Hasbrouck family

Many of the Huguenots became religious refugees, fleeing France to other parts of Europe. The Hasbrouck family ended up in Mannheim, Germany, among many other families. It wasn't long before these families continued their journey and sailed to the colonies in North America.[1] One of the earliest French Huguenots to move to the colonies was Matthys Blanchan and his family, which included his son-in-law Louis DuBois.

Jean Hasbrouck II and his wife, Anne Deyo, and two of their children, Maria and Hester, along with Anne's parents Christian and Jeanne Verbeau Deyo, and Anne's siblings Pierre, Maria and Elizabeth, would move to present-day New York, settling first in Hurley, New York. In 1675, Jean's brother Abraham would join with the group in Hurley, which had now grown to a very large number. On November 17, 1675, he would marry Maria Deyo, his brother's wife's sister.[2]

After garnering enough support and continuing to grow their families, the Huguenots set out to find a desirable land that they could call their own. They found an area 15 miles south of Kingston, New York, where they had resided for a short time but found that the constant squabbles with local Native Americans made it difficult to function. The owners of the land they coveted were the Esopus Indians, who lived on a considerable amount of land up and down the Hudson River where present-day Esopus, New York runs, through Ulster Park, New York and into where New Paltz stands.

The Huguenots initiated peaceful negotiations with the Esopus tribe, agreeing to a land contract with five of their chiefs and 21 of their natives. This was followed by the royal, or patent, grant, given to the Huguenots by Governor Edmund Andros on September 29, 1677.[3]

In 1678, the families proceeded to their new home, building simple wood houses near the Wallkill River. They would name their new settlement New Paltz, which was meant to honor the Germany state in which Mannheim exists, Pfalz-am-Rhein. As part of the patent they had received, twelve of the new settlers signed the document and were considered the founders, or patentees, of New Paltz. Jean and Abraham Hasbrouck were two of these signers, along with their father-in-law, Christian Deyo; their brother-in-law, Pierre "Peter" Deyo; brother-in-law, Simon LeFevre (who married Elizabeth Deyo); brother-in-law, Abraham DuBois (who married Margaret Deyo); Jean's son-in-law Isaac DuBois (married Maria Hasbrouck); Abraham and Isaac's father Louis; Simon's brother, Andries LeFevre; Hugo Freer; Louis Bevier; and Antoine Crispell, who married Maria Blanchan, daughter of Matthys and sister of Catherine (married Louis DuBois).[4]

One of the first structures in New Paltz was a fort-like stockade, a requirement of Governor Andros for protection.[5]

(see Huguenot Street Historic District) The families settled on a stretch of land, now known as Historic Huguenot Street, where many of their early homes were built. The wood-like homes were soon replaced by stone structures, that have stood until present day. The first patentee to pass away was Christian Deyo, and a cemetery was established on Huguenot Street not far from where the homes were. Many of the patentees would be buried in this cemetery, and Christian was the first.[6]

Anne Deyo Hasbrouck would pass away in 1694, and not see many of the structures built with stone; her husband, Jean, passed away in 1714, having built a small, simple stone house. His brother Abraham would pass away in 1717, also having built a small house, and his wife Maria Deyo Hasbrouck in 1741. They would all be buried in the Huguenot Cemetery.

Abraham and Maria's son, Daniel, would add on to his father's residence, making it much larger and committing to upgrades for his family. While it was originally thought that the "Abraham Hasbrouck House" was built solely by Abraham, dating of the trees and remnants of the earliest parts of the house show that it was completed after Abraham's death, around 1720. This makes Daniel the likely contributor to most of what the home looks like today, and he resided there until around 1740.[7]

Abraham Bruyn Hasbrouck was born November 29, 1791 in Kingston, New York, the son of Jonathan Hasbrouck, who served as the Ulster County Judge from 1798-1799, and his wife, Catharina Wynkoop Hasbrouck. He graduated from Yale University in 1810 and returned to Kingston, where he studied law and opened his practice. In 1824, he was elected to the 19th United States Congress, serving from 1825-1827. He was named President of the National Ulster County Bank in Kingston, holding this position until 1840, when he was appointed the 6th President of Rutgers University. He remained in this role until 1850. He died February 23, 1879 in Kingston, and was buried in Houghtaling Cemetery in that city. The cemetery is now defunct.[9]

Abruyn Street in Kingston is named after Abraham Bruyn Hasbrouck; because he was prominent at in Kingston at the same time as his first cousin, Abraham J. Hasbrouck, he would sign his name "Abruyn," thus resulting in the street name. Hasbrouck also founded the village of St. Remy, within the limits of Kingston and Esopus.

He was married to Julia Frances Ludlum (1796-1869) and was the father-in-law of George H. Sharpe.

Abraham J. Hasbrouck was born October 16, 1773 in Libertyville, New York, a small established community outside of New Paltz and Gardiner, New York. He was a descendant of both Abraham and Jean, through multiple lines:

Abraham was a merchant in Kingston, New York, who owned a large property within the Rondout-West Strand Historic District. He served in the New York State Assembly in 1811 and New York State Senate in 1822. In 1812, he was elected to the 13th United States Congress as a Democratic-Republican, serving from 1813-1815. He died January 12, 1845 in Kingston, and is buried in the historic Sharp Burial Ground (Albany Avenue Cemetery). Hasbrouck Avenue, Hasbrouck Place, and Hasbrouck Park, all in Kingston, are named for him.[10]

Josiah Hasbrouck was born March 5, 1755 in New Paltz, the son of Jacob Hasbrouck Jr. and his wife, Jannetje DuBois Hasbrouck. His father served as a major in the American Revolutionary War and as the town supervisor of New Paltz (1762-1765, 1771-1776). Josiah would serve as supervisor of New Paltz as well, from 1784-1786, 1793-1794, and 1799-1805. In between his second and third terms, he served in the New York State Assembly from 1796-1797, and again in 1802 and 1806.

In 1802, Hasbrouck was elected to the 8th United States Congress to fill the resignation of John Cantine, serving from 1803-1805; he was elected to the 15th United States Congress in 1816, serving from 1817-1819.

In 1814, Hasbrouck finished building and began residing in his home, Locust Lawn Estate, which today is a historic site in Gardiner, New York. He lived here until his death in Plattekill on March 19, 1821. He was buried in New Paltz Rural Cemetery.[11]

He married Sarah Decker on February 11, 1785. She was a cousin through the DuBois family.