ALBANY
COUNTY,
NEW YORK
ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET
The early days of Albany County, NY, and
its various towns and townships -- Albany, Berne, Bethlehem, Coeymans, Guilderland,
Knox, New Scotland, Rensselaerville, Watervliet, West Troy, Westerlo and
others -- are recalled through a mixture of colorful tales and factual data
in this NEW 34 Page Booklet reprinted primarily from two hard-to-find books, the 1841
edition of "Historical Collections of the State of New York" by John Warner
Barber and Henry Howe, and the 1940 edition of "New York, a Guide to the Empire
State", a product of the WPA Writer's Project.
The spiral-bound booklet, sold exclusively
on eBay, is printed one-sided on 60# paper, with the fine print enlarged
for easier reading. A clear vinyl sheet has been added to protect the front
cover.
Among the many and diverse
topics in the booklet are:
Early settlements; Early Dutch families, Rigid Dutch rule; Description
of the land; Early town names and name derivations; the Dutch West India
Co.; "the Captive Boys of Rensselaerville," a hair-raising tale of Indian
captivity; the Cahoes Falls, "Mother Ann" Lee and the Society of Shakers
in Neskayuna; the "Oldest City in the United States"; Kiddenhooghten Hill;
Animosity between Albany and Schenectady; Banks and Churches; and Stephen
Van Rensselaer.
ILLUSTRATIONS include
a view of Albany from Greenbush Ferry, the Ancient Dutch Church in Albany,
the State and City Halls in Albany, a View of Rensselaerville, and a view
of the Capitol at Albany.
Among the surnames mentioned are:
Quackenboss, Lancing, Bleeker, Van Ness, Pruyn, Van Woert, Wendell, Van
Eps, Schaats, La Battie, Jenkins, Culver, Vandyke, Hatch, Brown, Woodford,
Crocker, Mumford, Brice and Deitz.
The nostalgic guidebook section
gives a view of the area a century later, with historical perspectives, especially
as they relate to sightseeing possibilities in 1940. Also included is a map
of the Capital District section of the state from a 1948 pamphlet.
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