New York Colony Governor Returns of Surveys A1886

New York Colony Governor Returns of Surveys

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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:

Surveys in this series contain description of land; purchaser's name; location of land; and return date. The warrant of survey, giving government authorization for the survey to be done, is sometimes included also. Philip Welles did most of the surveys; a few were done by Robert Fullerton.

Creator:

New York (Colony). Governor

Title:

Returns of surveys

Quantity:

0.78 cubic feet

including 3 volumes

Inclusive Dates:

1683-1686, 1750-1770

Series Number:

A1886

Arrangement

Chronological.

Scope and Content Note

Philip Welles did most of the surveys; a few were done by Robert Fullerton. They contain information on: description of land; purchaser's name; location of land; and return date. The warrant of survey, giving government authorization for the survey to be done, is sometimes included also.

A1886-78: Governor Thomas Dongan generally required land purchasers to have surveys made before he would approve a purchase. These returns of surveys report the survey results to the governor.

A1886-98: This 3-volume accretion consists of "returns" reporting results to various provincial governors who authorized surveys by warrant. Among others, George Clinton, Cadwallader Colden, John Earl Dunmore, Henry Moore, and William Tryon authorized the warrants. The returns contain information on the warrant of survey; location and description of land; patent holder's name; and return date. Volume 1 includes returns from 1750 through 1770; volume 2 consists of returns solely for 1764. The final volume is an index by name of patentee. The index shows year, county, governor's name, quantity of acres, and folio number.

Alternate Formats Available

A1886-78: Microfilm is available at the New York State Archives through interlibrary loan.

Related Material

Series B0264, Returns of surveys of state land, contains later surveys maintained by the Surveyor General of the State of New York.

Other Finding Aids

Available at Repository

A1886-78: List of purchasers.

A1886-98: An alphabetical index by patentee is Volume 3 of the accretion.

Custodial History

A1886-98: These volumes are part of old collection #94, volumes 95, 96, and 59 (index). The accretion resulted from work by Archives staff in 1998 to reconstitute series formed from that old collection.