Hendrick first appears in the archival record in Jacob Hasbrouck’s 1720 will, which also references James by name. Since Jacob lived another forty years, James and Hendrick no doubt contributed to the 1721 construction of his stone house, requiring stone masonry and timber framing skills. Enslaved people performed skilled labor throughout New Paltz, from cooking meals and sewing clothes to growing crops and working mills, contributing to the wealth of the Hasbrouck family and prosperity of the community for generations.