Walter Greenspan wrote:

On 6/25/01 (9:24:43 AM EDT), the following query from David Minor
([log in to unmask]) was posted:

"I'm looking for the approximate population of Albansy in the year 1650."

The Village of Fort Orange, the predecessor to the City of Albany, was itself
not incorporated until 1652.

For those unfamiliar with the early municipalities in what is now New York
State, the first municipality was the Village of Breuckelen, lineal ancestor
of Brooklyn, incorporated by charter in 1646; the 2nd was the Village of Fort
Orange in 1652; and then the 3rd municipality was the City of Nieuw
Amsterdam, lineal ancestor of New York City, incorporated by charter in 1653.

Regards,

Walter Greenspan

The dates of chartering the villages of New Netherland, and the municipality of New Amsterdam, can be found in the introduction to E. B. O'Callaghan's Laws and Ordinances of New Netherland, 1638-1674.  O'Callaghan notes Hempstead being chartered in 1644, Gravesend in 1645, Flushing in 1645 with a schout and full court in 1648, Beverwijck and Middleburg in 1652, then New Amsterdam in 1653. (The rest of the villages through 1664 are also listed.)

And, in case it hasn't been mentioned to the List Members, the New Netherland Project's web page  http://www.nnp.org  contains an excellent bibliography of primary and secondary material.

Martha Dickinson Shattuck