Remsen was named for Henry Remsen II, the original proprietor of the township and the inheritor of the Remsenburgh patent, which embraced some 48,000 acres (190 km2) in Oneida and Herkimer counties and was granted in 1766 (later regranted by the Legislature in 1787) to Remsen and four other New York merchants. Remsen, a New York City merchant and owner of Henry Remsen Jr. & Co., was the descendant of some of the earliest Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam.
Passages that mention Remsen, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A narrative history of Remsen, New York, including parts of the adjoining townships of Steuben and Trenton, 1789-18981914Read the page →
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Judge Pomeroy Jones mentions in his "Annals of Oneida County," "twelve saw-mills in the town of Remsen, and two grist-mills — one of the latter run by steam-power." Some of these saw-mills, however, were in the present town of Forestport.
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A narrative history of Remsen, New York, including parts of the adjoining townships of Steuben and Trenton, 1789-18981914Read the page →
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In the "Annals of Oneida County," (1850), it is stated that, "The first religious society in the town of Remsen was a Presbji:erian society, which was formed "at an early day, now extinct." This statement, so far as it relates to the "town" is incorrect, for there was a Baptist society organized in the eastern part of the township in 1809, which was some years before the Presbyterian body referred to was organized.
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Remsen, 1835 to 1897
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1887Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Remsen
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Famous people
2 famous people were born in Remsen
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
