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)

TWO ELIZABETH COOKS, WIVES OF VANDERHOOFS

In the ongoing effort to sort the Vanderhoofs of Morris County, New Jersey, we have the related family of Cook. 

My fourth great grandparents were Stephen Cook (1797-1853) and Elizabeth Vanderhoof (1799-1878). They were buried in the Cook Cemetery in Denville, which is now on the grounds of the golf course of The Rockaway River County Club. Here's an older article of me in Cook Cemetery.

Also in the Cook Cemetery is a footstone engraved EV. This is supposedly for Elizabeth Vanderhoof.

Memorial page at Find A Grave
Elizabeth Vanderhoof 1804-1882
Cook Cemetery in Denville, New Jersey

There exists a death certificate for Elizabeth Vanderhoof, age 78 years, died April 24, 1882 in Rockaway Township. Her father was David Cook. Burial was at the Cook Cemetery.

Death certificate of Elizabeth Vanderhoof. Died April 24, 1882, age 78 years.
Hibernia, Rockaway Township, Morris County, New Jersey.
Father- David Cook.
Buried at Cook Cemetery in Denville.

I thought that this Elizabeth was the wife of Richard Vanderhoof, a son of Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Ann Hopler (1772-1841). Richard was one of the last children, born around 1815. Richard and Elizabeth were last seen together in the 1870 census in Rockaway. They had at least seven children from about 1835 through 1847. At least two of the death certificates of these children list the parents as Richard Vanderhoof and Eliza Cook. 

In reviewing the works of Louisa Caroline Freeman Hickerson, she proposed a remarriage of Richard Vanderhoof, as well as a remarriage of Richard’s father, Jacob, also to someone named Elizabeth Cook. 

The two women named Elizabeth Cook were probably double first cousins.
They married a father/son pair.

I suspect that Susan Wiggins and Jemima Wiggins were sisters. Two sisters married two brothers. Both couples named daughters Elizabeth Cook. One became the first wife of Richard Vanderhoof. The other became the second wife of Jacob Vanderhoof, the father of Richard Vanderhoof.

The Elizabeth Cook who married Richard Vanderhoof had two brothers, Stephen and William, who married Richard’s sisters, Elizabeth and Hiley.

The Elizabeth Cook who married the widower Jacob Vanderhoof had a brother, Chileon, who married Jacob’s daughter, Charlotte.

This becomes intertwined.

 

JACOB VANDERHOOF (1772-1847)

Jacob and his wife, Ann Hopler, are buried in her family’s cemetery, Demouth Burial Ground, in Boonton. The stones are difficult to read at this point in time. The date of death on Ann’s stone is February 27, 1841. There might be no other record of her death.

Current appearance of the Demouth Burial Ground in Boonton.
Picture taken October 11, 2025 by Jody Lutter.

 According to Freeman, “There was Jacob Vanderhoof who married Elizabeth Cook, a daughter of David and Jemima (Wiggins) Cook. From copies of land transactions it would seem that it is the same Jacob as above. Two sons: Jacob C. born 1843. David born 1844. Elizabeth was a widow before 1850.”

Information about Jacob Vanderhoof's supposed second marriage and the children of that union.

In 1842, Jacob Vanderhoof and wife Elizabeth sold property in Pequannock to William M Dixon. If this is the same Jacob, this would indicate that Jacob had remarried between the death of his first wife, Ann, in 1841, and the date of this deed in 1842.

Deed. Pequannock, Morris County, New Jersey.
Jacob Vanderhoof and wife Elizabeth transferred land to William M Dixon.
March 4, 1842

By 1850, Elizabeth was widowed and living in her father’s household with two Vanderhoof children: Jacob, age 7, and David, age 5. Note the prior household is Tunis.

1850 census. Township of Rockaway.
Household of David Cook, age 69.
Jemima Cook. Catherine Adle (daughter?).
Elizabeth Vanderhoof, age 46. Jacob Vanderhoof, age 7. David Vanderhoof, age 5.

In 1872, Elizabeth filed for a widow’s pension based on the service of Jacob Vanderhoof in the War of 1812. Jacob’s death was stated as April 6, 1846. The date on his gravestone is April 6, 1847. 

Widow's Pension War of 1812
filed by Elizabeth Cook, wife of Jacob Vanderhoof, 1872

The pension was denied because Elizabeth could not prove that she was married to Jacob before the Treaty of Peace on February 17, 1815. She stated that her name was Elizabeth Cook and that the marriage occurred between 1820 and 1824.

Statement of Elizabeth Cook explaining that she cannot recall exactly when she married Jacob Vanderhoof.
They probably married in 1841 or 1842.

David Vanderhoof died in November of 1876. His entry on the death ledger stated his parents’ names as Jacob and Elizabeth. 

Death ledger entry for David Vanderhoof, age 25.
Died November 1876- no day given.
Father- Jacob. Mother- Elizabeth.

David was buried in Cook Cemetery, according to the application for a military headstone. 

Application for military headstone of David Vanderhoof (1845-1876).
Private, Company G, 7th Regiment, New Jersey Infantry. Civil War.

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.

RICHARD VANDERHOOF (1815-1892)

Richard was born around 1815. He married Elizabeth Cook, probably around 1834. I have not found an entry for this marriage in the records of Morris and Essex Counties. A marriage was announced in a Newark, Essex County newspaper for Richard Vanderhoof and Elisabeth Cook in 1834 by Reverend S Higgins. Also married at this time was Jacob P Hill and Eunice Sanderson. This couple lived in Newark. Eunice was buried in 1851 in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Newark.

Marriage announcement of Richard Vanderhoof and Elisabeth Cook, 1834.

In 1850, Richard Vanderhoof, his wife, Eliza, and their seven children were living in Rockaway. Elizabeth’s age is consistently a few years older than Richard’s age. The prior Cook household was Stephen Cook and Elizabeth Vanderhoof, my fourth great grandparents.

1850 census Rockaway Township, Morris County, New Jersey.
Household of Richard Vanderhoof and Eliza.

Freeman wrote that Elizabeth Cook was possibly the daughter of Henry I Cook who died around 1831. "In 1831 she signed her name as Eliza Cook." If she did marry Richard Vanderhoof, it was after her father’s estate was settled.

Information about Richard Vanderhoof, his marriages, and children.

There was an Elizabeth Vanderhoof who died May 13, 1871 in Denville. She was married. Her parents' names were not provided. Who was she?

Death ledger entry for Elizabeth Vanderhoof, age 58.
Died May 13, 1871 in Denville, Morris County, New Jersey.
No parents or spouse listed.
Cause of death- consumption (tuberculosis).

Eliza Vanderhoof, wife of Richard Vanderhoof, was buried at Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery. The date of death on this stone is August 30, 1875. I have not found a corresponding entry in deaths reported to the State of New Jersey. Freeman wrote, "Eliza seems to have died sometime about 1873-1875." Why did she not think that Eliza died as early as the 1870 census up until the time of her husband's remarriage?

Gravestone of Eliza, wife of Richard Vanderhoof
Died August 30, 1875. Aged 64 years.
Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery
38 Valley Road, Boonton, Morris County, New Jersey

Three months after the death of his first wife, Richard Vanderhoof, son of Jacob, married Jane, daughter of Joseph Tunis. The Tunis household was next to Richard’s stepmother in the 1850 census.

Marriage ledger entry for Richard, son of Jacob Vanderhoof,
and Jane C, daughter of Joseph Tunis.
November 25, 1875 in Denville.

Richard and Jane were last seen together in the 1885 state census in Rockaway. Richard’s estate was inventoried in 1892.

Inventory of Richard Vanderhoof by Peter F Cook and Edward Peer.
Dated April 21, 1892. Morris County, New Jersey.

April 5, 1892 is the date of death on Richard Vanderhoof's gravestone. I do not see a corresponding entry in any online death index in New Jersey.

Gravestone of Richard Vanderhoof
Died April 5, 1892. Aged 77 years.
Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery
38 Valley Road, Boonton, Morris County, New Jersey

The stones of Eliza and Richard are side-by-side.

Gravestones of Eliza and Richard Vanderhoof
Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery

Richard's second wife, Jane, died in 1919 in Eatontown, Monmouth County. Her daughters and siblings are mentioned, but not her husbands.

Obituary of Jane C Vanderhoof, 1919.
Her children were from her marriage to William H Drayton (1822-1863).

More documentation is needed to firm up these loose ends.

Newspaper Index for Newark, New Jersey 1872-1901

We have an index for deaths and marriages in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey newspapers covering the years 1872-1901.

This newly released database is thanks to the New Jersey Records Preservation Group and volunteers.

The newspapers are Newark Sunday Call and Newark Evening News. You can view these papers for free online at the Newark History Archives website through the Newark Public Library.

You can search for terms or names that appear anywhere in the newspapers via the Newark History Archives website. Words are found thanks to OCR, or Optical Character Recognition. This technology is invaluable for capturing text in scanned documents; however, misreadings are commonplace. Blemishes on the page obscure accurate captures of words. Letters that look alike, such as a and u, b and h, become intertwined.

The advantage of this new index from NJRPG is that it was created by humans reading through the notices of deaths and marriages and typing them.

We'll look at an example using Vanderhoof, since that has been a name of recent concentration in my research.

Results of "Vanderhoof" in newspapers at NJRPG

Emma L Knox, born Vanderhoof, was listed in the death notices of the Newark Evening News on February 3, 1888 and the Newark Sunday Call on February 5, 1888.

If we go to the Newark History Archives website and type in "Vanderhoof" for this time frame, there are no results.

Results for the search term "Vanderhoof."
None were found by OCR, in spite of the word appearing in the newspapers on these dates.

If we search for "Knox," we get one listing for February 5, 1888 and none for February 3, 1888.

Results for the search term "Knox." Most words are garbled because of OCR readings.

This is the listing for February 5:

Death listing in the Newark Sunday Call for Emma L Knox, wife of Andrew G Knox,
daughter of John and Jane Vanderhoof. Aged 39 years, 4 months, and 18 days.
Burial at Fairmount Cemetery in Newark.

Thanks to the index of NJRPG, we know to also look at February 3.

Death Listings in the Newark Evening News February 3, 1888

Although readable, the scan from February 3 is not as clear. Perhaps this is why neither surname appeared in the search at the Newark History Archives website.

The website of New Jersey Records Preservation Group also has an index of people interred in certain cemeteries in Newark. More resources are in the works, such as funeral home records.

Copies of a Philadelphia Birth Certificate

Among my paternal grandfather's papers was a copy of his birth certificate. Clifford Lutter was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 18, 1915. Below is the paper I found.

Birth certificate of Clifford Lutter born March 18, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Typed reproduction.
Father- Howard Lutter. Mother- Laura Ethel Winterton.
(They lived in Newark, New Jersey. They stayed in Philadelphia briefly.)

I do not know if this very paper is what Clifford received, or if he received a smaller paper and made this copy.

I already had a copy of the birth certificate that I made from microfilm at a Family History Center. 

Birth certificate of Clifford Lutter born March 18, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Handwritten and stamped March 19, 1915.
Film 2169638.

This film of Philadelphia births has been digitized but is restricted, meaning you cannot view at home. You have to log in at a Family History Center. The process in the past was to order the microfilm, pay a fee, and then wait. Now the process is free and instant- but as long as you can get to a particular physical location.

Note that the birth certificate copied from microfilm is handwritten, while the copy is typed. On the handwritten version, a date is written on top, "2/?/39." This could indicate that a copy was issued on that date. Sure enough, the official copy date on the typed copy is February 6, 1939.

Ancestry has published birth certificates of Philadelphia. Clifford's birth record appears in this collection, but is not the same as the handwritten birth certificate viewed on microfilm all those years ago. This was not easy to find because it is indexed as Sutter with an S, not Lutter with an L.

Birth certificate of Sutter born March 18, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Was there more than one set of Philadelphia birth records? When Clifford requested his birth certificate in 1939, did this trigger an unrecorded correction in spelling from Sutter to Lutter?

Letter of Condolence

Among my grandmother's papers was a letter of condolence for the loss of my grandfather, Clifford Lutter (1915-1980). The author was Harry Hazelwood (1921-2007), a judge in Newark, New Jersey.

A brief search produced a page at Rutgers University dedicated to Judge Hazelwood, where he attended for undergraduate studies. Some letters he wrote are pictured on his alumni page, so I decided to post this letter here in case anyone wants to view.

Judge Hazelwood was buried in Fairmount Cemetery in Newark.

Letter of condolence dated January 31, 1980
from Judge Harry Hazelwood, Jr to Mrs Clifford [Beulah] Lutter.
A transcript is below.

January 31, 1980

Mrs Clifford Lutter
c/o Funeral Home of James F Caffrey and Son
809 Lyons Avenue
Irvington, New Jersey 07111

Dear Mrs Lutter:

You and your family have my deepest sympathy upon the passing of your husband. I trust that God will give all of you the strength and courage to carry on during the coming days of stress and strain and will comfort you during the time of your bereavement. For many years I have known of your husband and his work particularly as treasurer of Special Police Local 11. He will long be remembered for his professionalism and for his community concern.

Again, my heartfelt sympathy to you and to all of the family.

Sincerely,

Harry Hazelwood, Jr.
Judge, Superior Court

Forbidden New York State Records

We aren't going to be seeing vital records from the State of New York any time soon.

The New York State Senate and Assembly passed bills (2025-S7782A and 2025-A8314A) to allow digitization and publication of births, marriages, deaths, and dissolutions of marriage. Governor Kathleen Hochul vetoed the bill in October 2025.

There remains no path to obtaining a vital record from the New York Department of Health if it falls under a genealogical time frame: 75 years for births and 50 years for marriages and deaths.

I await fulfillment of four records ordered from the New York State Department of Health. Three were ordered 21 months ago and the other almost four years ago- after the Department failed to find the certificate the first time around.

Although the Department will not copy and mail the documents, it is able to open the envelopes, remove the form of payment, and deposit same into the State's coffers.

The Department's website has not been updated since January 2023 and still falsely promises:
    1- orders of genealogical records will be fulfilled
    2- orders of genealogical records may take eight months or longer

Website of the New York State Department of Health
falsely offering genealogical copies of vital records

In contrast, New York City was able to digitize and place online a self-reported 75% of its vital records. Ancestry has digitized images of older New York City records.

Pending Orders

Below is the list of records not available online that were ordered and not yet fulfilled.

The last published list was September 22, 2025.

Death certificate of James Cummings, 1912

Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed February 9, 2024.

$22 check. (Died in Catskill, Greene County, New York March 11, 1912.) Check cleared July 30, 2024.

Death certificate of Jane Cummings, 1899

Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed February 9, 2024.
$22 check. (Died in Catskill, Greene County, New York July 7, 1899.) Check cleared July 30, 2024.

Death certificate of John Grant, 1882
Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed February 9, 2024.
$22 check. (Died in Catskill, Greene County, New York December 27, 1882.) Check cleared July 30, 2024.

Death certificate of Edward Sheeby [Edmond Sheehy], 1893

Requested of the New York State Department of Health. Form DOH-4384 mailed March 1, 2022.
$22 check cleared April 2, 2022.
Originally requested in 2015.
Town of Amenia provided an obscure ledger entry in 2023.