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PREFACE.

So much desire has been expressed during many years for the publication of the record of baptisms, in the Dutch church, that an effort has been successfully made to gratify it, and the result is presented in this volume. Not only has every name on record in those archives been transcribed, with the dates of births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths, as fully as they have been entered, but all names and dates that have been found in other places, are here grouped with them by families and arranged alphabetically, forming an extensive collection of genealogical information, pertaining to the ancient inhabitants of this city, extending over a period of nearly two centuries.

Following these is an arrangement of house lots into tables, forming a street directory of the city from the year 1650 onward, with the dates of patents and transfers of city lots, a most extraordinary achievement, the result of long and patient research by Prof. Jonathan Pearson, of Union College. It is hardly possible to over estimate the value of these results, or to appreciate the labor bestowed upon their discovery and arrangement. They serve to show the residences of the inhabitants of this city, of whom so much has been said in these annals, as they were located two centuries ago, and to mark the changes of ownership from time to time down to a comparatively recent period,

The annals of the two years embraced in that portion termed Notes from the Newspapers, show an unusual mortality among citizens who occupied eminent positions, or who will be remembered for various qualities. Among these may be mentioned, Gen. Stephen Van Rensselaer, the last of the patroons; Dr. Alden March, Prof. Amos Dean, the Rev. William James, the Rev. Isaac N. Wyckoff, Richard V. DeWitt, John S. Van Rensselaer, James Edwards, Peter Cagger, Charles L. Elliot, S. P. Jermain, Volkert P. Douw, B. P. Johnson, N. S. Benton, Dr. Pomfret, Isaac Vanderpoel, Dr. Wade, Egbert Eg

berts, Wm. Smith, Cyrus Hawley, Capt. R. W. Sherman, H. B. Haswell, W. A. Wharton, P. A. Sabbaton, Capt. Wm. Adams, Duncan McKercher, Wm. Mascraft, Matthew Burton, F. H. Hastings, F. L. Yates, Joseph B. Taylor, Gilbert C. Davidson, Thomas Noonan, Silas B. Howe, Joel W. Andrews, and others with whom we have been long familiar; all of whom passed off the stage of life during the years 1868 and 1869.

The same period witnessed the demolition of the Church on the corner of Beaver and Pearl streets, the most ancient church edifice in the city, known as the Old Brick, and of the market house. opposite to it, and the erection of modern edifices on their sites; the erection of an unusual number of new churches; the removal of the burial grounds; the completion of the Susquehanna rail road; the paving of streets with wood; the beginning of a new capitol; the introduction of street fountains; the appearance and disappearance of velocipedes; the advent of the Cardiff giant!

The remainder of the volume is devoted to the County Records begun in the previous volume, to which reference was made in the preface to the same. The index contains the name of every person mentioned in the book, with references to all pages on which such name occurs.

This series of historical events now consists of ten volumes of Anuals, and four of Collections. It was begun almost a quarter of a century ago, and has been prolonged in deference to the encouragement of a few who have taken an interest in these matters. The publisher will ever have a grateful recollection of their sympathy and support. But as there must be an ending somewhere, it is proposed to make it here. It is therefore almost certain that this volume will close the work, although so much remains unpublished.

ALBANY PAPERS.

NOTES FROM THE NEWSPAPERS.

1868.

JANUARY 4. Snow fell all day, but the temperature was above freezing point, and it melted as it fell in many places. Lowest temperature, 30° Mary, wife of Patrick Mullen, died, aged 38. John Seits died, aged 36. Mrs. Madden died, aged 60.

5. Air, highest 34, lowest 10.

6. Air, h. 12, 1. 9......... Charles William Teelen died, aged 24. Mary J. Davenport, wife of J. W. Patten, died, aged 42.

7. Temperature at zero.

At 6 o'clock in the morning a meteorolite exploded in the eastern sky, like a rocket, casting a brilliant light upon the earth, and leaving a horizontal bar of light which gradually faded during about sixty seconds.

8. Benedict Lewis died, aged 28. Philip Sohni died, aged 34. 9. Mary G. Redden died, aged 79.

10. Joseph B. Taylor died in New York, aged 45. He was one of the firm of John Taylor & Sons, which but very recently consisted of the father and four sons, now reduced to one, William H. Taylor, alderman of third ward. Joseph B. had resided some time in New York at the head of that branch of the firm, and was a member of the board of supervisors of that city. His remains were brought to this city for interment........ Mary Veeder, wife of Henry Niles, died, aged 49. 11. James S. Hitchcock died, aged 49.

12. William B. Wright, chief judge of the court of appeals died, aged 61. In 1846 he was a member of the Constitutional Convention from Sullivan county; 1846, was a member of assembly, and was an unsuccessful candidate for speaker; 1847, was elected judge of the supreme court, and was twice reelected; 1861, was elected one of the judges of the court of appeals, which office he held at the time of his death..........Christiana, wife of D. A. Bulson, died, aged 57.

13. Mary Ann Mullaly, wife of John Riley, died, aged 36. 14. Rebecca Vandervolgen died, aged 74. Michael A. Bigley died, aged 41. Eliza Rolman, wife of H. A. Anthony, died, aged 34. Charles H. Campbell died, aged 28.

Hist. Coll. iv.

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