Selected documents from the HHS Archives have been conserved and digitized as part of the New Paltz Historic Documents project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (2021-2024). When available, direct links to digitized collections on New York Heritage are provided.
Personal and Family Papers (1672-1998)
Descriptive List and some finding aids available. Includes papers created or kept by individuals and families chiefly of southern Ulster County, specifically the towns of New Paltz, Gardiner, Plattekill, Rochester, Shawangunk, Esopus, Marbletown, and the city of Kingston, although other localities are also mentioned. Types of records within these collections typically fall into three categories: 1) legal and financial documents such as wills, deeds, estate inventories, contracts, court records, property survey maps, account books, promissory notes, and receipts; 2) military records such as soldiers' correspondence, company rosters, equipment lists, orderly books, certificates of appointment, discharges, and pension papers; and 3) family items such as scrapbooks; photographs and photograph albums, diaries, greeting cards, family letters, invitations, marriage certificates, poetry and other creative writings, death notices, genealogical notes, and other records. Subjects represented in the papers mostly concern farming, land speculation and development, and local business activities. Other issues documented include slavery, local and state politics, religious and church related activities, military affairs, schooling and education, missionary activities, the Temperance movement, and travels to the western United States. The majority of the papers date from the late-eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, although earlier and later time periods are also represented. Records from the seventeenth century and early-to-mid eighteenth century are generally limited to financial and legal documents, many of which are in French and Dutch. Very few descriptive records such as letters and diaries appear before 1790.
Institutional Records
Entities other than Historic Huguenot Street (1651-1959). Descriptive List and some finding aids available. Includes original records and copied records of local churches, schools, municipal governments, businesses, clubs, fraternity lodges, committees, and other organizations. Most of the collections relate to organizations in Ulster County and vicinity. Records typically include minutes, reports, legal and financial records, correspondence, membership records, vital statistics (births, deaths, marriages, etc.), photographs and memorabilia, and attendance registers.
Artificial Collections (1582-1989)
Descriptive List and some finding aids available. Includes collections of materials artificially created at the repository for specific research use. Materials stored in the artificial collections include Bibles and rare books, maps, genealogy collections, photographs, newspapers, account books, recipe books, and ciphering books. Many of the items in these collections share provenance with collections of Personal and Family Papers and Institutional Records.
The preservation and digitization of these documents has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The translation of Dutch language documents is supported as part of the Dutch Culture USA program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York.