Research

New York State Department of State Letters Patent Transcribed Pursuant to an Act of 1786


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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:
This series consists of the original engrossed (or final) letters patent and military patents, which were transcribed pursuant to Chapter 13 of the Laws of 1786. That law states that these volumes were "by various accidents so injured that a frequent Recourse to them may render them illegible." The transcriptions were inserted into the books of Letters Patent (Series 12943) and Military Patents (Series A0447). In addition to recorded patents, the first two volumes also contain records of confirmations of deeds dating prior to the English conquest of New Netherland in 1664, commissions and appointments of civil and military officers, naturalizations and denizations of non-British subjects, and a few Indian deeds.
Creator:
Title:
New York State Department of State letters patent transcribed pursuant to an Act of 1786
Quantity:

1.5 cubic feet

Quantity:

12 volume(s)

Inclusive Dates:
1664-1786
Series Number:
A0487

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of the original engrossed (or final) letters patent and military patents, which were transcribed pursuant to Chapter 13 of the Laws of 1786. That law states that these volumes were "by various accidents so injured that a frequent Recourse to them may render them illegible." The volumes of copies were inserted into the books of Letters Patent (Series 12943) and Military Patents (Series A0447).

The original volumes of this series contain excellent examples of various types of handwriting from the 17th and 18th centuries. The volumes were rebound pursuant to the Laws of 1819. All of the volumes in this series except Books 7 and 17 contain indexes to grantees.

In addition to recorded patents, the first two volumes also contain records of confirmations of deeds dating prior to the English conquest of New Netherland in 1664, commissions and appointments of civil and military officers, naturalizations and denizations of non-British subjects, and a few Indian deeds.

Alternate Formats Available

An untitled 36-page volume of records, 1664-1668, is bound into the first volume of "Land Patents" and published in: Peter R. Christoph and Florence A. Christoph, eds. New York Historical Manuscripts: English. Books of General Entries of the Colony of New York, 1664-1673. Orders, Warrants, Letters, Commissions, Passes and Licenses Issued by Governors Richard Nicolls and Francis Lovelace (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1982).

Items Online

Selected documents from this series have been digitized and are available in State Archives Digital Collections.

New York State Archives Digital Collections

New York State Department of State letters patent transcribed pursuant to an Act of 1786, 1664-1786

Related Material

12943 Letters Patent, contains certified copies of the engrossed original patents, made pursuant to Chapter 13 of the Laws of 1786.

Related Publications

Records of denizations and naturalizations found in the colonial patent books are abstracted in Kenneth Scott, Denizations, Naturalizations, and Oaths of Allegiance in Colonial New York (Baltimore: 1975).

Other Finding Aids

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