Abraham Bruyn Hasbrouck (1791-1879), of Kingston, was a very accomplished person. Famous as the court commissioner who presided over the Isabella Van Wagenen (Sojourner Truth) Habeas Corpus Case (1828), he accomplished much more in his life. Lawyer, founder of two banks, first lay president of Rutgers College, and served in the US House of Representatives.
A. Bruyn, as he wrote his name to differentiate himself from his cousin Abraham, also of Kingston, continued to maintain the diary of his grandfather Col. Abraham, (1707-1791, who was the grandson of patentee Abraham). This extensive diary included family genealogy of the colonial-era generations. Upon A. Bruyn's death, the diary was held by Gen. George H. Sharpe, his son-in-law.
We were aware of several copies of the diary having been made, with the belief that these were not complete copies. One is in the possession of the NY Genealogical and Biographical Society, another ultimately residing in the HHS library. Until 2022, the whereabouts of the original diary was unknown. Thanks to the investigative work of Donna Hasbrouck, HFA's historical researcher, the papers of A. Bruyn Hasbrouck were found in the Library of Congress in Washington DC.
The papers of A. Bruyn, including the Abraham Diary, were placed in the Library of Congress by George Sharpe. HFA had all of the A. Bruyn papers photographed, making them accessible to the family. Below is the Col. Abraham Record Book. Due to its size, the diary is in two files.