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New York Colony Council Papers


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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 documentation used as the basis for many council actions and decisions as recorded in the Council Minutes. It reflects the council's administration of land settlement, economic development, Indian affairs, litigation, and military affairs. Records include correspondence, reports, petitions, orders, and warrants created by government officials and by private citizens.
Creator:
Title:
New York Colony Council papers
Quantity:

39.6 cubic feet

Quantity:

144 volume(s)

Inclusive Dates:
1664-1781
Series Number:
A1894
Sponsor:
With support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS Grant number ST-03-27-0006-17) and the William Nelson Cromwell Foundation.

Arrangement

Chronological; oversize records are in a separate chronology.

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of documentation used as the basis for many council actions and decisions as recorded in the Council Minutes. It reflects the council's administration of land settlement, economic development, Indian affairs, litigation, and military affairs. Records include correspondence, reports, petitions, orders and warrants created by government officials and by private citizens.

Most of the records are in English and date from the period after 1690. There are scattered documents in Dutch dating from 1666-1690 and, rarely, documents in French. These documents were not recorded in the series of Council Minutes (which record only decisions and actions taken) but were filed for reference.

Specific administrative matters included are: 1) land - instructions to colonial officials regarding land settlement, laws and orders of the governor and council regarding land settlement, and petitions to the governor for land; 2) military affairs - laws and orders of the governor and council regarding military actions, appointments of military officers, petitions to the governor for payments due from soldiers who had received no compensation for service, petitions to the governor for protection from the French and their Indian allies, petitions to the governor for commissions to command ships of war against the French during the French and Indian War, correspondence and orders concerning mobilization of the militia in the French and Indian War, printed proclamations of the king, including the declaration of war against the French in 1756, and reports concerning Jacob Leisler's rebellion and claim to the lieutenant governorship of New York; 3) Indian affairs - instructions to colonial officials and laws and orders of the governor and council regarding trade and relations with Indians, reports and correspondence from inhabitants of Albany regarding their relations with Indians and their fear of attack by the French and Indians, and minutes and reports of the Commissioners of Indian Affairs concerning discussions with and concerns of Indian allies, often in regard to conflicts with the French and their Indian allies;

4) trade and finance - laws and orders of the governor and council regarding taxes, overseas trade restrictions and regulations, regulation and value of coins used, and sale of liquor, petitions to the governor for claimed inheritances, payments due, or trade privileges, and accounts of officials and expenses of the government, e.g. for rebuilding forts at Albany and Schenectady; 5) legal matters - laws and orders of the governor and council regarding jurisdiction and procedures of courts and escaped criminals and servants, and arrest warrants, indictments, arguments of plaintiffs and defendants, verdicts, and punishments of those found guilty; and 6) other matters, such as appointments of administrative officials and records of events preceding and during the Revolution, including depositions of victims or witnesses of assaults on loyalists or suspected loyalists by supporters of the Revolution.

Notable items include: an order of the House of Representatives (April 9, 1691) for the Speaker to address the Council on the rights and privileges of the House; a petition by coopers of South and East Hampton, Long Island (October 13, 1675), for protection against unfair competition from Boston coopers who came in for the winter season (an early effort to confine work of a particular trade to local craftsmen); an order of the New York Executive Council (December 5, 1679) abolishing Indian slavery and servitude; and a directive from the Directors of the Dutch West India Company to Governor Peter Stuyvesant (March 13, 1656) allowing Jews to settle in New Netherland and granting them all civil and political liberties (Jews came from Holland, Brazil, and elsewhere).

A1894-98: This accretion consists of a small number of badly burned parchment documents that strayed from the bulk of the series. Most of the documents are charred or warped beyond all but fragmentary recognition. There are three processing labels referencing three separate documents in the group; only one of the parchments is directly matched with a label.

The one parchment matched with a label is a commission from May 16, 1711 for "Sampson Broughton, to be naval officer, in place of William Chambers" (55.21). The two other labels refer to a commission from May 23, 1709 for "Francis Nicholson to be commander-in- chief of the forces to be sent against Canada" (53-60?); and a "Muster roll of the governor's company in New York, from February 24 to April 24, 1711" (54:158-163).

Alternate Formats Available

This series has been microfilmed on 27 rolls; available for use at the New York State Archives or through inter-library loan.

Vol. 22: [1668 - 1673; English-language documents only] published in: Hugh Hastings, ed. Second Annual Report of the State Historian of the State of New York, Transmitted to the Legislature, February 22, 1897 (Assembly Document no. 68), Appendix G (pp. 135-369) (Albany: Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford, 1897).

Vol. 22: 1-156 [Dec. 1664 - June 1674] published in: Peter R. Christoph, ed. New York Historical Manuscripts: English. Volume XXII. Administrative Papers of Governors Richard Nicolls and Francis Lovelace, 1664-1673 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980).

Vol. 24: [1674 - 1675; English-language documents only] published in: Hugh Hastings, ed. Third Annual Report of the State Historian of the State of New York, 1897. Transmitted to the Legislature March, 1898 (Assembly Document no. 68), Appendix L (pp. 215-435) (Albany: Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co., 1898).

Vols. 24-25 [July 1674 - Dec. 1676] published in: Peter R. Christoph and Florence A. Christoph, eds. The Andros Papers 1674-1676: Files of the Provincial Secretary of New York During the Administration of Governor Sir Edmund Andros 1674-1680 (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1989).

Vols. 26-27 [Jan. 1675/76 - Aug. 1678] published in: Peter R. Christoph and Florence A. Christoph, eds. The Andros Papers 1677-1678: Files of the Provincial Secretary of New York During the Administration of Governor Sir Edmund Andros 1674-1680 (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1990).

Vols. 28-29 [Sept. 1678 - Dec. 1680] published in: Peter R. Christoph and Florence A. Christoph, eds. The Andros Papers 1679-1680: Files of the Provincial Secretary of New York During the Administration of Governor Sir Edmund Andros 1674-1680 (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1991).

Vol. 34, Part 1: 1-120 [Aug. 1683 - Sept. 1687] 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, 1674-1688. Orders, Warrants, Letters, Commissions, Passes and Licenses Issued by Governors Sir Edmund Andros and Thomas Dongan and Deputy Governor Anthony Brockholls (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1982).

Vol. 34, Part 2: 2-80 [various dates, Sept. 1683 - May 1688, March-Apr. 1691] published in: Peter R. Christoph, ed. The Dongan Papers 1683-1688. Part 1: Admiralty Court and Other Records of the Administration of New York Governor Thomas Dongan (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1993).

Vol. 35 [ca. Jan. 1687 - May 1689] published in: Peter R. Christoph, ed. The Dongan Papers 1683-1688. Part 2: Files of the Provincial Secretary of New York During the Administration of Governor Thomas Dongan (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1996).

Vol. 36 [Jan. 1688/89 - Jan. 1690/91] published in: Peter R. Christoph, ed. The Leisler Papers 1689-1691: Files of the Provincial Secretary of New York Relating to the Administration of Lieutenant-Governor Jacob Leisler (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2002).

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

New York Colony Council papers, 1664-1781 in Digital Collections

Related Material

13913, Manuscript copy of Volume 25 of the New York Colonial Council Papers, 1675-1676, consists of an unbound transcription made before the 1911 New York State Capitol building fire.

Other Finding Aids

Available at Repository

Documents in this series are abstracted and partially indexed in Edmund B. O'Callaghan, comp. Calendar of Historical Manuscripts in the Office of the Secretary of State, Albany, N.Y. Part II: English Manuscripts, 1664-1776. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Company, 1866. Reprinted Ridgewood, N.J.: Gregg Press, 1968.

Custodial History

About 1850 the Secretary of State's Office, under the supervision of E.B. O'Callaghan, arranged these records chronologically and bound them into 103 volumes entitled "N.Y. Colonial Manuscripts." Documents in the first 101 volumes were individually listed in O'Callaghan's Calendar of Historical Manuscripts in the Office of the Secretary of State (1866). This series consists of volumes 22 and 24-102, except for those destroyed by the state capitol fire of 1911 (volumes destroyed were 30-33, 43, 64-69, 71-73, 92, 94-95, 97-98, and 103).

Several surviving volumes suffered severe burn damage in the fire: volumes 44, 46-48, 70, 74-78, 83, 88-91, 93, 96, and 99-102. Of these, 17 volumes (44, 46, 47, 48, 70, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 90, 91, 93, 96, 99, 100, 101) were too extensively damaged to be microfilmed. Some documents have been rebound into 144 volumes; the rest have remained disbound since the 1911 fire.

Several notable items (described above) were removed from the series as part of the Freedom Train exhibit that traveled the state from January 1949 to February 1950 (L. 1948, Ch. 659).

A1894-98: This accretion resulted from a project by Archives staff in 1998 to integrate or accession estrayed or unidentified records.

Access Restrictions

Originals are restricted due to severe burn damage. Use under supervision of archivist after consulting microfilm.

Access Terms

Corporate Name(s):
Geographic Name(s):
Subject(s):
Function(s):

Detailed Description

Dates Contents Box

Accretion: A1894-78
1664-1674 Vol. 22, Pages 1-96: Nicolls, Lovelace 1
1664-1674 Vol. 22, Pages 97-156: Nicolls, Lovelace 2
1675-1676 Vol. 24, Pages 1-127: Andros 3
1675-1676 Vol. 24, Pages 128-196: Andros 4
1675-1676 Vol. 25, Pages 1-133: Andros 5
1675-1676 Vol. 25, Pages 134-259: Andros 6
1676-1677 Vol. 26, Pages 1-104: Andros 7
1676-1677 Vol. 26, Pages 105-182: Andros 8
1678 Vol. 27, Pages 1-106: Brockholls 9
1678 Vol. 27, Pages 108-191: Brockholls 10
1678-1679 Vol. 28, Pages 1-97: Andros 11
1678-1679 Vol. 28, Pages 98-180: Andros 12
1680 Vol. 29, Pages 1-125: Andros 13
1680 Vol. 29, Pages 126-275: Andros 14
1683-1687 Vol. 34 Part 1 (All): Dongan 15
1683-1687 Vol. 34 Part 2, Pages 2-15: Dongan 15
1683-1687 Vol. 34 Part 2, Pages 16a-80: Dongan 16
1687-1688 Vol. 35, Pages 1-91: Dongan, Andros 17
1687-1688 Vol. 35, Pages 92-207: Dongan, Andros 18
1689-1691 Vol. 36, Pages 1-96: Andros, Leisler 19
1689-1691 Vol. 36, Pages 97-158: Andros, Leisler 20
1689-1691 Vol. 36, Document 142 (Oversize): Leisler's Orders 21
1691 Vol. 37, Pages 1-153: Sloughter, Ingoldesby 22
1691 Vol. 37, Pages 154-262: Sloughter, Ingoldesby 23
1691-1692 Vol. 38, Pages 1-124: Ingoldesby, Fletcher 24
1691-1692 Vol. 38, Pages 125-227: Ingoldesby, Fletcher 25
1691-1759 Vols. 38-87: Miscellaneous Oversize Pages 26
1692-1694 Vol. 39, Pages 1-122: Fletcher 27
1692-1694 Vol. 39, Pages 124-217: Fletcher 28
1695-1696 Vol. 40, Pages 1-116: Fletcher 29
1695-1696 Vol. 40, Pages 118-202: Fletcher 30
1696-1698 Vol. 41 (Entire): Fletcher 31
1698-1699 Vol. 42, Pages 1-93: Earl of Bellomont 32
1698-1699 Vol. 42, Pages 94-190: Earl of Bellomont 33
1700-1701 Vol. 44 (Entire): Bellomont, Nanfan [Note: Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 34
1701-1702 Vol. 45 (Entire): Nanfan, Cornbury 35
1702 Vol. 46, Pages 1-52.85: Cornbury [Note: Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 36
1702 Vol. 46, Pages 52.86-95: Cornbury [Note: Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 37
1702 Vol. 46, Pages 96-186a: Cornbury [Note: Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 38
1702-1703 Vol. 47, Pages 37b.2-90b.2: Cornbury [Note: Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 39
1702-1703 Vol. 47, Pages 91-159b, 183-184a: Cornbury [Note: Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 40
1703-1704 Vol. 48 (Entire): Cornbury [Note: Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 41
1704 Vol. 49, Pages 1-108: Cornbury 42
1704 Vol. 49, Pages 109-188: Cornbury 43
1704-1705 Vol. 50, Pages 1-109: Cornbury 44
1704-1705 Vol. 50, Pages 110-187: Cornbury 45
1705-1706 Vol. 51, Pages 1-99: Cornbury 46
1705-1706 Vol. 51, Pages 100-190: Cornbury 47
1706-1708 Vol. 52, Pages 1-105: Cornbury 48
1706-1708 Vol. 52, Pages 106-183: Cornbury 49
1708-1710 Vol. 53 (Entire): Cornbury, Lovelace, etc. 50
1710-1711 Vol. 54, Pages 1-111: Hunter 51
1710-1711 Vol. 54, Pages 112-196: Hunter 52
1711 Vol. 55, Pages 1-105: Hunter 53
1711 Vol. 55, Pages 106-191: Hunter 54
1711 Vol. 56, Pages 1-98: Hunter 55
1711 Vol. 56, Pages 99-188: Hunter 56
1711-1712 Vol. 57, Pages 1-93: Hunter 57
1711-1712 Vol. 57, Pages 94-191: Hunter 58
1712-1713 Vol. 58, Pages 1-101: Hunter 59
1712-1713 Vol. 58, Pages 102-186: Hunter 60
1713-1714 Vol. 59 (Entire): Hunter 61
1715-1717 Vol. 60, Pages 1-103: Hunter 62
1715-1717 Vol. 60, Pages 104-212: Hunter 63
1718-1719 Vol. 61, Pages 1-94: Hunter, Schuyler 64
1718-1719 Vol. 61, Pages 95-191: Hunter, Schuyler 65
1719-1720 Vol. 62 (Entire): Schuyler, Burnet 66
1720-1721 Vol. 63, Pages 2-113: Burnet 67
1720-1721 Vol. 63, Pages 114-172: Burnet 68
1731-1735 Vol. 70 (Entire): Van Dam, Cosby [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 69
1741-1744 Vol. 74, Pages 32a-137b: Clarke, Clinton [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 70
1741-1744 Vol. 74, Pages 138a-222: Clarke, Clinton [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 71
1745-1747 Vol. 75, Pages 2a-80: Clinton [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 72
Vol. 75, Pages 81-162: Clinton [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 73
1747-1752 Vol. 76, Pages 43-90: Clinton [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 74
1747-1752 Vol. 76, Pages 91-168: Clinton [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 75
1751-1753 Vol. 77, Pages 21-75: Clinton [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 76
1751-1753 Vol. 77, Pages 76-120: Clinton [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 77
1751-1753 Vol. 77, Pages 121-154: Clinton [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 78
1753-1754 Vol. 78, Pages 28-75: Clinton, Osborne, DeLancey [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 79
1753-1754 Vol. 78, Pages 76-149: Clinton, Osborne, DeLancey [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 80
1754 Vol. 79 (Entire): DeLancey 81
1755 Vol. 80, Pages 1-22: DeLancey 82
1755 Vol. 80, Pages 24-175: DeLancey [Note Only Pages 24-52 Microfilmed] 83
1755 Vol. 81, Pages 1-104: Delancey, Hardy 84
1755 Vol. 81, Pages 105-180: Delancey, Hardy 85
1755-1756 Vol. 82, Pages 6-107: Hardy 86
1755-1756 Vol. 82, Pages 108-172: Hardy 87
1751-1756 Vol. 83 (Entire): Hardy [Note Only Pages 70-175 Microfilmed] 88
1755-1757 Vol. 84, Pages 1-50: Hardy, DeLancey 89
1755-1757 Vol. 84, Pages 51-163: Hardy, DeLancey 90
1757-1758 Vol. 85 (Entire): DeLancey 91
1758-1759 Vol. 86, Pages 1-107: DeLancey 92
1758-1759 Vol. 86, Pages 108-170: DeLancey 93
1759 Vol. 87 (Entire): DeLancey 94
1760 Vol. 88 (Entire): DeLancey, Colden 95
1760-1761 Vol. 89 (Entire): Colden 96
1761-1762 Vol. 90, Pages 20a-70: Colden, Monckton [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 97
1761-1762 Vol. 90, Pages 71-120: Colden, Monckton [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 98
1761-1762 Vol. 90, Pages 121-151: Colden, Monckton [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 99
1762-1763 Vol. 91 (Entire): Colden, Monckton [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 100
1764-1766 Vol. 93 (Entire): Colden, Moore [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 100
1769-1771 Vol. 96 (Entire): Colden, Dunmore [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 100
1772-1773 Vol. 99, Pages 1-46: Tryon [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 101
1772-1773 Vol. 99, Pages 47-101: Tryon [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 102
1773-1774 Vol. 100, Pages 8-90: Tryon, Colden [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 103
1773-1774 Vol. 100, Pages 91-147: Tryon, Colden [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 104
1774-1778 Vol. 101, Pages 1-65: Colden, Tryon [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 105
1774-1778 Vol. 101, Pages 66-109: Colden, Tryon [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 106
1774-1778 Vol. 101, Pages 110-149: Colden, Tryon [Note Volume Not Microfilmed Due to Condition] 107
1778-ca. 1800 Vol. 102, Pages 1-48: Tryon, Robertson, and New York/Massachusetts Boundary Records 108
1778-ca. 1800 Vol. 102, Pages 49-250: Tryon, Robertson, and New York/Massachusetts Boundary Records 109
1778-ca. 1800 Vol. 102, Pages 251-311: Tryon, Robertson, and New York/Massachusetts Boundary Records 110
1692-1761 Vols. 39-89 (Miscellaneous Oversize Documents) 111