Troy 1869, Boyd Directory - Cliff Lamere

 

 

TROY, RENSSELAER CO., NY - 1869

Business Directory

 

Cliff Lamere    4 May 2001, revised 27 Feb 2002

 

 

Caution:  the statement in red below is incorrect.  The author apparently presumed that West Troy and Troy were part of the same city.  However, West Troy was incorporated as a village in 1836 which means that it had its own government.  It grew to become the city of Watervliet in 1896.  It was never part of the city of Troy.  West Troy is mentioned at the end of the first paragraph, but it had more businesses than the one government activity listed there.  It is probable, therefore, that West Troy was included in the Troy statistics given below.  The number of each kind of business listed for Troy may be incorrect, but you will get an idea of the kinds of businesses that were present in 1869.

 

Source: "Boyd's Business Directory of over one hundred Cities and Villages in New York State" by Andrew Boyd.  Published in Albany, NY - 1869

 

 

 

Troy, Rensselaer County

 

Rensselaer county formed February 7, 1791.  Troy was formed as a town March 18, 1791.  The city charter was granted April 12, 1816.  It is a city and capital of Rensselaer county; and is situated on both sides of the Hudson River, at the mouth of the Poestenkill creek, and at the head of steamboat navigation, 6 miles above Albany, and 150 miles north of New York.  The principal portion of the city is on the east bank of the river, which is connected with the west side by a bridge and a steam ferry.  Troy is favorably situated for commerce.  It has lines of tow-boats to New York city, of propellers and barges to Philadelphia, and of sail packets to Boston.  Many here discharge their cargo on board of large barges to be towed down the river, and receive, in exchange, cargoes passing North or West.  This transhipment constitutes the principal commercial business of the place.  Four railroads meet at this point, viz.:  The Hudson River, the Troy and Boston, the Schenectady and Troy, and the Rensselaer Railroads, which, with their several extensions, connect it with New York, Boston, Montreal, Buffalo, &c.  A dam across the river here rende s [sic] it navigable for sloops to Lansingburgh.  The New York and Troy Steamboat Co. with a superior class of steamboats ply daily between Troy and New York, touching at Albany both ways.  Its manufactures reach all parts of the Union.  Green Island village, on an island of that name above West Troy, and also in Albany county, is properly a suburb of Troy and mainly dependent upon it, with a population of about 3,000.  It contains the largest railroad-car and stage-coach factory in the State, and contributes its quota to equip all the railroads in the Union.  We note the following prominent establishments in Troy:  2 extensive nail factories, 21 iron foundries, 26 paper and cloth collar factories, extensive manufactories of knitted goods, one large manufactory of slate mantels, 18 stove factories, 2 varnish factories, 10 breweries, 1 extensive car manufactory, 3 distilleries, 1 paper mill, 1 large cotton mill, 1 large flouring mill, 1 extensive chemical factory, 3 manufactory of hosiery and 1 extensive woolen mill, besides a large number of smaller concerns.  West Troy, a post village on the west bank of the river, opposite to East Troy, is situated in Albany county, on the Albany Northern Railroad.  The United States arsenal, with its numerous buildings, covering a number of acres, is located here.  It is connected with Albany, 6 miles below, by a street railroad.

 

The Troy Female Seminary, so long and so favorably known, is one of the most prominent objects in Troy.  Beautifully and centrally situated, surrounded by large elms and maples, it naturally attracts the attention of all strangers who pass it, while its well earned reputation has brought great numbers of pupils within its wall.  It was founded by Mrs. Emma Willard, the mother of the present principal, in Middlebury, in Vermont, in 1814; removed to Waterford, N.Y., in 1819, and to Troy in 1821.  It is the pioneer in the present system of female education.  The first class of young ladies ever known to have been taught in any school in this country in algebra, geometry, or the higher mathematics, was taught here, and the lady who probably passed the first public examination in geometry ever passed in the United States is now living in Waterford.  The Seminary has always maintained its position in the front rank of educational institutions for young women, and it will unquestionably be conceded by all who are familiar with it and with others of like character that its standard of education is unsurpassed if equalled.

 

The educational institutions, besides the public schools, are the Troy Academy, incorporated in 1834.  The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, organized in 1824, was endowed by Stephen Van Rensselaer; next to West Point this institute has the best reputation in its special departments of any school in America.  The Troy Lyceum of Natural History was incorporated in 1820.  St. Peter's College is built on Mount St. Vincent.  St. Joseph's Academy was founded in 1842.  The Troy Hospital, in the care of the Sisters of Charity, was incorporated in 1851.  The Marshall Infirmary, incorporated in 1851.  The Troy Orphan Asylum, incorporated in 1835.  St. Mary's Orphan Asylum, connected with St. Mary's Church, is under the care of the Christian Brothers, and Sisters of Charity.  The Warren Free Institute, a school for indigent female children, was incorporated in 1846.

 

CITY GOVERNMENT. -- Miles Beach, mayor.  Aldermen, 1st Ward -- Hugh Rock, Thomas Galvin; 2d -- Isaac N. Haight, Joseph Fales; 3d -- James R. Prentice, George H. Starbuck; 4th John M. Bogardus, Henry A. Merritt; 5th -- Edward Carter, Joseph B. Morris; 6th -- Edwin Sears, James Maloney; 7th -- Edward Fitzgerald, Jeremiah Mahoney; 8th -- James Fleming, D. O. Loughlin; 9th -- John Maguire, James Maher; 10 -- Ira M. Perkins, A. L. Hotchkin.  D. Lane, Chamberlain; William A. Beach, City Attorney; Charles L. Fuller, City Surveyor.

 

 

 

 

This complete directory is online at the Making of America website at Cornell University. 

 

Title Page

List of Localities in the Directory  Enter page number of a locality and hit Enter.

 

 

 

                                                              Visitors since 5 May 2001