronological.

Administrative History

William Cockburn (?-1804) from Berwickshire, Scotland, settled in Kingston, Ulster County, New York in the early 1760s and was employed as a surveyor, land agent, and speculator in Ulster County and throughout the state and Vermont. As a teacher and employer he influenced many of New York States' surveyors. He married Catherine Trumpbour (also spelled Tremper) of Palatine German descent. They had five children including James (ca. 1775-1848) and William Jr. who accompanied their father on surveying expeditions as did his nephew Jacob Trumpbour Jr. John Kiersted Sr. (1786-1862) of Saugerties was a frequent surveyor for the Cockburns and in later years James Cockburn's son Walter A. also participated. William Cockburn is buried in Mount Marion Cemetery, Kingston, New York.

Scope and Content Note

This series is comprised of land records (survey notes, copies of deeds, maps, quit claims, and indentures) created or accumulated by William Cockburn, his sons William Jr. and James, and his grandson Walter A. Cockburn, and maintained by the Division of Lands and Forests. The series contains three small bound volumes; miscellaneous survey notes, drawings, and maps arranged by date; and one disbound folio containing miscellaneous large maps. The three small bound volumes include: One household account book created by an unidentified member of the Cockburn Family (ca. 1881-1882); Survey notes of William Cockburn (ca. 1755), which appear to be copies of the original narrative courses and distances included in letters patents for lands along the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers and including Dutchess, Ulster, Greene, Albany, Rensselaer, and Saratoga Counties;

survey notes of Walter A. Cockburn (1859-1884), which contain a variety of surveys performed under contract to individuals and relating to the Hurley Patentee Woods in Ulster County. The miscellaneous survey notes, drawings, and maps (1766-1822) relate primarily to the Hurley Patentee Woods, the Saw Kill Road/ Jockey Hill region outside Kingston, and the town of Duane in Franklin County. Included in the material removed from the disbound folio are approximately 23 monochrome and hand-colored maps of towns and allotments in Clinton, Delaware, Franklin, Greene, Oswego, and Ulster Counties. The disbound folio also contains miscellaneous survey notes, maps, and two items of personal correspondence of Walter A. Cockburn.

Alternate Formats Available

Items Online

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

New York State Archives Digital Collections

Cockburn field notes, land records, and maps, [circa 1755]-1884 in Digital Collections

Related Material

Cockburn Family Land Papers, Manuscripts and Special Collections, New York State Library.

Custodial History

These records were transferred to the State Archives in May 2001 and accessioned in July 2001. For what purposes and what functions these records were maintained by the agency is unknown. A bound folio included in the accession was disbound; the material included in the folio was placed in folders and maintained in its original order.

Access Restrictions

Restricted. Material is fragile. Use under supervision of an archivist.

Access Terms

Geographic Name(s):
Subject(s):
Genre(s):

Detailed Description

Dates Contents Box Volume Item Folder

Accretion: B1773-01
ca. 1755 Survey notes, William Cockburn

1 1
ca. 1881-1882 Account book

1 2
1859-1884 Survey notes, William A. Cockburn

1 3
1766 September 6 Part of the letter from New York, (addressed, "Sir" and unsigned), offering advice on a survey with references made to Schohary River and Township of Schenectady

2 1
1772 January 10 Survey map of Thomas and Hedrick Chadewick's Farm at Little Shan Dakan

2 2
1788 October 24 Survey for Zachariah Short, four years free from 24 Oct. 1788...

2 3
1795 Survey drawing for Tobias R. Van Deuson. Verso note: Eliza Cockburn died 4 January 1871, 7 o'clock in the morning, Sunday, aged 92y.4m.15d.

2 4
1798 Notebook - 1798 Hurly, Jas. Cockburn, No. 8 in the second allotment subdv.

2 5
ca. 1804 Statement - Retained by the Commissioners from the date of the sale of the expense lot, being in June 1792, till Coms. Coles receipt from W. Cockburn the 7th Apr. 1797 being four years and ten months.

2 6
[18-] Boundaries of Lot. No. 43 in the Binnewater Class (James Cockburn, Lewis Wygant lot)

2 7
[18-] Specifications to build a stone dam

2 8
1817-1846 Correspondence between Cockburn and Hardenburgh regarding partitioning of land owned by Hardenburgh et al.

2 9
ca. 1800-1859 Hurley Patentee Woods (17 items) - survey notes, parchment, map and deed

2 10
1834-1875 Correspondence between Cockburn, Davis, Osterhoudt regarding Sawkill Road alterations (8 items)

2 11
1838 Correspondence between James Cockburn and John Kiersted regarding land and expense lots

2 12
1851-1855 Miscellaneous survey correspondence and survey notes (15 items)

2 13
1855 November 11 Letter to Mr. J. Brodhead from J. Cockburn

2 14
[18-] Survey notes, fragments (12 items)

2 15
[18-] Fragments

2 16
ca. 1851 Advertisements

2 17
1789, 1846, 1857, and [18-] Miscellaneous family/personal letters, notes, a ribbon (9 items)

2 18
1783 Survey of Cockburn's Patent North of Camden for Moses Martin Messr.

3 1
1792 October 13 Indenture for land in Hurley from Jacob Tremper and William Cockburn to Albert and Elizabeth Smeades

3 2
1792 October Map of the First Allotment of the Hurley Patentee Woods in the Town of Hurley containing 5,100 acres.

3 3
1804 Boundaries on lots at Brabant adjoining the Great Patent of J. Whitaker 200 acres

3 4
ca. 1810 A Map of three small lots of land belonging to James Cockburn adjoining the Ulster County and Delaware Turnpike Road and the south side of the Esopus Kill in the Town of Kingston.

3 5
1812 April 25 Map of the Farm of Jacob Burhans, Dec'd [sic] at Brabant as divided amongst the heirs (Ulster County)

3 6
ca. 1812 Two maps and deeds regarding James Cockburn land on Ulster and Delaware Turnpike. Also mentions William Cockburn, John and Sarah Tappen, Philip Houghteling, Abraham Houghteling, Conradt and Edmund Elmendorf

3 7
1813 October 11 A Map and Deed of the Armbowery in the South Part of the Village of Kingston

3 8
1831 A Map of the Plains in the Village of Kingston Belonging to James Cockburn and Jonathan Hasbrouck laid into village lots per Jacob Trumpbour

3 1 9
1812 A Map of the twentieth allotment in the Hurley Patentee Woods as divided between Samuel H. [Phliss?] and heirs of Wm. Cockburn

3 2 9
1812 A Map of Lot No. 8 in the expense lots of the Hurley Patentee Woods as divided between Jonathan Hasbrouck and heirs of Wm. Cockburn - Estate divided

3 3 9
ca. 1829-1859 Hurley Patentee Woods - quit claims, indenture, and boundaries mainly between Cockburns and George Shultis (18 items)

3 10
1844 March 22 Map of five chains to an inch surveyed March 22, 1844; survey notes and calculations

3 11
1845 Map of Franklin and Clinton Counties, W. A. Cockburn

3 12
1844 Map of the division line between Schoharie and Delaware Counties

3 1 13
1845 Verso-Map of Partition and Division of Lot No.8 in Great Lot No.35 of the Hardenburgh Patent

3 2 13
1845 Copy of survey, Lot 9, Delhi, Delaware County, W. A. Cockburn. 3 14
1846 Four maps relating to lots in Macombs purchase, including parts of Townships 14, 15, and Meacham Lake in Franklin County. 3 15
1846 Three pieces of maps relating to Township 14, Franklin County 3 16
1847 April 7 Map of Saw Kill Road run and laid out and altered, by W. A. Cockburn 3 17
1850 December Map of Lots 9, 1, 2, and 20, 19th Allotment in the Hurley Patentee Woods. Sold to Caleb Cuttler. 3 18
1855 December 1 and undated Part of a world map (verso has survey calculations); part of a weather map of U.S.; Map of Europe; part of a deed 3 19
1875 Map of a road Dist. No. 15 at Eddyville, August 10, 1875, W. A. Cockburn. Also four pages of related survey notes 3 20
1881-1882 Survey notes (2) regarding land of George C. and Sarah Ann Taylor, and Oliver Mather and Esther E. Whitaker (1881). Survey notes regarding Trempers land on Ulster and Delaware Road (1882). 3 21
1884 Topographical map of Bergen, Hudson, and Essex Counties, N.J. annotated, marked "Private Papers of Verplanck Colvin" 3 22
[18-] Maps and surveys (5) of Hurley Patentee Woods 3 23
[18-] Map of unidentified tracts, includes Volkert, Outhout, and others 3 24
ca. 1750 Map of Lockermans Tract Near Saugerties, Greene County 3 25
[18-] A Map of the lines one run by WEJ and the other lines run by John DeWitt as a traverse line there [ill] be a line of this corporation. 3 26
[18-] Map of Great Lot 53 belonging to James Cockburn, Oswego County. Also includes map of Lot 42. 3 27
[18-] A Map of the Binnewater Class, First Class and part of the three mile and part of the Southwest Classes and [?] Class. Also includes two small related maps. 3 28
[18-] A map of Lot No. 2 in Lysander, Oswego Co., lands belonging to James Cockburn 3 29
[18-] Unidentified map showing division of lands for Osterhoudt, James Cockburn, Henry Myer Farm, also showing Esopus Kill and Binne Kill 3 30
[18-] Map of Township 18 3 31
[18-] Map of Pinefield, Oswego County, 1792, Copy by W. A. Cockburn, verso: unidentified lots in Delaware County 3 32
[18-] Survey notes - Division of Lot No. 16 and 8 in the Hurley Expence Lot and 19 and 20 Allotments 3 33
[18-] Maps (2) of the Hurley Patentee Woods 4