The greater part of the county was included in the 1630 patent of Killian Van Rensselaer. Rensselaer County GenWeb is a plain gray site with a table of options. In maintaining the site, coordinator Debby Masterson wanted to stay close to the original NYGenWeb design format, choosing to follow a principle that is seen less frequently on the web. This is appreciated by researchers using older machines or browsers, who have to dial in long distance, or who prefer to research with images turned off. Debby's most ambitious project is the indexing of the 1855 New York State census of Rensselaer.
Several towns are complete, including links to obituaries when available.
Currently on line are large images of typescripts of the census. Plans for 1999 involve typing these out and adding more towns. Other site highlights include the 1835 pensioners list of surviving Revolutionary War soldiers and widows, and the 1885 pensioners of the War of 1812 and the Civil War. Recently Debby added the minutes of the Schodack Baptist Church, which reveal personalities, mores, and secular and religious concerns of members. As some of the events described would be moving, or scandalous, in any day, the records are fascinating beyond their genealogical value.