Rensselaerville, New York
Encyclopedia
Rensselaerville is a town in Albany County
, New York
, United States. The population was 1,843 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Stephen Van Rensselaer. The "official" hamlets are Cooksburg, Medusa, Potter Hollow, Preston Hollow, and Rensselaerville.
under a feudal system, first as part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland
, then under the English
colony, and then US state, of New York. Some of the earliest settlement in Rensselaerville was along the five Native American
paths that crossed the town in the early 18th century. The southwestern corner along one of these, that connected the Hudson River
to the Schoharie Valley
was the first section of the town to be settled, this would be around 1712. This path was also the one used during wars between the Stockbridge Indians and those at Schoharie.
In 1787 the patroon had a survey and census taken in order to enroll squatters and collect the quitrent required of settlers on his lands.
Rensselaerville was created from part of the town of Watervliet
in 1790. In 1795, the northern part of the town was lost to create the new town of Berne
. Additional territory was lost from the eastern part of the town upon the formation of the town of Westerlo
in 1815.
In 1795 after Shays' Rebellion
Daniel Shays
moved from Massachusetts
to Preston Hollow
, a hamlet in Rensselaerville. His son became one of the leading citizens of the town.
, the town has a total area of 61.9 square miles (160.3 km²), of which, 61.5 square miles (159.3 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (0.63%) is water.
The south town line is the border of Greene County
, and the west town line is the border of Schoharie County
.
Catskill Creek
and its tributaries, Lake Creek, Fox Creek, Tenmile Creek
, and Eightmile Creek
, flow through the town.
of 2000, there were 1,915 people, 779 households, and 527 families residing in the town. The population density
was 31.2 people per square mile (12.0/km²). There were 1,187 housing units at an average density of 19.3 per square mile (7.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.98% White, 1.98% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.78% from other races
, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.
There were 779 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,391, and the median income for a family was $51,607. Males had a median income of $34,563 versus $30,298 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $20,921. About 2.8% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.
Albany County, New York
Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States. The population was 1,843 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Stephen Van Rensselaer. The "official" hamlets are Cooksburg, Medusa, Potter Hollow, Preston Hollow, and Rensselaerville.
History
Rensselaerville was once part of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, as such the people who farmed the land were technically leaseholders of the patroonPatroon
In the United States, a patroon was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland in North America...
under a feudal system, first as part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
, then under the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
colony, and then US state, of New York. Some of the earliest settlement in Rensselaerville was along the five Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
paths that crossed the town in the early 18th century. The southwestern corner along one of these, that connected the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
to the Schoharie Valley
Schoharie Valley
The Schoharie Valley is a corridor that runs through Schoharie County from Schoharie, New York until Gilboa, New York.-Geography:The Schoharie Valley is made up of plains surrounding the Schoharie Creek. Within the Schoharie Valley are the locations of Middleburgh, Schoharie, Fultonham, Breakabeen...
was the first section of the town to be settled, this would be around 1712. This path was also the one used during wars between the Stockbridge Indians and those at Schoharie.
In 1787 the patroon had a survey and census taken in order to enroll squatters and collect the quitrent required of settlers on his lands.
Rensselaerville was created from part of the town of Watervliet
Watervliet (town), New York
For the Shaker village, see Watervliet Shaker Historic District.The town of Watervliet was a town that at its height encompassed most of present-day Albany County and the majority of the current town of Niskayuna in neighboring Schenectady County, in the state of New York, United States...
in 1790. In 1795, the northern part of the town was lost to create the new town of Berne
Berne, New York
Berne is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 2,794 at the 2010 census. The town is at the west border of Albany County.- History :...
. Additional territory was lost from the eastern part of the town upon the formation of the town of Westerlo
Westerlo, New York
Westerlo is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 3,361 at the 2010 census.The town is on the south border of Albany County.- History :...
in 1815.
In 1795 after Shays' Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in central and western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion is named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War....
Daniel Shays
Daniel Shays
Daniel Shays was an American soldier, revolutionary, and farmer famous for leading the Shays' Rebellion.-Early life:...
moved from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to Preston Hollow
Preston-Potter Hollow, New York
Preston-Potter Hollow is a census-designated place in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 374 at the 2000 census....
, a hamlet in Rensselaerville. His son became one of the leading citizens of the town.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 61.9 square miles (160.3 km²), of which, 61.5 square miles (159.3 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (0.63%) is water.
The south town line is the border of Greene County
Greene County, New York
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Its name is in honor of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. Its county seat is Catskill...
, and the west town line is the border of Schoharie County
Schoharie County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 31,582 people, 11,991 households and 8,177 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 15,915 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
.
Catskill Creek
Catskill Creek
Catskill Creek is a tributary of the Hudson River that drains the east northern Catskill Mountains of the U.S. state of New York. From its source at Franklinton Vlaie in Schoharie County it flows southeast through parts of Albany County and Greene County to its mouth at the village of Catskill on...
and its tributaries, Lake Creek, Fox Creek, Tenmile Creek
Tenmile Creek (Catskill Creek)
Tenmile Creek is a tributary of Catskill Creek in Albany County, New York. Via Catskill Creek, it is part of the Hudson River watershed.Tenmile Creek runs through the villages of Rensselaerville and Medusa in the town of Rensselaerville. It approaches the village through a deep ravine, falling ...
, and Eightmile Creek
Eightmile Creek
Eightmile Creek is an tributary of Tenmile Creek in Albany County, New York. Via Tenmile Creek and Catskill Creek, it is part of the Hudson River watershed. Eightmile Creek runs through the town of Westerlo into the town of Rensselaerville, where it joins Tenmile Creek at the hamlet of Medusa....
, flow through the town.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,915 people, 779 households, and 527 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 31.2 people per square mile (12.0/km²). There were 1,187 housing units at an average density of 19.3 per square mile (7.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.98% White, 1.98% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.78% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.
There were 779 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,391, and the median income for a family was $51,607. Males had a median income of $34,563 versus $30,298 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $20,921. About 2.8% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in Rensselaerville
- Cooksburg – A hamlet in the southwest part of Rensselaerville near the town line.
- MedusaMedusa, New YorkMedusa is a hamlet in Albany County, New York in the United States. The population was 376 at the 2000 census.Medusa is a community in the Town of Rensselaerville.-Geography:Medusa is located at ....
– A hamlet near the town line, located east of Cooksburg. - Potter HollowPreston-Potter Hollow, New YorkPreston-Potter Hollow is a census-designated place in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 374 at the 2000 census....
– A hamlet near the south town line, west of Cooksburg. - Preston HollowPreston-Potter Hollow, New YorkPreston-Potter Hollow is a census-designated place in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 374 at the 2000 census....
– A hamlet in the southwest part of the town, north of Cooksburg. - Rensselaerville – A hamlet in the northeast part of the town.
- Shufelt Corners – A location north of Rensselaerville hamlet.
- Smiths Corner – A hamlet at the east town line.
Notable residents
- Mortimer M. JacksonMortimer M. JacksonMortimer Melville Jackson was an American Whig politician and diplomat from Wisconsin.Born in Rensselaerville, New York, Jackson was educated in New York City, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar. He was also involved with the Whig Party...
, jurist and diplomat - Andy Rooney had a summer home in Rensselaerville.
External links
- Rensselaerville official website
- The Rensselaerville Institute
- The Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve and Biological Research Station
- Albany Hilltowns is a One-Place Study on the history of the Albany County Hilltowns of BerneBerne, New YorkBerne is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 2,794 at the 2010 census. The town is at the west border of Albany County.- History :...
, KnoxKnox, New YorkKnox is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 2,692 at the 2010 census.The Town is in the northwest part of Albany County and is west of Albany, the state capital.- History :...
, WesterloWesterlo, New YorkWesterlo is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 3,361 at the 2010 census.The town is on the south border of Albany County.- History :...
, and Rensselaerville, and the families that lived there.