Two Couples named James Sutphen and Elizabeth Voorhees

James Anthony Rasmussen in "Jacobus/James Sutphen of Somerset Co., NJ and His Two Wives Elizabeth Voorhees," TAG 59 (1983) 129-138 identifies James Sutphen's first wife as Elizabeth, daughter of Albert Voorhees and Adrianna Vandervoort, and his second wife as the daughter of Auke/Jacobus and Neeltje Voorhees.  While he correctly identified the parents of both women named Elizabeth Voorhees, he did not know that it was two different James Sutphens who married them. 

The elder James Sutphen married 2nd a woman named Elizabeth, but her maiden name is not known.  Nor is it known when his first wife died, so which children are of Elizabeth Voorhees is unknown.  Given the Dutch custom of naming the first daughter after a deceased wife, I think his daughter Elizabeth may have been the first child of his second wife.  That is just speculation.

The children attributed to James Sutphen and Elizabeth Voorhees, daughter of Auke/Jacobus and Neeltje Voorhees, are actually the children of the elder James Sutphen and his 2nd wife named Elizabeth.  James Sutphen and Elizabeth Voorhees, daughter of Auke/Jacobus and Neeltje Voorhees had an entirely different family.

A Tale of Two Couples named James Sutphen and Elizabeth Voorhees

VVFA: 116.  James Sutphen

James Sutphen, husband of Elizabeth Voorhees, daughter of Albert Voorhees and Adrianna Vandervoort probably did not marry second Elizabeth, daughter of Auke and Nelly Voorhees as previously held by some.[1]  That was probably his nephew, James, son of Aert Sutphen and Jannetje Van Mater.

James and Elizabeth Sutphen, of Northumberland Co., PA, sold their 1/13 part of a plantation at Blauwenburg, formerly belonging to Okey Voorhees, deceased, late of Somerset Co, NJ on 7 Apr 1800 to Ezekiel Blue.[2]  This clearly identifies Elizabeth’s father as Okey Voorhees.

James Sutphen first appears in the tax lists of Mahoning, Northumberland, PA[3] in the list of 1783/1784 with no acres.  He appears in the 1785, 1786 and 1787 lists with 100 acres.  Gilbert Voorhees, his presumed brother-in-law, appears in the tax list of Mahoning, Northumberland, PA in 1787.[4]  From the census records of Northumberland County, PA, it appears that he was living there until at least 1800.[5] 

James Sutphen, husband of Elizabeth Voorhees, daughter of Albert Voorhees and Adrianna Vandervoort, did not live outside Somerset Co., NJ, for any length of time, if at all.  One of his children was baptized at the Reformed Dutch Church of Harlingen, Somerset Co, NJ[6] and another was born in NJ in the period of 1785 – 1795.[7]  A James Sutphen appears in the Tax Ratables of Montgomery Township, Somerset Co., NJ in the period of 1784 – 1789.[8]  Given the birth of his last child about 1792,[9] and his first wife’s baptism in 1738,[10] Elizabeth Voorhees could not be the mother of all James Sutphen’s children.  Clearly, he married a woman named Elizabeth second[11], but her maiden name is as yet unknown.  When Elizabeth Voorhees died is also unknown, so which of James’ children are hers is also uncertain.  Given the Dutch custom of naming the next daughter after a deceased wife, it is likely that his daughter Elizabeth was the first daughter of his second wife.  Unless we have three couples named James Sutphen and Elizabeth Voorhees, the marriage record for James and Elizabeth of 1778[12] must relate to the second couple.

The children attributed to James Sutphen and his second wife, Elizabeth, are the probably correct as presented in the Van Voorhees Family in America, with one exception.  This James Sutphen probably did not have a son named John Voorhees.  John is not named in his will.  The other James Sutphen did have a son named John (probably with a middle name Voorhees), born about the same time, so the baptismal record at the RDC of Harlingen[13] for John Voorhees Sutphin is probably for the son of the other James Sutphen, not this one.

VVFA: 291 James Sutphen

The other James Sutphen, husband of Elizabeth Voorhees, daughter of Auke/Jacobus and Neeltje Voorhees was probably the son of Aert Sutphen and Jannetje Van Mater.  He was baptized on 19 Dec 1756[14].  The naming of his children also suggests that these are his parents.  The family is based on a family bible record[15] that I have not reviewed, but the details can be generally confirmed from other sources.

Father: James Sutphen, born 29 Oct 1756, died 13 Apr 1837

Mother: Elizabeth Voorhees, born 4 Feb 1761, died 1 Jan 1826

Children:

      1)      Ellenor, born 27 Feb 1779, died 8 Oct 1783 [named after her maternal grandmother].

      2)      Jane, born 8 Jul 1781 [named after her paternal grandmother].

      3)      John Voorhees, born 11 Oct 1783 [named after his paternal uncle].

      4)      Eleanor, born 18 Apr 1786 [named after her deceased sister].

      5)      Mary, born 8 Jul 1789 [named after her maternal aunt].

      6)      Arthur, born 29 Mar 1792, died 30 Apr 1856 [named after his paternal grandfather].

      7)      James, 29 Mar 1794, died 12 Oct 1867 [named after his deceased brother].

      8)      Elizabeth, born 2 Jul 1796, died 25 Mar 1797 [named after her mother].

      9)      Elizabeth, born 5 Apr 1798, died 26 Jun 1807 [named after her deceased sister].

I am not certain all the other information above was included in the Bible record as the posting included information from several sources without distinguishing them.  In particular, I do not know if John Voorhees’ middle name is given in the Bible record.  The presumed baptisms[16] of Eleanor, Jane and John all appear relatively close to their respective births as listed above. 

Presumably he moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania in 1784 as John was baptized at the RDC of Harlingen in the spring of that year.[17]  The family moved to  Yates Co., NY where James’ probate record[18] lists his wife, Polly, sons James, John and Arthur, and daughters, Jane, wife of John Gibson, Eleanor, wife of John Erwin and Mary, wife of Benjamin Stout.

Eleanor married John Arwine.  Some evidence suggests that the first Eleanor did not die in 1783.  Her tombstone says she died on 17 Jul 1850, aged 71[19], implying she was born about 1779, not 1786 as indicated above.  The 1800 census of Mahoning, Northumberland, Pa[20] suggests that both Jane and Eleanor were married by then, implying Eleanor was born before 1786.  Her oldest child was born 3 Aug 1803, when she would have just turned 17, possible but young.  However, there are probably other explanations for those anomalies and that the Eleanor born in 1786 was the wife of John Arwine.  The children of Eleanor (Helen) Sutphen and John Arwine were[21]:

      1)      Elizabeth, born 3 Aug 1803

      2)      Catherine, born 1806

      3)      Jane, born 1 Feb 1813

      4)      Daniel, born 1815

      5)      Arthur, born Nov 1821

      6)      Perry, born May 1825

      7)      William, born 1826

Jane was baptized at the RDC of Six Mile Run[22] on 30 Sep 1781. She married John Gibson, probably son of Alexander Gibson, both of whom lived in Mahoning, Northumberland, PA[23] in 1800.  John is listed in the 1810 census of Mahoning, Northumberland , PA[24] where he and his wife are listed as being 26 – 45 years of age.  His will, probated in Montour, PA[25] in 1853, lists his wife, Jane, his sons John, James, William and Alex and his daughters Jane, Isabella and Mary.  Jane died on 14 Mar 1856, born on 8 Jul 1779 and buried in the Hendrickson Cemetery of Danville, PA.[26]  She was age 70, born in PA according to the 1850 census.[27]

John was born on 11 Oct 1783, died on 28 Jan 1852 and is buried in the Sutphin Cemetery in Jackson County, MI.[28]  He married Mary Baird[29] and had the following children[30]:

1. Margaret, born in 1813
2. Jane, born in 1814
3. Peter Blue, born in 1816
4. Mary Blue, born 1821
5. Aaron, born 1823
6. John Voorhees, born 1826
7. Lois, born 1828

The Blue family lived Mahoning Township, Northumberland County, PA in the late 1700s.  John is listed in the 1850 census as being born in NY, but in the 1880 census Perry lists his father as being born in PA.

Mary married Benjamin Stout.  She died on 21 Apr 1853 in Gunplain, Allegan Co., MI.  She is buried in Woodside Cemetery in Plainwell.[31]  She was born in PA according to the 1850 census.

Arthur married.Eliza Laning and died on 30 Apr 1856.[32]  He was born in PA according to the 1850 census.

James married Maria Ellis.  He married 2^nd Jane Smith.  He died 12 Nov 1867 in Ovid, Clinton Co., MI.[33]  He was born in PA according to the 1860 census.

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[1] James Anthony Rasmussen, Jacobus/James Sutphen of Somerset Co., NJ and His Two Wives Elizabeth Voorhees, TAG 59 (1983) 129-138.

[2] James Anthony Rasmussen, Jacobus/James Sutphen of Somerset Co., NJ and His Two Wives Elizabeth Voorhees, TAG 59 (1983) 129-138.

[3] Pennsylvania Archives, Third Series, William Henry Egle, p. 565; Setvil, James.

[4] Pennsylvania Archives, Third Series, William Henry Egle, p. 752; Voaras, Gilbert.

[5] 1790 Northumberland, PA

James Sutfield 1 1 4 0 0
Federal Census Year: 1790; Census Place: Northumberland, Pennsylvania; Series: M637; Roll: 9; Page: 52; Image: 284; Family History Library Film: 0568149
1800 Mahoning, Northumberland, PA
James Sutfun 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0
Year: 1800; Census Place: Mahoning, Northumberland, Pennsylvania; Series: M32; Roll: 37; Page: 752; Image: 155; Family History Library Film: 363340

[6] Records of the Harlingen Reformed Church, Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey (GMNJ), vol. 20, p. 16, 2 May 1779; Nelte, parents: Jacobs Setfen and Marya [sic]

[7] Abiah was born in New Jersey about 1795 according to the 1850 census
Year: 1850; Census Place: Montgomery, Somerset, New Jersey; Roll: M432_463; Page: 396B; Image: 325
William was born in New Jersey about 1789 according to the 1850 census
Year: 1850; Census Place: Montgomery, Somerset, New Jersey; Roll: M432_463; Page: 396B; Image: 325

[8] AIS Census Index: Pre-1790, Ancestry.com

[9] James Anthony Rasmussen, Jacobus/James Sutphen of Somerset Co., NJ and His Two Wives Elizabeth Voorhees, TAG 59 (1983) 129-138.

[10] Records of the Reformed Church of New Utrecht, RECORD 113(1982):76.

[11] James Anthony Rasmussen, Jacobus/James Sutphen of Somerset Co., NJ and His Two Wives Elizabeth Voorhees, TAG 59 (1983) 129-138.

[12] James Anthony Rasmussen, Jacobus/James Sutphen of Somerset Co., NJ and His Two Wives Elizabeth Voorhees, TAG 59 (1983) 129-138.

[13] Records of the Harlingen Reformed Church, Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey (GMNJ), vol. 20, p. 36.

[14] Six Mile Run Church Baptisms, Somerset County Historical Quarterly, vol. 8, p. 131.

[15] Geoffrey Sutphen, online at http://www.migenweb.org/fgs/clinton/james_sutphen.htm.  The Bible was donated to a museum in Jackson County, MI, possibly the Ella Sharpe Museum which has not yet responded to my enquiry.

[16] RDC of Harlingen & RDC of Six Mile Run.  The elder James Sutphen and Elizabeth Voorhees had a daughter named Eleanor born about the same time as the daughter named Eleanor of the younger James Sutphen and Elizabeth Voorhees.  It is unclear which one was baptized at the RDC of Harlingen.

[17] Records of the Harlingen Reformed Church, Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey (GMNJ), vol. 20, p. 36.

[18] Letters of Testamentary and Administration, Yates County, NY, vol. 2, p. 169; see also Box 119-B.

[19] http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=99959262, including picture to tombstone.

[20] 1800 Census of Mahoning, Northumberland, PA 2 males under 10, 1 male 16-25, 1 male 26-45, 1 female under 10, 1 female 10-15, 1 female 25-45.  These appear to be James, Arthur, John and James, Elizabeth, Mary and Jane. Eleanor and Jane are not represented.

[21] http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=153314098

[22] Six Mile Run Church Baptisms, Somerset County Historical Quarterly, vol. 8, p. 230.

[23] 1800 Census of Mahoning, Northumberland, PA, John Gibson: 1 male 16 – 25, 2 females 16-25.  One of the females is presumably his wife, Jane.

[24] Year: 1810; Census Place: Mahoning, Northumberland, Pennsylvania; Roll: 53; Page: 163; Image: 00047; Family History Library Film: 0193679

[25] "Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-28805-8425-15?cc=1999196 : accessed 21 October 2015), Montour > Wills 1850-1882 vol 1 > image 79 of 519; county courthouses, Pennsylvania.

[26] FindAGrave: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Gibson&GSfn=Jane&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=40&GScnty=2287&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=28617589&df=all&.  Her birth date is inferred from the inscription on her tombstone, which off from the Bible record by exactly two years.  Her death date was transcribed incorrectly, but is clear from the accompanying photograph.

[27] Year: 1850; Census Place: Derry, Montour, Pennsylvania; Roll: M432_801; Page: 407A; Image: 234

[28] http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=16554130.  His birth date is calculated from the inscription on his tombstone, which agrees with the family Bible record.

[29] History of Jackson County Michigan. Interstate Publishing Co., Chicago: 1881, p. 956.

[30] http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=16554130

[31] http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=87491653

[32] http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=145412065

[33] http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=121225965