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Data Sources

Since I began this project I have gathered data from hundreds of sources, the ordinary ones such as church records, probate, cemeteries, etc. plus many not available to the general public. I have located original rent ledgers for almost all of the twenty-five lots in the Patent and maps for many of these lots. These ledgers run thousands of pages and date to about 1710. I have found hundreds of three-life leases for the farms in the Patent and have been able to establish family relationships through them. I have located, filmed and abstracted over 60 store books and ledgers for local stores in the Patent and nearby towns. All these books are for years prior to 1820. I located and published, in the NYG&BS Record, muster rolls for nine companies of Minute Men from Dutchess County. These rolls include vital statistics on the men; where born, age, occupation, height, hair, eye color, etc.

I have abstracted all local court records, plus other records from early NYC courts which pertained to the Beekman area tenants. I have all the original genealogical records from the Boston Transcript, the Hartford Times, the St. Johnsville NY Enterprise and News, etc. I have all copies of the Register, the Record, The American Genealogist, The Dutchess (Quarterly of the Dutchess County Genealogical Society), and the same for the Yearbook of the DC Historical Society. I have copies of the rent records for the Van Rensselaerville Manor where many people from Beekman later settled. I have specialized in Loyalist records since many Dutchess County men remained loyal and later went to Canada with their families. The local Committee of Correspondence kept extensive minutes which include references to many Beekman Patent men. In 1996 I was able to obtain early probate records (up to 1830-40) for all counties in NYS and they are included for all surnames in my books. These records are very extensive and include guardianships, letters of administration, dower records, etc.

The Settlers of the Beekman Patent, in short, contains information that is not to be found anywhere else for over one thousand families. The books are in many major libraries and are quoted extensively in current historical and genealogical writings.