The Staats Families
of the Princeton , NJ Area
Until the formation of Mercer
County in 1838, Princeton was partly
in Montgomery Township (earlier known as the Western Precinct), Somerset Co.,
NJ and partly in West
Windsor Township Hillsborough Township
1) Reynier
Staats, born before 1755, husband of a woman named Sarah.
2) Reynier
Staats, supposed son-in-law of Joseph Coshun
3) Joseph
Staats, born about 1790, who lived near Princeton and possibly West Windsor
4) Reynier
Staats, born in 1805, probably son of Maria, probably daughter of Dowe Ditmars
and Susannah Nevius.
A Reynier and Sarah Staats had two children baptized at the
Dutch Reformed Church of Neshanic[2]:
1) Annatie, baptized 22 Nov 1778
2) Hendrick, baptized 31 May 1784
Supposedly they had at least one other child, Reynier. Sarah’s maiden name is sometimes given as
Choshun, but I have no source for that.
This Reynier does not fit into any of the published genealogies of the
Staats family that I am aware of.
This Reynier may be the same person as Reynier Staats who
was named as one of the executors of the estate of Joseph Coshun of
Hillsborough Twsp, Somerset Co., NJ on 25 Jun 1810.[3] In the abstract his executors are named as
“two sons, Peter and Joshua, and sons-in-law, Abram Whitenack, Daniel Jessep
and Rynear Staats. However, his will
lists only three daughters, Charity Coshun, apparently unmarried, and “two
other daughters, Anne and Catherine”.
Anne married Abram Witenack, but I have not been able to identify the
wives of Daniel Jessep or Rynear Staats.
It is possible that the abstract is incorrect in implying that all three
men were sons-in-law rather than just the first two, but it is also possible
that one of Joseph’s daughters had already received their inheritance and so
was not included in the will. Sarah,
supposedly Coshun, may have been a daughter of Joseph Coshun who died
young. If this Reynier did marry a
daughter of Joseph Coshun, he does not fit into any of the published
genealogies of the Staats family that I am aware of. He is not the son of John Staats and Femmetje
Brokaw who names his wife as Seytje in his will dated 21 Aug 1820.[4] He could be the father of Joseph Staats.
The name Reynier is common among the descendants of John
Staats and Femmetje Brokaw. It is a
Dutch name, typically passed down as a family name from a child’s grandfather
or uncle.
The name probably comes from John Staats’ maternal uncle,
Reynier Veghte., as it does not appear in other branches of the Staats family. This Reynier is probably an undocumented
brother of John Staats, being born after the 1731 census of Brooklyn ,
though possibly a nephew.
Joseph Staats appears in the 1850 Census of Princeton,
Mercer Co. , NJ.[5] He was aged 60, born in NJ. Others in the household were Kata, age 30,
born in NJ; Frances, aged 14, born in NJ; Ann L., aged 12, born in NJ, John
Conover, aged 15, born in NJ; and Patrick Kany (or Harry), aged 35, born in
Ireland. Francis married Eli R. Stoniker
on 19 Oct 1854 in Princeton ,
NJ Princeton on 2 Jan 1874.[7] He may be the Joseph Statts who appears in an
1849 map of Mercer Co., NJ on the road from Princeton to Trenton .[8] He may be the Joseph Stotts who appears in
the 1840 census of West Windsor, Middlesex Co., NJ,[9]
which borders Princeton . The household included one male 15-20, 2
males 20-30, 1 male 50-60, 1 female under 5, 1 female 5-10, 1 female 15-20, 2
females 20-30. Joseph may be the Joseph
Staats who married, presumably 2nd, Mary (Molly) Vanderveer by
license dated 9 Mar 1834.[10] Just speculation, but Joseph could be the
father of Hannah Stotts, wife of James Stockton. She was born about 1822 and lived in the area
of Princeton , NJ
The family of Reynier J. Staats, born in 1805, is listed in
the 1850 census of Montgomery Township , Somerset
County , NJ Somerset
Col
[1]
Genealogies of New Jersey Families, The Family of John Staats of Hillsborough Township
[2] Early
Church Records of Somerset Co., NJ, Vol 1, Neshanic Reformed Church Baptisms,
Colonial Roots, p. 14.
[3]
Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post Revolutionary
History of the State of New Jersey ,
Vol 41, Calendar of NJ Wills, vol. 12, p. 86.
[4] "New Jersey Probate Records, 1678-1980,"
images, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G93Q-37SL?cc=2018330&wc=MQTC-TTG%3A338012501%2C341304501
: 21 May 2014), Somerset > Wills 1820-1843
vol C-E > image 137 of 702; county courthouses, New Jersey
[5] Year: 1850;
Census Place :
Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey United States Provo ,
UT , USA
[6] "New Jersey Marriages, 1678-1985," database, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FZPY-W3F : 12 December 2014), Eli R.
Stoniker and Francis V. Staats, 19 Oct 1854; citing 584,570
[7] "New Jersey, Deaths, 1670-1988," database, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FZDG-3Q2 : 8 April 2016), Eli R.
Stonaker, 02 Jan 1874; citing Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States,
Division of Archives and Record Management, New Jersey Department of State,
Trenton.; FHL microfilm 584,597.
[8]
http://westjerseyhistory.org/maps/countymaps/mercerco1849.shtml
[9] Year: 1840;
Census Place :
West Windsor, Mercer, New Jersey United States Provo ,
UT , USA
[10] "New
Jersey , County Marriages , 1682-1956," database with images, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939Z-1ZK7-V?cc=1803976&wc=9X51-K6D%3A146361901
: 14 May 2014), 004541239 > image 171 of 366; New Jersey State Archives, Trenton
[11] Year: 1850; Census Place New Jersey
Ancestry.com.
1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo , UT ,
USA
[12] Year: 1850; Census Place Montgomery ,
Somerset , New
Jersey
Ancestry.com.
1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo , UT ,
USA
[13] "New Jersey Probate
Records, 1678-1980," images, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L93Q-3DGX?cc=2018330&wc=MQTZ-M36%3A338012501%2C341348701
: 21 May 2014), Somerset > Administration and
guardian records 1804-1875 vol A-C > image 632 of 791; county courthouses, New Jersey
