Delaware County NY Genealogy and History Site

 Towns.		Post Off.		Pop.	Imp. land. 		Villages, Post Offices, &c.

Andes		P.T.		1378	4001 		15 m. S. of Delhi; Andes V., or Trempersville; Delaware R.
Bovina		P.T.1		1267	4867		Fish Lake P.O.; 10 miles SE.of Delhi; erected in 1820.
Colchester 	P.T.		1064	4025 		21m S. of D.; Papakunk V.; Papachton, or E. B. Delaware.
Davenport 	P.T.		2384	5753 		11 miles N. of Delhi; Susquehauna and Charlotte Rivers.
Delhi		P.T.		2285	9750 		Delhi V., 50 h.&s., 70 m. WSW. of Albany; Delaware R.
Franklin		P.T.		2481	15940 		13 miles NW. of Delhi; Ouleout Creek.
Hancock		P.T.	  	525	 1701 		E. Branch, and Delaware R.; 27 miles SSW. of Delhi.
Harpersfield	P.T.l		1884	9491 		H. Village; South H. P.O.; Waterville; Del. River.
Kortright		P.T.1		2548	12823 		Bloomville P.O.; 10 m. NE. of D.; Kortright Patent.
Masonville 	P.T.	 	 719	3103 		24 miles W. of Delhi, 8 E. of Bainbridge Village.
Meredith		P.T.		1376	7455 		8 m. N. of Delhi, 69 from Albany; Ouleout Creek.
Middletown	P.T.		1949	10107		20 SE. of D.; E. Br. Del R.; and U. & D. Turn.; Pakatakan.
Roxbury		P.T.		2488	10419		Beaver Dam, 22m. E. of D.; Mooresville P.O.; Papachton B.
Sidney		P.O.1		1107	3670		Sidney Plains P.O.; 24 m. W. of D.; Susq. R.; and Ouleout C.
Stamford		P.T.2		1495	8607		Waterville V. & P.O.; Roseville V. & P.O.; 12 m. E. of D.
Tompkins		P.T.1		1206	3662		Deposit V. & P.O.; Cookquago V.; Cookhouse; Del. River.
Walton		P.T.		1432	6365		Walton V.; Delaware River; 15 miles SW. of Delhi.
	                _____	               ______     ________
		24	                 	26587        	119939

The County of Delaware has a broken, diversified surface, hilly or mountainous, with swelling ridges of arable lands, abundantly watered with springs and brisk running brooks, and fine intervening vallies of rich and productive lands, besides considerable of river alluvion. Its climate is rather fickle. Subject to sudden and great changes of temperature, yet not unfriendly to health and longevity. This county is principally watered by the N Eastern sources of the Delaware, a large navigable river of Pennsylvania, on which stands Philadelphia, to which its lumber descends in rafts. The E. branch of the Susquehanna, another large stream of Pennsylvania, forms a part of the N Eastern boundary; as does the Delaware River a part of its S Western boundary. The Cookquago branch of the Delaware, or the true Delaware as it ought to be called, 'runs nearly central through Delaware County, from NE. to SW.; the Papachton branch, runs nearly parallel with this, a short distance to the S. of it. These streams, with their numerous branches, the largest of which are little Delaware, and Beaver Creeks, with Ouleout, a small branch of the Susquehanna, with many smaller streams, spread plentifully over the whole country, and supply a vast profusion of fine sites for mills. The quality of the soil, is as various as the surface. On the upland, there is a large proportion of a chocolate colored loam; and the vallies and alluvial flats have a rich mold. The whole may be pronounced a pretty good country farming, well watered by small springs and rivulets. Few mineral productions have yet been noticed. This country had some partial settlements anterior to the Revolution, broken up principally during the war; and in 1770 there were but 3 families within this territory, and these were 40 miles from other neighbors. The heavy trade of this County, follows the course of its lumber, which goes in rafts, by the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers, to Philadelphia and Baltimore; while considerable traffic is carried on with the towns on the Hudson, to which there are turnpikes in various directions, toward Albany, Catskill, Kingston, and Newburgh. Its agriculture is pretty respectable, though rather too much neglected, in the ardent pursuit of the lumber trade, and traffic. See PLATTSBURGH, MILTON, OLEAN and ELLICOTT. Delhi, the capital of this County, is situated on the Delaware River, 70 miles WSW. of Albany.

Statistics. - Delaware elects 2 Members of Assembly, and with Greene, 1 Representative to Congress, forming the 11th district: Towns, 17; Post Offices 24; Population 26587: increase per annum, 4 per cent; whites 26449; free blacks 82; slaves 56; foreigners 558: persons employed in agriculture 5771; in commerce and trade 44; in manufactures and trades 735,: taxable property $3801970: school districts 176; schools kept 7 months in 12; public monies received in 1822 $3400.86; No. of children between 5 and 15 years of age 7683; No. taught in the schools that year 8061 : area 912000 acres: electors 4966; acres of improved land 119939; No. of cattle 30018; horses 5231 ; sheep 50865: yards of cloth made in the household way in 1821 - 207239, : grist mills 56; saw mills 178; oil mill 1; fulling mills 25; carding machines 38; cotton and woollen factories 4; trip hammers 6; distilleries 28; asheries 24.

DELAWARE, a large River of Pennsylvania, on which stands the City of Philadelphia, has its extreme northern source in the small lake or pond called Utsayantha,on the S. line of Schoharie County of this State. From here, it runs SW. across Delaware County, to the E. line of Broome, where it turns short and pursues a S Easterly course to the northern angle of New Jersey, forming the SWestern boundary of Delaware and Sullivan Counties, towards Pennsylvania, with a small angle of Orange County also. Its whole course in this State, and on its boundary toward Pennsylvania, may be near 140 miles. In its course it receives several considerable branches from this State, the largest of which is Papachton, also in Delaware County; and the main stream across this County is sometimes called the Mohawk, and the Cookquago branch, which ought always to yield to the continuous name of Delaware, as being the longer and principal stream. The Mongaup and the Navisink, are the other principal branches. The Village of Delhi is on this stream, a little NE. of the geographical centre of Delaware County.

DELAWARE R. and HUDSON R. CANAL. A good deal has been said, among some very enterprising and intelligent individuals, about a Canal, across Ulster, or Orange, and Sullivan Counties, making an artificial navigation between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers. A prominent object in view, ostensibly, is to bring the coal of the Lackawaxen, a river of Pennsylvania, which puts into the Delaware opposite Lumberland, of Sullivan County, to the NewYork and Hudson River market. If practicable, I hope the plan will succeed, and the sooner the better, for coal, in plenty, is a grand desideratum, of immense importance to the people of this State. Without having any information, acccurate, to be relied on, people generally doubt the practicability, however, of making a canal on the proposed route, from vague ideas of the mountain character of the intermediate country. See, also, DELAWARE R. and NEWARK CANAL. This route has been surveyed, but the distance is not stated. It is said that, from the summit level, near Kingston, the lockage, or descent to the Hudson, is 535 feet; from the same to the Delaware River, 80 feet, making 615 feet lockage. See LACKAWAXEN RIVER.

DELAWARE R. and NEWARK CANAL. Having noticed the plan in contemplation for a Canal across Orange, or Ulster, and Sullivan Counties of this state, to connect the Hudson and Delaware Rivers, and supply New York with the Lackawaxen Coal, I notice another project, also in contemplation, for a canal between those rivers, having in view a supply of the Lehigh Coal, of Pennsylvania, to the same region, traversing the State of New Jersey. Sufficient for me is the task of making a Gazetteer of the State of New York; but then, these projects seem to require notice in this work, and I care nothing for the critics. It is proposed to make a Canal across New Jersey, coming from the Delaware R. near the mouth of the Lehigh, at Easton, Pa., extending in time direction of the City of New York, perhaps as far as Newark Bay, or to the navigation of the Passaic River, in order to supply abundance of that very superior coal. The plan looks well on paper; and as this coal is a pure anthracite, of time very best quality, of immense importance in the arts, and excellent common fuel, I hope it will succeed. The proposed route of this canal, is through a rich Iron region of New Jersey, which only wants plenty of this coal, to make its mines and water power, and industry, very productive. The distance, from tide-water on the Passaic to the Delaware, is 76 miles, and the lockage would be about 1600 feet!

DELHI, a Post-Township, the capital of Delaware County, situated 70 miles SW. of Albany, 68 W. of Catskill, (54 on a right line,) and 63 from Kingston ; hounded N Westerly by Franklin and Meredith, NE. by Kortright and Stamford, SE. by Middletown, Bovina and Andes, SW. by Walton. Its area may be 156 square miles ; and it centrally embraces Delaware River, running about SW., an extent of 14 miles. Little Delaware, a fine mill-stream from the E. part of Stamford, across the NW. corner of Middletown, meets the Delaware here, a little below opposite the Village of Delhi. The general surface is either mountainous or hilly, with deep vallies, and there are fine flats along the river, though not very extensive. There are 2 small natural ponds, at the outlet of one of which are line mill-seats ; and the whole is well supplied with water. The inhabitants are principally farmers, more attentive to the cultivation of the soil than the getting of lumber, a trade that enriches nobody but the merchant, and actually impoverishes alike the land, with its occupant, whether he rent or own it. Near the centre of this town stand the County buildings, in the pleasant Village of Delhi, on the Delaware River, where are about 60 houses and stores, incorporated as a Village. Population 2285, : 499 farmers, 50 mechanics, 1 trader; 73 foreigners ; 20 free blacks; 4 slaves: taxable property, $351781 : 19 common schools, kept on an average 7 months in 12; public monies received in 1821, $285.98; No. of children between 5 and 15 years of age, 619 ; No. taught that year, 696: 440 electors, 9750 acres improved land, 2195 cattle, 331 horses, 3761 sheep : 11504 yards cloth; 7 grist mills, 18 saw mills, 4 lulling mills, 5 carding machines, 1 ashery.