History of Columbia County, New York
By Captain Franklin Ellis
Published by Everts & Ensign
Philadelphia, PA
1878
CHAPTER VI
Pages 34 to 36
CIVIL HISTORY
Formation of Districts--Erection and Subdivision of the County.
Civil government was first introduced into what is now the State of New York from the Dutch Republic in 1621. Soon after the discovery of the "Great River of the Mountains" by Hudson, trading vessels were dispatched to the new land, whose enterprising skippers established trading-posts along the river, and shortly afterwards the States-General took formal possession of the country, and the name of New Netherlands was given to the territory lying between New France and Virginia.
On the 11th of October, 1614, a large commercial company, similar to its prototype, the Dutch East India Company, styled the "New Netherland Company," for trading purposes with the Dutch possession in America. The charter was to expire in three years from its date, but so profitable were the operations of the company at the expiration of their charter, that its wealth and consequent influence were such as to enable it to continue its monopoly of trade, and procure a still more liberal charter for a much more extensive company. In 1821 a second company was incorporated and chartered, under the name of the "Dutch West India Company." It was a vast monopoly, founded in the selfish interest alone of trade, protracted and concentrated even by the very limitation of its existence, which was to continue for a period of twenty-two years.
On the 12th day of May, 1664, Charles II., King of England, disregarding the Dutch claim to the "New Netherlands," granted to his brother James, Duke of York and Albany, "all Mattawacks (now Long Island), all Hudson's river, all the lands from the west side of the Connecticut river to the east side of Delaware bay, together with the royalties and rights of government."
To enforce this claim, Colonel Richard Nicolls was sent with a force naval and military, and Petrus Stuyvesant, the Dutch governor, surrendered the forts and government of the colony, stipulating for the retention of the rights of the West India Company in the lands then held by it and its grantees. In 1667, by the treaty of Breda, between England and Holland, the possession of the country was guaranteed to the Duke of York by the States-General. With the exception of a brief interval in 1673-74, when the Dutch gained a temporary supremacy, the colony or province remained under the English rule until the war of the American Revolution, when the prerogative of the king gave way to the constitution of a sovereign state, under which the people are supreme and the sole source of government.
Under the Dutch the only civil divisions were the city and towns. In 1665 a district or shrievalty, called Yorkshire, was erected, comprising Long Island, Staten Island, and a part of the present county of Westchester. For judicial purposes it was divided into the east, west, and north ridings. Counties were first erected by the Colonial Assembly, in November, 1683, and were twelve in number, as follows: Albany, Cornwall, Dukes, "Dutchesses," Kings, New York, Orange, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, Ulster, and Westchester.
The county of Albany, as then erected, contained within its boundaries the present area of Columbia, except such portion as lies south of Roeloff Jansen's Kill, which was then a part of Dutchess county. The former county was thus limited in the act of erection: "To conteyne the towne of Albany, the colony of Rensselaerswyck, Schonectade, and all the villages, neighborhoods, and Christian habitacons on the east of Hudson's river from Roeliffe Jansen's creek, and on the west from the Sawyer's creek to the Saraaghtooga."
The second Assembly, which met in 1691, under authority of the new sovereigns, William and Mary, declared the legislation of the first Assembly null and void.* and proceeded to reorganize the counties. By that act of reorganization (passed Oct. 1, 1691) the county of Albany was defined "to contain the manor of Rensselaerswyck, Schenectada, and all the Villages, Neighborhoods, and Christian Plantations on the east side of Hudson's River from Roeloff Jansen's Creek, and on the west side from Sawyer's Creek to the outmost end of Saraghtoga." Dutchess county was by the same act described as extending "from the Bounds of the county of Westchester on the south side of the Highlands along the east side of Hudson's River as far as Roeloff Jansen's Creek, and eastward into the Woods Twelve Miles." This, so far as concerned the line between Dutchess and Albany, was but a re-establishment of the original boundary.
Roeloff Jansen's creek continued to be the north boundary of Dutchess county until 1817, when (May 27) a law was passed enacting that "the manor of Livingston shall be and forever remain annexed to the Countie of Albanie, and be accounted as Part, Parcel, and Member thereof, which bounds of the said Manor shall end and terminate the Countie of Albanie on the East side of Hudson's River, as the Sawyer's Creek doth terminate the same on the west side thereof."
By an act passed March 24, 1772, the territory now Columbia county was divided and formed into districts as follows, viz."
"All that part of the county of Albany north of the county of Dutchess and south of the bounds of Claverack, continued to the easternmost extent of this Colony and to the eastward of Hudson's River, shall be called and known as the Distinct of the Manor of Livingston;" and
"All that part which lies to the eastward of Kinderhook District, to the north of Claverack District, and to the west of the east bounds of this Colony, and to the south of an East line from Bearen Island, shall be one separate and distinct district, and be henceforth called and known by the name of Kings District;" and
"All that part of said county of Albany which is bounded on the south by the district of the Manor of Livingston, on the east by the east bounds of this Colony, on the west by Hudson's River, on the north by a Line beginning at the mouth of Major Abraham's Creek, and running thence up to the first falls, and from thence east as far as this Colony extends, shall be, and is hereby declared to be, one separate and distinct District, and the same shall be from henceforth called and known by the Name of the District of Claverack; " and
"All that part of the said county of Albany which lies to the northward of Claverack District, to the southward of an east line from Bearen Island in Hudson's River to the eastward of Hudson's river, and to the west of a straight line drawn from a point in the said East line from Bearen Island ten miles distant from Hudson's River, and continued due south till it strikes the north bounds of the District of Claverack, shall be one separate and distinct District, to be called and known by the name of the District of Kinderhook."
Germantown was formed into a district April 1, 1775. Hillsdale was taken from Claverack and made a district March 26, 1782.
The city of Hudson was incorporated April 22, 1785, to include all the territory embraced within the boundaries of Major Abraham's (Stockport) creek on the north, Claverack creek on the east, the north line of the district of the manor of Livingston on the south, and the Hudson river on the west.
The districts were all formed prior the the organization of Columbia county, which was erected as such by act of Legislature, passed April 4, 1876, † as follows:
"An Act to divide the County of Albany into two Counties.
"Whereas, the County of Albany is so Extensive as to be Inconvenient to its Inhabitants, therefore be it enacted by the People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, and it is hereby enacted by the Authority of the same, that that part of the County of Albany which lies on the East side of Hudson's River, on the South side of the North Line of Kinderhook District, and on the South of the North Line of King's District, shall be one separate and Distinct County, and shall be called and known by the name of Columbia; and be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the said County of Columbia shall hold and enjoy all the Rights, Privileges, and Immunities which appertain to other Counties within this State.
"And be it further Enacted by the authority aforesaid that the Court-House and Gaol for the said County of Columbia shall be erected at or near the place where the old church in Claverack now stands.
(Signed) "PIERRE VAN CORTLANDT, Pres. Sen.
"JOHN LANSING, JR., Speaker
"GEO. CLINTON."
The original towns of Columbia county, seven in number, were erected as such by an act passed March 7, 1788; their territorial description and boundaries being established by that act as follows, viz.:
"All that part of the County of Columbia bounded westerly and northerly by the County of Albany, southerly be the north bounds of the city of Hudson as far as the first falls in Major Abraham's Creek, and from thence running east and easterly by a line running from a place in the north line of the county of Columbia ten miles distant from Hudson' River, due south, until it strikes the said last line from the said Falls," to be the town of Kinderhook; and
"All that part of the said county now called Kings District bounded westerly by Kinderhook, northerly by the County of Albany, easterly by the east bounds of the State, and southerly by the said east line from the first falls in Major Abraham's Creek aforesaid, continued to the east bounds of this State, shall be, and hereby is, erected into a town by the name of Canaan;" and
"All that part bounded southerly by the Manor of Livingston, westerly by the city of Hudson, northerly by Kinderhook, and easterly by a line beginning at the southeast corner of Kinderhook, and running thence south fourteen degrees west to the Manor of Livingston," was established as the town of Claverack; and
"All that part of the said county bounded westerly by Claverack, northerly by Canaan, easterly by the east bounds of this State, and southerly by the Manor of Livingston and the north line thereof, continued to the east bounds of the State," was erected as Hillsdale; and
"All that part of said county beginning on the south side of the mouth of a certain river, commonly called Roeloff Jansen's Kill, and running thence along the south side of said river eastwardly until it comes to the Tract of Land heretofore granted to Dirck Wessels, lying on both sides of said river, thence along the westerly, northerly, and easterly bounds of the said tract until it again comes to the said river, and then along the south side of the said river, and then (by various courses) till it meets with the north line of the county of Dutchess to Hudson's River, and thence northerly up along said river to the place of beginning," was erected as the town of Clermont, "except thereout the Tract of Country called the German, or East Camp;" and
"All that part of the said county known by the name of the German, or East Camp," was erected as Germantown.
"And all the remaining Part of the said county of Columbia shall be and is hereby erected into a town by the name of Livingston."
The other towns which are at present embraced in the county have been formed and erected as follows:
Chatham, formed from Canaan and Kinderhook, erected March 17, 1795.
Ancram, from Livingston, erected as Gallatin, March 19, 1803; name changed as at present March 25, 1814.
Taghkanic, from Livingston, erected as Granger, March 19, 1803; present name adopted March 25, 1814.
Austerlitz, from Canaan, Chatham, and Hillsdale, erected March 28, 1818.
Ghent, from Chatham, Claverack, and Kinderhook, erected April 3, 1818.
New Lebanon, from Canaan, erected April 21, 1818.
Stuyvesant, from Kinderhook, erected April 21, 1823.
Copake, from Taghkanic, erected March 26, 1824.
Gallatin, from Ancram, erected March 27, 1830.
Stockport, from Hudson, Ghent, and Stuyvesant, erected April 30, 1833.
Greenport, from Hudson, erected March 13, 1836.
Additional territory taken from Clermont was given to Germantown, March 2, 1858.
*Journal of Colonial Assembly.
†On the first day of April, 1799, the south boundary line of the county was defined to be "a due East line drawn from the South bank of the Sawyer's Kill, on the west side of Hudson' river, continued due East till it meets with a line settled and established between Robert R. Livingston and Zachariah Hoffman, deceased, and others as the mutual boundary so far as it respected them individually, then along the same as far as it runs and thence on the same course continued to the southernmost bend of Roeloff Jansen's Kill."
