Roelof J. and Ezekiel Elting Family Papers (1677-1928)
Finding Aid Completed by Eric Roth, January 20, 1999
Last revised August 2024 by Beth Patkus.
Inclusive Dates: 1677-1928
Bulk Dates: 1768-1843
Volume: 1.8 cu. ft.
Collection ID: MSS.017
Language: English, Dutch
Acquisition: The papers were donated to Historic Huguenot Street by Jacob Elting. Date of donation unknown.
Access and Use: Unrestricted. Request for permission to publish materials from these records should be discussed with the Archivist/Librarian of HHS.
Preferred Citation: [Author/title/date], Roelof J. and Ezekiel Elting Family Papers, Historic Huguenot Street, New Paltz, NY.
Digital Access: Digitized in 2022, hosted online in New York Heritage (see also direct links in the Box/Folder listing below)
Biographical Note
The Roelof J. and Ezekiel Elting Papers primarily document the lives of three individuals spanning three generations of the Elting family in New Paltz, NY: Roelof Josiah Elting C-19 [1] (1737-1795), his son, Ezekiel Elting D-36 (1763-1842) and his son, Jacob Elting E-56 (1803-1889).
Roelof Josiah Elting C-19 was born to Captain Josiah Elting and Magdalene DuBois in 1737. In 1760 he married Mary Louw in 1760 at Kingston; they went on to have eleven children. Roelof occupied the Bevier-Elting House (now part of the Historic Huguenot Street site) during the Revolutionary Period, where he kept a store that was apparently started by his father, Josiah. Roelof was imprisoned as a suspected Tory during the Revolutionary War, despite having signed the Articles of Association in 1775. [2] In 1776, he was summoned by a “Sub Committee [of the Council of Safety]” to testify about his experience with accepting Continental money in his store. [3] Along with his brother Solomon and friend Cadwallader Colden, Jr., Roelof was banished to British-occupied New York. [4]
Roelof sided with the Conferentie party during the Coetus-Conferentie controversy in the Dutch Reformed Church during the 1750's and 1760's. In the late 1760s, Roelof and his three brothers joined their father, Josiah, and members of the DuBois, Low, Van Wagnenen, Van Vliet, Ean and Auchmody families, in leaving the Dutch Reformed Church at New Paltz and organizing the Conferentie Church, or "Owl Church," on Libertyville Road in New Paltz. [5] The church never had a large membership and gradually declined through the 1770s. The last of the church’s members rejoined the Reformed Church in 1783.
Roelof was elected to two municipal offices: Superintendent of Highways to the Hudson River (1772-1773) and Overseer of the Poor (1790). He also served as one of the New Paltz Twelve Men for the share of Louis DuBois from 1791 to 1795. Roelof died in 1795.
Roelof's second son Ezekiel Elting D-39 was born on Oct. 9, 1763, and in 1787 married Magdalene Elting D-35 (1769-1831), daughter of Abraham Elting and Dina DuBois. Ezekiel and Magdalene bore ten children. Ezekiel inherited the family homestead from his father and continued the family business. According to Heidgerd, "He was probably the most important business man in the community. He conducted a mercantile establishment in the house he built in 1799 on Huguenot Street, now known as ‘the LeFevre House’.” [6] This house is now part of the Historic Huguenot Street site, and is sometimes known as the “1799 House” or “Ezekiel Elting House.” In 1800 Ezekiel became a member by confession of the Reformed Dutch Church of New Paltz; he served as Deacon from 1802-1803 and was elected Elder in 1812. [7]. Active in local politics, Ezekiel served as one of the New Paltz "Twelve Men" for the patentee's share of Louis DuBois (1797, 1801-1824), and as Overseer of Highways (1793-1795). [8]
In 1822 Ezekiel entered into a partnership with his brother-in-law Peter LeFevre to build a grist mill, sawmill, fulling mill and woolen factory at Dashville Falls in the town of Esopus. [9] Ezekiel also engaged in the manufacture of potash and owned and operated a farm. According to Sylvester, "He was a man of correct business habits, of strict integrity, always ready to lend a helping hand to worth young men, but most intolerant of wrong-doing in any one. A man of excellent judgement, his advice was often sought by his neighbors. He was a Federalist in politics." [10] Ezekiel Elting died on December 12, 1842.
Ezekiel's son, Jacob Elting E-56 was born on Mar. 27, 1803 and in 1827 married Gitty LeFevre (1805-1841), daughter of Simon M. LeFevre and Elizabeth Deyo, by whom he had five children. After Gitty's death in 1841, he married Elizabeth LeFevre (1805-1886) daughter of Peter LeFevre Jr. and Magdalene Elting, and had three children. As a boy Jacob attended district school at New Paltz ,and one term at the Esopus select school. "In 1839 Mr. Elting purchased of Elida Watkins the farm in Lloyd formerly owned by his uncle Solomon, and here he spent the latter half of his life." Like his father, Jacob was a member of the Reformed Dutch Church of New Paltz, where he served as Elder. In politics he was a Republican. [11]
Jacob also established the Jacob Elting Burying Ground Association in 1875 for the purpose of operating a small private family cemetery on Huguenot Street in New Paltz. Jacob Elting died on August 12, 1889.
Collection Description
The papers are organized into two series: 1) Account Books, and 2) Papers, which include correspondence, estate and legal papers, financial papers, genealogical research materials and miscellaneous papers. The bulk of the collection falls between 1768 and 1843.
The records of major interest are found in the correspondence files. The existence of letters prior to 1800 in Ulster County is quite rare and the letters of Roelof J. and Ezekiel Elting and Andries, Bryant and Simon DeWitt provide an excellent source of information on life in Ulster County during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Letters to and from Roelof Elting discuss a variety of matters:
a lawsuit with Benjamin Decker;
various notes and bonds against the Eltings;
slaves and goods received from Lt. Col. Burr in1778;
local religious, political and family matters;
an undated sale of property in Chenango, Broome County;
shipping flaxseed and other domestic goods to merchants in New York City;
the events surrounding several boundary disputes with the New Paltz Patent in the 1790s; and
a letter from Johannes Snyder to the Friends of Constitutional Liberty Committee (Roelof J. Elting, Dirck Wynkoop, David Hasbrouck, Philip Elting and John Dumont) concerning a meeting at R. J. Elting’s house “to Collect their Sense on the late daring attack on the Rights of Suffrage by the Majority of Conversers.”
The papers also include various correspondence of the DeWitt family, including:
a letter from Bryant DeWitt to his father Andries DeWitt concerning Gen. Scott’s military expeditions against Native Americans in Kentucky (1792);
several letters concerning the death of Nathaniel Bevier in 1795;
a letter to Johannes Hoornbeck of Wawarsing from A. DeWitt concerning a bond to Nathan Vernooy (1797);
a letter to Andries DeWitt discussing relations between the United States and France (1798);
letters describing the work of physicians in Albany, yellow fever in Philadelphia, local politics, and the media; and
an undated letter (ca. 1800) giving descriptions and opinions of alterations being made to a house.
Other correspondents include Henricus Schoonmaker, Cornelius Elting, Elting Varick, Johannes Jansen, Elizabeth DeWitt and David Graham.
Another batch of letters written to Jacob Elting while he served as Elder of the Reformed Dutch Church of New Paltz documents the consistory’s efforts to acquire a new pastor in 1844. They include a letter of recommendation of Rev. Ransford Wells of Troy, New York and letters from Jacob A. Lansing, Ch. Whitehead (pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church of Walden), Henry Ostrander, Catherine Jansen, and William A. Cornell. Additional letters concern the plans of the Executive Committee of the Ulster County Agricultural Society to inspect local farms (1844), and local efforts to send gift boxes to the 156th Regiment during the Civil War (1864).
Also of interest in this collection are the several account books kept by Roelof and Ezekiel Elting. The account books of Roelof Elting date from 1768 to 1791 and primarily relate to the family store located in the Bevier-Elting House on Huguenot Street in New Paltz. These books document transactions involving the purchase and sale of domestic goods, foodstuffs, kitchen supplies, textiles and clothing, hardware, and specialty items such as tobacco, snuff, writing supplies, and other items. The accounts in these books are fairly scattered with no apparent organizational scheme. Among these five account books are two books containing entries deserving specific mention. One appears to be a store inventory from 1768 listing all the items in the store, although the prices are not listed. The account book dating 1777-1781 also contains journal-style entries from 1776 and 1777 written by Roelof Elting concerning his imprisonment as a suspected British sympathizer during the American Revolution.
Four more account books kept by Ezekiel Elting span the years from 1821 to 1845 and mainly relate to mill and farm expenses. The majority of the entries concern the purchase and sale of grains such as rye, corn, buckwheat, and wheat. Also present, however, are numerous entries documenting payments to laborers for sawing and chopping wood, carding wool, harvesting crops, and various other tasks. A name index at the beginning of each book serves as the main point of access to individual accounts. Another account book kept by Ezekiel Elting and his brother can be found in a collection of papers located at the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection at the Elting Memorial Library in New Paltz (see the “Related Collections” section below).
The estate papers mainly consist of bonds, deeds, mortgages, property descriptions, probate records, court papers, and agreements concerning properties in Ulster County (particularly New Paltz and Lloyd) owned by the Elting family in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Of interest are deeds of the Hasbrouck, Bevier, Deyo, LeFevre, Donaldson, and Roelof and Josiah and Noah Elting families (1703-1767); estate inventories of Roelof J. Elting (1773, 1779 and 1795) [12], Edmond Turner (undated), Elizabeth Schutt (1790), Nathaniel Bevier (1796), Mary Elting (1801); Mariah(?) DuBois (1839) and wills and probate records of Josiah Elting (1784) and Ezekiel Elting (1843). Several of the legal papers from the later nineteenth century concern the New Paltz Turnpike.
Other items of note include: undated field books to tracts and lots in the New Paltz Patent; undated copybook of Simeon DeWitt, Surveyor General of New York State; a receipt and agreement concerning the Reformed Church of New Paltz (1774-1790); register of poor persons applying for relief (1790); and account books, one of which contains entries written by Roelof Josiah Elting describing his imprisonment and probation during the Revolutionary War.
Of significant interest in documenting enslavement in New Paltz is a document dating from 1810 drawn up by "The Society of Negroes Unsettled" of which Ezekiel Elting was elected foreman. It provides evidence of attempts by the enslavers in New Paltz to solve the problem of runaway slaves. This document lists several enslaved people who ran away from their owners, and an attached document contains a list of persons and their supposed whereabouts. It is uncertain if these persons are runaway slaves or free blacks who may provide refuge to the runaways.
The collection also includes albumen print photographs from the mid-late 19th century of Clarence Elting, Maggie Peters, Myron and Gertrude Wurtz, and one tintype of Esther Elting. Two other photographs show the Mohonk Mountain House across Lake Mohonk and an unidentified Federal-style brick house with first and second story porches that was presumably the residence of Clarence Elting.
The overall condition of the papers is good and the handwriting legible. Some documents show signs of damage from tearing or fading. Signatures from several of the legal papers dating from the 18th century were removed at an unknown previous time.
Related Collections at HHS and other Repositories
Garrett and Roelof DuBois Family Papers (1771-1882). MSS 009. Contains a 1795 vendue list of Roelof J. Elting’s estate.
New Paltz Conferentia Church (“Owl Church”) Records (1766-1787). MSS.151.
Historic Huguenot Street Bible Collection. Bible #41, a bible that belonged to Andries DeWitt.
Elting Family Papers (1752-1927). Located at the Elting Memorial Library Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection in New Paltz, NY (https://www.eltinglibrary.org/hhhc). Contains related papers, including an account book (1798-1799) and estate inventory (1843) of Ezekiel Elting; letters of Ann Elting and Cornelius C. Elting (1837-1874); a military exemption for Josiah Elting (1864); marriage certificates of various Elting family members; and genealogical research materials.
Series Descriptions
Series 1: Account Books (1767-1837) 0.5 cu. ft.
Contains nine account books kept by Roelof Josiah Elting and his son Ezekiel Elting. The five small account books of Roelof Elting pertain to items bought and sold at the family store, church expenses and other accounts owed to him by those with whom he did business. One account book describes his imprisonment and probation during the Revolutionary War. Accounts in these books are generally sporadic and may have supplemented more complete daybooks or yearly ledgers. The four account books of Ezekiel Elting are legal size, bound ledgers, which contain personal name indexes; one account book, (1827-1833) contains no index, despite following the same system as the others. The transactions generally pertain to the purchases and sales of domestic goods such as wheat, corn, liquor, leather, etc.; and also payments for labor. This series also includes one folder of loose papers that may have come from another account book, and one name index to several unidentified account books.
Series 2: Papers (1703-1928) 1 cu. ft.
This series includes letters, deeds, wills, survey maps, inventories, bills, receipts, photographs, postcards, newspaper clippings, poetry and memorabilia. Papers are filed alphabetically by format (correspondence, estate and legal, financial, genealogy, miscellaneous) and thereunder chronologically. Oversize documents are housed separately in Box 4.
Box and Folder List
View all digitized items online, or see the links to individual folders below (Note: Box 3 is not digitized)
Box 001
Series 1: Account Books (1767-1837)
001.001 (folder) Roelof J. Elting, account books, store inventory, and name indexes (1767-1791). Includes Diary and account book (1777-1781).
001.002 (item) Account book with name index, Ezekiel Elting farm and mill accounts (1822-1835). Includes one loose page dated 1844.
001.003 (item) Account book with name index, Ezekiel Elting farm and mill accounts (1833-1846)
001.004 (item) Account book, Ezekiel Elting farm and mill accounts (1828-1841)
001.005 (item) Account book with name index, Ezekiel Elting farm and mill accounts (1825-1843)
Box 002
Series 2: Papers (1677-1928)
002.001 (folder) Correspondence (1750-1879)
002.002 (folder) Estate and Legal Papers (1677-1790 and undated)
002.003 (folder) Estate and Legal Papers (1790-1821 and undated)
002.004 (folder) Estate and Legal Papers (1793-1901)
002.005 (folder) Financial Papers (1770-ca. 1800)
Box 003 (not digitized)
Series 2: Papers (1677-1928)
003.001 (folder) Financial Papers, Receipts (1773-1870 and undated, scattered)
003.002 (folder) Genealogical Notes of the Elting and LeFevre Families (1908 and undated)
003.003 (folder) Miscellaneous (ca. 1852-1928 and undated)
003.004 (folder) Photographs (late 19th century)
003.005 (folder) Miscellaneous (ca. 1775-1883)
Box 004
Series 2: Papers (1677-1928) - oversize
004.001 (folder) Estate and Legal Papers (1703-1767)
004.002 (folder) Estate and Legal Papers (1778-1798)
004.003 (folder) Estate and Legal Papers (1800-1881)
004.004 (folder) Estate and Legal Papers: Property Survey Maps (1709 and undated) oversize
Notes
[1] Identification numbers are taken from The Elting Family, Book I, compiled by William & Ruth P. Heidgerd and published by the Huguenot Historical Society, Inc. New Paltz, New York (1989). Unless otherwise noted, all genealogical information is taken from this source.
[2] Sylvester, Nathaniel Bartlett. History of Ulster County, New York with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia, Everts & Peck (1880), p. 71.
[3] “Testimony, Roelof Josiah Elting,” October 26, 1776. Jean, Jacob, and Josiah Hasbrouck Family Papers (1672-1813), MSS.025. Historic Huguenot Street Archives, New Paltz, NY.
[4] Heidgerd 1989, p. 10.
[5] LeFevre, Ralph. History of New Paltz and Its Old Families. Albany, New York . Fort Orange Press (1909): p. 148-151, 491.
[6] LeFevre 1909., p. 25.
[7] 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. 70.
[8] Information pertaining to membership in the "Twelve Men" and local government is taken from "Proceedings of the Twelve Men (1738-1772)" and "Minutes and Elections Returns (1751-1824),” in New Paltz Town Records (1677-1838), MSS.033. Historic Huguenot Street Archives, New Paltz, NY.
[9] Heidgerd 1989, p. 17. For information on Peter LeFevre, see the Peter and Josiah LeFevre Family Papers (1703-1905), MSS.037. Historic Huguenot Street Archives, New Paltz, NY.
[10] Sylvester 1880, p. 130a.
[11] Ibid.
[12] A 1795 vendue list of Roelof Elting's estate is located in the Garret and Roelof DuBois Family Papers (1771-1882), MSS.009. Historic Huguenot Street Archives, New Paltz, NY.