Albany Rural Cemetery

Albany County Path Through History Day, October 11th

October 5, 2025 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Albany County Historical Association invites the public to celebrate Path Through History Day on Saturday, October 11, from 11 am until 4 pm. This free, county-wide event offers a unique opportunity to explore Albany’s past through guided tours, live music, lectures, and hands-on activities for all ages.

A highlight of the day is the free Crossroads of History Lecture Series, “Material Worlds of the American Revolution in Albany County,” held at King’s Place on the Ten Broeck Mansion campus. [Read more…] about Albany County Path Through History Day, October 11th

Rensselaer County’s John Woodworth: New York’s 7th Attorney General

August 6, 2025 by Historical Society of the New York Courts Leave a Comment

New York State’s seventh Attorney General was John Anthony Woodworth, a native of Rensselaer County. Born November 12, 1768 in Schodack, he graduated from Yale in 1788, and studied law in the Albany office of John Lansing, Jr., who later became Chancellor of New York.

He was a member of the Woodworth political family and was married to Catharine Westerlo (1778–1846, sister of Rensselaer Westerlo, and half-sister of Stephen Van Rensselaer III). [Read more…] about Rensselaer County’s John Woodworth: New York’s 7th Attorney General

Gravestone Symbolism Walking Tour at Albany Rural Cemetery

July 13, 2025 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

During the Victorian Era (ca. mid-to-late-1800s), there was a fascination with death, creating elaborate rituals and traditions to express grief. Each symbol carved on gravestones, from lambs to a sheaf of wheat, or a pointing finger, hold unique significance.

Friends of Albany Rural Cemetery will host a walking tour exploring gravestone styles, symbols, and motifs from the Victorian era through modern day cemetery customs on Saturday, July 19th. [Read more…] about Gravestone Symbolism Walking Tour at Albany Rural Cemetery

Ambrose Spencer: Libel, Blasphemy & Reform

June 30, 2025 by Historical Society of the New York Courts 1 Comment

The 6th Attorney General of New York State, Ambrose Spencer was born on December 13, 1765, in Salisbury, Connecticut. He attended Yale and graduated from Harvard University in 1783 at just 17 years old.

He studied law with John Canfield (ca.1740-1786) in Sharon, Connecticut and also with John Bay in Claverack, Columbia County, NY, and then with Ezekiel Gilbert in nearby Hudson. [Read more…] about Ambrose Spencer: Libel, Blasphemy & Reform

Planning For Your Digital Legacy

March 13, 2025 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Friends of Albany Rural Cemetery will host Carla Sofka for a conversation about planning for your “digital legacy.” Everyone should consider what happens with your digital assets, from digital photos and social media accounts to e-mails to anything that lives in the digital world. [Read more…] about Planning For Your Digital Legacy

Victorian Mourning Letters for General Farnsworth of Albany

November 18, 2024 by Rebecca Rector Leave a Comment

General John Gosman Farnsworth (1832-1895) of Albany served in the Army of the Potomac in the Civil War and was later Assistant Quartermaster of the New York State Volunteers and Adjutant General under President Grover Cleveland.

After his death in Washington, D.C. in April 1895, dozens of condolence letters were sent to his widow Sarah Gourlay Farnsworth (1837-1893) at 26 Elk Street in Albany. [Read more…] about Victorian Mourning Letters for General Farnsworth of Albany

Gideon Hawley: Advocate for Common Schools in New York State

November 11, 2024 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Although born in Connecticut in 1785, Gideon Hawley’s family moved to the Town of Ballston in Saratoga County, NY, in 1794 and four years later relocated to a farm in the nearby Town of Charlton.

Gideon worked on the family farm until 1804 when in his own words “too infirm in health for farming,” he entered the newly established Ballston Academy to prepare for college. [Read more…] about Gideon Hawley: Advocate for Common Schools in New York State

Peter Gansevoort Talk in Lake George April 27th

April 16, 2024 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

General Peter Gansevoort, who commanded Fort George at Lake George during the crucial year of 1776 and led a successful defense of Fort Stanwix in central New York the following year to help pave the way for the Continental Army’s ultimate defeat of General John Burgoyne at Saratoga, will be the subject of the presentation “Peter Gansevoort: A Hero and His Legacy,” on Saturday, April 27 at the Holiday Inn Resort Lake George, beginning at 11 am. [Read more…] about Peter Gansevoort Talk in Lake George April 27th

The Sinking of the Steamship Ville du Harve

October 30, 2023 by Peter Hess 3 Comments

On May 17, 1870, Judge Rufus Wheeler Peckham was appointed a justice of the New York Court of Appeals, but in the early 1870s he began to show signs of skin cancer – a tumor had appeared on his lip. Advised that no known cure was available in the United States, he decided to undertake a trip with his wife to Europe to seek medical help.

On November 15, 1873, Judge Peckham sailed for Europe on the SS Ville du Havre of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (French Line) bound for Havre, France near Paris. [Read more…] about The Sinking of the Steamship Ville du Harve

Albany’s Daniel Manning: Newspaperman & Secretary of the Treasury

October 4, 2023 by Peter Hess Leave a Comment

Daniel Manning was born in Albany, NY, on August 16, 1831, the second son of John and Eleanor Manning. The Mannings were of Irish, English, and Dutch descent.

Daniel was six at the time of the Panic of 1837 when his father died, causing financial strain on the politically connected family. When Daniel was ten he was appointed a page in the New York State Assembly where he served for two years. During the second year, he also got a job distributing the Albany Atlas newspaper. [Read more…] about Albany’s Daniel Manning: Newspaperman & Secretary of the Treasury

Albany County-Wide History Driving, Walking, and Bike Tours

October 2, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Albany County Historical Association and 11 other museums, historic, and cultural sites throughout Albany County are presenting a Path Through History Day on Saturday October 7 from 11 am until 4 pm. [Read more…] about Albany County-Wide History Driving, Walking, and Bike Tours

Finding the Adirondacks in Albany: A History Tour & Special Museum Event

September 19, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Looking to the Adirondacks from Albany, we can learn much about members of the Pruyn family and many other notable figures who influenced the Adirondack region as well.

In the mid-19th-century, garden cemeteries like the Albany Rural Cemetery borrowed designs that took a picturesque form, with tree-lined, meandering paths, stonework, and curated plantings. [Read more…] about Finding the Adirondacks in Albany: A History Tour & Special Museum Event

Albany’s Peter Gansevoort, “The Hero of Stanwix”

August 15, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Peter Gansevoort Jr. was born into the Dutch aristocracy of Albany to Harman Gansevoort (1712–1801) and Magdalena Douw (1718–1796). His younger brother Leonard Gansevoort, was politically active, serving in the state assembly and senate, as well as the Continental Congress.

Gansevoort is also remembered today as the grandfather of author Herman Melville.
[Read more…] about Albany’s Peter Gansevoort, “The Hero of Stanwix”

Albany’s Seth Wheeler: Inventor of Modern Toilet Paper

April 11, 2023 by Peter Hess 1 Comment

Seth Wheeler was born in Chatham, Columbia County, NY on May 18th, 1838 to a successful and affluent family. His father, Alonzo Wheeler, owned Wheeler, Melick & Co. one of the foremost manufacturers of agricultural equipment; his mother was Harriet Hatch Wheeler. At the time, agriculture was the foremost industry supporting the Upstate New York economy and demand for agricultural equipment was strong. Begun in 1830, Wheeler, Melick & Co. moved to Albany in 1849. [Read more…] about Albany’s Seth Wheeler: Inventor of Modern Toilet Paper

Philip Schuyler Program in Lake George on April 22nd

April 10, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Philip Schuyler was a major player in the region throughout the second half of the 18th Century, first as a provincial officer serving the British during the French and Indian War, then as a Major General in Continental Army during the American Revolution. Schuyler spent time during both conflicts at Lake George, and played a leadership role in preparing Fort George for British assaults after patriots captured the site in 1775. [Read more…] about Philip Schuyler Program in Lake George on April 22nd

William O. Stillman: Leader of Humane Societies, Friend of Animals & Children

April 3, 2023 by Peter Hess Leave a Comment

William O. Stillman was born on September 9th, 1856 in Normansville, now known as Elsmere in the town of the Bethlehem, Albany County, NY. His parents were Rev. Stephen Lewis Stillman and Lucretia (Miller) Stillman.

Rev. Stephen Lewis Stillman was a Methodist minister at the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Adamsville (now Delmar) and a descendant of a family that had emigrated from London, England. Lucretia (Miller) Stillman was of Dutch descent. Rev. Stephen suddenly died in 1869, when William was 12 years old. After his father’s death, William and his mother moved to Albany. [Read more…] about William O. Stillman: Leader of Humane Societies, Friend of Animals & Children

Hudson River Towing: Austin’s Albany & Canal Line

March 16, 2023 by Peter Hess Leave a Comment

Jeremiah J. Austin, Jr. was born in 1819, just 12 years after the first commercial steamboat trip on the Hudson River and two years after construction of the Erie Canal began at Rome, New York. His father Jeremiah J. Austin Sr. was a prominent Albany businessman involved in Hudson River commerce.

After the Erie Canal opened, freight could be transported all the way across the Great Lakes to the entrance to the canal at Buffalo and then along the canal to Albany where it was shipped down the Hudson River to New York Harbor. From there freight could be fairly easily transported to any port on the East Coast, Europe or the Caribbean. [Read more…] about Hudson River Towing: Austin’s Albany & Canal Line

Theophilus Roessle: From Celery King To Hotelier

February 26, 2023 by Peter Hess 2 Comments

Theophilus Gottlieb Roessle was born in Stuttgart in the Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, on March 19th, 1811. His father was a successful market farmer and builder in the community. Like many of the children in his homeland, Theophilus received a good quality education that his father supplemented with a solid training in agriculture.

While still a young boy, Theophilus learned the peculiarities inherent in the cultivation of plants. [Read more…] about Theophilus Roessle: From Celery King To Hotelier

Black History: Capt. Samuel Schuyler & His Steam Towboat Company

February 20, 2023 by Peter Hess Leave a Comment

According to his monument at Albany Rural Cemetery, Samuel Schuyler was born in 1781. Although part African-American, he may have also been a descendant of Philip Schuyler, one of Albany’s most prominent families.

In 1805 he received a manumission (freedom from enslavement) from Dirck Schuyler (who is thought to be his white father). [Read more…] about Black History: Capt. Samuel Schuyler & His Steam Towboat Company

Archibald McIntyre’s Life In Lotteries, Politics & Adirondack Mines

January 8, 2023 by Peter Hess 1 Comment

Archibald McIntyre was born in Kenmore, Perthshire, Scotland on the June 1, 1772. His parents were Daniel and Anne Walker McIntyre. Daniel McIntyre taught school in Scotland.

In 1774, Daniel and his family immigrated to the colony of New York and settled with four or five other Scottish families in what is now Broadalbin in Fulton County, NY. [Read more…] about Archibald McIntyre’s Life In Lotteries, Politics & Adirondack Mines

Albany Rural Cemetery

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