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Extent and Boundaries
The county of Rensselaer is centrally distant twelve miles from the Capitol at Albany. It is bounded on the north by Washington County, on the east by the States of Vermont and Massachusetts, on the south by the county of Columbia, and on the west by the Hudson River, which separates it from the counties of Albany and Saratoga. The county of Rensselaer is situated between latitude 42°25’ and 42°55’ north, and longitude 3°15’ and 3°45’ east of Washington, which corresponds to 73°15’ and 73°45’ west of Greenwich, England.

Its extreme length from north to south is about thirty-two miles, and its average width from east to west is about twenty-two miles. It contains six hundred and ninety square miles, or four hundred and forty-one thousand six hundred acres. The total population of the county in 1875, the date of the last census, was one hundred and four thousand five hundred and fifty-four. In the Revised Statues of the State this county is describe, and its boundary lines defined, as follows, to wit: "The county of Rensselaer shall contain all the part of this State bounded Easterly by the eastern bounds of this State; Southerly by the county of Columbia; Westerly by the middle of the main stream of Hudson’s River, with such variations as to included the islands lying nearest to the east bank thereof; and Northerly by a line beginning at the mouth of Lewis’ Creek or Kill, and running thence south eighty-four degrees east, to the middle of Hoosick River; then up along the same until it is intersected by a continuation of the before-mentioned line, and then along such continuation to the east bounds of the State."

The formation of original counties
From the time of the first division of the State into counties, under Charles II, on the first day of November in the year 1683, until the 24th day of March, 1772, all the territory lying northerly and westerly of what was then the county of Ulster was included in the county of Albany. On the 24th day of March, 1882, the vast county of Albany was divided, and two new counties set off, namely the counties of Tryon and Charlotte.

The county of Tryon included all that part of the State lying westerly of the aforesaid “established line”, which ran from the Mohawk, as above set forth, to the Canada line, at a point near the present Indian village of St. Regis. Tryon County was thus nearly two hundred miles wide on its eastern border, and stretched out westward two hundred and seventy miles to the shores of Lake Erie. The shiretown of Tryon County was Johnstown, near the Mohawk, the residence of Sir William Johnson, Bart. It was named in honor of William Tryon, the last colonial governor of the State. The county of Charlotte, scarcely less in size than Tryon County, included within its boundaries all the northern part of the State that lay easterly of the “Tryon County line,” and northerly of the present county of Saratoga and the Batterskill, in Washington County. Charlotte County also included the westerly half of what is now the State of Vermont, and was then the disputed territory known as the New Hampshire Grants. The easterly half of Vermont, lying west of the Connecticut River, also claimed by New York, and since forming part of Albany County, was set off into two counties, - Cumberland, in 1776, and Gloucester, 1770.

Charlotte County was so named in honor of the Princess Charlotte, daughter of George III, or, as some say, of the Queen Consort Charlotte of Mecklenburgh Strelitz. The county-seat of Charlotte County was Fort Edward. The first court was held in that village on the 19th of October, 1773, by Judge William Duer. The first clerk of the court was Daniel McCrea, a brother of Jeanie McCrea, whose tragic death soon after occurred near where the court sat.

On the 2d day of April, 1784, the Legislature of the then new State of New York passed an act by which it was ordained that "From and after the passing of this act, the county of Tryon shall be called and known by the name of Montgomery, and the county of Charlotte by the name of Washington."

Thus these two counties, says, Judge Gibson, in his “Bench and Bar of Washington County,” organized originally by one legislative act, and simultaneously named in complement to royalty and its satellite by a subsequent legislative act, after passing through a sea of fire and famine and desolation and war, were simultaneously born again in a baptism of blood, and one of them name after the greatest of its slaughtered heroes on the battle-field, Montgomery, and other after the most distinguished of her living survivors, the immortal Washington.

It will thus be seen that what is now the county of Saratoga was not sett off in the division of the 24th of March, 1772, but constituted and remained a part of Albany County until the 7th day of February, 1791, when Albany County was again divided, being reduced to its present limits, and the counties of Rensselaer and Saratoga set off.

Besides the county of Albany, there are nine other original counties in what is now the State of New York, - namely, the counties of Dutchess, kings, New York, Orange, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, Ulster, and Westchester.

These ten original counties were all formed on the 1st day of November 1683, by order of the Duke of York, then the sole proprietor of the provinces, and who ascended the throne of England on the 6th of February, 1685, as James II., of unfortunate memory. These counties were all name after James and his near relatives.

Thus the counties of New York and Albany were so called in honor of his twin titles, of the Duke of York in England and the Duke of Albany in Scotland.

The counties of King’s and Queen’s (now Kings and Queens, without the possessive) were named in honor of the duke’s royal brother, then King Charles II., and his wive, Catharine of Braganza. Duchess (now Dutchess), containing also what are now Columbia and Putnam Counties, complimented James’ wife, Mary Hyde, duchess of York.

Suffolk County was named after King Charles, in whom was then vested the title of Duke of Suffolk. This title was lost by Charles Grey, father of Lady Jane Grey, in consequence of her rebellion.

Richmond County was named in honor of Charles Lenox, Duke of Richmond, a natural son of Charles II. By a French woman, Louise de Querouaille. The royal dukedom of Richmond had descended from the brother of Henry Stuart, the father of James I., of England, and had become extinct on the death of James Stuart, son of the first cousin of Charles I. It was then conferred by Charles II. Upon the son of his favorite mistress above named, the ancestor of the present family of Richmond.

Orange County, then including Rockland County and all of the present county of Orange lying south of the line running west from the mouth of Murderer’s Creek, was so called in honor of William, Prince of Orange, who, which is wife, Mary of England, the daughter of James, ascended the throne of England as William and Mary.

In 1683 the younger brother of King Charles had the Irish title of the Duke of Ulster, and Ulster County was named in his honor. The county has since been divided, and from it taken the counties of Sullivan, Greene, and Delaware, and the northern part of orange.

On the death of the last Earl of Chester, the most important of the peerages of the old Norman kings, the title became merged in the crown, but was always conferred upon the Princes of Wales. As Charles II. Had no legitimate son, he himself retained the title, and it was also in his honor that the county of Westchester received its name.

But at the time of the division of Nov. 1, 1683, there were two other counties made out of what was then considered the duke’s province of New York, viz., the counties of Duke’s and Cornwall, and where are they? The title of Duke of Cornwall also remains the crown of England when there is no Prince of Wales to hold it, and the islands on the sea-coast of Maine, being claimed by james, were erected into the county of Cornwall. Marth’s Vineyard and Nantucket Islands, also claimed by him, were set off as Duke’s County. But Massachusetts, having the possession of all these islands, refused to give them up. James, therefore, yielded his claims, and Cornwall and Duke’s became the lost counties of New York. Dues is now one of the counties of the State of Massachusetts.

Civil Divisions of Rensselaer County
At the time of the division of the ancient county of Albany, and the setting off therefrom the counties of Tryon and Charlotte, as above describe, on the 24th day of March, 1772, the territory now constituting the county of Rensselaer, ten still remaining in Albany County, was divided by the same act of the provincial Legislature into four districts, namely the districts of Rensselaerwick, Hoosick, Pittstown, Schaghticoke. Pittstown is not mentioned in the March 1772 law that created the districts. The land of Pittstown would have been within what is described in that law as Schaghticoke

The district of Pittstown, however, was erected as a township by patent July 23, 1761. Unable to find any law that erected said township in The Colonial Laws of New York from the year 1664 to the Revolution: Volume IV; but is mentioned in French's Gazetteer What is now Rensselaer County thus remained divided into these four districts until after the war of the Revolution.

In 1784, Stephentown was formed from Rensselaerwick.

On the 7th day of March, 1788, three years before Rensselaer County was organized, the name “district” was dropped, and Rensselaerwick, Hoosick, Pittstown, and Schaghticoke were organized as towns of Albany County.

On the 7th day of February, 1791, the county of Rensselaer was erected, and by the same act the town of Troy taken from Rensselaerwick. Petersburgh was taken from Stephentown on the 18th of March, 1791.

Thus at the first meeting of the board of supervisors, in the year 1791, there were seven towns in the county, to wit: Rensselaerwick, Hoosick, Troy, Schaghticoke, Pittstown, Petersburgh, and Stephentown.

From these seven “mother-towns” of Rensselaer County other towns have been from time to time set off and subdivided until the county contained its present number of sixteen towns, and the city of Troy, as follows, to wit:

Greenbush was formed from Rensselaerwick on the 10th day of April, 1792. Another act of incorporation is dated March 17, 1795. A part of Sand Lake was set off in 1812, and East Greenbush, as “Clinton”, and North Greenbush were set off by act of Feb. 23, 1855, leaving the town of Greenbush coextensive only with the corporate bounds of the village of Greenbush as defined by the act of April 9, 1852.

Schodack was formed from the remainder of Rensselaerwick March 17, 1795, and from that date Rensselaerwick ceased to be the name of a town in Rensselaer County.

Berlin was formed from Petersburgh, Schodack, and Stephentown on the 21st day of March, 1806.

Nassau was formed from Petersburgh, Schodack, and Stephentown March 21, 1806.

Brunswick was formed from Troy March 20, 1807.

Grafton was formed from the towns of Troy and Petersburgh March 20, 1807.

Lansingburgh was formed as a town from Troy and Petersburgh march 20, 1807. A tract from Schaghticoke was annexed in 1819. A part of the city of Troy was taken off in 1836, and a part of the town of Brunswick in 1839.

Sand Lake was formed from Greenbush and Berlin June 19, 1812.

Poestenkill was formed from Sand Lake March 2, 1848.

East Greenbush was formed from Greenbush as Clinton Feb. 23, 1855, and its present name adopted April 14, 1858.

North Greenbush was formed from Greenbush Feb. 23, 1855.

The City of Troy was incorporated as a city April 12, 1816. It was formed as a town March 18, 1791. A village charter was first granted in 1791, and another in 1798. A part of Brunswick was annexed in 1814.

Source

 * This source and its contents are in the public domain.
 * This source and its contents are in the public domain.