South Dutchess County expanded rapidly, growing from fewer than 50 families in 1740 to nearly 1,400 in 1790. The early residents included Dutch and French settlers and migrants from New England and Westchester County, New York. Some were long term tenants, while others resided a short time and moved on, going farther north into New York and Vermont. With over 200 pages devoted to never before published tax lists and farm lot maps, this volume brings together tax, tenant, militia, and census records of residents of the South (Southern) Precinct of Dutchess County, New York, and its successor precincts and towns.
The complete extant tax lists include over 20,000 entries from February 1740/1 through June 1779. Presenting all names in their original order, the lists correct deficiencies and omissions of previously published reports of taxables. The author explains the organization and meaning of the lists and augments the text with suggested corrections for possible or apparent scribe errors, based upon a meticulous comparison of the lists from year to year.
Tenant lists, farm lot maps, militia records, and the 1790 census, when used in conjunction with the tax lists, assist in identifying neighborhoods, migration groups, and families. Using surveys and deeds, the author created original maps locating pre-Revolution tenants of over 260 farm lots in four of the most populated original nine Philipse Patent Lots.
Each section is preceded by an explanation of the records. The every-name index includes over 1500 surnames and over 5000 individuals who lived in the area from 1740-1790. Twelve pages devoted to the history of the proprietors and settlers, including eight maps, serve to enhance the reader's understanding of the impact disputes, terrain, and landlords had on settlement.
The hardback edition has thicker paper than the paperback edition.
Highlights of never before published material:
- Twelve-page synopsis of the history of the area, with eight illustrative maps
- Complete every-name tax lists as presented in the original 1741-1779 records of Dutchess County, comprised of over 20,000 entries
- Map based upon the 1762 survey field notes of Philipse Patent Lot Six, naming the tenants on each of the 96 farm lots (an area now included in the Towns of Kent and Carmel)
- Four maps identifying an additional 170 farm lots with accompanying tenant lists
