Red Hook Town Board Minutes

Collection Owner:
Cover Image:
Red Hook Town Board Minutes
Town of Red Hook, Town Board Minutes, Vol. I (transcript) - Image Source

Collection Facts

Extent:
2
Dates of Original:
1813-1866

Historical Context

The Town of Red Hook’s earliest Board Minutes record business matters such as the elections of officials, monies to be raised for the poor, and votes on roads, bridges and school districts. Beginning in 1813, the year after Red Hook separated from the Rhinebeck Precinct and became its own Township, meetings were held annually, the first Tuesday in April, at private homes or inns. The minutes begin April 6, 1813, with the first item of business noted as the establishment of regulations to control stray livestock. That same year, eight school districts were established, with families in each school district named. Entries run through Sept 1866, after the end of the Civil War.

Scope of Collection

Volume 1 of Red Hook’s Town Board Minutes consists of 331 handwritten pages that were microfilmed in the 1970s and recently digitized from the microfilm. A useful series description precedes the minutes. Some pages are difficult to decipher but the records offer valuable information on the people, highways, schools and social conditions in Red Hook’s earliest days. A typed (and searchable) transcript is also included in the collection.

Special Content:

NOTE: The documents in this collection may take a minute to open because of their large size.