Cornelius Van Voorhees, husband of Annetje Rapalje

Cornelius Van Voorhees (#25), husband of Annetje Rapalje

VVFA, 1^st 6 Generations, p. 4 and p. 19

Though Cornelius left a will[1], it has not been found, so the total number of his children is unknown.  Baptismal records strongly suggest they had a daughter named Mary, born about 1703.  The 1738 Census of Flatlands, Kings County[2], taken in 1731[3], indicates there were probably two other daughters.  A probable 2^nd marriage for Cornelius to Elizabeth (?) Johnson is identified.  The probable family of their grandson, John, and another possible grandson, Cornelius, are discussed.

Mary Voorhees married Cornelius Monfoort before their first child, Peter, was baptized on 30 Nov 1722[4].  Her maiden name is not given in the record, but is known from two other baptismal records.  The first, the baptism on 04 Sep 1725 of their second son, Cornelius[5], Mary’s presumed parents served as the witnesses.  Secondly, Mary’s maiden name is given in the baptism of her grandson, Cornelius Montfort, where both she and her husband served as witnesses on 15 Oct 1758[6].  Mary was named after her paternal grandmother, Maritje Gerritse Van Couwenhoven[7].

Before looking at the 1731 census, a few of other observations are helpful.

1)      The 1698 Census of Kings County[8] indicates that there were three children living in the household of Coert Stevens Van Voorhees.  These were probably his three youngest children, Cornelius, Annetje and Johannes (bap. 1678, 1680 and 1683, respectively).[9]  Since Cornelius was not yet married, his sons, Coert and Abraham, would have been born later than previously thought (1697 and 1698 respectively).

2)      Abraham probably did not marry until the late 1730s.  Assuming he was 25 at the baptism of his oldest known child[10], he was likely born about 1714.

3)      Cornelius probably did not marry until the early 1740s.  As will be discussed later, I believe his first child was born about 1743.  Assuming he was 25 then, he was likely born about 1718.

4)      Given the re-ordering of and addition to the family, we can see that their two oldest sons and their two oldest daughters were named after their grandparents, typical of the Dutch naming patterns.

The 1731 census lists three males over 10, two females over the age of 10, and one girl under 10.  Most of these can be easily identified, but not all.  From baptismal records, Cornelius and Annetje are known to have been alive until at least 1739[11].  Their son, Abraham, does not appear to have married until the late 1730s and their son, Cornelius, does not appear to have married until the early 1740s, so they are probably the other two males.  Their daughter, Sarah, was married and living with her husband, John Blom, at the time[12], so she is not listed with the family.  The other woman over 10 and the girl under 10 have not been previously accounted for.

The woman over 10 is probably Aeltje, wife of Isaac Remsen.  They were married before their first child, Isaac, was born on 24 Apr 1734[13].  The witnesses for the baptism on 18 Feb 1738/39 of their second child, Annetje[14], were her presumed maternal grandparents, Cornelius Voorhees and Annetje Rapalje. In addition to the one mentioned earlier, other baptismal records show that Cornelius and Annetje were witnesses for their grandsons named Cornelius on 17 Oct 1731[15], 12 Aug 1733[16] and 18 Nov 1739[17].  In fact, this record aside, Cornelius and Annetje served as witnesses only for their own grandchildren, suggesting Annetje was their granddaughter, and that she was named after her maternal grandmother.  Aeltje herself would have been named after her maternal[18] and paternal aunts.

The girl under 10 may be Antje Voorheest, young dame born and residing in New Amersfoort (Flatlands), who married Jan Reyerson (Jan Reyers in the marriage record), young man born and residing in Breukelen, on 3 Oct 1743[19].  This record has sometimes been attributed to Johannes Ryder and Annetje Voorhees, daughter of Jan Van Voorhees and Mayke Schenck.[20]  However, Johannes Ryder was born in Gravesend[21], not Brooklyn, and was undoubtedly living there with his father in 1731[22].  Also, Ryder family Bible records show they were married on 2 Feb 1744.[23]  John and Annetje Reyerson had three children[24]: Jacob, born 15 Oct 1744; Antje, born 17 Nov 1746 and Christina, born 31 Jan 1762.  Her birth in Flatlands, the timing of her birth and the naming of her oldest daughter, Antje, and she herself being named after her mother, all suggest her placement here.

This Cornelius is probably the Cornelius Voorhees who married the widow, Elizabeth Johnson/Janson[25], on 21 Jan 1748[26] .  The marriage record indicates he was a widower of Amersfoort, i.e. Flatlands, and she was a widow of Queens.  He was listed in the 1731 census[27] as being of Flatlands and was alive at least until 1739.  The fact that Abraham had not yet fulfilled the obligations of his father’s will[28] in 1752 implies that his father had died at least somewhat recently.  Though there are a couple of other Cornelius Voorheeses who could have married Elizabeth Johnson, neither fit the location or probable age of Cornelius at all.

Cornelius (#129), son of Cornelius Voorhees and Annetje Rapalje

Cornelius, Jr. was of Windsor, Middlesex, NJ when he wrote his will[29].  He probably had one other son, Cornelius, and son, John, who though listed as his son has been previously misidentified.

The oldest son of Cornelius (hereafter Cornelius, Jr.) was probably Cornelius, husband of Hilletje Schenck[30], born about 1743[31], previously listed as of unknown parentage.  Cornelius Jr. died before 16 Oct 1782 when his widow, Hilletje Voorhees, filed a claim for losses sustained in December 1776[32].  Lucas Scheck swore to the inventory.  Lucas Scheck was Hilletje’s father.  Like Cornelius’ son Daniel, Cornelius Jr. predeceased his father, and like Daniel was not mentioned in his will.  However, there is not direct evidence of Cornelius’ parents.  His placement here is suggested by the likelihood that his parents would have had a son named Cornelius after his paternal grandfather, especially since he had sons named Coert and Daniel after their paternal uncles.  Also, Cornelius probably lived near his presumed father who lived in Windsor township in 1753[33] and when he wrote his will in 1784.  One of the administrators of Cornelius’ estate was William Updike who lived in Windsor[34].  The other was David Stonaker who lived in South Brunswick in 1793[35], but probably in that part which later became part of Cranbury Township as he had at least two children baptized at the Presbyterian Church of Cranbury[36].  Lucas Schenck, father of Hilletje, donated money to the Presbyterian Church of Cranbury in 1758[37].

Cornelius, Jr.’s daughter, Lammetje, almost certainly married David Stonaker.  They were the parents of John Stonaker, husband of Elizabeth Voorhees[38] (#3304) and Cornelius Voorhees Stonaker, husband of Ann Voorhees[39].  Besides Cornelius, they had two other children baptized at the Presbyterian Church of Cranbury, Elsje Schenk Stonaker[40] and David Stonaker[41].  Lammetje’s maiden name is not given in the baptismal records.  Though the practice of naming children after non-family members was common at the time, the combination of a child named Cornelius Voorhees, probably after his paternal grandfather, and a child named Elsje Schenck, probably after her great maternal grandmother, is certainly not coincidental.  Given the fact that David Stonaker was the fellowbondsman for the estate of Hilletje Smith, his probable mother-in-law, there can be little doubt concerning his wife’s parents.

As noted in his biography[42], Cornelius had a son named John, who was estimated to have been born in 1747.  However, the wording of Cornelius’ will indicates that John was to maintain Cornelius’ wife, Sarah, and was to receive everything Cornelius bequeathed to her at her death[43], implying she was John’s mother.  He was probably born after Cornelius’ daughter, Sarah, who was baptized in 1755[44], so about 1757.  Both Cornelius and John lived near Cranbury, NJ.  Given their location and the names of his parents, John (son of Cornelius), husband of Mary[45], was almost certainly the same person as John, son of Cornelius Voorhees and his second wife, Sarah. 

---

[1] Van Voorhees Family in America (VVFA), 1^st Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 63

[2] Documentary History of New York, E. B. O'Callaghan, (c)1849, Vol. IV, p. 188-200.

[3] Harry Macy, 1738 Census‘ of Kings County Was Actually Taken in 1731, NYGBR 123 (1992):85–86

[4] Records of the First Reformed Dutch Church of Jamaica, Long Island,  Transcribed by Kenn Stryker-Rodda, Baptisms, NYGBR Vol 106, p. 92.

[5] Records of the First Reformed Dutch Church of Jamaica, Long Island, Transcribed by Kenn Stryker-Rodda, Baptisms, NYGBR Vol 106, p. 143.

[6] Records of the First Reformed Dutch Church of Newtown, Long Island, New York, Transcribed by Peter Devine, online at www.olivetreegenealogy.com/nn/church/Newtown3.shtml.

[7] VVFA, 1^st Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 4.

[8] Documentary History of New York, E. B. O'Callaghan, (c)1849, Vol. III, p. 133-138.

[9] VVFA, 1^st Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 4.

[10] VVFA, 1^st Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 62

[11] Records of the Reformed Church of New Utrecht, NYGBR vol. 113, p. 77

[12] Documentary History of New York, E. B. O'Callaghan, (c)1849, Vol. IV, p. 188-200.

[13] Source unknown.

[14] Records of the Reformed Church of New Utrecht, NYGBR vol. 113, p. 76

[15] Records of the Reformed Church of New Utrecht, NYGBR vol.112, p. 211

[16] Records of the Reformed Church of New Utrecht, NYGBR vol.113, p. 11

[17] Records of the Reformed Church of New Utrecht, NYGBR vol.113, p. 77

[18] VVFA, 1^st Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 4.

[19] Frost Collection, p. 63.

[20] VVFA, 1^st Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 77.

[21] DRC of Gravesend, 24 Nov 1717, http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/nn/church/gravesend1.shtml

[22] Documentary History of New York, E. B. O'Callaghan, (c)1849, Vol. IV, p. 188-200.

[23] Genealogies of New Jersey Families, p. 599-602, from The Ryder Family Records, on deposit at the Rutgers University Library  manuscript collection.

[24] The Dorland Enigma Solved, by Barbara Barth, p. 78.

[25] VVFA, 1^st Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 805.

[26] Frost Collection, p. 3.

[27] Documentary History of New York, E. B. O'Callaghan, (c)1849, Vol. IV, p. 188-200.

[28] VVFA, 1^st Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 62.

[29] Documents Related to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey, 1^st Series, Vol 35, Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol 6, p. 422. 

[30] VVFA, 1^st Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 764.

[31] Assuming he was 25 when his first known child, Lammetje, was born about 1768.

[32] New Jersey State Archives, Damages by the British, Middlesex County, p. 198.

[33] Freeholders of Middlesex County, Windsor, Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, (PNJHS) Vol 1, 1896, 3^rd Series, p. 108.

[34] Freeholders of Middlesex County, Windsor, PNJHS, Vol 1, 1896, 3^rd Series, p. 108.

[35] New Jersey in 1793, by James S. Norton, p. 227.  He was aged 28 at the time.

[36] Footnotes 33 & 34.

[37] Online records of the Presbyterian Church of Cranbury, NJ, Parsonage Subscription Lists 1758-1759: http://cranburypres.org/fpcrecords.html

[38] VVFA, 7^th & 8^th Generations, p. 32.

[39] VVFA, 7^th & 8^th Generations, p. 33.

[40] Historical Records of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury, NJ, Register 1, p. 100, online at: http://records.cranburypres.org/FPC/R3/D2/RegisterVol1.pdf

[41] Historical Records of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury, NJ, Register 1, p. 105, online at: http://records.cranburypres.org/FPC/R3/D2/RegisterVol1.pdf

[42] Van Voorhees Family in America, the First Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 63.

[43] VVFA, 1^st Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 63.

[44] Historical Records of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury, NJ, Register 1, p. 95, online at: http://records.cranburypres.org/FPC/R3/D2/RegisterVol1.pdf

[45] VVFA, 1^st Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 755.