Mike, According to "The Handybook", Washington County (called Charlotte County until 1784, when it was renamed) split off from Albany County in 1772. The Court House in Fort Edwards has land records from 1764. So you should look in both Court Houses, depending on the date of the deeds you are looking for. As for the existance of a particular deed, a phone call to the County Clerk might answer that question. Fort Edwards County Clerk's phone number is 518-747-3374, and the number for Albany County is 518-445-7644. Last year I called the Montgomery County Court House in Fonda to see if they had a deed from 1792, and they looked it up, and told me that it was there. If you want, I can give you off-line the name of an Albany researcher who will go to both Court Houses for you. Carl Hommel ----- Original Mssage ----- From: "Michael McAlonie" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, October 16, 2004 5:38 AM Subject: [NYWASHIN] deed locations > To research deeds that are PRE 1794 (or whatever year Cambridge became > Washington County and not Albany County) should one look in Ft Edward at > the County clerks or at the Albany county clerks/ Hall of Records? Or do > these land records still exist? > > Thanks! > > Mike

Mike, Carl and List, The geographical evolution of Washington County into its present configuration was a little more complicated than the material that Carl quoted from the "The Handybook" would lead one to believe. For my part, I simply zeroed in on the date that the Cambridge Tax District of Albany County was added to Washington County. A municipal entity called Charlotte County was created out of Albany County on March 12, 1772. That municipal entity included a rather large portion of the present day state of Vermont. On Mary 24, 1772, Charlotte County lost land to Cumberland County and exchanged land with Gloucester County. On April 1, 1775, Charlotte County gained more land from Albany County and exchanged land with Cumberland County. On January 15, 1777, Charlotte County list land to Vermont. On June 26, 1781, Charlotte County was overlapped by Rutland (VT), when Vermont attempted to annex part of New York State. February 23, 1782, The Overlap by Rutland (VT) was eliminated when Vermont gave up it attempt to annex part of New York. On April 2, 1784, Charlotte County was renamed Washington County. On March 1788, Washington County lost 1,560 square miles of land when Clinton County was created. On February 7, 1791, Washington County gained 1/2 of the Saratoga Tax District and all of the Cambridge Tax District of Albany County, a gain of 1,770 square miles of land. On April 3, 1801 Washington County gained Montgomery County. On March 12, 1813 Washington County lost 840 Square miles of land when Warren County was created. On March 29, 1822, Washington County lost 840 square miles of land to Rensselaer County. On April 7, 1880, Washington County gained 840 square miles of land from Rutland (VT). (Please see New York, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, Compiled by Kathryn Ford Thorne, and edited by John H. Long. (c) 1993) Since I knew that you were interested in land in the Cambridge Tax District, I considered the important date for you land records to be to be 1791. Any deed, filed in the ordinary normal course of business, will be filed in the Clerk's Office in and for the county in which the land is situate. Early deeds that were not filed in a timely manner, but filed later, may be in Ft. Edward, but such a deed will be the exception - not the rule. As I wrote to you this morning, I suggest that you look at the Albany County Grantor and Grantee Indexes for transaction before 1791. The next thing to do would be to check the Washington County Grantor and Grantee Indexes. Then you may want to wander down stairs to the Washington County Archives. I have also found land records at the New York State Archives in what I consider the strangest places. Although I am a graduate of a New York law school, I do not speak New York legalese fluently. So why I would find land records in the Department of State Dockets is beyond me, but I am sure that New York lawyers have a logical explanation for this practice. Although the employees in the Washington County Clerk's Office are helpful, they will not do your work for you. Even though I am an attorney, with over 32 years experience working with 17th and 18th century legal documents and am licensed to certify title to land, I find running titles in Washington County to be particularly difficult, primarily because so little of what I have been looking for has been recorded. Sincerely, Leslie Potter Glen Mills, PA