The Town

Lansingburgh existed as a town (and a village) from 1807 to 1901. The Minutes of the Town of Lansingburgh are only known to survive for the period from April 7, 1807 to April 7, 1812, a photocopy of which is on file in the Lansingburgh Historical Society’s records held at the Rensselaer County Historical Society. Unless the later books are located (which seems unlikely at this point, but not impossible), the minutes of town meetings perhaps could only be reconstructed from reports in newspapers.

Prior to the incorporation of the Town of Lansingburgh, from 1788 to February 7, 1791 the Village of Lansingburgh was within the Town of Rensselaerwyck in the County of Albany. From February 7, 1791 to March 18, 1791 the Village of Lansingburgh was within the Town of Rensselaerwyck in the County of Rensselaer. From March 18, 1791 to 1807 the Village of Lansingburgh was within the Town of Troy in the County of Rensselaer.

Prior to the incorporation of the Village of Lansingburgh with the State of New York it began in 1771 as the “Town + Borough of Stone Arabia”.

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CHAP. LXIV.
An ACT for dividing the Counties of this State into Towns.
Passed 7th March 1788.
[…]
And that all that part of the county of Albany, bounded southerly by the county of Columbia, westerly by Hudson’s-River, including such of the islands in the same river as are nearest the east side thereof, and northerly by the north bounds of the manor of Rensselaerwyck, and easterly by a line beginning in the same north bounds, at a place nine miles distant from Hudson’s-River, and running from thence southerly to the north-east corner of Kinderhook, in the county of Columbia, shall be, and hereby is erected into a town by the name of Rensselaerwyck.”
Laws of the State of New-York, Comprising the Constitution, and the Acts of the Legislature, Since the Revolution, from the First to the Fifteenth Session, Inclusive. Vol 2. NY: Thomas Greenleaf, 1792. 161. https://books.google.com/books?id=33s4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA161

CHAP. XXXIII.
An ACT for the dividing the Towns therein mentioned.
Passed 18th March, 1791.
[…]
II. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That from and after the first Monday in April next, all that part of the town of Rensselaerwyck, in the county of Rensselaer, which lies north of a line to be drawn from a point on the east bank of Hudson’s River, sixteen miles distant from the southwest corner of the town of Rensselaerwyck, and running from thence east to the west bounds of the town of Petersburgh, shall be, and is hereby erected into a distinct and separate town by the name of Troy, and that the first town-meeting of the said town of Troy shall be held at the dwelling-house now occupied by Stephen Ashley, in the said town, and that the next town-meeting of the town of Rensselaerwyck, shall be held at the dwelling-house of James McKown, in the said town.
Laws of the State of New-York, Comprising the Constitution, and the Acts of the Legislature, Since the Revolution, from the First to the Fifteenth Session, Inclusive. Vol 2. NY: Thomas Greenleaf, 1792. 357. https://books.google.com/books?id=33s4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA357

• Supervisors of the Town of Troy (1791-1816)

(From 1791 to 1807 the Village of Lansingburgh was within the Town of Troy.)

WEDNESDAY, February 11. […]
The petition of Benjamin Holt and others, praying for a division of the town of Troy, and that part thereof may be erected into a separate town by the name of Lansing, was read, and referred to Messrs. [Asa] Mann, [Robert] Woodworth and [Henry] Shafer.
Northern Budget. February 24, 1807: 3 col 2.

We learn that the Legislature have passed an act dividing this town into three towns, by the names of TROY, LANSING, and BRUNSWICK.
Northern Budget. March 17, 1807: 3 col 3.

AN ACT to divide the Towns of Troy and Petersburg, in the County of Rensselaer.

Passed March 20, 1807.

I. BE it enacted by the People of the State of New-York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That from and after the passing of this act, the towns of Troy and Petersburg, aforesaid, shall be divided into five towns, in the following manner, to wit: all that part of the town of Troy, bounded as followeth, beginning on the north line of said town, one mile east of Hudson’s river; thence southerly on a line to be drawn parallel to the said river, to the north line of the village of Troy; thence westerly along said north line to the west line of said town of Troy, shall be a separate town, by the name of Lansingburgh; and the first town meeting shall be held at the house of Robert Waud [(1759-1822)], in the village of Lansingburgh.
II. And be it further enacted, That all that part of said town of Troy, lying south of Lansingburgh, and north of the town of Greenbush, and west of a line drawn southerly from the southeast corner of Lansingburgh, parallel to the aforesaid river, to the north line of said Greenbush, shall be a separate town, by the name of Troy; and the first town meeting shall be held at the court-house, in the village of Troy.
III. And be it further enacted, That all that part of the present town of Troy bounded on the west by the towns of Lansingburgh and Troy, aforesaid, and on the east by a line to commence on the north line of said Troy, seven miles and one-third of a mile east of the northeast corner of the town of Lansingburgh; thence southerly in a straight direction to intersect the north line of the town of Greenbush, seven miles and one-third of a mile east of the southeast comer of the town of Troy, shall be a separate town, by the name of Brunswick; and the first town meeting shall be held at the dwelling house of Nathan Betts [(1753-1844)].
IV. And be it further enacted, That all the remaining part of the town of Troy, and so much of the west side of Petersburg, as shall make seven miles in width from the east line of the town of Brunswick, cut off by a line to commence on the north line of Petersburg, seven miles east of the northeast comer of Brunswick; thence southerly parallel to the east line of said Brunswick to the south line of Petersburg, shall be a separate town, by the name of Grafton; and the first town meeting shall be held at the dwelling house of Nathan Hakes [(1761-1847)].
V. And be it further enacted, That all the remaining part of the town of Petersburg, and a triangular piece off of the northeast corner of the town of Berlin, bounded as follows, to wit: beginning on the line that divides the towns of Petersburg and Berlin, on the heighth of land where the said line intersects the west line of Archibald Jones [(1781-1868)]’s land; thence running southerly and easterly on the said heighth of land to the east line of this state, shall remain a separate town, by the name of Petersburg; and the first town meeting shall be held at the house of Joshua Randal [(1756-1837)].
VI. And be it further enacted, That as soon as may be after the first Tuesday of April next, the supervisors and overseers of the poor of the towns of Lansingburgh, Troy, Brunswick, Grafton, Petersburg and Berlin, shall meet together, at such time and place as they shall agree on, and divide the monies and poor belonging to the former towns of Troy, Petersburg and Berlin, according to the last tax list of each town, and that each town thereafter shall respectively maintain their own poor.
Laws of the State of New-York. Vol. 5. Albany, NY: Websters and Skinner, 1809. 65-66.

• Supervisors of the Town of Lansingburgh (1807-1901)

Law 1819, Chapter 78 “AN ACT to annex a Part of the Town of Schaghticoke to the Town of Lansingburgh, in the County of Rensselaer.” (North of the Village of Lansingburgh to the Deep Kill)

The town of Lansingburgh shall contain all that part of said county beginning at the mouth of a brook called Deepy kill, and running thence up along said kill to the westernmost corner of the grist mill now or heretofore of Michael Vandercook; then south twenty-three degrees west, to the north bounds of the manor of Rensselaerwyck; then along said bounds to a point one mile east of Hudson’s river; then southerly parallel to the said river, to the north bounds of the city of Troy; then along said north bounds to the bounds of the county; then northerly along the bounds of the county to a point west of the place of beginning; and then east to the place of beginning.
Report from the Commissioners Appointed to Revise the Statute Laws of the State of New-York, Prepared in obedience to a Resolution of the Hon. the Assembly. Albany, NY: Croswell, Barnym & Van Benthuysen, 1826. 103. https://books.google.com/books?id=04g0AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA103

Law 1836, Chapter 444 “AN ACT to set off a portion of the town of Lansingburgh to the city of Troy.” (Batestown)

Law 1839, Chapter 249 “AN ACT to annex part of the town of Brunswick to the town of Lansingburgh.”

Law 1900, Chapter 665 “AN ACT to annex to the city of Troy certain portions of the towns of North Greenbush, Brunswick and Lansingburgh, including the village of Lansingburgh, and to increase the number of wards in said city, and to make certain provisions incident thereto.”

Law 1900, Chapter 693 “AN ACT to annex certain portions of the town of Lansingburgh in the county of Rensselaer to the town of Schaghticoke.”

—The final meeting of the Town Board of the town of Lansingburgh was held Monday night at the office of Town Clerk Bosca. Supervisor Miter reported that he had consulted with Supervisor Doty of Schaghticoke in regard to the [Kilvan or Kearon] Fitzgerald claim against the town towns, and it was decided that it could not be settled. The claim of Mrs. Mary Wright for injuries sustained by a fall on the river road, was rejected, and the Board adjourned sine die.
“Upper Troy.” Troy Daily Times. January 2, 1901: 4 col 2.