Research

This single volume was used by the keepers of the State Reformatory at Elmira to specifically enumerate and track inmates of Italian birth. Institutional authorities considered Italian immigrants to be among the new "dangerous classes" threatening American society. State authorities also feared that immigrant criminals were overburdening the prison system and that the federal government should bear a greater share of the expense of incarceration.

This series contains the miscellaneous filed papers of the New York State Surveyor General and the State Engineer and Surveyor. The series documents the role of the Surveyor General and State Engineer and Surveyor in establishing the boundaries of public and private lands, and in planning the development of the State's transportation system. A number of volumes contain documents relating to the sale of Loyalist lands by the Commissioners of Forfeitures during and after the Revolutionary War.

This volume contains thirty-eight wills proved (determined to be valid) and recorded in the New York State Supreme Court of Judicature at Albany.

This series consists of records of women paroled from the Women's Prison at Auburn. Files include criminal and personal history information similar to that found in standard state prison inmate case files from this era. The major difference is that these files were specifically compiled to document each inmate's interaction with the Parole Board, from initial application for parole, through evaluation by the board, to follow-up supervision after the granting of parole.

This series contains letterpress copies of replies sent by the comptroller's office in response to inquiries regarding Revolutionary War soldiers. The letters provide information derived from records that were ultimately transferred to the State Archives.

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.