Ciphering Books Extracts

Kristin Raab
Development Officer

The extracts displayed come from ciphering books in the HHS Archives collection. Because students learning disciplines as varied as mathematics, handwriting, spelling and surveying used them, ciphering books are an excellent source for documenting the early history of education.

Louis Bevier 1734-1739 | Maria Elting 1799 | Louis Bevier 1800 | Rachel Elting 1803-1812 

Louis Bevier Ciphering Book, 1734-1739

Included in this ciphering book are accounts and legal documents.

Louis Bevier (B-30) was born on April 29, 1717 to Louis Bevier and Elizabeth Hasbrouck, he was baptized at the Kingston Reformed Dutch Church on June 9 of the same year. On October 10, 1745 he married Esther DuBois, daughter of Philip DuBois and Esther Gumaer. Together they had five children.

Louis became a member of the Foot Company of Captain Daniel Brodhead in 1738, but went on to become a prominent surveyor in Ulster County. At Marbletown Louis served as Town Clerk, Assessor, Trustee, Justice of the Peace and Supervisor. Louis is also listed as a member of the building committee for the Reformed Dutch Church in 1743. He also served as Deacon in 1753 and later as an elder. At the church, Louis was involved in the Coetus-Conferentia dispute, siding with the Coetus faction, which favored centralized control of the church from the Classis at Amsterdam, as opposed to a more localized for of church government centered in the New World that was favored by the Conferentia party. He died on September 29, 1772.

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