Because NYC is the most populated city in the United States and has been the portal of immigration for the ancestors of millions of Americans, there are extensive resources for studying its genealogical and municipal histories. We suggest that you visit these links on the following topics:

COLONIAL NEW YORK CITY
Manhattan was once a vast forest of oak, maple, chestnut, and pine trees; and abounded with berry bushes. The first white man to see Manhattan was the Italian explorer, Giovanni da Verrazano, working for the King of France—April 1524.

HISTORICAL CHRONOLOGY OF NEW YORK CITY
Important events preceding and following consolidation of the boroughs.

CONSOLIDATION OF FIVE BOROUGHS INTO NEW YORK CITY
In 1997, a celebration took place for the centennial anniversary of "Greater New York City." Learn more about the importance of what took place on May 4, 1897, a charter that stated:

	"An act to unite into one municipality under the corporate 
            name of the City of New York, the various communities 
            lying in and about New York harbor, including the City 
            and County of New York, the City of Brooklyn and the 
            County of Kings, the County of Richmond, and part of 
            the County of Queens, and to provide for the government 
            thereof."

MAYORS OF NEW YORK, 1898-1998
Robert Van Wyck through David Dinkins

HISTORY OF GRACIE MANSION
Includes links to biographies of New York's mayors who have occupied Gracie Mansion, from Mayor Fiorella LaGuardia, 1942-1945 to Rudolph Giuliani, 1994-2001.

HISTORY OF POTTERS FIELD
Since 1869, Potters Field, more correctly named City Cemetery at Hart Island, is the final resting place of an estimated 750,000 people, many of whom who died in prisons, hospitals, on the streets, or otherwise forgotten, nameless, or too poor to afford a decent burial.

HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES:
Studies Among the Tenements of New York
An online edition of the book by Jacob A. Riis, originally published in 1890.
If you would like to own a physical copy of this book for your research shelf,
click here for ordering information.

HISTORY OF BROOKLYN
Brooklyn Archaeology, The Battle of Brooklyn, and the Brooklyn Dodgers are some of the links you will find on this page.

100 YEARS OF NEW YORK CITY
The New York Times presents 100 years of history and photos of New York City.

THE WORLD TRADE CENTER (WTC)
Before and after September 11, 2001

Other Historical Links

Early History of the NYC Fire Department

Early History of the NYC Police Department (In 1845, NYC created the first metropolitan in the U.S.)

History of the Department of Corrections

History of NYC Zoning

History of NYC Department of Environmental Protection

History of Juvenile Detention in NYC

History of Central Park

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COUNTY INDEX

Click on the links below for book titles and history specific to that county.

From what or whom did the name of each county originate? Click here to find out.


County	Date Formed	Parent County	County Seat
Albany	1683	original county	Albany
Allegany	1806	Genesee	Belmont
Bronx	1914	New York	Bronx
Broome	1806	Tioga	Binghamton
Cattaraugus	1808	Genesee	Little Valley
Cayuga	1799	Onondaga	Auburn
Charlotte	1772	Albany	renamed Washington in 1784
Chautauqua	1808	Genesee	Mayville
Chemung	1798	Tioga	Elmira
Chenango	1798	Herkimer, Tioga	Norwich
Clinton	1788	Washington	Plattsburgh
Columbia	1786	Albany	Hudson
Cortland	1808	Onondoga	Cortland
Delaware	1797	Ulster, Otsego	Delhi
Dutchess	1683	original county	Poughkeepsie
Erie	1821	Niagara	Buffalo
Essex	1799	Clinton	Elizabethtown
Franklin	1808	Clinton	Malone
Fulton	1838	Montgomery	Johnstown
Genesee	1802	Ontario	Batavia
Greene	1800	Ulster, Albany	Catskill
Hamilton	1816	Montgomery	Lake Pleasant
Herkimer	1791	Montgomery	Herkimer
Jefferson	1805	Oneida	Watertown
Kings Brooklyn	1683	Original county	Brooklyn
Lewis	1805	Oneida	Lowville
Livingston	1821	Genesee, Ontario	Geneseo
Madison	1806	Chenango	Wampsville
Monroe	1821	Genesee, Ontario	Rochester
Montgomery	1772	Albany (as Tryon to 1784)	Fonda
Nassau	1899	Queens	Mineola
New York City	1683	Original county	New York
Niagara	1808	Genesee	Lockport
Oneida	1798	Herkimer	Utica
Onondaga	1794	Herkimer	Syracuse
Ontario	1789	Montgomery	Canandaigua
Orange	1683	Original county	Goshen
Orleans	1824	Genesee	Albion
Oswego	1816	Oneida, Onondaga	Oswego, Pulaski
Otsego	1791	Montgomery	Cooperstown
Putnam	1812	Dutchess	Carmel
Queens	1683	Original county	Jamaica
Rensselaer	1791	Albany	Troy
Richmond Staten Island	1683	Original county	St. George
Rockland	1798	Orange	New City
St. Lawrence	1802	Clinton, Herkimer, Montgomery	Canton
Saratoga	1791	Albany	Ballston Spa
Schenectady	1809	Albany	Schenectady
Schoharie	1795	Albany, Ostego	Schoharie
Schuyler	1854	Tompkins, Steuben, Chemung	Watkins Glen
Seneca	1804	Cayuga	Ovid, Waterloo
Steuben	1796	Ontario	Bath
Suffolk	1683	Original county	Riverhead
Sullivan	1809	Ulster	Monticello
Tioga	1791	Montgomery	Owego
Tompkins	1817	Cayuga, Seneca	Ithaca
Tryon	1772	Albany	(renamed Montgomery 1784)
Ulster	1683	Original county	Kingston
Warren	1813	Washington	Lake George
Washington	1772	Albany (see Charlotte)	Hudson Falls
Wayne	1823	Ontario, Seneca	Lyons
Westchester	1683	Original county	White Plains
Wyoming	1841	Genesee	Warsaw
Yates	1823	Ontario, Steuben	Penn Yan

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