Emily DuBois Hoysradt
Family Papers and Photographs
Finding Aid Completed by Jordan Kortright, April 12, 2023
Inclusive Dates: 1752-1984
Bulk Dates: 1880s-1920s
Volume: 3.21 cu. ft., 4.21 linear ft., five boxes
Collection ID: MSS.404
Language: English
Acquisition: A portion of the collection was received from the Emily DuBois Hoysradt Estate, date unknown. The remainder was transferred to Historic Huguenot Street in 2021 from the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection at the Elting Memorial Library in New Paltz, NY.
Access and Use: Unrestricted. Request for permission to publish materials from these records should be discussed with the Archivist/Librarian of HHS.
Preferred Citation: [identification of item (author, title and date if known)], Emily DuBois Hoysradt Family Papers and Photographs, Historic Huguenot Street, New Paltz N.Y.
Biographical Note
Emily DuBois Hoysradt was born December 20, 1893 [1] to Louis Hoysradt (1869-1960) and Marion Platner DuBois (1868-1949) [2]. Through both of her parents, she was descended from Louis DuBois, one of the original twelve New Paltz patentees [3]. Emily grew up in Kingston, New York where she attended Ulster Academy, graduating in 1912 with honors, before attending The Ossining School, a boarding and day school for girls, from which she graduated in 1915 [4]. While at The Ossining School she began having exhibitions of her artwork and continued to study art under Heppie En Earl Wicks and Florence E. Provost [5]. Emily began a successful art career, having many exhibitions of her artwork in Kingston and New York City. One example of a showing of Emily’s work was during the eighth annual exhibition of the Audubon Artists, held at the National Academy of Design in New York City, was described in one review in the New York Herald Tribune as “a particularly impressive group” [6]. Emily was an “exhibiting member of the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors” [7] and worked to grow the art scene in Kingston, becoming known as a renowned artist in the Hudson Valley and New York City [8].
Emily lived at 53 West Chester Street in Kingston and was very active in the community [9]. She was a member of multiple church groups, art clubs, and historical societies, including the National Arts Club, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Huguenot Historical Society [10]. Emily was a founding member of the DuBois Family Association – member number seven – serving as secretary, and was an active supporter of the Kingston YWCA [11]. She was an art instructor at the YCWA for 40 years, [12] and the YWCA of Ulster County in Kingston named a gallery space for Emily that currently intends to focus on women artists [13].
Emily DuBois Hoysradt died on March 7, 1983 [14] and is buried in Montrepose Cemetery in Kingston, where her headstone has the inscription “artist” [15]. Since Emily left no heirs, the executor of her estate, William Heidgerd, donated materials in the Emily Hoysradt Collection to the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection at the Elting Memorial Library in New Paltz, New York, in 1983 [16].
Collection Description
The collection mostly consists of photographs documenting Emily DuBois Hoysradt and her extended family. The photographs are a mix of materials – daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, carte de visites, and photographic prints – and include both snapshots and portraits. The portraits include many members of Emily’s extended family on both her father’s and mother’s sides, and many portraits have handwritten captions providing identifications. The families identified in the photographs are largely the DuBois, Hoysradt, Catlin, and Crispell families, among others. Some of the portraits include other local people, including the family of George Ambler Vallette, who owned a photography studio in Kingston, NY from the mid-1800s into the early 1900s. The date range of the formal portraits appears to be mostly from the mid to late 1800s. The snapshots include less formal moments in the family’s life, dating primarily from the early 1900s into the 1910s, showing Emily with her family as well as away at school. Other items of interest include a collection of photographs that were once owned by Emily’s father, Louis Hoysradt, depicting local sights such as the West Shore Railroad, with a train crossing the tracks over the Rondout Creek at Abeel Street, the Sampson Opera House in Kingston, NY after a fire in 1885, and other local street scenes of houses and churches.
A wide range of documents are also found within the collection. There are papers, programs, and newspaper clippings relating to Emily’s art exhibitions; bible pages and other related genealogical material for the DuBois, Hoysradt, and Catlin families; scrapbooks, diplomas, and other papers related to Emily’s schooling (mainly while at the Ossining School); and assorted other papers, such as letters, legal papers related to Emily’s estate after her passing, Emily’s funeral book and obituary, music sheets, deeds, and other miscellaneous papers. Some of the documents and some of the photographic material were clearly handed down to Emily from her family. The provenance of additional items in the collection is less clear, such as papers and photographs related to the Robert Jacob DuBois family, and an indenture from 1752 signed by Daniel and Mary DuBois. Since Emily was a founding member of the DuBois Family Association as well as a member of the Huguenot Historical Society, these could be related to her work with those groups.
The condition of the collection is varied. Overall the items are in good condition, particularly the individual photographs. The photograph albums range from good condition to some with brittle and loose pages. The snapshot albums with black pages are the most brittle, and some of the portrait albums have detached covers and partially broken bindings with loose pages. The documents are in better condition, but the scrapbooks also have partially broken bindings and many items that have loosened from the pages.
Related Collections at HHS
Josiah DuBois Family Papers (1689-1864), MSS.067. Josiah was Emily’s great-grandfather, so there is some overlap in the individuals represented in both collections
David and Pierce Catlin Family Papers (1767 - ca. 1890), MSS.081. Pierce Catlin was Emily’s great-grandfather, and David her great-great grandfather.
Abraham Eltinge Crispell Family Papers and Photographs (1860s - ca. 1900), PHO.034. Abraham’s wife, Jane Catlin Crispell was the sister of Emily’s grandmother, and photographs of Abraham and Jane as well as their children can be found in Emily’s collection.
Objects belonging to Emily, as well as some of her artwork, are included in the HHS objects collection.
Series Descriptions
Series 1: Photographs and Albums (1840s-1983, bulk 1880s-1910s)
Series 1 is the largest in this collection; it includes photograph albums, daguerreotypes and ambrotypes, loose photographs, and some high-quality photocopies of photographs and photo albums. There are a total of nine photo albums: four albums contain carte de visite portraits, one album contains tintype portraits, and four are snapshot albums.
While there are unidentified individuals throughout the collection, the majority of images are of Emily, her parents, Louis Hoysradt (1869-1950) and Marion DuBois Hoysradt (1868-1949), and her extended family, including her grandparents, and even more frequently, her mother’s siblings William Edward DuBois (1849-1933), and Antoinette DuBois Burrows (1853-1932). The portraits in the albums (many with identifications) largely represent members of the Hoysradt, DuBois, Catlin, and Crispell families, along with other prominent community members and friends. Two of the snapshot albums include photographs from Emily’s school days in the 1910s at the Ossining School, and assorted travel photos, as well as recreation-related photographs most likely also related to the Ossining school. There are also photographs of mainly Kingston, NY and the surrounding area from the late 1880s to the early 1900s; some of these photographs have the signature on the back "L. Hoysradt" indicating that they likely originated with Emily's father Louis. Among these are a small group of photographs of the West Shore Railroad over Rondout Creek and Abeel St. in Kingston, NY. There are five daguerreotypes and five ambrotypes, all in good condition, some with identifications, which include Emily’s maternal grandparents, Josiah DuBois "Jr." (1823-1896) and Emily Catlin DuBois (1826-1884), Emily's great-grandfather Josiah DuBois "Sr." (1781-1869), Emily’s paternal grandparents Francis Miller Hoysradt (1830-1916) and Rebecca DuBois Hoysradt (1830-1904), as well as Adelaide Child Knowles (1839-1924) and Dr. Riley Crocheron Knowles (1835-1879), Allen Corson, and the Corson family [17].
Series 2: School Documents and Ephemera (1908-1965, bulk 1910s-1930s)
Series 2 includes a range of documents relating to Emily’s time at school. The materials cover her attendance at a grammar school in Kingston, NY, the Ulster Free Academy (also in Kingston), and the Ossining School, a boarding and day school in Ossining, NY. Items include Emily’s "My Golden School Days" book (1912) from her time at Ulster Academy, along with a Ledger book (1895-1918) containing addresses as well as various bits of accounting, including some relating to costs at the Ossining School. The ledger may have originally belonged to her father, as presumably he would be the one paying for her schooling at that time. Other items include report cards, teacher recommendation letters, a few photographs, and invitations to class reunions. Oversized material includes diplomas and certificates: one from grammar school in (1908), two from Ulster Free Academy (1912), and one from the Ossining School (1915). There is also a purple scrapbook with an O and an S entwined on the cover (1913-1919) that Emily kept during her time at the Ossining School. It contains notes, programs, place cards, and other keepsakes from her school days. The scrapbook has many loose items, some of which had been previously separated from the scrapbook and are now housed in envelopes that separate the items by type.
Series 3: Artwork and Exhibitions (1914-1972, bulk 1910s-1930s)
Series 3 covers materials relating to Emily’s artistic career. These include pen and ink line drawings done by Emily of a variety of subjects, as well as documents relating to her art exhibitions, including programs, invitations, and newspaper clippings, along with a few photographs. Emily participated in many art shows at the Ossining School, and over the years also held exhibitions of her work in Ainslie Galleries and at the National Academy of Design and the Allied Artists in New York City. Emily’s art was displayed many times in shows in Kingston, NY, at the Governor Clinton Hotel. Also included are Emily’s drafts of inquiry about applying to the Columbia University Teacher’s College in order to become an art teacher; eventually she became an art instructor at the YCWA and taught for 40 years. Pieces of Emily’s work, including paintings and pen and ink line drawings, can be found in the HHS objects collection.
Series 4: Miscellaneous Documents (1752-1984, bulk 1900s)
Series 4, while relatively small, covers a wide variety of material types and subjects. Some documents are legal papers, relating to mortgages, bonds, Emily’s estate, and her will. Also included is Emily’s funeral book and obituary, genealogical information, and an address book containing Emily’s address. There are also pages from a family bible that likely belonged to the Josiah and Emily Catlin DuBois family containing “Vital Records” on the family; the marriage certificate of Louis Hoysradt and Marion Platner DuBois (1893); and a letter from Emily Catlin DuBois to her brother-in-law Dr. Abraham E. Crispell (1823-1881) dated September 9, 1862 that briefly covers family matters and events of the Civil War. Other miscellaneous documents include a genealogical chart of European ancestry of the DuBois family compiled by Matthew Hilt Murphy (1980); Louis Hoysradt's certificate of membership in the Huguenot Society of America (1913); a letter from Warren C. DuBois to Emily mentioning the Huguenot Society of America; a Hasbrouck family bible; a luncheon program for the DuBois Family (1971); and a thin scrapbook titled "Catlin Family Records" that contains some genealogical information (Emily's maternal grandmother was Emily Catlin DuBois). There is also a folder titled "Old Music 1859" with music sheets from the 1850s and 1860s. The music has some handwritten notes, and many have "E. DuBois" written at the top, indicating that the music may have originally belonged to Emily Hoysradt's grandmother, Emily Catlin DuBois, who seems to have performed at concerts, according to programs in the Catlin Family Records scrapbook.
This series is also home to material belonging to the Jacob DuBois (1861-1904) and Helen Knowles DuBois (1861-1932) Family, and an indenture – it is unclear how these items relate to Emily DuBois Hoysradt or how they came into her possession. The Knowles-DuBois family materials include a bridal book (1885) and date book (1886) both belonging to Helen, and two diplomas belonging to Jacob and Helen’s son Robert Jacob DuBois (1888-1969) showing his graduation from the Mount Hermon School (1910) and Princeton University (1914). The indenture is from 1752, covering a land agreement and containing the signatures of Daniel and Mari [sic] DuBois, Mary being the daughter of Simon LeFevre and Elizabeth Deyo. The document contains some genealogical information about the children of Daniel, and has wax seals.
Box/Folder/Item List
For items marked with an asterisk (*), additional identification information is available in a separate document, available upon request from the Archivist/Librarian [the document is titled “Hoysradt-Emily-D-MSS404-Photo-IDs”]. A basic genealogical chart of Emily DuBois Hoysradt is also available from the Archivist/Librarian upon request.
Box 001
Series 1: Photographs and Albums (1840s-1983, bulk 1880s-1910s)
001.001 (folder) Photographs (ca. 1890s-1920s)*
001.002 (folder) Photographs (ca. 1890s-1920s)*
001.003 (folder) Photographs (ca. 1890s-1920s)*
001.004 (folder) Photographs (ca. 1890s-1920s)*
Photo Albums (ca.1860s-1920s)
PHOAL.2007.053*
PHOAL.2007.054
PHOAL.2007.055*
PHOAL.2023.005
Daguerreotypes and Ambrotypes (ca.1839-1880s)
DA 2007.041*
DA 2007.042
DA 2007.043*
DA 2007.044
DA 2007.045
DA 2007.046*
DA 2023.001*
DA 2023.002*
DA 2023.003*
DA 2023.004*
Series 2: School Documents and Ephemera (1908-1965, bulk 1910s-1930s)
Rolled item Kingston Grammar School Certificate (1908)
Rolled item Ulster Free Academy regents academic diploma (1912)
Series 4: Miscellaneous Documents (1752-1984, bulk 1900s)
001.005 (folder) Funeral Book and Obituary (1983)
001.006 (folder) Legal Papers – Mortgages, Deed, Bonds (1867-1898)
001.007 (folder) Louis Hoysradt - Huguenot Society of America Certificate (1913)
Rolled Item European Ancestors of Chretien Dubois & Family of Wicres, France chart (1980)
Book Address Book (ca.1890s-1930s)
Book “Bridal Greetings” book (1885) – Helen Knowles DuBois
Book “The Book of Remembrance” date book (1886) – Helen Knowles DuBois
Box 002
Series 2: School Documents and Ephemera (1908-1965, bulk 1910s-1930s)
002.001 (folder) Education – miscellaneous documents (1888, 1915-1965)
Book “My Golden School Days” journal (1912)
Book Ledger book (1895-1918)
Series 3: Artwork and Exhibitions (1914-1972, bulk 1910s-1930s)
002.002 (folder) Art Exhibitions – art show programs, invitations, etc. (1914-1952)
Series 4: Miscellaneous Documents (1752-1984, bulk 1900s)
002.003 (folder) Personal Papers (1918-1984)
002.004 (folder) Ancestral Chart of Emily DuBois Hoysradt
002.005 (folder) Miscellaneous Correspondence (1914-1979)
002.006 (folder) Emily DuBois Hoysradt Biographical Information
002.007 (folder) Josiah DuBois and Emily Catlin DuBois Family Vital Records
002.008 (folder) Emily Catlin DuBois Letter to Dr. Abraham Crispell (1862)
Box 003
Series 1: Photographs and Albums (1840s-1983, bulk 1880s-1910s)
003.001 (folder) Photo Sleeves (ca.1860s-1910s) *
003.002 (folder) Photo Sleeves (ca.1860s-1910s) *
003.003 (folder) Photo Sleeves (ca.1860s-1910s) *
003.004 (folder) Photo Sleeves (ca.1860s-1910s) *
003.005 (folder) Photo Sleeves (ca.1860s-1910s) *
003.006 (folder) Photo Sleeves (ca.1860s-1910s) *
003.007 (folder) Recreation (from photo album) (ca.1900s-1910s)
003.008 (folder) Recreation (ca.1910s) *
003.009 (folder) Mrs. Jarvis McEntee and R. Van Wagner *
003.010 (folder) Estate of Louis Hoysradt Machine Shop (1951) *
003.011 (folder) Ira Winegar *
003.012 (folder) Photo Album Scans (ca.1840s-1890s) *
Series 2: School Documents and Ephemera (1908-1965, bulk 1910s-1930s)
Envelope 01 Scrapbook Ephemera (1913-1919)
Envelope 02 Scrapbook Ephemera (1913-1919)
Envelope 03 Scrapbook Ephemera (1913-1919)
Envelope 04 Scrapbook Ephemera (1913-1919)
Envelope 05 Scrapbook Ephemera (1913-1919)
Envelope 06 Scrapbook Ephemera (1913-1919)
Envelope 07 Scrapbook Ephemera (1913-1919)
Envelope 08 Scrapbook Ephemera (1913-1919)
Box 004
Series 1: Photographs and Albums (1840s-1983, bulk 1880s-1910s)
Photo Albums (ca.1850s-1910s)
PHOAL.2023.001
PHOAL.2023.002*
PHOAL.2023.003*
PHOAL.2023.004*
PHOAL.2023.006*
Series 2: School Documents and Ephemera (1908-1965, bulk 1910s-1930s)
Diploma Ulster Free Academy graduation diploma (1912)
Diploma Ossining School art course diploma (1915)
Series 4: Miscellaneous Documents (1752-1984, bulk 1900s)
Indenture Daniel and Mari [sic] DuBois indenture (1752)
Diploma Robert Jacob DuBois Mount Hermon School diploma (1910)
Diploma Robert Jacob DuBois Princeton University diploma (1914)
Box 005 (Oversize)
Series 1: Photographs and Albums (1840s-1983, bulk 1880s-1910s)
005.001 (folder) Photographs – Photo Album Scans (ca.1840s-1890s) *
Series 2: School Documents and Ephemera (1908-1965, bulk 1910s-1930s)
Scrapbook Ossining School scrapbook (1913-1919)
Series 3: Artwork and Exhibitions (1914-1972, bulk 1910s-1930s)
005.002 (folder) Art Exhibitions – newspaper clippings (1915-1972)
Series 4: Miscellaneous Documents (1752-1984, bulk 1900s)
Scrapbook “Catlin Family Records” scrapbook (ca.1880s-1900s)
005.003 (folder) Old Music – folder of sheet music (ca.1850s-1880s)
Notes
[1] The Episcopal Diocese of New York, “New York, U.S., Episcopal Diocese of New York Church Records, 1767-1970,” Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Episcopal Diocese of New York Church Records, 1767-1970 [database on-line], Emily DuBois Hoysradt, citing Rondout, New York, Church of the Holy Spirit, 1861-1899, page 210. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017; Find a Grave, “Emily DuBois Hoysradt,” Find a Grave, March 3, 2014, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125821970/emily-dubois-hoysradt#source; Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014,” Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line], citing Emily Hoysradt. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2014.
[2] Episcopal Diocese, 210; William Heidgerd and the DuBois Family Association, The American Descendants of Chretien DuBois of Wicres, France: Part Six (New Paltz, NY: Huguenot Historical Society, 1972), 584.
[3] Historic Huguenot Street, “Emily DuBois Hoysradt, Painter,” Introduction. Historic Huguenot Street, Hudson Valley Heritage Network, 2021, https://omeka.hrvh.org/exhibits/show/emily-dubois-hoysradt/introduction.
[4-5] Historic Huguenot Street, “Emily DuBois Hoysradt, Painter,” Education.
[6-7] Historic Huguenot Street, “Emily DuBois Hoysradt, Painter,” Art Career.
[8] William Heidgerd and the DuBois Family Association, The American Descendants of Chretien DuBois of Wicres, France: Part Nine (New Paltz, NY: Huguenot Historical Society, 2003), 375.
[9] Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection, “Emily Hoysradt Vocational and Avocational Papers and Photographic Collection Finding Aid,” Historic Huguenot Street Archives.
[10] Historic Huguenot Street, “Emily DuBois Hoysradt, Painter,” Community.
[11] William Heidgerd and the DuBois Family Association, The American Descendants of Chretien DuBois of Wicres, France: Part Nine (New Paltz, NY: Huguenot Historical Society, 1974), 898.
[12] Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection, “Emily Hoysradt Finding Aid.”
[13] Joan Vos MacDonald, “Helena Palazzi Brings Her Shield Maidens to A New Gallery in Kingston,” Inside+Out Upstate NY, November 2022, https://insideandoutupstateny.com/we-are-upstate-ny/helena-palazzi-brings-her-shield-maidens-to-a-new-gallery-in-kingston/.
[14] Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection Emily Hoysradt Finding Aid, n.d., MSS404, Box 404.002, Folder 404.002.006, Emily DuBois Hoysradt Papers and Photographs collection, Historic Huguenot Street Archive, New Paltz, NY.
[15] Find a Grave, “Emily DuBois Hoysradt.”
[16] Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection Emily Hoysradt Finding Aid, Folder 404.002.006, Emily DuBois Hoysradt Papers and Photographs collection, Historic Huguenot Street Archive.
[17] It is currently unclear why the Corson family materials were in Emily’s possession; the same uncertainty is present with the items belonging to the Knowles family, however Riley and Adelaide Knowles’ daughter Helen Knowles (1861-1932) married Jacob DuBois (1861-1904), who is a distant relative to Emily on the extended DuBois family tree.