Where History Continues to be Written

Celia Hasbrouck Papers (1861-1928)

Finding Aid completed by Courtney Fallon, March 2005

Volume: 1.25 cubic feet, 2 boxes

Acquisition: This collection was donated to the Huguenot Historical Society by Sue Brooks of New Paltz, NY in May 2004 and on unspecified earlier dates.

Access: Unrestricted.

Copyright: Request for permission to publish materials from these records should be discussed with the Archivist and Director of the Huguenot Historical Society.

Family Biographical Sketch

Celia Hasbrouck was born on July 19, 1843 to Isaiah Hasbrouck and Elizabeth Eller and spent most of her life in Liberty and nearby towns (Loch Sheldrake, Neversink, Divine's Corners, etc.) in Sullivan County, New York. [1] She was one of ten siblings, including Benjamin (1820-1896), Hiram B. (1829-1906), Elizabeth (1831-1910), John E. (1833-1897), Augustus (1837-1904), Rachel Ann (1839-1842), and Elmeda (1855-1861). Several of her siblings relocated to various towns in California, where Celia visited at least once. Celia died unmarried on June 30, 1929 and is buried along with several of her relatives in the Velie Cemetery in Liberty.

Notes

[1] Hasbrouck, Kenneth E. The Hasbrouck Family in America with European Background, Third Edition, published by the Hasbrouck Family Association, Huguenot Historical Society, New Paltz, NY (1986). Unless otherwise noted, all genealogical information is also taken from this source or directly from the collection.

Collection Description

The collection documents the life of the Hasbrouck family of Sullivan County, New York, particularly Celia Hasbrouck and her siblings of Lock Sheldrake, and to a lesser extent, Wooster F. Hasbrouck of Liberty, New York. Other documents concern family members that settled in California during the late nineteenth century. Records include correspondence, legal and financial papers, news clippings, photographs, calling and greeting cards, and a few brief creative writings.

The main strength of the collection lies in the correspondence, which dates from 1861 to 1928 and covers a wide variety of topics such as family news and events such as deaths, illnesses, marriages, visits, home life, social occasions, travel, finances, economics, weather, school and genealogy. The majority of the correspondence dates from 1870-1900 and is between Celia and her brothers John E. Hasbrouck, Augustus Hasbrouck, and Hiram B. Hasbrouck, and her sisters Ann Acelia Hasbrouck, Elizabeth Hoyt and Maria Forshay. Of particular interest are letters from John E. Hasbrouck describing life and the search for gold in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California and in Nevada City, 1861-1895; letters detailing Maria Forshay's unsuccessful battle with breast cancer, 1880-1883; a few letters describing the school and teaching conditions in Petaluma, California and Greenfield, Ulster County, New York during the 1870s; and three letters from Sherman A. Hasbrouck written while he was in the Napa Valley Asylum (1890-1893). After 1915 the correspondence consists mainly of postcards and greeting cards sent to Celia.

Other papers include legal documents relating to Hasbrouck family property in Sullivan County, New York, a marriage certificate for Hiram B. Hasbrouck and Acelia Hill, and the settlement of the estate of Hiriam B. Hasbrouck, 1913, and financial papers (mostly bills and receipts) concerning kitchen supplies and clothing purchases. Several newspaper clippings cover the deaths of Benjamin Hasbrouck and Mrs. Floyd A. Kinne of Liberty in the 1890s, and the sale of the Isaiah Hasbrouck homestead, 1913-1920. Other items include a note from a juror on the Rosenstock vs. Haumner case regarding the outcome of the trial, 1891; a writing entitled "How to Cure a Cancer," a school essay written by Celia Hasbrouck entitled "A Convention of Books" (1865), and an untitled poem. In addition, there are bills and receipts for medications and supplies for the W.F. Hasbrouck Drugstore in Liberty, New York dating from 1900-1910.

The photographs include tintypes, daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, paper portraits, paper prints, glass negatives, and one drawing, primarily dating from ca. 1860s to the 1920s, show Celia Hasbrouck, friends and family members such as Celia's nephew Wooster F. Hasbrouck, his wife Susan M. Pierson, and his daughter Ruth Caroline Hasbrouck. Two photograph albums ca.1860s and ca.1890s, respectively, contain numerous unidentified images, presumably of friends and family members.

The papers range in condition from fair to good, showing minor damage from yellowing, staining, fading, and tearing. The handwriting throughout all the papers is legible. The papers are organized by type into envelopes or by size.

Series Descriptions
The collection is arranged into two series: Correspondence and Miscellaneous Papers, and photographs and Photograph Albums.

Series 1: Correspondence and Miscellaneous Papers (1861-1928)
Correspondence is arranged chronologically or by size. [1] This series includes letters written to Celia Hasbrouck and other family members relating to news of family and friends, finances and daily life in Sonoma County, California and Sullivan County, New York. Other correspondence includes invitations, greeting cards, postcards and calling cards. This series also includes legal documents, financial documents, and creative writings. There is one marriage certificate located in Box #2.

Series 2: Photographs and Photograph Albums (ca.1860s-1920s)
This series includes photographs of the Hasbrouck family and relating families in various forms such as mid-late nineteenth century daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tin types, paper portraits and prints (1880s-1920s), negatives and glass negatives, a drawing of Hiram B. Hasbrouck, an oversize photo of an unidentified house and unidentified man (ca.1900), a photo album (ca.1890s) and a fragmented photo album (ca.1860s) with both tintypes and portraits. A significant amount of the photographs are of Wooster F. Hasbrouck, his wife Susan M. Pierson and his daughter Ruth Caroline Hasbrouck.

Box and Folder List

Box 1:
Series 1: Correspondence and Miscellaneous Papers (1861-1928)
Correspondence (1861-1928) -eleven folders
Legal and Miscellaneous Papers (1869-1922)   

Box 2:
Series 3: Photographs and Photograph Albums (ca.1860s-1920s)
Albums (1860s-1890s)Cased photographs -nine with one fragment (1860s-1890s)
Miscellaneous photographs (ca.1850s-ca.1910s)
Portraits (ca.1860s-1920s)  
Oversize photograph of unidentified house (c a.1900)

Date Published: June 7, 2005