New York State miscellany

Charity in New York State in 1906: State Institutions.  We are in the process of republishing sections of volume II of the Annual Report of the State Board of Charities for the year 1906.  The material will be of interest to local historians who wish a better picture of charitable institutions in their locale a century ago, to genealogists and family historians interested in the people who administered charity back then as well as how any unfortunates house in these facilities may have lived, and to those who have questions about the now-politicized "safety net" for the unfortunates in our society back in those years.  This section addresses the state asylums and other state-managed institutions (articles about specific counties will appear in the publications about each county -- note that the state institutions in this article are not included in the county sections).  19++ pages, in PDF format, download now for $2.00.

The First 20 years of the WCTU in New York State (1894).  The full title of this publication is Two Decades: A History of the First Twenty Years Work by the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in the State of New York 1874 – 1894.  Your publisher, when we began the project of digitizing this volume, viewed it as a document that would fit nicely in our Americana section along with the articles on speakeasy cards and “tonics” but came away from the project rather impressed with what these women (who did not yet have the right to vote) accomplished in their first 20 years.  Let it be clear that this is a history of a state WCTU organization, not a polemic, and while the authors assume a friendly audience, their discussion of tactics and their implementation are potentially useful to any disenfranchised group.  We were also impressed to learn of an aspect of the work of the WCTU in a seemingly unrelated area:  until they got legislative action in 1887 raising the age of consent to 16 years, it was a mind-boggling 10 years old.  One pauses in wonder at what the sexual proclivities of a legislature that considered ten year old girls to be fair game must have been.   94+ pages, in PDF format, download now for $5.00.

Land Patents and Purchases in New York State (1860), from French's Gazetteer of the State of New York.  This is a compilation of all of the major land grants, land patents, and land purchases in New York State.  We believe this is essential for anyone interested in the history of the state because of the many ways that the land grants and subdivisions affected land use and subsequent inhabitants.  8+ pages, PDF format, download now for $3.50.

Manufacturing and Commerce in New York State (1860), from French’s Gazetteer of the State of New York.   New York as a center of commerce and industry is a long-held distinction.  The tables in this chapter should be of use to historians interested in the Civil War and the period leading up to it.  In a few tables one gets a picture of trade – particularly cotton – in the critical years before the war.  The manufacturing section is also useful because it provides comparative statistics by county by type of manufacture.   16+ pages, PDF format, download now for $3.25.

Corporations in New York State (1860), from French's Gazetteer of the State of New York.  This compendium principally lists four kinds of corporations:  steam ship companies, public utilities, insurance companies, and banks.  The lengthy lists of closed and defunct insurance companies and banks gives one pause for thought.  21+ pages, PDF format, download now for $3.00