Which County?

How do you properly record a county when the location and the information on the record do not align? I am not sure.

When reviewing the death certificates from 1904 for the surname Vanderhoof, we see the record for Clarissa Vanderhoof. She died on April 7 in Mountain View. "MORRIS CO., N.J." was stamped next to this place.

Death certificate of Clarissa Vanderhoof, age 57 years.
Father- John Wilson. Mother- Eliza A Wilson.
Buried in Pompton Plains First Reformed Church Cemetery, Morris County.

Mountain View is a section of Wayne Township, which is in Passaic County, not Morris; however, this area borders Lincoln Park, Morris County on the west.

Who stamped "Morris County" on the death certificate? Did Mountain View span both counties in 1904?

We have the same type of issue with the marriage of Clarissa and Andrew.

In 1863, Clarissa Wilson became the second wife of Andrew J Vanderhoof (1838-1919). The marriage was recorded with other marriages in Morris County, though the location of the ceremony was Bloomingdale, which is in Passaic County, though on the border with Morris.

Ledger book of marriages and deaths in Morris County, New Jersey
covering the years 1848-1867. "Book Z."
Viewable at Ancestry and at the New Jersey State Archives.

Map of Morris County, New Jersey 1853

An enlargement of the focal points on this ledger page reveals that the entry above Andrew J Vanderhoff and Clarrisa Wilson is Nathan Courter and Martha Vanderhoof.

Enlargement of marriage record of Nathan Courter and Martha Vanderhoof and of Andrew J Vanderhoff and Clarrisa Wilson, 1863

Nathan and Martha were married March 15, 1863. The date for Andrew and Clarrisa is scratched out, but maybe is the same. Both couples were married in Bloomingdale by the same person, whose name is also scribbled out, but looks something like "Castell."

I think that Martha and Andrew were siblings. Their father was Jacob G Vanderhoof. I don't know why Martha's father is listed as "Aaron Vanderhoff." Their brother, Peter J Vanderhoof (1834-1862), was discussed in the article about Peter Vanderhoof of Wisconsin.

I will have to copy Martha's death certificate on my next trip to the Archives to see what was recorded for her parents. Martha died in 1914 and Nathan died in 1910. They were buried in Whitehall Methodist Church Cemetery in Towaco, Morris County.

Conrad Vanderhoof (1817-1874)

Conrad Vanderhoof (1817-1874) was maybe the final child of Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Elizabeth Hopler (1772-1841). Or at least the last of the children who lived into adulthood.

Conrad Vanderhoof married Mary Hopler in 1841 in Morris County, New Jersey. I suspect that they were first cousins once removed on their shared Hopler line.

Conrad H Vanderhoof and Mary Hopler married April 29, 1841 in Morris County, New Jersey.
Marriage record filed at the county level.
Images available at FamilySearch

Louisa Caroline Freeman Hickerson identified at least eleven children of Conrad and Mary born between 1842 and 1862: Ann Elizabeth, John, George, Peter, Mary, Sarah, Laura, Joseph, Ellen, Lemuel, and Frank.

Vanderhoof book by Louisa Caroline Freeman Hickerson
Excerpt of information about Conrad Vanderhoof (1817-1874)

Conrad supported his family through farming in Rockaway. Below is a snapshot of the family from the 1860 census.

1860 United States federal census. New Jersey, Morris County, Rockaway.
Household of Conrad Vanderhoof, age 41, farmer.

Conrad and Mary were buried at Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery in Boonton. In the picture of their gravestone below, the stone of brother Richard Vanderhoof (1814-1892) is in the distant left.

Gravestone of Conrad Vanderhoof and Mary Hopler
Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery
Boonton, Morris County, New Jersey

Conrad died January 1, 1874 in Denville. This event predates issuance of individual death certificates in New Jersey. The death was recorded in ledger format and is viewable at Ancestry. His parents were given as Jacob and Elizabeth Vanderhoof. Providing Elizabeth's surname would have been more compelling for placing Conrad among the children of Elizabeth Hopler.

Conrad Vanderhoof age 56 died January 1, 1874
in Denville, Morris County, New Jersey.
Parents- Jacob and Elizabeth Vanderhoof.
Occupation farmer. Cause of death erysipela.

Mary survived her husband just shy of thirty years. She died December 17, 1903 in Morristown, aged eighty. Her parents full names were provided: Conrad Hopler and Elizabeth Zeek.

Mary Hopler age 80 died December 17, 1903
in Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey.
Parents- Conrad Hopler and Elizabeth Zeek.
(Death certificates 1901 through the present are not online.
This document is from the Archives in Trenton.)

Jody Lutter

Jacob C Vanderhoof (1843-1889)

In the previous article, I mentioned that I was unsure about the life of Jacob Vanderhoof, born about 1843 to Elizabeth Cook (1803-1882) and Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) in Morris County, New Jersey.

"What became of Jacob Vanderhoof, born about 1843? I am not sure as of this writing. As we have seen many times within this family, there was more than one person named Jacob Vanderhoof born in the 1840s. I will need to gather their documents before we have definitive paths."

In her book, Vanderhoof, Louisa Caroline Freeman Hickerson wrote that Jacob C Vanderhoof died June 11, 1889.

"In the 1860 census, Jacob C was age 17 and was with the Hinchman's in Denville- probably
working for them. Later he lived at Hibernia and then later at Somerville. The
date of his death is June 11, 1889."

According to this death certificate, Jacob C Vanderhoff died at the Raritan Hotel in Somerset County, New Jersey. Burial was at New Cemetery in Somerville. This is now called New Somerville Cemetery on Find a Grave.

Jacob C Vanderhoff died Jun 11, 1889 in Raritan, Somerset County, New Jersey.
Father- Jacob Vanderhoff. Mother- Elizabeth Vanderhoff.
Age 46 years. Born in Denville.
Buried at New Cemetery, Somerville.

The surname was spelled Vanderhoff, not Vanderhoof. This is a variant that I see often.

Jacob's gravestone was photographed for Find A Grave. He served in the Civil War in the 7th New Jersey Infantry Company K. His middle name is "Cook" on this memorial page. I do not see his middle name spelled out in any other records.

Memorial page at Find A Grave
Private Jacob Cook VanDerHoof (1842-1889)

The marriage of Jacob C Vanderhoof and Eliza Derland was recorded at the state level. They were married November 9, 1872 in Succasunna, Morris County. Eliza was 19; no age was given for Jacob.

New Jersey Marriages. Book BL 1872-1873.
Available on Ancestry.

Here's why I did not initially connect this marriage record to Jacob, son of Jacob Vanderhoof and Elizabeth Cook. His parents were written as "Conrood & ___ Vanderhoof." Conrad is one of the more popular names in these Morris County branches. It would not surprise me if Jacob's middle name was Conrad.

Parents of Jacob C Vanderhoof and Eliza Derland from the marriage record, 1872

Jacob C Vanderhoof and Eliza Dorland (1853-1925) had two sons who lived to adulthood:

Wallace L Vanderhoof (1874-1961)

and

William Ward Vanderhoof (1885-1961)