The first settlers of Albany, New York were Dutch; in the 18th century, however, Albany claimed an admixture of English and Palatine Germans, the three nationalities together providing the axis on which this genealogical compendium of Albany families rests. Typically, the articles, which are arranged in alphabetical order by family name, give the names of husbands, wives and children and dates of birth, marriage and death, and they are laced with incidental references to land holdings, occupations, and places of residence. A key to Dutch surnames, which are occasionally or constantly omitted in the ancient records of Albany and Schenectady, is prefixed to the work. An index of 7,000 entries helps to coordinate this research. In the preparation of materials for this work, the compiler drew on the baptism and marriage registers of the First Reformed Church of Albany, laboring as well with records from other sources, such as wills, deeds, mortgages, marriage contracts, and a variety of other matter found in the offices of the Albany County and City Clerks.

This is an extensive collection of genealogies of the first settlers of Schenectady, tracing families in the direct male line for at least three generations. The compiler based his research, in large part, on the baptism and marriage registers of the First Reformed Church of Schenectady but otherwise drew on records of the Secretary of State of New York, the Clerks of the City and County of Albany, and the Court of Appeals. The result is a genealogical compendium of unimpeachable authority. The articles range from brief paragraph-length sketches to full-blown family histories and are characterized by a catalogued progression of names and dates of birth, marriage, and death with incidental references to land holdings, occupation, place of residence, country of origin, and date of immigration. The articles are arranged in alphabetical order by family name, allowing easy access, and all names cited therein are included in the index, which yields more than 6,000 entries.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1872. The publishing house Anatiposi publishes historical books as reprints. Due to their age, these books may have missing pages or inferior quality. Our aim is to preserve these books and make them available to the public so that they do not get lost.