Introduction & About Me – My Summer in the Archives!

Hi! My name is Jessica Minieri and I’m studying history and medieval/early modern studies at SUNY New Paltz!  My favorite periods of history to learn about are medieval and early modern Europe, with sixteenth century Britain being my favorite. I also really enjoy Spanish, French, and women’s history! I decided to do my internship at Historic Huguenot Street (HHS) because it related to my areas of historical interest and allowed me to work closely with primary documents. While at HHS I worked alongside archivist/librarian, Carrie Allmendinger, to complete the task of uploading documents to Hudson River Valley Heritage (hrvh.org), a website responsible for digitizing documents from archives around the Hudson Valley. My project was on the life of Roelof Josiah Elting, a resident of the Bevier-Elting House that was exiled due to the belief that he was a Loyalist during the American Revolution. To trace his story, I read his personal letters, legal documents, and tax rolls from the beginning of his exile in 1776 to his return to New Paltz in 1784. It was an amazing experience to learn about a member of New Paltz’s past and to engage with documents from centuries ago! In addition, one of the staff members brought her two puppies with her most days. They were a bonus to an amazing experience!

One of the many bibles I worked to enter into a database while at HHS.

The two puppies that were frequent visitors to Huguenot Street!

Photo from my last day at Historic Huguenot Street.