Tuesday, December 2, 2025

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.


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