Research: Topics: Education: Guide to Records Relating to Native Americans
Guide to Records Relating to Native Americans
COLONIAL AND EARLY STATEHOOD RECORDS
Colonial Records
The records described below contain important information about British colonial policies toward the Native Americans and their response to the British. The records were maintained by the Colonial Secretary and transferred to the new Secretary of State in 1783. In the nineteenth century, the records were deposited in the State Library, which was then housed in the State Capitol building. Most of the records were damaged in the 1911 State Capitol fire and, in fact, many related records were lost in that fire. The extant records, now housed in the Archives, have received preservation treatment and have been microfilmed. Researchers must use the microfilm copies, unless special permission is given by the Archives to use the fragile original records.
No entries are included for Dutch colonial records, even though these contain much information about the early settlers' contact with the Native Americans. Staff of the New York State Library's New Netherland Project are translating and publishing the Dutch colonial records in the Archives. Interested researchers should contact the State Archives for up-to-date information about the availability of published translations.
A1895. Council Minutes, 1668-1783. 19 cubic feet.
Arrangement: chronological.
These are bound minutes of the executive and legislative sessions of the Council of the Colony of New York. The Council shared executive and legislative powers with the Governor. The minutes include laws, orders, and resolutions concerning land settlement, trade, and other relations with Native Americans.
Some of the minutes, excluding legislative sessions from 1686-1691 and 1775-1783 and executive sessions from 1674-1783, have been published. Minutes of legislative sessions are published in Journal of the Legislative Council of the Colony of New York. Began the 9th Day of April, 1691, and ended the 3rd Day of April, 1775 (Albany, 1861), 2 volumes. Executive Council minutes from 1668-1673 are published in Minutes of the Executive Council of the Province of New York, (Albany, 1910). The executive minutes are abstracted (but not fully reproduced) in "Calendar of Council Minutes, 1668-1783", New York State Library Bulletin 58, (April 1901).
Available on microfilm.
A1894. Council Papers, 1664-1781. 39 cubic feet.
Arrangement: chronological, but with separate groups of standard-size and oversize records.
This series consists of reports, correspondence, petitions, and other documents received and considered by the Council as the basis for decisions recorded in the Council Minutes. There are also copies of orders and warrants issued by the Council and by the Governor. Of particular interest for Native American studies are many documents relating to land settlement, defense against the French and their Native American allies, and trade. Included in this series are minutes and reports of the Commissioners of Indian Affairs concerning discussions with the Native Americans allied with the British.
In the early nineteenth century, the Council Papers were arranged in chronological order by the Secretary of State and bound with some other colonial records as part of a set titled "N.Y. Colonial Manuscripts." All of the documents in this set were abstracted in E.B. O'Callaghan's Calendar of Historical Manuscripts in the Office of the Secretary of State (Albany, 1866). Because approximately one-fourth of the Council Papers were destroyed in the 1911 Capitol fire, this Calendar is the only surviving record of some of the documents. Seventeen of the surviving volumes are so seriously damaged that they cannot be used without special permission.
Available on microfilm.
A3169. Council General Entries, 1665-1682 (with gaps). 1.3 cubic feet.
Arrangement: chronological.
General entries were official recorded copies of outgoing correspondence and other written documentation of the decisions of the Governor and Council. Included are copies of letters granting permission for the purchase of Native American lands and copies of regulations regarding such topics as purchase of Native American lands and the sale of liquor to Native Americans.
Indexing: alphabetical name and subject indexes. A1890. Bills Placed Before The Provincial Legislature Which Failed to Become Law, 1691-1770. .3 cubic feet.
Arrangement: chronological.
These bills were passed by the elected General Assembly, but not approved by the appointed Council. Included are bills concerning such topics as negotiations with Native Americans and authorization for individuals to purchase land from Native Americans.
Available on microfilm.
A1885. Governor's Warrants of Survey and Other Miscellaneous Records, 1721-1776. 1 cubic foot.
Arrangement: chronological
This series consists of documents that were bound into five volumes and titled "Miscellaneous Records" by the Secretary of State's Office in 1819. Most of the documents are warrants, or orders, from the Governor to the Surveyor General to carry out land surveys. The first volume, dating from 1721 to 1732, also contains several deeds to land sold by Native Americans to European settlers.
A1889. Minutes of Court of Commissioners Appointed to Examine the Controversy Between Connecticut and the Mohegan Indians, 1743. .5 cubic feet.
Arrangement: chronological
The King appointed members of the Councils of New York and New Jersey to investigate and settle a land dispute between Connecticut and the Mohegans. Records of the Court of Commissioners, which sat from May 4 to October 26, 1743 at Greenwich, Connecticut, include:
- summaries of each party's arguments and of the history of the dispute
- copies of relevant records such as deeds, acts of the Connecticut General Assembly, and testimony from previous inquiries
- summary lists of documents produced as evidence and read by the Court
- opinions of individual commissioners
The court concluded by ruling in favor of Connecticut and ordered that the book of proceedings be placed with the Secretary of New York.
Available on microfilm.
