Clarkstown Records Available Online in Digital Format

Have you ever wanted to research Clarkstown's rich and historic past?

With the help of the Town Clerk's Office, you can, from the comfort of your home computer.

In 2006, Town Clerk David Carlucci, began an effort, funded by state grant money, to convert all of the town's records, dating back to April 7, 1752, to an easily accessible digital format available online.  Additionally, all of the office's records are also backed up on microfilm.

Prior to their conversion to the new format, the records were kept in cumbersome bound volumes that could prove unwieldy to researchers who had to know exactly what it was they were seeking. Now they are a simple online search away. They include town board minutes, which are organized by year, and local vital statistics: births, deaths, and marriages.

The vital statistics are not searchable by the public; however, their existence as digital media facilitates their easy retrieval when requested. Instead of having to go find the proper record volume, Town Clerk's Office employees can do a quick computer search and print out what is needed.           

 "This saves time, money, and makes everything more efficient," Carlucci said.

Carlucci also noted, "There is a lot of rich history and I'm glad it's out there for people to research."

Clarkstown, and by extension Nanuet, is atypical in that the town's records go back as far as they do. Many municipalities do not have records that date back to the 18^thcentury. In a sense, a glimpse at these records shows a world that bares similarities to the one we live in. People always face financial woes, raise families, and open businesses. At the same time, the records open a window into a Clarkstown that many of us are probably not too aware of.

At the time of the first recorded town meeting, Clarkstown was a community within the precinct of Haverstraw in the County of Orange. Feeling that they were too far from Haverstraw, the residents of what would become Clarkstown met in 1752 to appoint the very first town clerk; 39 years before Clarkstown officially became a town. The records kept by that clerk and his early successors shine a light on an agrarian community that dealt with many of the darker issues of early American history, including the slave trade. 

They also, at times, showcase the little absurdities of historical realia. Take for example a law from the 1930s that made it illegal to be seen in public in one's swimming trunks; violation of which was punishable by a $5 fine and possible jail time. More importantly, the records detail the everyday history of our community, for example how it is that our town earned its name. In the early 1700s Daniel D. Clark bought a large tract of land that, by the 1760s, became subdivided. Collectively, it became known as "Clark's Town."

While at face value these may seem like trifles, novelties, and trivia, the existence of these documents assures that our local history will always be remembered. This collection is key link to our town's historical memory and, as observed by Carlucci, "By having these documents online, we're preserving history."

The records can be accessed and searched by going to www.clarkstownclerk.com.