Berne, New York Explained

Official Name:Berne
Settlement Type:Town
Motto:The center of the Helderbergs, "It's all down hill from here"[1]
Mapsize:300px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:New York
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Albany
Government Type:Town Council
Leader Title:Town Supervisor
Leader Name:Dennis Palow (Republican)
Leader Title1:Town Council
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[2]
Area Total Km2:167.66
Area Land Km2:165.84
Area Water Km2:1.82
Area Total Sq Mi:64.73
Area Land Sq Mi:64.03
Area Water Sq Mi:0.70
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:2689
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Elevation M:410
Elevation Ft:1345
Coordinates:42.5972°N -74.1236°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:12023
Area Code:518
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:36-001-06211
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:0978728

Berne is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 2,689 at the 2020 census.[3] The town is at the western border of Albany County.

History

The town of Berne was originally spelled "Bern", until the Berne Post Office was established in 1825. It was created in 1795 from part of the town of Rensselaerville. In 1822 the northern half of Berne was spun off to form the new town of Knox.

The earliest settlers were Palatine German refugees. Settlement began sometime before 1750.[4] At that time, it was called Beaver Dam (also spelled Beaverdam). The settlers were actually squatters, since in the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, Berne was part of the Rensselaerswyck estate. The head of the Van Rensselaer family was the patroon who owned all the land on which the tenants in the Hudson Valley lived, and used feudal leases to maintain control of the region. Before the Revolutionary War, the patroons acted like feudal lords, with the right to make laws.

During the War, inhabitants fought on both sides of the conflict. Loyalists who supported the British left and went to Canada. Those who stayed and fought the British expected that if they won, they would either be released from their tenancy, or at the least, be allowed to purchase the land at fair market value. Instead, the new government of New York decided to honor the lease contracts of the patroons, who contributed heavily to the politicians.

The first meeting of the Town of Rensselaerville (which then included what are now known as the four "Hilltowns") was held in 1790 at the home of Johannes Fischer on Stranahan Lane.[5] He may have been the wealthiest man in the town as he owned eight slaves in 1800. When the town of Bern was created in 1795, the first meeting was also held in the home of Johannes Fisher. It is now known as the Thomas Wood House.[6]

The massacre of the Dietz family in 1781 was the only Iroquois incursion in Beaver Dam during the Revolution.[7]

The first mass meeting of tenant farmers leading to the Anti-Rent War was held in Berne on July 4, 1839. In January 1845, one hundred and fifty delegates from eleven counties assembled in St. Paul's Lutheran Church to call for political action to redress their grievances.[8]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 64.8sqmi, of which 64.1sqmi is land and 0.6sqmi (0.99%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 2,794 people, 1,099 households, and 805 families residing in the town. The population density was 43.6sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,385 housing units at an average density of 21.6 per square mile (8.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.89% White, 0.39% African American, 0.39% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.

There were 1,099 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $47,174, and the median income for a family was $55,685. Males had a median income of $37,324 versus $29,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,095. About 3.7% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

Natural history

Notable people

Communities and locations in Berne

Politics

Presidential Results[11] !Year!Democrat!Republican
2008Obama 50%Mccain 47%
2012Obama 52%Romney 45%
2016Clinton 40%Trump 52%

References

  1. Web site: BerneNY . BerneNY . December 4, 2010.
  2. Web site: 2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. July 4, 2017.
  3. https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=Berne%20town,%20Albany%20County,%20New%20York U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census, Berne (town), Albany County, New York
  4. Web site: Settling Berne . bernehistory.org . January 12, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080605201350/http://bernehistory.org/local/settling_berne.htm . June 5, 2008 . dead.
  5. Town of Berne minutes
  6. New York State Historical Marker
  7. Web site: Berne Historical Project - Dietz Massacre . www.bernehistory.org . January 12, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080215001948/http://www.bernehistory.org/area_history/dietz_massacre.htm . February 15, 2008 . dead.
  8. Christman, Henry, Tin Horns and Calico, Hope Farm Press, 1978, pp. 128-130
  9. Web site: U.S. Census website . . January 31, 2008 .
  10. 'The Legislative Manual of the Wisconsin Legislature 1871,' Biographical Sketch of Adelmorn Sherman, pg. 383
  11. Web site: Albany County Election Results. November 30, 2020. app.albanycounty.com.

External links