Catskill, Town of
Subject
Subject Source: Local sources
Scope Note: Catskill is one of the original two townships within the boundaries of modern Greene County. Catskill township was originally known as the Great Imbocht District of Albany County prior to the Revolutionary War. The name "Great Imbocht" was derived from the dutch place name "Groote Imbocht" meaning the "Great Bend" or "Great Turn" in reference to a large shallow bay and turn in the course of the Hudson River within the boundaries of the current town. The name "Catskill," originally used to refer to the vicinity of the modern hamlet of Leeds, is of dubious origin. It is explained incorrectly by numerous sources as a dutch name referring to wildcats which allegedly frequented the region of the eponymous creek or "Kill," but this is highly suspect. Shirley Dunn postulates that the name instead was given in honor of a native with whom early European settlers interacted, and primary sources haltingly corroborate this alternate theory. The boundaries of the town of Catskill originally extended westward through the boundaries of modern Halcott, but a large portion of the district was partitioned to Ulster County in 1788. Within the boundaries of modern Catskill lie the hamlets of Smith's Landing/Cementon, Alsen, High Falls, Palenville, Kiskatom, Lawrenceville, Cario Junction, Leeds, Hamburg, and Jefferson Heights. Also within the boundary of Catskill is the Village of Catskill, the seat of government in Greene County. Catskill is bounded on the south by Saugerties, west by Hunter, north by Cairo and Athens, and easterly by the Hudson River and Columbia County.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Letter to Leonard Bronk from Samuel Van Vechten, re: social affairs, April 13, 1775
File — Case Bronck Manuscripts Drawer One
Identifier: BM 1775.1
Scope and Contents
From the Collection:
The Bronck Family Manuscripts comprise roughly five cubic feet of material primarily on parchment and handmade paper. Contents include personal letters, business papers, and legal documents dating from the lifetime of Jan Bronck (1652-1742) to Leonard Bronk Lampman (1872-1939). Leonard Bronk Lampman was the final owner of the family's 1663 estate and its contents. The most intellectually unified series within the collection come from the lifetime of Judge Leonard Bronck (1751-1828) and his...