Jacobus Voorhees, Husband of Sarah Colver
Jacob4 Van Voorhees (Jan3, Jan2, Steven1), son of Jan Van Voorhees and Neeltje Nevius, was thought to have married Sarah Colver.[1] In his early genealogy, Elias Van Voorhis stated that Jacob was baptized on 9 May 1720, married Sarah Culver before 1741 and died before 13 Dec 1771 when letters of administration were issued on his estate.[2] He identified five children in this family: Jan. b 27 Apr 1741; Sarah, b 17 Jan 1744, Phebe, b 4 Jul 1746; and James, b 23 Dec 1748.
However, this Jacob Van Voorhees as the husband of Sarah Culver is problematic for several reasons.
1) A Bible record[3] later become available, showing Jacob (not Jacobus) was born on 8 Apr 1725 and died Oct 1749. He was baptized as Jacobus, actually on 9 May 1725,[4] not 1720 as Elias had stated. Thus Jacobus would have just turned 16 when his first child was born,[5] very unlikely.
2) Jacob's family moved from Staten Island where he was baptized in 1725 to Jamaica [6] by 1735 when his brother, Abraham, was baptized there in 1735[7]. From there they moved to near New Brunswick , NJ Hackensack , NJ
3) Though baptized as Jacobus[9], the Bible records his name as Jacob. The husband of Sarah is consistently stated as Jacobus.
4) From the Bible record it is known that four of the children of Jan and Neeltje Van Voorhees, including Jacob, died within four months of each other in 1749. The number of siblings dying at such a young age within such a short time frame suggests they were living together with their parents, presumably unmarried.
5) The bible record does not mention his marriage to Sarah Colver.
6) In his genealogy, Albert Stokes, thought that Jacob/Jacobus probably never married,[10] though he did not identify whom he thought married Sarah Colver.
The real parents of Jacobus, husband of Sarah Colver, were almost certainly Jan2 Van Voorhees (Steven1) and Femmetje Van Nuys. The family of that Jacobus3 had already been identified, but not without significant questions,[11] and his family will be discussed in a future post. In 1731 this Jacobus appears to be living with his parents, two of his brothers (Albert and Abraham), Abraham’s wife, Styntje, and another woman, possibly Jacobus’ wife[12]. Albert’s first child was baptized on 2 Jan 1734,[13] and his wife, Adrianna Voorhees, appears to be living with her parents in the same census. His other brothers were already married with children by the census date. A Jacobus Van Voorhees of Kings County purchased land purchase land in Bergen County Bergen County Bergen County at the time lived at Hackensack in 1732, [17] so he was not of Kings, Co., NY in 1735. Though it is not certain that Jacobus, husband of Sarah, was the same Jacobus who bought the land, he is the only known Jacobus or Jacob who was probably living in Kings County
Jacobus Van Voorhees is said to be the husband of Sarah Colver, based on the baptisms of four of his children at the Reformed Dutch Church of Hackensack , NJ:[18]
1) Jan, May 24 [1741], born April 17 [1741]; Jacobus Van Voorhees, Sara Colver; witnesses: the parents.
2) Sara, Feb. 19 [1743]; Jacobus Van Voorheese, Sara Colver; witnesses: the parents.
3) Femmitje, July 27 [1746], born July 4 [1746]; Jacobus Van Voorhese, Sara Kolver; witnesses: the parents.
4) Jacobus, Jan 15 [1749]; Jacobus Van Voorheese, Jannetje Van Kolven; witnesses: the parents.
I am assuming the mother’s name in this record has been misrecorded and should be Sarah.
They had another child, Abraham, baptized at the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, NJ.[19]
8 Jun 1755; Abraham; Jacobus Van Voorhees, Sara.
The 1749 and 1755 records appear to have become confused, causing some researchers to conclude that Jacobus Van Voorhees of Middlesex Co., NJ married second Jannetje Van Kolven. However, the baptismal record in New Brunswick clearly lists the wife’s name a Sara, not Jannetje, and as will be seen below, her sister, Jannetje Van Colven/Colver, did not marry by 1749.
Two of their children, Sarah and Jacobus, are said to have said to have died at Bound Brook, Somerset Co., NJ.[20] It is not known when they moved, but the family does not appear in the Hackensack , NJ church records after 1749, so they could have lived in Somerset County New Brunswick is about 8 miles from Bound Brook.
If these were Jacobus’ parents, the naming of his children fit the normal Dutch naming pattern:
1) first son, Jan, named for his paternal and maternal grandfathers;
2) first daughter, Sarah, named for her maternal grandmother;
3) second daughter, Femmetje, named for her paternal grandmother;
4) second son, Jacobus, named for his father;
5) third son, Abraham, named for his paternal uncle.
The probate of Jacobus Van Voorhees of Somerset Co., NJ mentions John Van Voorhees and James Van Voorhees as the administrators of his estate[21]. Abraham Voorhees was the fellowbondsman. All the known sons of Jacobus are mentioned in his probate file, in the order of their birth.
Sarah was probably the daughter of Johannes Colver and Sarah Way . Johannes’ parents were Jacob Colver and Jannetje Springsteen[22] who were married on 1 Jun 1684[23]. They had five children, including Johannes, baptized between 1684 and 1693 at Kingston [24] and New York City [25]. Jacob died before 18 Dec 1695 when his widow married Paul Vanderbeek[26]. Given the number of baptisms in the family in that period of time and the lack of any other evidence, it appears that Johannes was Jacob’s only son. Johannes married 1st Sarah, daughter of James Way of Newtown , before 27 Jul 1714 when Johannes Culver is mentioned as his son-in-law in his will[27]. He was living in Newtown in 1740 when he is mentioned in the will of Caspar Springsteen[28] as his uncle. Sarah is mentioned in her father’s will dated 26 May 1760.[29] Her sister, Jannetje, is noted as not yet being “settled”, which presumably means she was not yet married, so Jacobus did not marry Sarah’s sister, Jannetje, by 1749.
Genealogical Summary
1. JACOBUS3 VAN VOORHEES (JAN STEVENSE2, STEVEN COERTSE1) was born before 29 Mar 1696 in near Brooklyn , NY SARAH WAY
Children of JACOBUS VAN VOORHEES and SARAH COLVER are:
i. JAN4 VOORHEES, b. before 24 May 1741, near Hackensack , NJ
ii. SARAH VOORHEES, b. before 19 Feb 1743/44, near Hackensack , NJ ; d. 05 Apr 1822, Bound Brook , NJ
iii. FEMMETJE VOORHEES, b. before 27 Jun 1746, near Hackensack , NJ
iv. JACOBUS VOORHEES, b. before 15 Jan 1748/49, near Hackensack , NJ ; d. 31 Oct 1810, Bridgewater , NJ
v. ABRAHAM VOORHEES, b. before 08 Jun 1755, near New Brunswick , NJ
Jacob Van Voorhees, husband of Maria
Who then is Jacob Van Voorhees, husband of Maria, who was
thought to be the son of Jan Stevens Van Voorhees and Femmetje Van Nuys? The name of his oldest son, Auke, suggests
that his parents were Auke Jans Van Voorhees and Barentje Prall. The 1731 Census of Kings County list the household
of Auke Voorhees with 4 males 10 and over and 2 females 10 and over. The males are probably Auke and his sons,
John Aaron and Abraham. The women are
likely Barentje, Auke’s wife, and an unknown daughter or wife of one of his
sons. Though one the sons could have
left home already, there is no clear indication that any had. If they had, Jacobus could be an undocumented
son, named after his paternal uncle, and the unknown female could be his wife,
Maria.
Jacobus’ oldest son was probably Auke, presumably named
after his paternal grandfather. Auke was
probably born much earlier that previously thought. In the 1753 listing of freeholders in the
Western Precinct (which included Montgomery
township), Somerset County ,
NJ
134 Aert Sutphen, possible future brother-in-law of Jacob,
son of Jacobus Voorhees
135 Guisbert Sutphen, possible future father-in-law of
Jacob, son of Jacobus Voorhees
136 Hendrick Lake, eldest son of Nicholas Lake
137 Peter Nevius
138 John Blaw, grandfather of Auke’s future wife, Maria Blue;
139 Ouke Van Voorhess, presumably son of Jacobus
140 Jacobus Van Voorhees, Auke’s father.
While #139 could be Auke, son Auke and Femmetje, neither of
his brothers, Aaron or Abraham, appear in the freeholders list, though both had
children baptized at Harligen by that time.
Auke could have been as young as 18 in 1753, so born as late as 1735. If Jacobus was married and living with his
father, then he could have had a son named Auke as early as 1732.
Jacobus and Maria had a son named James, according to a land
deed between their sons,[31],[32]
who is not listed in the Van Voorhees Family in America .[33] He was probably Jacobus, husband of Neeltje, probably
their second son, named after his father, but possibly after his unknown
maternal grandfather. He was probably
born about 1734, given the birth of his oldest son in 1755 (see below). Though Neeltje’s parents are unknown, they
are likely Guisbert Sutphen and Geertje Van Pelt. Their daughter, Neeltje, was baptized on 24
May 1730.[34] As mentioned, they were neighbors of Jacobus
and Maria Van Voorhees. If correct, the
naming of their children[35]
follows the normal Dutch naming pattern of naming their oldest children after
their grandparents and the others after themselves, uncles and aunts:
1) Jacobus,
named after his paternal grandfather.
2) Geertje,
named after her maternal grandmother
3) Gilbert,
named after his maternal grandfather
4) Mary,
named after her paternal grandmother
5) Elizabeth , named after her
maternal aunt
6) Martha,
named after her paternal aunt
7) Neeltje,
named after her mother
8) Abraham,
named after his paternal uncle
9) John,
named after his paternal uncle
In this listing, John is the last child, whereas the Van
Voorhees Family Association estimates his birth year as 1755. Though Jacobus’ pension record[36]
says he was born in 1754, the bible record included in his pension application
gives his birthdate as 3 Jul 1755, not 1754.
He was baptized on 17 Aug 1755, making it almost certain he was born in 1755,
not 1754. Though most of the heirs
listed in the land record regarding the estate of Auke Van Voorhees are listed in
order by sex and age, Elizabeth
was not. No other data is available to
help determine John’s birthdate, but given the fact that the baptismal dates of
their first 5 children are within 19 months of their previous child, it is
unlikely that John was born before 1762.
Auke/Jacobus Voorhees is listed as the son of Auke Voorhees
and Catherine Sebring in the Van Voorhees Family in America .[37] However, as discussed elsewhere, Auke
Voorhees did not marry Catherine Sebring, but rather, probably Barentje
Prall. No documentation associates
Auke/Jacobus with this family, though his name strongly suggests he is a
descendant. Here he is assumed to be a grandson, not a son.
The alternating use of the name Ouke and Jacobus is more
difficult to explain in this family since he had a brother named Auke. However, it seems clear that he used both
names. All of his children[38]
who are known to have children had sons named James, while none had sons named
Ouke/Auke. Perhaps Ouke was his middle
name, though use of middle names was unusual at the time.
Jacobus’ placement in this family is not certain, but is
reasonable given the facts available.
[1] Van
Voorhees Family in America (VVFA), First Six Generations, by Florence
Christoph, p. 35.
[2] Van
Voorhees Family in America ,
First Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 107.
[3] Van
Voorhees Family in America ,
First Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 35.
[4] Collections
of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Vol 4, Staten Island
Church Records, Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Port Richmond, p. 31.
[5] Genealogy
of the Van Voorhees Family in America ,
by Elias W. Van Voorhees, p. 530.
[6] The family
was not living in Flatlands at the time of the 1731 census as supposed in the
VVFA, p. 107. That family was Jan Lucas Van Voorhees, as stated in
VVFA, p. 23.
[8] Jan and
Neeltje Van Voorhees were admitted as members to the First Reformed Church of
New Brunswick, NJ on 27 Oct 1749, Historical Discourse Delivered at the
Celebration of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the First Reformed
Dutch Church of New Brunswick, NJ, by Richard Steele, p. 210. They
had lived there previously, being members in 1717 (see p. 209).
[9] Collections
of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Vol 4, Staten Island
Church Records, Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Port Richmond, p. 31.
[10] The Van
Voorhees Family, by Albert Stokes, p. 78.
[11] VVFA, First Six
Generations, p. 7 and 38.
[12] 1731
Kings County Census; Jan Stevensen, 4 males 10 and over, 3 females 10 and over,
see The Documentary History of the State of New York arranged under direction
of the Hon. Christopher Morgan, Secretary of State, by E.B. O'Callagahan,
Volume IV, pp. 122-131. Albany
[13] Records of
the New Utrecht Dutch Church
[14] Bergen
County New Jersey Deed Records, 1689-1801, Heritage Books, Bowie, MD, 1995, p. 36.
[15] Bergen
County New Jersey Deed Records, 1689-1801, Heritage Books, Bowie, MD, 1995, p. 42.
[16] Bergen
County Deeds (Book W), Bergen County NJ
[17] Ancestry.com: New Jersey ,
Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1643-1890
[18] Records of
the Reformed Dutch Church of Hackensack and Schraalenburgh , New Jersey , Part 1, by
the Holland Society, p. 184, 190, 196
[19] Proceedings
of the New Jersey Historical Society, vol. 11, New Brunswick First
Reformed Church Baptisms, p. 554
[20] VVFA, First Six
Generations, p. 107 and 298.
[21] VVFA, First Six
Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 107, also Documents Relating to the
Colonial History of the state of New Jersey, vol. 34, Calendar of New Jersey
Wills, vol. 5, p. 553.
[22] Collections
of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Vol II, Baptisms from
1639 to 1730 in the Reformed Dutch Church, New York, p. 190.
[23] Records of
the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Flatbush, Kings County New
York
[24] Baptismal
and Marriage Registers of the Old Dutch Church of Kingston, Ulster County, New
York, by Roswell Randolph Hoes, p. 23. The father is listed as
Jacobus Stol and the mother as Jannetje Casperz, so this identification is
speculative. However, one of the witnesses is Johannes Casperz, the
maternal grandfather, Mary married Joost Springsteen, see footnote
14.
[25] Collections
of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Vol II, Baptisms from
1639 to 1730 in the Reformed Dutch Church, New York,, p. 174, 205, 218
[26] http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/nn/church/rdcmarr1695.shtml
[27] Abstracts of wills on file in the Surrogate's Office,
City of New
York
[28] Abstracts
of wills on file in the surrogate's Office, City of New York (Volume
III. 1730-1744) , Abstracts of Wills Liber 13, p. 303.
[29] Abstracts
of Wills on File in the Surrogate’s Office, City of New York (Vol V,) Abstracts
of wills, Liber 22, p. 412 and Abstracts of Wills on File in the Surrogate’s
Office, City of New York (Vol XVI, Corrections Abstracts of wills, Vol 5, p. 232. See also: FamilySearch.org, New York Probate Records, Wills
1756-1761, vol. 22, image 127-129. 3
[30] Eighteenth Century Freeholders in New Jersey, Somerset County, 1753, Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey (GMNJ) vol. 18, p. 13.
[31] VVFA, First Six Generations, p. 38. Their son, John,
about whom nothing further is known after his baptism, was presumably deceased
without heirs.
[32] See
also: Genealogical & Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, by J. L.
Floyd, 1911, pg 92. This biography of
Gilbert is full of errors in his ancestry, but does mention three brothers,
Okey, James and Abraham, as appear in the land deed.
[34] Records of the Dutch Congregations of Freehold and Middletown, GMNJ vol.
23, p. 43.
[38][38]
Though speculative, his son Abraham appears to have married Charlotte Worth and
had a son named James, see VVFA, 7th & 8th
Generations, vol. 2,pg 1243. His
daughter, Neeltje appears to have married William Green, with only one known
child, Charity. His daughter, Geertje,
appears to have remained unmarried.
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