The Historian is an official of the local government appointed by the Supervisor and Town Board. Duties of the historian consist of collecting, preserving and making available materials relating to the history of the community. The historian also is responsible for preserving current records for the future.
| Contact | James Schaefer, PH.D., Town Historian |
| [email protected] |
History of Rotterdam, NY
The area that is now the town of Rotterdam, New York was first settled predominately by the Dutch, about the year 1661. The town, named after the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, was formed from a ward of the city of Schenectady on April 14, 1820.
The fertile soil along the Mohawk River was responsible for a thriving broom corn industry during the mid-1800’s. With the advent of the Erie Canal in 1825 and later, with the coming of railroads to Rotterdam, hamlets began to spring up, including Rotterdam Junction, South Schenectady, and Pattersonville. Rotterdam was an important part of the Northeast’s railroad system. The Erie Canal traversed the entire length of northeast Rotterdam, with two locks located in the town. Athens Junction and Mohawkville were quiet, pleasant settlements in the southeastern part of town.
Rotterdam, a thriving suburban community, began as a frontier town, and now boasts hundreds of agricultural, industrial, and commercial businesses. The population has grown from 1,529 in 1820 to more than 28,000.
Established as a first class town in 1942, Rotterdam has since adopted the seal of the Old World Rotterdam, along with its motto, "Stronger Through Effort." Through diligent application of this motto, Rotterdam looks confidently to the future.
More Resources
- The History of Schenectady and Towns
- Footnotes to JH French's History paper
- Tributaries of the Mohawk & Hudson Rivers in Rotterdam
- Rotterdam: The Home of Cloud Seeding
- Iroquois Pottery & Arrowheads from Rotterdam
- Ancient Lake Albany Beaches in Rotterdam
- Rotterdam's Broadway Hill Toll House
- Teller Cemetery
- Lake Albany Sand Strata in Rotterdam (shown in photos)
- A Retrospective on Rotterdam's Mall (1982)
The Putnam Putman Story
Susan Sager, and Historian Jim Schaefer
June 2026
Rotterdam has a long history with the settling of Schenectady from the earliest days of Dutch occupation. The Great Flats area known as “Schonowe” was divided into farming lots near the river with uphill dedicated to wood lots. Among the founding Dutchmen was the Pootman (Putman) family. Johannes Pootman and his wife Cornelia Bradt Putman were victims of the 1690 massacre in the Schenectady stockade. But they left behind several children who established family farms scattered across the Mohawk Valley including rural Rotterdam. A direct descendant was Aaron Putman who established his farm along the Poentickil near the junction of Phillips and Princetown Roads, of today. He was the “A. Putman” named on the 1866 map of Rotterdam. You can still see his name carved on one of the barn’s support beams (1856) on Phillips Road.
Sometime during the Great Depression it is thought that a careless sign painter changed the ending of the Putman name into Putnam. That spelling error has been repeated onto Rotterdam road signs, place names and addresses. Currently an effort is being made by contemporary Putman descendants to the correct the error with a historic sign they hope to put near the Cobblestone Church. Nearby, the original Putman farm was sold in the 1900s to the Strang family who recently sold it to the Town of Rotterdam in hopes of preserving its agricultural heritage as part of a recreational park. In 2026 the Town procured $4 million from the state to help establish a Town Park or “Commons.”
Descendant line of the Phillips Road Farm:
- Johannes Pootman 1645-1690 (Cornelia Bradt): Came to Colonial America in 1661 from Aalburg, Gelderland, the Netherlands. One of the original settlers of Schenectady. Killed in the Schenectady Massacre in 1690.
- Arent Pootman 1675-1754 (Lysbet Ackerman) Named for his grandfather, Arent Bradt. One of the first white settlers in Auriesville, NY where he is buried.
- Johannes Pootman 1711-1776 (Anna Gertrude Sixt) Lived in Auriesville near his father and died when taken prisoner by Sir John Johnson during the Revolutionary War.
- Arent J. Pootman 1745-1830 (Elisabeth DeSpritzer, Cataline Van Schaik) He is buried in Viewland Cemetery in Rotterdam. He had 4 children.
- Johannes B (John) Putman 1780-1851 (Magdalena Vrooman) He is said to have lived on "Putman Hill" and is buried in Viewland Cemetery in Rotterdam. He had 7 sons and 3 daughters
- Aaron Putman 1805-1882 (Nancy Hagaman) He was owner of the Putman Farm on Phillips Road. He is buried in Viewland Cemetery in Rotterdam. One of 7 Putman sons! They had 7 children.
- Joseph Putman 1833-1906 (Martha Shufelt) - He was the owner of Putman Farm on Phillips Road. He is buried in Vale Cemetery.
- Purlina Putman 1886-1958 (Cornelius Van Dyke Sager) Moved from the Putman Farm to Bellevue around 1907. Buried in Viewland Cemetery in Rotterdam in the Sager Plot.
- Clinton W. Sager I 1892-1981 (Cora Cullings) Clinton lived on the Putman Farm until he was 15 and his parents moved to Bellevue around 1907. Buried in Viewland Cemetery in the Sager Plot.
- Robert Sager 1927-2003 (Clare Sussdorff) Grew up in Bellevue and lived in Schenectady. He is buried in the Sager Plot in Viewland Cemetery in Rotterdam.
- Susan Sager 1959- (Scott Moody) Grew up in Schenectady and lives in Cooperstown.
The Putman Farm & 1866 Rotterdam Map (above “Poentic S” stream)
Photos of the Putman Farm & carved name on barn beam
The Putman house on Phillips Road and graves in Viewland Cemetery
2026 Strang Farm Buildings (note the extension in both photos)
1844 Stone House and Strang Family home as of 2026
Second house and Outbuilding of the Strang Farm 2026
Town Supervisors:
|
2026-Present John Polimeni |
2022-2025 Mollie A Collins |
2016-2021 Steven A. Tommasone |
2012 - 2015 Harry C. Buffardi |
|
2010 - 2011 Francis Del Gallo |
2006 - 2009 Steven A. Tommasone |
2002 - 2005 John J. Paolino |
1998 - 2001 Joseph Signore |
|
1984 - 1997 James Constantino |
1967 - 1983 John F. Kirvin |
1964 - 1966 Charles P. Burke |
1958 - 1963 John F. Kirvin |
|
1955 - 1957 Benjamin N. Williams |
1954 - 1955 James R. Olin |
1948 - 1953 William L. Alheim |
1946 - 1947 James J. O'Connor |
|
1942 - 1945 Carl Brown |
1938 - 1941 James A. Riley |
1936 - 1937 John Roberts |
1934 - 1935 Roy Hamilton |
|
1932 - 1933 James Hotaling |
1930 - 1931 Roscoe C. Vanderbilt |
1922 - 1929 James Hotaling |
1916 - 1921 James A. Levy |
|
1912 - 1915 John H. Veeder |
1910 - 1911 Elwin J. Haskins |
1904 - 1909 Anson H. Cady |
1899 - 1903 Alanson Robison |
|
1896 - 1898 Andrew J. McMillan |
1894 - 1895 Amel F. Hake |
1891 - 1893 Peter VanDyke |
1888 - 1890 Isaac Wemple |
|
1884 - 1887 John C. Myers |
1883 - 1883 Simon J. Schermerhorn |
1881 - 1882 Samual A. Weast |
1878 - 1880 James Turnbull |
|
1876 - 1877 Isaac Wemple |
1875 - 1875 Jacob D. Wemple |
1874 - 1874 Seeley Patterson |
1870 - 1873 John M. Veeder |
|
1869 - 1869 H.M. Akin |
1868 - 1868 James Clute |
1866 - 1867 James McMillan, Jr. |
1865 - 1865 Jacob D. Wemple |
|
1861 - 1864 James McMillan, Jr. |
1860 - 1860 James T. Wasson |
1859 - 1859 William Akin |
1857 - 1858 Henry M. Crane |
|
1856 - 1856 Simon J. Schermerhorn |
1855 - 1855 Moses Chism |
1854 - 1854 George Veeder |
1853 - 1853 N.I. Schermerhorn |
|
1852 - 1852 George Veeder |
1850 - 1851 N.I. Schermerhorn |
1848 - 1849 John W. Conklin |
1847 - 1847 James T. Wasson |
|
1846 - 1846 Abram N. Bradt |
1845 - 1845 James Allen |
1844 - 1844 James T. Wasson |
1841 - 1843 Abram Warren |
|
1840 - 1840 John C. Becker |
1838 - 1839 Simon Schermerhorn |
1837 - 1837 H.A. Vanslyck |
1836 - 1836 J.I. Schermerhorn |
|
1835 - 1835 J.B. Schermerhorn |
1832 - 1834 H.A. Vanslyck |
1828 - 1831 Simon Schermerhorn |
1826 - 1827 B. Schermerhorn, Jr. |
|
1824 - 1825 Peter Becker |
1823 - 1823 John Pangburn |
1822 - 1822 H.A. Vanslyck |