New York Divided Into Counties

Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick, Courtesy of Wikimedia, and The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol 5 p. 130, published 1907 by The Encylopedia Press, New York.

On this day, November 1, in 1683, the Province of New York, at the time still an English Crown Colony, was divided into 12 counties by Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick, and Royal Governor of the Province.

The 12 Counties were as follows:

1. Albany County - Consisted of what is now Northern and Western New York, along with Vermont, and technically extending all the way to the Pacific Ocean.  Much of the land was eventually ceded to other states, and the parts within New York State, were further divided into new counties.
2. Cornwall County - Consisted of parts of Maine between the Kennebec River, and the St. Croix River, between the Atlantic Ocean to the St. Lawrence River.
3. Dukes County - Consisted of the Elizabeth Islands, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket.
4. Dutchess County - What is now Dutchess and Putnam Counties in the Hudson Valley of New York State.
5. Kings County - Same as the current Kings County (Brooklyn, NY)
6. New York County - Same as the current New York County (Manhattan, NY)
7. Orange County - Consisted of what is now Orange and Rockland Counties in the Hudson Valley of New York State.
8. Queens County - Consisted of what is now Queens and Nassau Counties in the State of New York.
9. Richmond County - Same as the current Richmond County, Staten Island.
10. Suffolk County - Had the same boundaries as the current Suffolk County, on Long Island.
11. Ulster County - What is now Ulster and Sullivan Counties, along with parts of what is now Delaware and Green Counties.
12. Westchester County - What is now Westchester County, along with Bronx County (The Bronx)

It is worth noting that in 1692, Cornwall County, and Dukes county were ceded to the Province of Massachusetts Bay.