SLCC Genealogy Course: Post #23 - Jurisdictions

This week the assignment for the Salt Lake Community College, Genealogy Course took soooooo much time. The actually assignment to hand in wasn't the killer it was all the videos and chapters we needed to read on jurisdictions. This subject was so thoroughly covered it must have taken the instructors forever to put together. Bottom line, it was a great lesson.

How I do on the assignment? I will let you judge. We had to submit 3 things. Limiting it to two pages was one of the hardest parts for me.

1 - A written summary of what you learned about the locality including history or geographic conditions that would influence the locality. Briefly describe the history of the state and county you have chosen. Include such information as when it became a state, and when the specific county was formed. Include a list of possible resources such as 2 genealogical or historical societies with URL or address in the area. Include a state/county map. (This report should be no more than 2 pages in length).

2 - An historic map of the area.

3 – A Research Log showing all the places you searched for the sites given.

Below is what I handed in for my two page summary. I'm not including the historical map or the research log in this article.

History of Warren County, New York

The State of New York was originally settled by the Dutch, and was known as New Netherland. It was brought to the attention of the Dutch after English explorer Henry Hudson sailed into the New York Bay and up the river named after him in 1609. The Dutch West India Company settlements in the 1620s at Fort Orange (later Albany) and Manhattan influenced the immigration of other northern Europeans. The English later claimed the colony and named it after the Duke of York in 1664. This area exchanged hands between the English and Dutch several times. By the time of the Revolutionary War, New Englanders had crossed westward into the eastern counties of New York.

One of those eastern counties of New York was Albany, created on 1 Nov 1683. This county covered an enormous area, coverering the northern part of New York State, and all of present day Vermont. It was reduced in size with the creation of Cumberland (1766) and Gloucester (1770) counties.  On 12 Mar 1772, Albany was split into three parts, one remaining as Albany County. The eastern piece of this split was named Charlotte County, named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, queen-consort of King George the Third of England.

On 2 Apr 1784 Charlotte County’s name was changed to Washington County to honor George Washington, the American Revolutionary War General and first President of the United States of America. On 12 Mar 1813 Warren County was split off from Washington County’s western side. It received its name in honor of General Joseph Warren. 

Warren County officials first met in the Lake George Coffee House in the hamlet of Caldwell (know today as Lake George Village). James Caldwell, a patentee of the Town of Caldwell, donated land within the hamlet to serve as the county seat beginning in 1819. The historical population for the county in 1820 was recorded as 9,453 people. In 2012 the population increased to 65,538.

Neighboring Counties are: Essex, Hamilton, Saratoga, and Washington

Under New York State law, there are three types of incorporated municipalities: cities, villages, and towns. The following incorporated cities, villages and towns are located in Warren County:
Town of Bolton, Town of Chester, City of Glens Falls, Town of Hague, Town of Horicon, Town of Johnsburg, Town of Lake George - Village of Lake George, Town of Lake Luzerne, Town of Queensbury
Town of Stony Creek, Town of Thurman, Town of Warrensburg

Within the towns lay several smaller hamlets.

The county is located in the eastern portion of New York State, 75 miles north of Albany. It has a total area of 932 square miles, made up of 869 square miles of land and 62 square miles of water. It is located in the Adirondack Mountains. Gore Mountain at 3,198 feet elevation is the highest peak. It runs 44 miles N to S, and 40 miles E to W. Except for a small district in the SE the whole county is mountainous. It is covered with a heavy growth of trees. The principle employment comes from the lumber industry. The river, lakes and Champlain canal are very important to this region. Its waters are very deep and clear, and abound with the finest fish. The valleys which are narrow and the small SE district have portions of arable soil for farming, another source of income.

  

Warren County Genealogical Resources

Warren County Historical Society
195 Sunnyside Road
Queensbury, NY 12804-7762
Ph: 518-743-0734
http://www.warrencountyhistoricalsociety.org/

The Northeastern New York Genealogical Society was disbanded and merged into the Warren County Historical Society in the Fall of 2013.

Crandall Public Library, Glens Falls
Center for Folklife, History and Cultural Programs
251 Glen Street, City Park
Glens Falls, NY 12801-3593
Ph: 518-792-6508
http://www.crandalllibrary.org

Chapman Historical Museum

The Chapman Museum Research Archive
348 Glen Street
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Ph: 518-793-2826
http://chapmanmuseum.org/
Houses manuscripts, other archival materials and over 10,000 photographs that document the history of the Glens Falls region.

Warren County, NY Records Storage Center & Archives
1340 State Rt. 9
Lake George,  New York 12845
The Official Repository of Warren County's Inactive and Archival Records
Tom Lynch,  Records Manager
Alison McClenahan, Assistant Records Manager
Phone (518) 761-6455
http://www.warrencountyny.gov/records/rsc1.html

See ya tomorrow, for tomorrow is always another genealogy day!