The West Troy Advocate, a weekly newspaper, was published every Wednesday in the Village of West Troy, Albany County, from October, 1837 to 1865. The Village of West Troy, by the way, became part of what is now the city of Watervliet, New York in 1896.
The newspaper was founded by William Hollands, Sr. of Waterford and was the first newspaper published in the Village of West Troy. Upon the death of Mr. Hollands, Sr., on June 8, 1853, the paper was continued by the family under the editorship and management of his son, William Hollands, Jr.
This data base of 380 pages of marriages, deaths and miscellany news stories were copied from the West Troy Advocate by Doris R. Sheridan in 1985. Ms. Sheridan did not copy all of the items in the newspaper but limited herself to those that were connected to local individuals or to those stories that were unusually interesting. A number of items refer to persons from Troy, Albany and other nearby communities.
In reviewing the 380 pages of transcripts, an index of “6,248 Surnames” was developed along with an index of “1,473 Subject” entries. In the “Subject” index, for instance, you will find numerous Canal Boats by names, Civil War Battles including deaths and battlefield injuries, numerous drowning deaths, industrial accidents, murders and suicides, train accidents along with many references to local factories, stores and companies.
After checking out the
surnames you are researching and scanning the Subject index to
see what item interest you, it is suggested that you read all
380 pages of these excerpts. These news stories provide a glimpse
into life and customs in the mid 1800s. One custom, for example,
mentioned in many of the marriage notices, was that the newspaper
reporter was provided with a slice of the wedding cake by the
bride!
SURNAME Index
SUBJECT Index
Barge on the Erie Canal – West Troy, NY
Subject Index Has Many items on Erie Canal Boats, Accidents & Drowning Deaths
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