Let’s face it. Some famous people should not be, and there are those who, while unknown now, should be.

Troy is one of America’s enduring small-city stories, born of early settlement in the post-Revolutionary era, shaped by industrial innovation in the 19th century, and continually renewed by the people who lived, worked, and built their lives here. Understanding Troy’s history teaches us how ordinary residents became part of a larger shared legacy.

Located on the east bank of the Hudson River in Rensselaer County, Troy was formally incorporated as a village in 1791 and as a city in 1816.

It became a hub of commerce, transportation, and manufacturing during the early American Republic. Troy’s rise was tied to its strategic location and the energy of its people, comprising entrepreneurs, artisans, laborers, and leaders who contributed to the American industrial revolution in ways that, for many, went unnoticed beyond the local level.

Troy was a magnet and magical. Newbies to Troy tell me that every time. They feel the magic.

The names that do appear in historical records, like industrialists behind the W. & L. E. Gurley Co., makers of precision surveying instruments, and the Meneely family of bell makers whose products rang across the United States and abroad, remind us of the city’s technical and manufacturing prowess. Names like Burden, Winslow, and Griswold are now just names on a building or manhole cover, but 150 years ago, these names were known around the world and to every Trojan.

Troy’s residents built machines, worked in foundries, made collars and cuffs, and supplied goods essential to a growing nation. Today, the legacy of these industries is preserved in the city’s architecture and in the pride that residents hold for their community’s ingenuity. Unfortunately, most of these industrial representatives have been torn down, but you cannot erase their history.

While some figures are well documented, countless others played roles in Troy’s growth without leaving behind easily traceable records. Blacksmiths, carpenters, shopkeepers, collar workers, railroad and iron workers, teachers, all of these individuals formed the backbone of everyday life. They raised families, established businesses, and participated in civic institutions such as churches, lodges, schools, and local government.

These contributions, though less visible in published histories, are often preserved in local archives, family histories, cemeteries, and community memory.

For example, draft and census records from the early 20th century show how many young men from Rensselaer County and nearby towns worked in Troy’s industries or enlisted for service during World War I. The Troy Library “Troy Room” has thousands of records.

There are names and stories you should know, like Martin I. Townsend, Edward P. McCabe, or Frazier Noutelle (look them up), all former Trojans – known to a few.

These types of story illustrates a broader truth: local communities are constructed from the lived experiences of ordinary people whose efforts seldom make it into broad historical narratives but whose presence shaped the fabric of daily life.

Colonial-era migrations brought many families from New England and other colonies into New York State (the so-called Yankee Invasion). Some settled in the Hudson-Mohawk region, participating in farming, trade, and early civic affairs.

Genealogical research can celebrate the importance of every individual. Whether a person served in local government, managed a business, raised a family, or worked in a factory, each life contributed to the multi-layered story of Troy and its environs.

Writing about local history, even when the details are scarce, is not simply an academic exercise. It connects communities to their heritage, giving present and future generations a sense of place and identity. Understanding the lives of people who lived in Troy enriches appreciation for the city’s values: resilience, ingenuity, adaptability, and community engagement. I try to do this weekly.

History is not only the domain of well-known leaders and public figures. It includes the teachers, laborers, homemakers, veterans, and entrepreneurs whose names may never headline a history book but whose impact resonates in neighborhood streets, civic institutions, and family memories.

Local historians like Kathy Sheehan, historical societies like the Rensselaer County Historic Society, Lansingburgh Historical Society, or Hudson-Mohawk Gateway, and libraries and archives, like Troy Public, or RPI’s Archives, all in Troy, work to preserve photographs, letters, newspapers, and public records that document individual lives and community change over centuries.

These collections allow us to piece together narratives of people who might otherwise be forgotten. As each archivist, genealogist, and community member contributes to preserving this material, the history of Troy continues to grow richer and more nuanced.

In celebrating local history, we honor both the celebrated and the lesser-known. Whether a person like Edward P. McCabe becomes widely recognized by Trojans or remains known only to family and a few historians, the spirit of Troy exists in every story of work, service, sacrifice, and community building.

Troy’s history is a tapestry woven from countless lives. Some are well recorded, others are traceable only in fragments. The absence of an established biography for one does not diminish the importance of remembering ordinary citizens whose daily lives helped shape the city.

Every resident, whether remembered in text or in memory, contributed threads to the fabric of Troy’s identity. Exploring these lives is essential to understanding not just a place, but the enduring spirit of community that continues to define this historic New York city on the Hudson.

Yes, indeed, Troy is a magical city.

Got History? Don is the author of a dozen books about his hometown. You can reach him at drittner@aol.com

© The Saratogian