Deyo Family Papers
Finding Aid completed by Eric Roth, November 18, 1998 (last revised March 2024)
Special thanks to Deyo Family Association President Esther Aldridge for her help in processing the collection.
Inclusive Dates: 1675-1878
Bulk Dates: 1675-1870
Volume: 1 cu. ft.
Collection ID: MSS.005
Language: English, French, Dutch, German
Acquisition: The papers were donated to HHS in 1960 by Miss Sarah E. Deyo.
Access: Unrestricted. Request for permission to publish materials from these records should be discussed with the Archivist/Librarian of HHS.
Preferred Citation: [Author/title/date of item], Deyo Family Papers, Historic Huguenot Street, New Paltz, NY.
Digital Access: Digitized in 2022, hosted online in New York Heritage (also see links in Box/Folder listing below)).
Biographical Note
French Huguenot Christian Deyo [1] was born in the province of Artois, France (c.1610), and married Jeanne Wibau (c. 1642), by whom he had five children. Christian and his family relocated to Mannheim, Germany in 1660, probably to avoid religious persecution. The family then traveled to America on the same ship as Abraham Hasbrouck in 1675. [2] After spending a year at Kingston (then called Wiltwyck), the Deyo family settled at New Paltz in 1677, where Christian Deyo and his son Pierre both signed the patent and became two of the twelve original trustees of New Paltz. Other than Christian's mark on the New Paltz Patent, the only records referring to him during his lifetime consist of testamentary disposition dated Aug. 10, 1676 [3] and a fair copy of a slave purchase in 1680. Christian's son, Pierre, purchased a slave in 1694.
Throughout the old documents, Christian is often referred to as "Granpere." In fact, all four of Christian's daughters married New Paltz patentees, therefore making Christian Deyo the literal grandfather to a large majority of the early New Paltz inhabitants. Because of this development, Granpere's grandchildren were constantly dividing and redistributing Christian's share of the patent during the next fifty years. As Town Historian Al Marks writes, "the DuBois and Deyo families were soon brought even closer together by the marriage of Abraham DuBois with another of the daughters of Christian Deyo, who thus became grandfather of so many of the New Paltz inhabitants that even his property became known simply as 'Grandpere' in the old deeds. The calculation of shares of that property passed down to his heirs became, after a generation or two, an exercise in high mathematics." [4] When the Freeholders of New Paltz decided to elect the "Twelve Men" to administer to the defense of the Patent in 1738, Daniel Hasbrouck B-6 (1692-1759) was elected to represent Christian's share, not a Deyo. In fact, no Deyo was ever elected to represent Christian's share throughout the 85 years of the existence of the institution.
Christian's son Pierre Deyo A-2 (also known as Pieter) was most likely born in France in 1648. He married Agatha Nicken in Mutterstadt, Curr Pfalz, Germany just prior to their emigration to America in 1675. Pierre and Agatha had eight children, all of whom, it is believed, were born in New Paltz and baptized at the Dutch Reformed Church at Kingston, New York. In 1692, Pierre built the Deyo House, which still stands and is now owned and operated by Historic Huguenot Street. Pierre died sometime between 1703 and 1708.
In 1708, Pierre 's lands were divided between his four sons Abraham B-1 (1676-1725), Christian B-3 (1681-after 1765), Pierre B-4 (1683-after 1755) and Hendricus B-7 (bp. 1690-after 1737). At this time, Hendricus was given unto the care of Col. Jacob Rutsen of Marbletown and his share of Pierre 's lands divided between his three brothers. Hendricus later married Margaret Van Bommel (1715), had 10 children, paid taxes in New Paltz in 1723, and was listed as a freeholder in 1728. [5] Abraham B-1 married Elsie Clearwater in 1702 and had three children. The Deyo House was most likely transferred to Abraham after his father's death. 'Two surviving receipts reveal that Abraham was a New Paltz taxpayer in 1712/3, and Tax Collector in 1723.
Christian B-3 settled in the hamlet of Springtown in New Paltz, [6] married Mary deGraff in 1702 and had seven children. He is listed as a New Paltz inhabitant and taxpayer in 1713 and 1723, respectively, a freeholder in 1728, a slaveholder 1755, and served as a soldier under Captain Hoffman in 1716. Christian helped to build the Dutch Reformed Church of New Paltz in 1720, [7] of which he later served as Deacon and Elder in 1733 and 1765, respectively. [8]
Abraham Deyo C-3 (1710-1777), son of Abraham, married Elizabeth DuBois (1735), by whom he had five children. As a member of the "Twelve Men," he represented his grandfather's share of the New Paltz Patent for 64 years (1738-1772). Extremely active in town affairs, he was elected Overseer of Roads (1763-1764), Overseer of the Poor (1773?), Fence Viewer (1761), and Commissioner of Highways (1763-1764). He was also appointed Elder of the New Paltz Dutch Reformed Church (1766-67, 1771-72, 1775-76), and Church master (?-1777). Abraham also became the next owner of the Deyo House.
Hendricus' son, Benjamin Deyo C-15 (1725-1798) resided in the Bontecoe area of New Paltz. He purchased land there from Christophel Deyo C-17 (1762), Abraham Donaldson (1775), and from Marinus Van Aken (1785). He married Jenneke VanVliet in 1751 and had five children. As a member of the Twelve Men, he represented Pierre Deyo's share of the New Paltz Patent in 1773, and later in 1780-90. Also, in 1780 Benjamin Deyo was elected to two town officer positions: Commissioner of Highways and Overseer of the Poor. At the Dutch Reformed Church at New Paltz, he served as Deacon (1766-67, 1774-75), and Elder (1782-83, 93-94). Benjamin also signed the Articles of Association in 1775.
Johannis Deyo, C-16 (1726-after 1761) married Sarah Van Wagenen in 1756, by whom Johannis had seven children. He was elected Constable of New Paltz in 1761 and appointed Deacon of the Reformed Dutch Church at New Paltz (1757). Christophel Deyo C-17 (1728-1792) married Debora Van Vliet (c. 1756) and had three children. He sold land at Bontecoe to Benjamin Deyo in 1761 and 1762. At New Paltz, he was elected Assessor (1772-1773), Fence Viewer (1780), and Overseer of Roads (1780, 1782, 1788). At the Reformed Dutch Church at New Paltz, he was appointed Deacon (1764-1765, 1769-1770) and Elder (1779-1780, 1788-1789). Henricus Deyo C-19, like his brothers Benjamin and Christophel, (1731-1805) also resided at Bontecoe. He married Elizabeth Beem (1753) by whom he had six children. At New Paltz he held the positions of Overseer of Roads (1776-1777, 1779, 1785-1787, 1789-1790, 1792) and Overseer of the Poor (1783).
Captain Abraham Deyo D-1 (1734-1805) married Elsie LeFevre in 1764 and later married Maria LeFevre sometime after 1766. Abraham Deyo was commissioned First Lieutenant (1775) and later Captain (1778) of the Third Ulster County Regiment, Second Company. He was a member of the Twelve Men representing his great-grandfather Pierre 's share of the patent (1774-1779, 1794-1805), and held numerous offices in the town of New Paltz . Positions include the offices of Constable (1771), Tax Collector (1771), Overseer of the Poor (1773), Fence Viewer (1774-76, 1784-1789), Overseer of Roads (1775-1776, 1783-1784, 1788-1789), Commissioner of Highways (1779) and Assessor (1790, 1794, 1796). Also active in the Church, he was appointed Manager in charge of "building a new church at New Paltz" (1771-1775), Church master (1777-1805) Deacon (1778-1779) and Elder (1776-1777). According to Ralph Lefevre, Abraham Deyo was entrusted with caring for the Town's papers during the Revolutionary War when there was a fear that the British were going to march on New Paltz. This chest was supposedly kept hidden in the cellar of the Deyo House, which was at that time owned by Captain Deyo.
Abraham's brother Philip D-7 (1752-1831), married Gertrude Lefevre in 1781, who bore nine children. Like his brother Abraham, Philip was also engaged in numerous public activities at New Paltz. He represented Pierre 's share of the Patent as a member of the Twelve Men from 1791-1793 and served as Overseer of Roads (1792) and Assessor (1795). In 1791, the Twelve Men selected Philip along with Roelof Eltinge and Josiah Hasbrouck to represent New Paltz in a Case of Ejectment against Titus Ketchum and the people of Marbletown. This case dealt with a long-standing border dispute between New Paltz and Marbletown. New Paltz finally won the case in 1804. Like the rest of his family, Philip was also a member of the Dutch Reformed Church at New Paltz.
Other Deyo family members represented in the papers include William Deyo D-81 (1761-1842) Michael Deyo E-63 (bp. 1767), Abraham A. Deyo E-2 (1793-1873) and Abraham W. Deyo E-257 (1802-1870). William married Sarah Elting (1781), who bore eleven children. William bought land in New Paltz from Johannis Bruyn in 1793. William served on the Duzine, representing the share of Pierre Deyo (1806-1818, 1820-1824). He also served as Deacon of the Reformed Dutch Church at New Paltz (1810-1811). His son, Abraham W. Deyo married Catherine Bogardus in 1829 and had five children. Michael married Martha Dusebury (?) and had one son, Henry Deyo. Although he was listed as a yeoman of New Paltz in 1770, Michael later turns up in Beekman, Dutchess County .
Also serving as a member of the Twelve Men, he represented the Patentee's share of Antoine Crispell (1776-1777). Abraham A. Deyo married Margaret T. Deyo (F-3) in 1812, had four children, and lived in the Deyo House for some time until he relocated to Plattekill, where he served as Supervisor (1835-1839, 1841-1842). He may have also served as a circuit judge. Following his tenure as Supervisor, Abraham A. Deyo served on the New York State Senate from 1843-1846. [9] Upon his death in 1873, Abraham bequeathed the house and property to his son Abraham A. Deyo, Jr.
Theodore Deyo F-77 (1831-1893) married Mary E. Elting in 1855 and had 5 children. Theodore was born at the Old Deyo Homestead in New Paltz and later owned the property from 1855-1866. In 1866, he sold the property and purchased a farm southeast of the New Paltz village. He attended the Academy of New Paltz, pursued studies at Springfield, Massachusetts, worked as a clerk for Jewett & Wood in Poughkeepsie, and established hardware store in New Paltz, later bought out by D.A. Hasbrouck in 1870 when Theodore became Postmaster at New Paltz (1870-1884). Theodore also served as a Trustee of the New Paltz Academy as well as a member of the Sons of Temperance. He was also hailed as a recognized leader of the Republican Party. [10]
Collection Description
The majority of the collection concerns the property holdings of the Deyo family at New Paltz and Esopus during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Records include receipts, notes, subpoenas, wills, estate inventories, bonds, and deeds. Items of specific interest are slave purchases of Christian and Pierre Deyo (1680, 1694); will of Daniel DuBois, (1752); receipts concerning the construction of a schoolhouse and the Dutch Reformed Church at New Paltz (1770-1775); and purchases of domestic supplies such as wheat and livestock. There is also an estate inventory book of William Deyo (1812-1833).
Other items of interest in the collection include a marriage certificate of Pierre Deyo and Agatha Nicken (1675); a certificate of appointment of Jacob Deyo to Regimental Colonel of the 92nd Regiment of Infantry of New York State (1816); a certificate of appointment of Theodore Deyo to Postmaster of New Paltz in 1870, and a diploma of Gertrude Deyo from the New Paltz Academy (1878). Other local individuals represented in the collection are Isaac Freer, Thomas Delanal, Agustus Van Marche, Marinus and Eliphas Van Aken, Abraham Donaldson, Johannis Bruyn, Hugo and Johannis Freer, James Soper, Gilbert Cuthbert Rice, and Matthew Allen. The Wurtz, McDonald, and Auchmoody families are also mentioned.
The overall condition of the papers is quite good and the handwriting legible. There are no access restrictions to any of the materials in the collection.
The collection is divided into three series:
Series 1: Estate and Legal Papers (1703-1870)
Series 2: Financial Papers (1680-1870)
Series 3: Miscellaneous (1675-1870)
Related Collections at HHS
In addition to this collection, the Huguenot Historical Society also maintains four other collections of papers pertaining to the Deyo family:
Mary Deyo Papers (ca. 1850-1932), MSS.042
Jessie B. VanWagenen Deyo Papers (1889-1929), MSS.062
John Winfield Deyo Collection (1795-1906), MSS.006
William S. Deyoe Papers (1892-1972), MSS.007
Researchers may also want to consult the Huguenot Historical Society Bible and Religious Book Collection and the Huguenot Historical Society Ciphering Book Collection , both of which include several items with Deyo family history.
Series Description
Series 1: Estate and Legal Papers (1703-1870)
Papers include wills, deeds, quit-claim deeds and mortgages pertaining to properties in New Paltz, New York, owned by various members of the Deyo Family such as Pierre (A-2), Abraham (B-1, C-1, D-1, E-1 and E-257), Benjamin (C-15), Philip (D-7) and William (D-9), although others are included as well. The bulk of the records date from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Papers are filed chronologically.
Series 2: Financial Papers (1681-1870)
Includes bills, receipts, notes, bonds, inventories and an account book concerning the estate of William Deyo D-9. Many of the early financial records (1680-1775) are in French and Dutch as well as English. The papers chiefly document transactions involving taxes, domestic goods, livestock, church fees, and to a lesser extent, labor and slavery. The folders are ordered alphabetically; within the folder, the papers are filed chronologically.
Series 3: Miscellaneous (1675-1878)
Contains a marriage certificate of Pierre Deyo and Agatha Nickel in Mutterstadt, Germany (1675), handwritten copies of slave purchases dating from 1680 and 1694 (referring to receipts in Series 2), a military appointment of Jacob Deyo to Colonel of the 92nd Regiment of Infantry of New York State (1816), a certificate of appointment of Theodore Deyo to Postmaster of New Paltz in 1870, and an 1878 diploma from the New Paltz Academy of Gertrude Deyo.
Box and Folder List
View entire digitized collection online at New York Heritage (or use folder links below)
Flat File Storage
Series 1: Estate and Legal Papers (1703-1870)
001.001 (folder) Deed, Abraham Hasbrouck, Louis Bevier, and Jacob Hasbrouck Junr to Abraham Dojeu, “Evans Patent” (1754)
Box 001 (oversize)
Series 1: Estate and Legal Papers (1703-1870) and Series 3: Miscellaneous (1675-1878)
001.002 (folder) Series 1: Estate and legal papers (1703, 1753-1764)
001.003 (folder) Series 1: Estate and legal papers (1811-1844)
001.004 (folder) Series 3: Appointment, Theodore Deyo as postmaster at New Paltz (1870)
001.005 (folder) Series 1: Estate and legal papers (1785-1807)
001.006 (folder) Series 3: Appointment, Jacob Deyo as Colonel, 92nd Regiment of Infantry of New York State (1816)
001.007 (folder) Series 1: Estate and legal papers (1708/9, 1742-1800)
001.008 (folder) Series 3: Diploma, Gertrude Deyo, from New Paltz Academy (1878)
Box 002
Series 1: Estate and Legal Papers (1703-1870), Series 2: Financial Papers (1681-1870), and Series 3: Miscellaneous (1675-1870 scattered)
002.001 (folder) Series 2: Bills and receipts (1681-1799)
002.002 (folder) Series 2: Bills and receipts (1800-1819 and undated)
002.003 (folder) Series 2: Bills and receipts (1820-1838)
002.004 (folder) Series 2: Bills and receipts (1840-1870 and undated)
002.005 (folder) Series 3: Slave purchases, Christian and Peter Doyau A-2 (1680, 1694) - handwritten copies
002.006 (folder) Series 3: Marriage certificate, Pierre Deyo and Agatha Nicken (1675 Mutterstadt, Germany)
002.007 (folder) Series 1 and Series 2: Miscellaneous estate, legal, and financial papers (1742-1870 and undated)
Notes
[1] This spelling of the Deyo name will be used throughout the Finding Aid despite the 41 different spellings extant in the records (ex. Doyou, Dojo, De Yoo, etc.).
[2] All genealogical information unless otherwise noted is taken from: Hasbrouck, Kenneth E. and Heidgerd, Ruth P. The Deyo (Deyoe) Family, revised & enlarged. Deyo Family Association, Huguenot Historical Society, Inc., New Paltz, NY (1992).
[3] Anjou, Gustave. Ulster County, N.Y. Probate Records in the office of the Surrogate, and in the County Clerk's office at Kingston, N.Y. vol. 1 (1906): p. 31.
[4] Marks, Al. "The Evolution of a Town." Unpublished Exhibit, New Paltz Town Hall (1998).
[5] All information pertaining to public offices held by the family members are taken from the New Paltz Civil Organization Records (1677-1838), "Tax Lists of the Freeholders and Inhabitants of New Paltz" (1712/3, 1723, and 1728). Mss. coll. Huguenot Historical Society Archives, New Paltz, NY.
[6] Lefevre, Ralph. History of New Paltz and Its Old Families. Fort Orange Press, Albany NY (1909): p. 259.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Unless noted otherwise, all information pertaining to the Reformed Dutch Church of New Paltz, New York is taken from The Holland Society of New York. Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of New Paltz, New York. Collections of the Holland Society of New York , vol. 3. The Knickerboxer Press, New York (1896): p. 65-71
[9] Sylvester, Nathaniel Bartlett. History of Ulster County, New York, with Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part Second. Philadelphia, Evans & Peck (1880): p. 19.
[10] Commemorative Biographical Record of Ulster County, New York containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and of many of the Early Settled Families. J.H. Beers & Co. Chicago (1896): p. 960.