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- source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
- source: Family History Library Catalog
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
Otsego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,524. The county seat is Cooperstown. The name Otsego is from a Mohawk or Oneida word meaning "place of the rock."
History
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
In 1789, Ontario County was split off from Montgomery. The area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present county, as it included the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben, Wyoming, Yates, and part of Schuyler and Wayne counties.
Formation
Otsego County was one of three early counties split off from Montgomery (the other two being Herkimer and Tioga) after the American Revolutionary War. Otsego County was officially established on February 16, 1791, with Cooperstown as its county seat. The original county consisted of three large townships:
Otsego and Cherry Valley together roughly covered the area of modern Otsego County, while Harpersfield covered the area south of the current county as far as the Delaware River.
The original appointments to Otsego County government positions, made by Governor George Clinton included:
- Richard R. Smith, county sheriff, from Otsego township,
- Jacob Morris, county clerk, from Otsego township,
- William Cooper, chief judge, from Otsego township,
- Jedediah Peck, associate justice from Otsego township,
- Edward Griswold, associate justice from Cherry Valley
- Platt Townsend, associate justice from Harpersfield,
- Alexander Harper, commander of the county militia, from Harpersfield.
New towns
By 1793, four towns had been added to the county by division of the existing towns:
- The Otsego township had been divided into the towns of:
- Harpersfield had been divided into the towns of:
In 1795, a piece of Otsego County was joined with a portion taken from Albany County to create Schoharie County.
In 1797, a piece of Otsego County was joined with a portion taken from Ulster County to create Delaware County.
Timeline
Population History
- source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
Census Year | Population
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1800 | 21,343
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1810 | 38,802
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1820 | 44,856
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1830 | 51,372
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1840 | 49,628
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1850 | 48,638
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1860 | 50,157
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1870 | 48,967
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1880 | 51,397
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1890 | 50,861
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1900 | 48,939
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1910 | 47,216
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1920 | 46,200
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1930 | 46,710
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1940 | 46,082
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1950 | 50,763
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1960 | 51,942
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1970 | 56,181
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1980 | 59,075
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1990 | 60,517
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Cemeteries
Cemeteries of Otsego County, New York, United States
Research Tips
External links
- Outstanding guide to Otsego County family history and genealogy resources (FamilySearch Research Wiki). Birth, marriage, and death records, censuses, wills, deeds, county and town histories, cemeteries, churches, newspapers, libraries, and genealogical societies.
- www.rootsweb.com/~nyotsego/
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