1787 map of Rensselaerville

About 1785 Stephen Van Rensselaer III hired William Cockburn to make a comprehensive survey of his Helderberg wilderness in preparation for leasing the vancant land in the hills surrounding the already settled valleys. The resulting 1787 survey map shows roads, churches, mills, and streams, gives the lot number and name of each leaseholder.

Click here for the full story of the 1787 survey map.

DIGITAL IMAGES OF THE 1787 MAP

The northern 1787 Wm. Cockburn map of the Western Manor of Van Rensselaer covers all of what are now the Towns of Berne and Knox. The southern map is of Rensselaerville and Westerlo. The maps are from photostats made in the 1930s or 40s of the original map in the NYS Library Manuscripts and Special Collections Division in Albany. These digital images were made by Harold Miller of photos taken of the photostat copies and manipulated in an attempt to sharpen the images.

The map below was reproduced from a book by Mrs. Washbon and was taken from From People Made it Happen Here, History of the Town of Rensselaerville, courtesy of the Rensselaerville Historical Society. It is based on the Cockburn Survey in 1787 for Stephen Van Rensselaer III. It shows the names of the inhabitants and the number of the lot on which their residences were located or on which they had made improvements without dwellings.

1787 Cockburn survey map of what is now Rensselaerville
From People Made it Happen Here, History of the Town of Rensselaerville, courtesy of the Rensselaerville Historical Society