Isaac Van Voorhees, Husband of Sarah Wyckoff

Isaac Van Voorhees, s/o Lucas Stephense Van Voorhees and Jannetje Minnes

Isaac Van Voorhees, s/o Jan Lucas Stephense Van Voorhees and Mayke Schenck

To my knowledge, no one has suggested that Lucas Stephense² Van Voorhees (Steven¹) had a son named Isaac.[1]  The only clearly identifiable evidence of this previously unknown Isaac is in the 1731 census of Flatlands, Kings Co., NY where he is listed as ijzaack  Van Voorhees.[2]  In the household were 2 males over 10, 1 male under 10, one female over 10 and 2 females under 10.  This family does not match any previously identified family.[3]  He is too old to be any other known Isaac Van Voorhees, except possibly Isaac³ Van Voorhees (Albert². Steven¹) , but he was definitely living in New Jersey at the time since he was married in the Reformed Dutch Church of Hackensack in October 1731[4], joined the church there in December 1731,[5] and had no children as of then. 

It is likely that Isaac’s wife was Sarah Wyckoff.  She was previously thought to have married Isaac⁴ (Jan³, Lucas², Stephen¹) Voorhees.  However, it is highly improbable that Isaac would have married at 15 to a woman who was 10 years older that he was.   The witnesses for the baptism of their son, Peter, were Jan Voorhees and Maryke, his wife.[6]  Jan Voorhees is the brother, not the father as previously thought, of Isaac Voorhees.  The Isaac Van Voorhees who was a witness to the deed of Peter Wyckoff, father of Sarah, to his son-in-law, William Couwenhoven, on 26 Oct 1733,[7] and another deed to his sons, Jacob and Cornelius, on 20 Oct 1735[8] was probably Sarah’s husband.

The will[9] of Sarah’s father, Peter Wyckoff, makes a bequest to her children, provided that “the heirs of Isaac Voorhees” execute a deed “according to their father’s bargain.”  This implies that:

1)      Isaac was deceased by 1753, and

2)      either Isaac or Sarah had children by another spouse.

Sarah married 2^nd John Van Arsdalen,[10] so Isaac did not marry 2^nd Helen Barkelow.[11]  Sarah’s 2^nd marriage is not noted in the Van Voorhees Family in America published volumes.

Isaac³ was probably born sometime between 1700 and 1704, before or after his brother Abraham.  There is a second male in his household in 1731 over 10.  He is probably not Sarah’s son, since she would have only been 15 at most when he was born.  Though Isaac may have had a 1^st wife, that is unlikely since he was not born before 1700, so it seems more likely the other older male was not their son.

The children and grandchildren of David, son of Isaac Voorhees and Helen Barkeloo, are mentioned in the will of their cousin, Robert Voorhees.  Given that Isaac, husband of Sarah Wyckoff, did not marry Helen Barkeloo, it is almost certain that Isaac and Sarah had a previously unidentified son named Isaac who did marry Helen Barkeloo.  Helen was baptized on 22 Dec 1723.[12]  Isaac Voorhees and Helena Barcalow were married with license dated 27 May 1754.[13]  The children in Helen’s father’s will[14] appear to be listed by sex, by birth date, so it is unlikely she died young and her parents had a second daughter named Helen later, even though that means she married late.  This suggests that her husband, Isaac, was born in the same time frame, about 1723.  Though their oldest son and 2^nd daughter were named after their maternal grandparents, their 2^nd son and oldest daughter, David and Elizabeth, cannot be traced to any Voorhees couple.  That suggest Isaac may have been married previously.  He may married 1^st a woman named Annetje and had a son, named Isaac baptized at the First Reformed Church of New Brunswick, NJ on 04 Aug 1745.[15]  He was previously thought to be the Isaac⁴ (Jan³, Lucas², Stephen¹) Voorhees, son of Auke Jans Van Voorhees and Catherine Sebring,[16] however, Catherine Sebring married Auke Jans Van Nuys,[17] not Auke Jans Van Voorhees, so he was not Auke’s son.  If correct, his eldest son was named after his paternal grandfather.

It is not known who the early children of Isaac and Sarah were.  One possibility is Jannetje, married Johannes Meyer on 14 Mar 1746/47 at the Reformed Dutch Church of Hackensack, NJ.[18]  Their marriage is not noted in the Van Voorhees Family in America published volumes.  According to their marriage record, Johannes Myer was born and living at Tappan, NY, while Jannetje was born and living in Wyckoff, NJ.  This was an area in Bergen Co. originally settled by John and William Van Voorhees.[19]  William had a daughter named Jannetje, but she died at age 3.[20]  There is not room in the family for there to be another Jannetje born within a reasonable time for her to have married Johannes Meyer.  It is possible the location was incorrectly recorded.  No further trace.  She would have been named after her paternal grandmother.

The naming of his known and possible children, Peter, John and Jannetje, after their grandparents also suggests Isaac’s placement as a son of Jan Lucas Van Voorhees and Jannetje Minnes. Isaac, son of Jan Lucas Van Voorhees, was probably named after his previously unknown paternal uncle.

A late child of theirs could be Willemptje, maiden name unknown, born about 1738, married John Voorhees, son of Lucas Voorhees and Ida Van Arsdalen.[21]  Willemptje’s placement as a Voorhees is speculative based solely on the naming of her children, Sarah and Isaac, and her own name as possibly being named after her maternal grandmother.

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[1] Van Voorhees Family in America, First Six Generations, by Florence Christoph, p. 4.

[2] Documentary History of New York, E. B. O'Callaghan, (c)1849, Vol. IV, p. 188-200, p. 192  Van Voorhees, ijzaack  2 1 1 2 0 0 0 0  Flatlands 

[3] Barbara Barth suggested that Isaac Voorhees may have been the son of Jan Stephense Van Voorhees, but Isaac is not mentioned in Jan’s will (see VVFA, 1^st 6 Generations, p. 6).  She did not mention the possibility of earlier children as shown in the census.  See Barbara A. Barth, The Dorland Enigma Solved, Sandisfield, MA: Diane Barth Swartz, 2007, p. 167.

[4] Records of the Reformed Dutch Churches of Hackensack and Schraalenburgh, Collections of the Holland Society of New York, Vol. 1, Part 1, 1891, p. 50.

[5] Records of the Reformed Dutch Churches of Hackensack and Schraalenburgh, Collections of the Holland Society of New York, Vol. 1, Part 1, 1891, p. 13.

[6] “Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of New Utrecht,” NYGBR 113:11.

[7] East New Jersey Land Records, 1737-1747 (Books E-2 and F-2), abstracted by Richard Hutchinson, p. 89.

[8] East New Jersey Land Records, 1737-1747 (Books E-2 and F-2), abstracted by Richard Hutchinson, p. 145.

[9] Abstracts of wills on file in the Surrogate's Office, City of New York (Volume V. 1754-1760), ABSTRACTS OF WILLS LIBER 21, page 296

Page 253. In the name of God, Amen, May 25, 1753. I, PETER WYCKOFF, of Flatlands, in Kings County, yeoman, being sick. My executors are to prepare for my wife Elizabeth a sufficient dwelling house, with a good fire place in it, for her own use, for to keep her bedding and household goods in. I also leave her my negro boy "Anthony" during her life, and after her death whatever remains is for my sons. It is my will that my wife s place of abode shall be among my children or grand children, and no where else. I leave to my eldest son Nicholas my largest copper kettle, for his birth right. I leave to my daughter Sarah's children British Pound 300, with the provision that the heirs of Isaac Voorhees shall well and truly execute a deed of conveyance to Abraham Duryee according to their father's bargain. I leave to my daughter Antye's children British Pound 300, with the condition that their father, Nicholas Johnson, shall come to a settlement and division in the Plantation where he now lives with my heirs. I leave to my daughter Jannettie's daughter Willemptie British Pound 300. All the rest of my estate I leave to my, 6 sons, Nicholas, Peter, John, Jacobus, Cornelius, and Marten. I make my sons John and Nicholas executors. Witnesses, Stephen Schenck, Folkert Strong, Nicholas Schenck. Proved, March 23, 1759.

Abstracts of wills on file in the Surrogate's Office, City of New York (Volume XVI. Corrections to Vol.I-V). p. 222, CORRECTIONS ABSTRACTS OF WILLS, VOLUME V. PAGE 296. 16 lines from bottom for Elizabeth Wyckoff read Anne Elizabeth Wyckoff.

[10] 1743 03 Apr; John VanArsdalen, wid; Sarah Voorest, wid, in VanCleef, “Marriages in the Flatbush Reformed Dutch Church,” vol. 1, g 63.  see also Barbara A. Barth, The Dorland Enigma Solved, Sandisfield, MA: Diane Barth Swartz, 2007, p. 167

[11] VVFA, 1^st Six Generations, Florence Christoph, p. 75.

[12] Records of the Dutch Congregations of Freehold and Middletown, Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey (GMNJ), Vol 23, p. 11.

[13] https://wwwnet-dos.state.nj.us/DOS_ArchivesDBPortal/ColonialMarriages.aspx

[14] Documents Relating to the Colonial History of New Jersey, Vol 30, Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol 2, p. 36.

[15] Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, New Series, vol. 11, p. 412.  However, this Isaac could be the son of John Lucas Van Voorhees and Mayke Schenck who is otherwise not traceable.

[16] VVFA, 1^st Six Generations, Florence Christoph, p. 34.

[17] Per my earlier article on Auke Jans Van Voorhees.

[18] Records of the Reformed Dutch Churches of Hackensack and Schraalenburgh, Collections of the Holland Society of New York, Vol. 1, Part 1, 1891, p. 64.

[19] See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyckoff,_New_Jersey

[20] Van Voorhees Family in America, Fist Six Generations, Florence Christoph, p. 43.

[21] Her maiden name was not known when VVFA, 1^st Six Generations, was published.  She is mentioned in the will of her father, John Van Arsdalen, though not with her married name.  She is identified as Lucas’ wife in Barbara A. Barth, The Dorland Enigma Solved, Sandisfield, MA: Diane Barth Swartz, 2007, p. 184.  Also identified is a previously unknown daughter of John Voorhees and Ida Van Arsdalen named Lammetje, born about 1726, who married Cornelius Van Arsdalen.