Research

Commissioners of the Land Office examined and settled claims against loyalists' lands confiscated and sold by the commissioners of forfeitures. Most claims were based on erroneous sales of land not subject to forfeiture, or the dower rights of widows of loyalists. These minutes locate and describe the bounds of the property in question; recite the substance of the claim; and state the commissioners' decision and award.

This series consists of records of land grants by letters patent for military service. Grants were made to individuals holding land bounty rights originally issued to commissioned officers and private soldiers who served in New York Continental regiments during the Revolutionary War. Series also includes records of land grants to demobilize British officers and private soldiers who had served in America during the Seven Years' War.

The "Statistical Department" of Sing Sing Prison compiled a country by country list of foreign born convicts containing the following information: convict's number; age; date of admittance; country; crime; sentence; and disposition. This appears to have been created by the prison administration for their own reference use.

Insolvency papers include documents relating to the assignment and sale of property of insolvent debtors who petitioned for relief (voluntary assignment), or the attachment and sale of property of "absconding, concealed, or non-resident debtors" (involuntary assignment). Content of files varies depending on the type of assignment, but most files include petitions, accounts, inventories, affidavits, certificates, and orders.

This volume lists appointments of civil and military officers of the State of New York. It was prepared as an index to the first volume of the minutes of the Council of Appointment, which was destroyed in the Capitol fire of 1911. It provides the page number in the destroyed volume where the full citation was located, the name of the appointee, office, and date. Therefore, this surviving index volume actually acts as a record of appointments made by the council between 1777 and 1786.

This series consists of two original volumes (Vol. A and Vol. B) of accounts for obligations incurred by the state from 1775-1794. Entries include abstracts of pay and ration rolls for militia officers and private soldiers; accounts for supplies purchased or requisitioned; accounts for soldiers' back pay or widows' pensions; accounts for loyalist lands leased or sold; accounts for service by state officers and; accounts of port fees. Original manuscript indexes to Volumes A and B and bound photostatic copies of the two original volumes are also included in the series.

Clinton Correctional Facility, located in Clinton County, N.Y., is a maximum security correctional facility for male felons. Inmate case files describe in great detail the family and social background, arrest, confinement, and release/parole of incarcerated men.

This series contains copies of documents submitted by veterans claiming pensions under various State laws. The State auditor (previously auditor general) received the originals of these documents, copied and audited them, and authorized the payment of pensions.

Attica Correctional Facility, located in Wyoming County, N.Y., is a maximum security correctional facility for male felons. Inmate case files describe in great detail the family and social background, arrest, confinement, and release/parole of incarcerated men.

These abstracts were compiled from original muster rolls of New York State Militia units that were temporarily mustered into federal service during the Civil War. Thirty eight of the sixty-five militia organizations that served in the Civil War are documented in this series. The abstracts contain the following categories of information for each individual: date of enlistment; age (in years); place of enlistment and for how long; date mustered in; grade; explanation; and remarks.