Archibald Campbell was born about 1736. Several same-named individuals were at risk during the second half of the eighteenth century. Perhaps this individual worked as a surveyor in New Jersey prior to settling in Albany.  

By 1766, he was paying taxes on an Albany house. In 1768, he married Christina Starenberg of the Schoharie Valley. The marriage produced many children including Archibald who was baptized in the Albany Dutch church in 1778 and became a prominent Albany resident.

In 1763, he is said to have been deeded a tract of family land in Albany County. He was known regionally as a surveyor. In 1772, he laid out a 1.15 million acre tract in the Adirondacks. He also made a number of maps of the city of Albany.

At the outbreak of the War for Independence, Campbell supported the Revolutionary cause and was named to represent Charlotte County in the Provincial Congress. He also posted bail for some country people including his father-in-law.

For several decades these Campbells were Albany mainstays. During the 1780s, his store "opposite Mr. Denniston's tavern" was advertized in the Albany newspaper. He sold imported tea, sugar, and window glass. He owned and leased a number of lots within the city limits. In 1787, he served as an inspector in the first ward. He also was a member of the Albany Presbyterian church.

After the war, he resumed surveying. In 1785 he was the deputy State Surveyor. In 1789, he patented 3,000 acres of bottomland (including two islands) in what became Tioga County. He also owned lands in New Jersey and near Sacandaga!

Archibald Campbell filed a will in February 1793. It identified his wife and eleven living children. He died on April 24, 1793 and was buried in the Presbyterian church plot. He was two months shy of his fifty-eighth birthday.

Sources: The life of Archibald Campbell is CAP biography number 7528. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources. His name was shared by a number of important historical contemporaries! Was he the Archibald Campbell wounded at Ticonderoga in 1758 or '59?