Albany was one of the twelve origional counties of colonial New York as established by Governor Thomas Dongan in 1683.

By definition, Albany County was to "containe the Towns of Albany, the Collony Renslaerwyck, Schonecteda, and all the villages, neighborhoods, and Christian Plantacons on the east side of Hudson River from Roelof Jansen's Creeke, and on the west side from Sawyer's Creeke to the Sarraghtoga." In time, its boundary lines would become more closely defined!

But practically speaking, until the late 1760s, most people thought of Albany County as the entire upriver region of the province. Any more precise definition of its boundaries was the subject of much discussion, uncertainty, and controversy involving Yankees and Yorkers, the French, other Euro-Americans, and Native peoples. However, its expansive nature is depicted on a number of contemporary maps.

Albany County was composed of a number of political sub-divisions. Located on a map of the province dated 1776, they included the City of Albany, the Manor of Rensselaerswyck (later broken into Watervliet, Bethlehem, the hilltowns, and the East Manor), the town or borough of Schenectady, the village of Kinderhook, Schaghticoke, Livingston Manor, Saratoga, Hoosick, Great Imboght, Catskill and Coxsackie, Schoharie, Claverack, King's District, German Camp, and Cambridge.

Halfmoon was an informal entity from the early eighteenth century and erected as a town in 1788. Lansingburgh or "the New City" was known separately from the 1770s.

For most of the colonial period, the city and county of Albany sent two and then three delegates to the Provincial Assembly. Rensselaerswyck and later Schenectady (beginning in 1726) also were allowed one delegate each. From its earliest days, the Albany County militia was composed of residents of the county's community and was organized by locale.

In 1774, Albany County was the most populated county in colonial New York with 42,706 settlers. In 1790, the count had reached 75,921 inhabitants and it still was the most populated county in what now was New York State. By 1800, Albany County had achieved its present boundaries as Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Greene, and Columbia Counties had been split off from it. Albany County was now confined to the west side of the Hudson River and south of the Mohawk. Consequently, its population had dipped to 25,155 people!

The Colonial Albany Social History Project is focused on the people who founded and built the CITY of Albany during its formative years. However, we understand that the city story cannot be separated from that of its hinterland! This page will provide access to information and issues relating to the people of colonial Albany and the greater county in the surrounding countryside.

The standard history of Albany County was published in 1886. The Wikipedia presentation has many interesting features., Some historical materials are available on the Internet. See also a published NYG&BR article on the county's districts that includes valuable maps. More resources will be described here in the future!