Women's History

Countless women’s stories are revealed in the New Paltz Historic Documents project through personal correspondence, legal and financial records, medical and church records, and much more. Whether the marks of Native female witnesses on the 1677 Esopus-Huguenot Land Agreement demonstrating their role in diplomacy, the separation of enslaved women and their young children mentioned in wills, or the legal status of women of European descent reflected in various documents, these stories tell us much about the struggles, resilience, and triumphs of women in centuries past. To explore some of these stories on your own, click on the key subject Women's Lives.

Mothers and "Bastards"
Read the stories of Mary Church and Caty Lewis and the men that were charged wtih "bastardy" in the local court to determine fatherhood and financial support.