Introduction

Historic Huguenot Street is honored to present a remarkable acquisition, a letter to the New York State Legislature from Hendrick Aupaumut, Mohican sachem (traditional leader) and diplomat. The letter was received as a gift to the Historic Huguenot Street Archives by Mary Frances Stokes-Jensen in 2016. The letter is believed to have been acquired by Joseph Hasbrouck, the donor's ancestor. Hasbrouck was a general during the Revolutionary war and served in the militia after the war. He was a New York State senator from 1791 to 1796, around the same time that Hendrick Aupaumut was leading the Stockbridge Mohicans and the tribe was forced to leave the New York area.

The letter was originally exhibited as part of the “Brotherhood and Belonging” event held in September 2019. The exhibit was accompanied by text written by Lisa Brooks, Professor of English and American Studies and Chair of American Studies, Amherst College. Her text has been included in this online exhibit. Bonney Hartley, HHS Board Trustee and Tribal Historic Preservation Manager, Stockbridge-Munsee Community, was an advisor on the project.

Josephine Bloodgood
HHS Director of Curatorial & Preservation Affairs