Muster Rolls of New York Provincial Troops 1755-1764 was originally published in 1891 by the New-York Historical Society. Heritage Books reprinted this book in 2007. The contents of this book are straight forward and simple, it contains:
“Muster Rolls of the various regiments and smaller organizations of troops raised and put in the field by the province of New York, which served during the Seven Years’ War in America, or, as it was later called ‘The Old French War’— that war which forever terminated the power of France in the New World.”
The rolls in this book cover the entire war period from 17855 to 1763, except for 1757. The 1757 records have gone missing from the archives for the State of New York in Albany. All the other records are held in the state archives, just as they were originally filed in the office of the Provincial Secretary of the Colony of New York. The rolls provide such information as name, date of enlistment, age, birthplace, and trade of the soldier.
The book has three main parts, the rolls, an appendix, and an extensive index. The appendix offers a great deal of vital history information through documents, also found in the state archives. “These show the action of the Governors of the province, the colonial legislature and other provincial authorities, not only in relation to their own troops, but to the carrying on of the war generally by the people of the province of New York, its legislature, and its Governors.” These documents include:
- A list of all acts of the legislature of the province—17 in all
- Official order, directions, and proclamations of three Governors
- Lists of commissioned officers, as far as they were obtainable
- Lists of deserters
- Lists of commissions signed by the Governors
- Book of military appointments
- Lists of commissions issued for the provincial regiments
- List of warrants issued to captains for bounty and enlistment monies
For insight into a war most Americans probably know little about, this book presents both a great historical insight as well as vital information for researching ancestors who may have served in the Provincial military.
Order Muster Rolls of New York Provincial Troops 1755-1764 from Family Roots Publishing; Price: $45.08.