Town Minutes

Town Minutes

The Homer Town Minutes are in bound books kept in a vault at the town offices under the care of the Town Historian, Martin Sweeney, and the Town Board.  In 2012, my husband and I took digital images for the town.  There are some digital images of some of these pages under Images/Historical Documents.  The Town has plans to make them all available online in the future.  Below is a transcription of the minutes for this time period.

There is a lot of genealogical useful information in the town minutes since many residents are mentioned as town officials, pathmasters, fence viewers, etc.  

According to the 1836 Gazetteer of the state of New York: “There are chosen, at the annual town meeting in each town, one supervisor, one town clerk, not less than three, nor more than five assessors, one collector, two overseers of the poor, three commissioners of highways, three commissioners and three inspectors of common schools, not more than five constables, one town sealer of weights and measures, as many overseers of highways as there are road districts in the town, except in the counties of Suffolk, Queens, Kings and Richmond; and so many pount masters, as the electors may determine.” (p. 157)

Page 1
[S]tate of New York
Onondaga County SS. Whereas the Town of Homer, in said county, on the fifth Day of April, did neglect to appoint the necessary Town officers for the year thousand seven hundred and ninety five. And whereas by a law passed on the seventh day of March one thousand seven hundred and Eighty Eight. directing three justices Of the peace of said county to nominate and under their hands and seals to appoint such officers as said act is specified – Therefore We Asa Danforth, Hezekiah Olcott & Daniel Keeler three of the justices of the peace appointed in and for said county. Nominate and by these presents to appoint