Resources for research

The resources included on this page have been used to aid in the research of the Van Slyke House.

Books

  • Philip Otterness: Becoming German: The 1709 Palatine Migration to New York

    Becoming German tells the intriguing story of the largest and earliest mass movement of German-speaking immigrants to America.

  • David L Preston: The Texture of Contact: European and Indian Settler Communities on the Frontiers of Iroquoia, 1667-1783

Winner, 2010 Albert B. Corey Prize, American Historical Association and Canadian Historical Association for best book on American-Canadian relations, Recipient, Annual Archives Award for Excellence in Research, New York State Archives
The Texture of Contact is a landmark study of Iroquois and European communities and coexistence in eastern North America before the American Revolution.

  • Nathaniel Soley Benton:A History Of Herkimer County: Including The Upper Mohawk Valley, From The Earliest Period To The Present Time

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible.

  • Sanford H. Cobb: The Story of the Palatines: An Episode in Colonial History

The German Palatines were 13,000 refugees from French invasions who came to England in 1709. The British government sent 3,000 of them to the Thirteen Colonies, and 850 families settled in the Hudson River Valley.

  • Barbara J. Sivertsen: Turtles, Wolves, and Bears: A Mohawk Family History

Individuals researching the seventeenth and eighteenth century Hödinöhsöni and those who wish to trace their Mohawk ancestry will find this work a must for their libraries.

  • William V. H. Barker: Early Families of Herkimer County, New York : Descendants of the Burnetsfield Palatines

In 1723 a number of Palatine families were allowed to take up lands in the Mohawk Valley of New York. Those settling in the bounds of the present county of Herkimer were known as the Burnetsfield Patentees, after the name of the grant made by New York Governor William Burnet, and are the subject of this formidable work.

  • Henry Z. Jones: Palatine Families of New York

Hank Jones’ massive two volumes fully document the account of all 847 Palatine families who came to colonial New York from Germany in 1710. The volumes trace the American descendants of many of them down to the American Revolution.

  • John M. Brown: A Brief Sketch of the First Settlement of the County of Schoharie by the Germans: Being an Answer to a Circular Letter, addressed to the Author by “The Historical and Philosophical Society of the State of New York.”

One object in republishing Judge Brown’s First Settlement of the County of Schoharie by the Germans is to bring into general circulation an important local historical work now nearly extinct.

Online Resources

  • Mohawk Valley Museums

    Mohawk Valley Museums bring together the history of the Mohawk Valley Region for visitors, residents and historians, to explore, research and share.

  • Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    This site has many online exhibits and resources for Little Falls, NY, and the Mohawk Valley region.

  • Herkimer County Clerk’s Office

    The Online Document Search through IQS  is focused on deeds, tax records, and other county research. The public can conduct research using the “Search Records as Guest” button.

  • Herkimer County SDG Image Mate Online

    This is very useful for Herkimer County property tax information including tax maps.

  • GIS Cloud

    This is a great resource for land boundaries including parks, parcels, flood plains and more and can be used in conjunction with tax maps

  • New York Almanack

    Founded by John Warren in 2008 as the New York Almanack is updated several times per day focusing on history, natural history and the environment, outdoor recreation, arts and culture, and New York State food and farms.

  • New York State Archives

    This has a lot of information specific to New York history including photos, maps, publications and more.

  • NYS Historic Newspapers

    This site offers online editions of many old newspapers overall including some publications in Herkimer County up until 1904.

  • The Library of Congress Digital Collection

    This website has an extensive online collection of maps, photos, journals, books and so much more.

  • National Archives

    Explore the National Archives to discover more about founding documents, our nation’s history, military service records, and so much more.

  • The Internet Archive

    Internet Archive is a non-profit library with millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.