English colonists established counties in eastern present-day New York State in 1683; at the time, the territory of the present Madison County was considered part of Albany County, with the city of Albany located on the Hudson River. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State around Albany as well as all of the present State of Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. It was claimed by the English but largely occupied by the Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, Cayuga and Mohawk, who had the territory in the central Mohawk Valley, as well as Mahican near the Hudson River. On July 3, 1766, the English organized Cumberland County, and on March 16, 1770, they organized Gloucester County, both containing territory now included in the state of Vermont.
The "Twenty Townships" west of the Unadilla River, conveyed by the Oneida Indians in 1788. Known as "Clinton's Purchase"
On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one remaining under the name Albany County. One of the other pieces, Tryon County, contained the western portion (and thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately five miles west of the present city of Schenectady, and the county included the western part of the Adirondack Mountains and the area west of the West Branch of the Delaware River. The area then designated as Tryon County includes 37 current counties of New York State. The county was named for William Tryon, the colonial governor of New York.
In the years prior to the outbreak of revolution in 1776, tensions rose in the frontier areas upstate and most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to Canada. In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War, New York changed the name of Tryon County to Montgomery County, in honor of the general, Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of Quebec.
As allies of the Patriots, the Oneida Indian Nation was allocated land by the United States in the postwar settlement for a reservation near Oneida Lake, in their traditional homeland. In the postwar treaty, the four Iroquois nations who had been allies of the British were forced to cede their lands; most of their peoples had already migrated to Canada to escape the worst of the fighting on the frontier after Sullivan's Raid. This expedition through Indian country had destroyed dwellings, crops and winter stores; many Iroquois who did not migrate died of starvation that winter.
But settlers were hungry for land, and in 1788 Governor Clinton's representatives persuaded the Oneida to cede some of their territory to the state for sale to European-American settlers. This was called the "Clinton Purchase", after Governor George Clinton. The land comprised the southern portion of the Oneida reservation. It has also been called the Twenty Townships, as these were the number organized after New York controlled the land.
As this sale was never ratified by the United States Senate, it was declared unconstitutional in a ruling by the United States Supreme Court in the late twentieth century.[4] New York State had no legal authority after the Revolution and the formation of the United States to negotiate separately with American Indian tribes.
In 1791, Herkimer and Tioga counties were two of three counties split off from Montgomery County (the other being Otsego County).
Chenango County was formed in 1798 from parts of Tioga and Herkimer counties. Finally, Madison County was created from Chenango County in 1806.
About 1802, the Oneida agreed to allocate about 22,000 acres of their land to the Stockbridge and Munsee (Lenape), who were seeking refuge from anti-Native American conflicts by American settlers after the Revolution. Both were Christianized: the Stockbridge had migrated from western Massachusetts and the Lenape from New York and New Jersey. The two peoples were pressured to leave New York for Wisconsin in the 1820s, to make more land available for European-American settlement.
In the late twentieth century, the three recognized Oneida tribes: of Wisconsin, New York, and the Thames reserve in Canada, filed suit in a land claim against New York for its treaty and forced purchase of their ancestral lands after the American Revolutionary War, seeking the return of thousands of acres. The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled the purchase was unconstitutional, as New York did not have the treaty ratified by the United States Senate, and had no authority under the U.S. Constitution to deal directly with the Oneida, a right reserved to the federal government. In 2010 the state offered the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin more than 300 acres in Sullivan County in the Catskill Mountains, with permission to construct a gambling casino, and two acres in Madison County, to settle their part of the suit. Several private and public interests oppose the deal, including other federally recognized tribes in New York.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 661 square miles (1,710km2), of which 655 square miles (1,700km2) is land and 6.4 square miles (17km2) (1.0%) is water.[5]
Madison County is located in central New York State, just east of Syracuse, north of Binghamton, and slightly north of due west from Albany. Madison County contains the geographic center of the state at Pratts Hollow in the Town of Eaton.
Oneida Lake and Oneida Creek define part of the northern boundary. The Great Swamp, formerly located south of the lake, was a rich wetlands habitat important to many species of birds and wildlife. This was drained by local and state construction projects in the early decades of the twentieth century, chiefly by Italian immigrants. The fertile soil supported high production of onions and other commodity crops, and the Italian families grew wealthy from their work. The area was known as "Black Beach" for its mucklands.[6]Chittenango Creek defines much of the western boundary.
Adjacent counties and areas
Chenango County is across the southern border. Onondaga and Cortland counties form the western border, with Onondaga serving as Madison County's longest and most prominent border. Otsego County forms a short boundary in the southeastern corner of Madison County. Oneida County shares a northeastern border with Madison County. Oneida Lake is the northern border with part of Oswego County on the opposite shore.
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9] 1990–2000[10] 2010–2013[1]
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 69,441 people, 25,368 households, and 17,580 families residing in the county. The population density was 106 inhabitants per square mile (41/km2). There were 28,646 housing units at an average density of 44 unitsper square mile (17/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.49% White, 1.32% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.06% of the population; 16.1% were of German, 15.6% English, 15.5% Irish, 12.1% Italian, and 8.0% American ancestry according to Census 2000. Of these 95.6% spoke English and 1.9% Spanish as their first language.
There were 25,368 households, out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were non-families. Of all households 24.50% were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 12.00% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 12.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,184, and the median income for a family was $47,889. Males had a median income of $33,069 versus $25,026 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,105. About 6.30% of families and 9.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.50% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
Much of Madison County is rural. However, the communities along NY Route 5 are suburbs of Syracuse, as is Cazenovia.
For the majority of its history, Madison County has been a mostly Republican county, with the party's presidential candidates winning the county in every election but one from 1884 to 1992. The one exception to this was in 1964, as the county swung strongly to the Democratic column for the first time thanks to Barry Goldwater's conservatism alienating the Northeast, giving Lyndon B. Johnson a wide margin of victory as he won every county in the state and won by a landslide nationally. As New York has turned into a solid blue state, the county has become a swing county and national bellwether from 1996 onward. However, the margins of victory for the two parties in recent elections have been quite different. The three most recent Republican victories in the county have all been by over 10 percentage points, while the three most recent Democratic wins have all been by margins of under 600 votes.
United States presidential election results for Madison County, New York[13]
Chenango County is a county located in the south-central section of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,220. Its county seat is Norwich. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning 'large bull-thistle'. The county is part of the Southern Tier region of the state.
Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,582, making it the fourth-least populous county in New York. Its county seat is Lowville. The county is named after Morgan Lewis, the Governor of New York when the county was established. The county is part of the North Country region of the state.
Oneida County is a county in the state of New York, United States. As of February 26, 2024, the population was 226,654. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois League or Haudenosaunee, which had long occupied this territory at the time of European encounter and colonization. The federally recognized Oneida Indian Nation has had a reservation in the region since the late 18th century, after the American Revolutionary War. The county is part of the Mohawk Valley region of the state.
Onondaga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. The county is part of the Central New York region of the state.
Oswego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 117,525. The county seat is Oswego. The county name is from a Mohawk-language word meaning "the pouring out place", referring to the point at which the Oswego River feeds into Lake Ontario at the northern edge of the county in the city of Oswego. The county is part of the Central New York region of the state.
St. Lawrence County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,505. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River. This was as named by early French explorer Jacques Cartier for the Christian saint Lawrence of Rome, as he visited the river on the saint's feast day. The county is part of the North Country region of the state.
Lenox is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 8,768 as of the 2020 census.
Oneida is a city in Madison County in the U.S. state of New York. It is located west of Oneida Castle and east of Wampsville. The population was 11,390 at the 2010 census. The city, like both Oneida County and the nearby silver and china maker, was named for the Oneida tribe, which had a large territory here around Oneida Lake during the colonial period.
Augusta is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 2,021 at the 2020 census.
Sherrill is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. With a population of 3,077, it is the state's least populous city. Sherrill is at the western end of the Town of Vernon on Route 5. Sherrill is referred to as The Silver City.
Brewerton is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Cicero in Onondaga County and the town of Hastings in Oswego County in the U.S. state of New York and a northern suburb of the city of Syracuse. It lies at the west end of Oneida Lake at its outlet into the Oneida River. The population was 4,549 at the 2020 census. Maps of the 19th century indicate that this area was once known as Fort Brewerton, while Brewerton meant the Cicero portion.
Cazenovia is an incorporated town in Madison County, New York. The population was 6,740 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is named after Theophile Cazenove, the Agent General of the Holland Land Company.
DeRuyter is a village located in the Town of DeRuyter in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 558 at the 2010 census. The village and town are named after Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter, a famous admiral in the Dutch navy.
DeRuyter is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 1,589 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter, a famous admiral in the Dutch navy. The name de Ruyter means "the Rider".
The central region of New York state includes:
New York's 32nd congressional district was a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York. It was eliminated as a result of the 1990 census. It was last represented by John LaFalce who was redistricted into the 29th district.
The Stockbridge–Munsee Community, also known as the Mohican Nation Stockbridge–Munsee Band, is a federally recognized Native American tribe formed in the late eighteenth century from communities of so-called "praying Indians", descended from Christianized members of two distinct groups: Mohican and Wappinger from the praying town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and Munsee (Lenape), from the area where present-day New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey meet. Their land-base, the Stockbridge–Munsee Indian Reservation, consists of a checkerboard of 24.03 square miles (62.2 km2) in the towns of Bartelme and Red Springs in Shawano County, Wisconsin. Among their enterprises is the North Star Mohican Resort and Casino.
William Jervis Hough was a United States Representative from Cazenovia, Madison County, New York. He served one term in Congress from 1845 to 1847.
The Syracuse Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area comprising three counties in central New York, with the city of Syracuse as its core. The three counties are Onondaga, Madison, and Oswego. According to the 2020 census, the population of the Syracuse MSA was 662,057; a slight difference from 662,577, in the 2010 census.
The towns and cities of Central New York were created by the U.S. state of New York as municipalities in order to give residents more direct say over local government. Central New York is a six county area–Cayuga, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego.
Koch, Daniel (2023). Land of the Oneidas: Central New York State and the Creation of America, From Prehistory to the Present. Albany: State University of New York Press.
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