Toponymies of places in New York's Capital District

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The toponymies of places in New York's Capital District are a varied lot, from non-English languages such as Native American, Dutch, and German to places named for famous people or families, of either local or national fame. Also, in the early 19th century, many places in the Hudson Valley, Capital District and points west were either named or renamed after places from Classical Antiquity (e.g. Athens, Cairo, Carthage, Greece, Ilion, Ithaca, Phoenicia, Rome, Syracuse, Troy, Utica)

Contents

Settlements

Place Name
County Toponymy Language of originYear
Notes or previous names
Albany Albany Duke of Albany [1] [Note 1] English1636 Fort Orange, Fuyck, Beverwyck, Williamstadt
Alplaus SchenectadyAal Plats, "place of the eels"Dutch
Altamont AlbanyHigh mountain [4] Latin1887Knowersville
Amsterdam
(city and town)
Montgomery Amsterdam, Netherlands Dutch1804 [5] Veddersburg [5]
Ancram Columbiatown in Scotland where the Livingston family originated [6] Scottish1814Livingston Forge, Scotchtown, Gallatin
Argyle
(town and village)
Washington Argyllshire, Scotland where early settlers were fromScottish
Athens (town and village)Greene Athens, Greece
Austerlitz Columbia Battle of Austerlitz German1818
Ballston Saratoga Eliphalet Ball a surnameBall's Town, Ballton
Bethlehem Albanyin honor of the religious in the communityEnglish
Bleecker FultonBarent Bleecker, early settlersurname of possible Dutch origin
Bloodville Saratoga Isaiah Blood, operator of the Ballston Axe & Scythe WorksEnglish
Boght Albanybend of riverDutchGroesbeck's Corners
Brunswick Rensselaerpossibly for Brunswick-Lüneburg, Germany German1807
Burnt Hills SaratogaCondition of the area at the time the first settlers arrived
Cairo Greene Cairo, Egypt 1808
Cambridge
(town and Cambridge)
Washington Cambridge, England1788
Canaan Columbia Canaan, Connecticut 1788Kings District
Canajoharie (town and village)Montgomery Canajoharie, a town, translated as "a washed kettle" or "the pot that washes itself" [5] Iroquoian languages Name traced to a hole cut out by a 40-foot waterfall [5]
Catskill (town and village)GreeneDutch
Charleston MontgomeryCharles Van Epps, an early settler [5]
Charlton SaratogaVillage of Charlton, UK English 1792Queensboro, New Robertson
Claverack ColumbiaCorruption of "clover fields" or "clover reach" Dutch Lower Manor of Rensselaer
Clermont ColumbiaClear mountainFrench1728Livingston Forge, Scotchtown, Gallatin
Clifton Park SaratogaDerived from Nanning Harmansen; after he purchased piece of land from Native Americans, he wrote Lord Cornbury to request letters of Patent for Land for said purchase, also stating that it be known as "Your name of Cliftons park". [7] English 1829Clifton
Coeymans AlbanyBarent Pieterse Coeymanssurname of possible Dutch origin
Cohoes AlbanyCohos, translated as "pine tree" Algonquian
Colonie (town and village)AlbanyColonye; Colony of Rensselaerswyck surrounding AlbanyDutch1895
Copake ColumbiaCook-pake or Ack-kook-peek ("Snake Pond")Native American1824Derived from a lake in the town
Corinth (town and village)Saratoga Corinth, Greece Greek 1818Jessups Landing
Coxsackie (town and village)Greene"Hoot-owl place" or "nest of many owls" [8] Koixhacking or Koixhackung [9]
Day SaratogaEliphaz Day, noted lumberman English 1827Concord
Delanson Schenectady Delaware and Hudson Railway [10] English1893Toad Hollow
Delmar Albany1892Adamsville; chosen by the Albany & Susquehanna Railway in order to avoid confusion with Adams, Jefferson County
Dresden Washington1822South Bay
Duanesburg SchenectadyLast name of man who purchased the landedEnglish1765Duane's Bush
East Greenbush RensselaerGrennen Bosch (pinewood or literally, "Green Bush") Dutch 1858Clinton
Easton WashingtonEnglish1788
Edinburg Saratoga Edinburgh, Scotland English1808Northfield
Florida Montgomery State of Florida Spanish
Fonda MontgomeryDouw Fonda, settler who was scalped during an Indian raid in 1780 [5] Italian 1780Caughnawaga
Fort Ann
(town and village)
Washington1775Westfield
Fort Edward
(town and village)
Washington1818
Fort Johnson Montgomery Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet [5] 1912Mount Johnson, Akin [5]
Fultonville Montgomery Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat ca. 1824Van Epps Swamp
Galway (town and village)SaratogaMisspelling of Galloway on incorporation of the town English 1796New Galloway; originally named for Galloway, Scotland
Gansevoort Saratoga Peter Gansevoort Dutch 1792New Robertson
Ghent Columbia Ghent, Belgium Dutch1818
Glen MontgomeryJacob Saunders Glen, an early settler [5] ca. 1725
Glenville Schenectady Alexander Lindsay Glen 1650s
Gloversville FultonGlove factory in the city English 1828
Granville
(town and village)
Washington John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville 1780
Green Island AlbanyTurkee Farm of Green Island [11] 1834Tibbits Island
Greenwich
(town and village)
Washington1803Whipple City, Union Village
Guilderland AlbanyProvince of Gelderland, origin of many of the town's settlers Dutch 1803Guilderlandt
Hadley Saratoga Hadley, Massachusetts English 1801
Hagaman MontgomeryJoseph Hagaman, founder [5] ca. 1777Hagamans Mills
Halfmoon SaratogaAnglicized from Halve Maan Dutch to English 1788Orange (1816-1820)
Hampton Washington Cambridge, EnglandHampton Corners, Greenfield
Hebron Washington Hebron, Connecticut 1786
Hudson Columbia Hudson River; ultimately Henry Hudson English 1785Claverack's Landing Hudson Falls Washington Hudson River ca. 1792Sandy Hill
Huletts Landing WashingtonThe Hulett familyBosom Bay
Johnstown (town and city)Fulton Sir William Johnson, founnder English 1762John's Town
Jonesville SaratogaJohn Jones, "first collector of the Town of Half Moon" [12]
Kinderhook (town and village)ColumbiaKinderhoek ("Children's corner")Dutch1814Livingston Forge, Scotchtown, Gallatin
Latham AlbanyFormer hotel owner William G. Latham English
Livingston Columbia Livingston Manor 1686
Loudonville Albany John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun English Ireland's Corners
Malta SaratogaThere was a malt brewery in the town in its early days, now known as Maltaville1802
Mechanicville Saratogaoccupation of early residents1829
Menands AlbanyLouis Menand, founder of the village1842
Middle Granville WashingtonSee entry from Granville'
Milton SaratogaEither for Irish poet John Milton or a shortening of "Mill-town" English 1792
Minden MontgomeryProbably for the town of Minden, Germany [5] German
Mohawk Montgomery Mohawk River Dutch languageDerived from Mohican
Moreau Saratoga Jean Victor Moreau, French general French 1805
Nelliston MontgomeryAndrew Nellis, member of the founding family
New Lebanon Columbia Mount Lebanon Shaker Society 1818
Newtonville AlbanyJohn M. Newton, early landowner English
Niskayuna SchenectadyNi-sti-go-wo-ne; roughly "extensive corn flats"Mohawk
North Granville WashingtonSee entry from Granville'
North Greenbush Rensselaersee entry for East Greenbush1858Clinton
Northumberland Saratoga English county of the same name English 1798
Palatine
Palatine Bridge
Montgomery Palatinate [5]
A bridge in the settlement that spans the Mohawk River
German
Philmont ColumbiaGeorge P. Philip, who constructed a dam to power his factory via hydroelectricity, and so doing, built a reservoir in the Taconic Mountains [13] English1878Factory Hill
Pittstown Rensselaer William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham [14] English1761 George III named the town in honor of the leading statesman—and Prime Minister—of the time
Putnam
Putnam Station
Washington Israel Putnam
Rensselaer RensselaerThe Van Rensselaer family Dutch 1792
Rexford SaratogaEdward Rexford1792Rexford Flats
Root MontgomeryGeneral Erastus Root, New York state senator [5]
Rotterdam Schenectady Rotterdam, Netherlands Dutch
St. Johnsville (town and village)MontgomeryEither Alexander St. John, surveyor, or St. John's Church, an early name for the area [5] [15] ca. 1818St. John's Church
Saratoga (town)
Saratoga Springs
SaratogaKnown to be a corruption of a Native American name Se-rach-to-que Mohawk N/A
1819
It is unsure whether it means "hillside country of the great water", "place of the swift water", or even "floating scum upon the water"
Schenectady SchenectadySchau-naugh-ta-da, translated as "on that side of the pinery" or "place beyond the pine plains" Mohawk language
Schuylerville Saratoga Philip Schuyler, general in the American Revolution Dutch language 1831Saratoga; sometimes referred to as Old Saratoga or Olde Saratoga
Scotia Schenectady Scotland Latin1650s
Taghkanic ColumbiaOlder spelling of "Taconic"Native American1803?
Tribes Hill MontgomeryDisputed (see below)The name comes from either the earlier name of "Tripes Hill", so named because of a female settler who made tripe, or a popular gathering spot for Iroquois tribes [5]
Troy RensselaerClassical Troy, from Homer's Iliad Greek 1789
Valatie ColumbiaVaaltje ("little falls")Dutch1665
Victory SaratogaDefeat of the British at the Battles of Saratoga in 17771849
Vischer Ferry SaratogaEldert Vischer Dutch 1783
Voorheesville AlbanyAlonzo B. Voorhees, railroad attorneyDutchUnion Depot
Waterford SaratogaDerived from name of village English 1794Half Moon Point
Watervliet AlbanyProbably from the town of Watervliet, Belgium (then in the Netherlands) Dutch late 19th C.Gibbonsville, West Troy
Whitehall
(town and Whitehall
Washington1788Skenesborough

Notes

  1. James Stuart (1633–1701), brother and successor of Charles II, was both the Duke of York and Duke of Albany before being crowned James II of England and James VII of Scotland in 1685. His title of Duke of York is the source of the name of the province of New York. [1] Duke of Albany was a Scottish title given since 1398, generally to a younger son of the King of Scots. [2] The name is ultimately derived from Alba , the Gaelic name for Scotland. [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 Brodhead 1874 , p. 744
  2. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Albany, Dukes of"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . 01 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 487–489, see page 487.
  3. Leslie 1888, p. 354
  4. Grade 7, Altamont Grade School (1946). "History of Altamont". Village of Altamont. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Zurlo, Sam (15 April 1996). "Area place names reflect local history and personalities". Daily Gazette . Schenectady, N.Y. pp. B5. Retrieved 5 March 2016 via Google News Archive.
  6. Masters, Hillary. "Town of Ancram, NY History". Town of Ancram. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
  7. "Bits and Pieces of Saratoga County History" by Richard Dorrough published in the Ballston Journal. Copies of the original documents in Dorrough's possession.
  8. Old Dutch Place Names from www.ancestry.com.
  9. "Development of the Coxsackie Quadrangle, New York". New York State Museum Bulletin. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York (332–337): 40. 1943. Retrieved 16 February 2016 via Google Books.
  10. "Our Lady of Fatima Church: Delanson, NY". Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany . Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  11. "History of Green Island - A Partial Timeline" (PDF). Ancestry.com . Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  12. Sylvester, Samuel Bartlett. "History of Saratoga County". Rootsweb. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  13. "History". Village of Philmont, New York. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  14. Weise 1880 , p. 90
  15. Three Rivers. "Which came first?". Berry Enterprises. Retrieved 5 March 2016.

Sources