The Schoonmaker Research Library is devoted primarily to the mission of Historic Huguenot Street and to local history and genealogy of the settling of New Paltz and surrounding areas of the Hudson Valley.

This includes people from the low countries of Europe, including French-speaking and Dutch families, the Lenape, and African Americans. Our collection consists of family genealogies; church and cemetery records; municipal and county histories; publications relating to Huguenot, Walloon, and Dutch ancestry; religious history of the Huguenots and Calvinists; and culture of the Hudson Valley.

In addition to our Library, Historic Huguenot Street has an archival collection. Archival research appointments are conducted in the library. Our Archives focus primarily on the history of New Paltz. See a list of our finding aids on our website and a selection of digitized items from our collections.

 
 
 

 
 
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Using the Library or Archives

Use of the library is by appointment only. Archives are retrieved from a storage location and must be arranged by appointment at least two business days in advance, weather permitting. Please see our finding aids for more information about our archive collection. Some items from archives and the museum’s permanent collection are available to view online on New York Heritage.

A catalog of the library’s holdings is available online here.

Accessibility: the library is housed in a residential building built in the 1890’s and includes stairs leading into the building and the restroom is on the second floor, which is only accessible by stairs. If you require accommodation for accessibility, please tell us when making your appointment.

Donations are welcome for use of the library and archives and can be made online, by mail, or in person at the time of your visit.

To make an appointment, please contact the Library at (845) 255-1660 or library@huguenotstreet.org.

To request research assistance, please use the form at the bottom of this page.

 
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Photocopying or Scanning Library & Archive Materials

Researchers are encouraged to photograph materials using a handheld camera or cell phone. Be sure to turn off the camera’s flash prior to use. The photocopier must be operated by museum staff and only authorized staff will photocopy or scan archival materials. Scanning and photocopies are $0.25 per page. Oversized and bound items are photographed in lieu of scanning.

Reproduction & Publication

Reproductions may be used for publication for a fee and the appropriate form must be filled out and signed by requestor and authorized staff member. All images will be accompanied by the citation: "Historic Huguenot Street, New Paltz, New York" and include appropriate collection information. Contact the library for more information.

Content Notes 

Historic Huguenot Street’s digital images on New York Heritage, and the metadata used to describe them, may include content and language that is upsetting. The original documents reflect the language and attitudes of the people who created them and are the products of their time. In describing these documents to aid researchers in discovering them, we make every effort to indicate where document titles, descriptions, personal names (especially those of enslaved people), and notes contain direct quotes from the originals. Thus, some metadata reflects original language that may be racist, sexist, ableist, or otherwise offensive. Historic Huguenot Street adheres to the subject headings established by the Library of Congress and updates such headings in our metadata as updates are issued by LoC. 

 

Public Access Note 

Please note that not all documents held by the Historic Huguenot Street Archives are included in our digital collections. For the groups of documents currently online, the information presented is updated on an ongoing basis based on research conducted and/or verified by HHS curatorial staff. If you have corrections or additional information about a document that you would like to suggest, please email library@huguenotstreet.org

 

History

The Library at Historic Huguenot Street is named for the Schoonmaker family, one of the earliest Dutch families in what is now New York's Mid-Hudson Valley. The Schoonmaker family has long ties to the Huguenot founders of New Paltz.

To request research assistance, please complete the form below.