The papers are organized into two series: 1) Account Books, and 2) Papers, which include correspondence, estate and legal papers, financial papers, genealogical research materials and miscellaneous papers. The bulk of the collection falls between 1768 and 1843.

The records of major interest are found in the correspondence files. The existence of letters prior to 1800 in Ulster County is quite rare and the letters of Roelof J. and Ezekiel Elting and Andries, Bryant and Simon DeWitt provide an excellent source of information on life in Ulster County during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Letters to and from Roelof Elting discuss a lawsuit with Benjamin Decker; various notes and bonds against the Eltings; slaves and goods received from Lt. Col. Burr (1778); local religious, political and family matters; a sale of property in Chenango, Broome County (undated); shipping flaxseed and other domestic goods to merchants in New York City, and the events surrounding several boundary disputes with the New Paltz Patent in the 1790’s. Of specific interest is a letter from Johannes Snyder to the Friends of Constitutional Liberty Committee (Roelof J. Elting, Dirck Wynkoop, David Hasbrouck, Philip Elting and John Dumont) concerning a meeting at R. J. Elting’s house “to Collect their Sense on the late daring attack on the Rights of Suffrage by the Majority of Conversers.”

The correspondence of the DeWitt family includes a letter from Bryant DeWitt to his father Andries DeWitt concerning Gen. Scott’s military expeditions against Native Americans in Kentucky (1792); several letters concerning the death of Nathaniel Bevier in 1795; a letter to Johannes Hoornbeck of Wawarsing from A. DeWitt concerning a bond to Nathan Vernooy (1797); letter to Andries DeWitt discussing relations between the United States and France (1798); and letters describing the work of physicians in Albany, yellow fever in Philadelphia, local politics and the media. And one undated letter (ca. 1800) gives descriptions and opinions of alterations being made to a house. Other correspondents include Henricus Schoonmaker, Cornelius Elting, Elting Varick, Johannes Jansen, Elizabeth DeWitt and David Graham.

Another batch of letters written to Jacob Elting, while he served as Elder of Reformed Dutch Church of New Paltz. These letters document the consistory’s efforts to acquire a new pastor in 1844. These include a letter of recommendation of Rev. Ransford Wells of Troy, New York, and letters from Jacob A. Lansing; Ch. Whitehead, pastor of the Ref. Dutch Church of Walden; Henry Ostrander, Catherine Jansen, and William A. Cornell. One letter concerns the plans of the Executive Committee of the Ulster County Agricultural Society to inspect local farms (1844), and another letter from 1864 describes local efforts to send gift boxes to the 156th Regiment during the Civil War.

Also of interest in this collection are the several account books kept by Roelof and Ezekiel Elting. The accounts books of Roelof Elting date from 1768 to 1791 and primarily relate to the family store located in the Bevier-Elting House on Huguenot Street in New Paltz. These books document transactions involving the purchase and sale of domestic goods, foodstuffs, kitchen supplies, textiles and clothing, hardware, and specialty items such as tobacco, snuff, writing supplies, and other items. The accounts in these books are fairly scattered with no apparent organizational scheme. Among these five account books are two books containing entries deserving specific mention. One appears to be a store inventory from 1768 listing all the items in the store, although the prices are not listed. Another book contains journal-style entries from 1776 and 1777 written by Roelof Elting concerning his imprisonment as a suspected British sympathizer during the Revolutionary War.

Four account books kept by Ezekiel Elting span the years from 1821 to 1845 and mainly relate to mill and farm expenses. The majority of the entries concern the purchase and sale of grains such as rye, corn, buckwheat, and wheat. Also present, however, are numerous entries documenting payments to laborers for sawing and chopping wood, carding wool, harvesting crops, and various other tasks. A name index at the beginning of each book serves as the main point of access to individual accounts. Another account book kept by Ezekiel Elting and his brother can be found in a collection of papers located at the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection at the Elting Memorial Library in New Paltz. A brief description of this collection is provided below.

The estate papers mainly consist of bonds, deeds, mortgages, property descriptions, probate records, court papers, and agreements concerning properties in Ulster County (particularly New Paltz and Lloyd) owned by the Elting family in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Of interest are deeds of the Hasbrouck, Bevier, Deyo, LeFevre, Donaldson, and Roelof and Josiah and Noah Elting families (1703-1767); estate inventories of Roelof J. Elting (1773, 1795) , Edmond Turner (undated), Elizabeth Schutt (1790), Nathaniel Bevier (1796), Mary Elting (1801); Mariah(?) DuBois (1839) and wills and probate records of Josiah Elting (1784) and Ezekiel Elting (1843). Several of the legal papers from the later nineteenth century concern the New Paltz Turnpike.

Also of note are undated field books to tracts and lots in the New Paltz Patent; undated copybook of Simeon DeWitt, Surveyor General of New York State; a receipt and agreement concerning the Reformed Church of New Paltz (1774-1790); register of poor persons applying for relief (1790); and account books, one of which contains entries written by Roelof Josiah Elting describing his imprisonment and probation during the Revolutionary War. There is also a document dating from 1810 drawn up by “The Society of Negroes Unsettled” of which Ezekiel Elting was elected foreman, provides evidence of attempts by the slave owners in New Paltz to solve the problem of runaway slaves. This document also lists several slaves who ran away from their owners. An attached document contains a list of persons and their supposed whereabouts. It is uncertain if these persons are runaway slaves or free blacks who may provide refuge to the runaways. Also contained in the collection are albumen print photographs from the mid-late 19th century of Clarence Elting, Maggie Peters, Myron and Gertrude Wurtz, and one tintype of Esther Elting. Two other photographs show the Mohonk Mountain House across Lake Mohonk and an unidentified Federal-style brick house with 1st and 2nd story porches that was presumably the residence of Clarence Elting.

The overall condition of the papers is good and the handwriting legible. Some documents show signs of damage from tearing or fading. Signatures from several of the legal papers dating from the 18th century have at some time been removed.