Series I: Headquarters, 1767-1972

The orders are organized by recipient. The regimental orders consist of special, training, parade, post, and regular orders and are organized chronologically. Orders to the New York State Guard and different divisions, brigades, and battalions are also in this series, placed after the regimental orders. In the bound orders, many circulars are also included. Note that orders directed to companies are with the companies series.

The regimental correspondence is arranged chronologically. It is mostly incoming correspondence to the regiment, but some copies and carbon copies of outgoing correspondence are included. Some letters to the Board of Officers and correspondence among soldiers and officials of the 7th Regiment are also included. Most of the correspondence documents routine matters such as invitations to dinners and events, resignations, elections of officers, parades, uniforms, and the use of the armory. Events such as the Astor Place Riots, the Draft Riots, the Civil War, and World War I are not represented in the correspondence. However, some letters from 1916 from McAllen, Texas detail the camp conditions and the attitude of the men while guarding the Mexican Border.

The letterbooks contain the correspondence of Colonel Appleton and Colonel Clark which detail the administrative management of the regiment. The letterbook of Philip Rhinelander contains correspondence regarding his collecting of Civil War relics.

This subseries consists of formal communication within the 7th Regiment that is not orders. This includes memos, circulars, and other notices to members. It also includes internal communications in the division of militia affairs of the war department, brigades, and the New York Guard.

This subseries contains material produced by the regiment's Board of Officers and its various committees. The Board of Officers material includes by-laws, resolutions, meeting minutes, minute books, and reports of the officers. The committee material is reports from various committees to the Board of Officers. The main committees of the regiment include the Armory Committee, the Committee on the Awards of the Cross of Honor, the Library and Arts Committee, and the General Committee on the New Armory. The regiment had other special committees that met for a short duration to complete a special project, such as a committee on an upcoming ball. These special committees are together in chronological order.

This subseries includes regimental rosters, rolls, returns, enrollment lists and certificates, and attendance reports. Much of the loose material relates to the Civil War, especially printed lists (booklets, newspapers and posters) of New York City recruits and draftees. Also included in this subseries are lists of 7th Regiment war dead from the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. Bound volumes in this subseries are muster rolls, roll books, and rosters.

For rosters of individual 7th Regiment companies, see Series II (especially Bound Volumes), and the Veterans of the 7th Regiment files in this series, Subseries 10.

The financial material contains annual reports, account books, material related to pay and insurance, and a large number of bills and receipts. For further financial information see the Treasurer's Reports in the Board of Officers subseries.

The legal material of the 7th Regiment consists mainly of court martials but also includes wills, testimonies, transcripts of court proceeding, acts, and affidavits. There are some court martials from the Headquarters of the Army and the First Brigade, New York State Artillery.

This subseries contains manuals, pamphlets, handouts, exercises, and notes related to specific regimental training. Many of the materials are related to controlling riots.

The report books are records of attendance of members of each company present at drills, parades, or practices.

This subseries primarily contains material for various veterans associations including Veterans of the 7th Regiment, Society of the War Veterans, and Veterans of the National Guard. The bulk of the Veterans of the 7th Regiment material is files from the 1940s containing correspondence and company rosters. Correspondence consists mostly of letters from veterans to William B. Miles, Secretary of the Veterans of the 7th Regiment, many of which discuss their recent activities, their service in the 7th, and include information about other 7th members. There are numerous V-Mails. Veterans of the 7th Regiment material also includes nineteenth-century orders, circulars, reports, and by-laws, and bulletins from the 1940s-1960s. Society of War Veterans and Veterans of the National Guard material includes records books, correspondence, minutes, circulars, and printed items. Two minute books of the Veterans Military Rifle Association of New York City are also found in this subseries.

See also Series IX for Veterans ephemera.

This subseries contains other material related to the regiment that does not fit into the above subseries. It includes press releases, documents regarding the regiment's bill of dress, emergency plans, etc.