A new digitization project funded by the New York State’s Daughters of the American Revolution has begun on recently rediscovered records.
The project involves digitization and development of educational materials for the New York State Archives’ earliest (1775-1785) of the Journals of the Auditor General, 1775-1794.
A series consists of two already indexed journals illustrating the variety of expenditures and receipts of New York’s government during the Revolutionary War, including reimbursements to average citizens for their contributions to the war effort.
Entries include abstracts of pay and ration rolls for militia officers and private soldiers; accounts for supplies purchased or requisitioned; accounts for soldiers’ back pay or widows’ pensions; accounts for loyalist lands leased or sold; accounts for service by state officers; and accounts of port fees.
Many of the recorded transactions document Revolutionary War activities of the new state government and its citizens. These journals were created for auditing purposes, recording the settlement of public money, not necessarily created concurrently with every transaction.
Still, the type of information presented within these records is crucial to understanding the day-to-day activities during this time and the complex environment of Revolutionary-era New York State.
It also further represents an important step toward preserving and sharing the documentary heritage of the colonial period across the Empire State.
By digitizing this material, the project supports the long-term preservation of these records while expanding access for scholars, educators, and the public interested in the formation and administration of New York State.
Illustration: A page from the Journals of the Auditor General, 1775-1785 (NYS Archives).
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