More ONeil Cousins

We have another set of potential ONeil cousins.

Two people who are second cousins to each other share DNA with my father and his three siblings.

The common ancestors of these DNA matches are Andrew O'Neil, born about 1798 in Ireland and his wife, Bridget Goodfellow, born about 1798, possibly in County Cavan, Ireland. They settled in New York City in the late 1840s.

1855 New York State census, New York City
Household of Andrew ONeil and wife, Bridget.

In the 1855 New York State census, Andrew and Bridget resided in New York City with their five children, ranging in age from 12 through 22: Michael, Peter, Andrew, Margaret, and Patrick. Note that Michael O'Neil had been in the city for 11 years, while the rest of the family was present for six.

To work up these DNA connections, you need to find descendants of this couple in the DNA database. But- even if this couple has descendants in the DNA database, the connection is distant, so no detectable and reportable shared DNA may exist.

ONeil is a popular Irish surname with a variety of spellings. Over half a million people lived in New York City in 1855. (Today about 8.5 million people reside in Manhattan.) Tracing the marriages, children, grandchildren, and so forth of ONeils is tricky.

Margaret ONeil married Bartholomew Neville. When she died in 1907, she was widowed and childless. She left behind a will that was probated in Kings County, New York. From this will, we find out that she had another brother, Terence. He was not with the family in the 1855 census. More about Terence later.

Excerpt of will of Margaret Neville (born ONeil) (1842-1907).
Proved November 19, 1907 in Kings County, New York.

"Second. I have not mentioned my
brother Terence O'Neil's name in this Will
nor made any provision for him herein, for
the reason that I consider him well enough
provided for with his own property and poss-
essions."

Andrew O'Neil died in 1868. He was originally buried in Jersey City at Saint Peter's Cemetery in Section G South, plot 14. In 1885, Andrew, other O'Neils, and Murphys were removed to Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York. (The Newark Archdiocese maintains an electronic database of burials at Find A Loved One Search.)

A brief notice of the death of matriarch Bridget appeared in the local paper The Sun in 1885. She was described as a "native of county Cavan, Ireland."

Obituary of Bridget O'Neil from the newspaper The Sun in New York City, July 4, 1885.
Note: July 4, 1885 was a Saturday. The obituary states she died on Saturday, July 3.

"O'NEIL. - On Saturday [Friday], July 3, Bridget O'Neil, aged
84 years, native of county Cavan, Ireland.
Funeral to take place from her late residence, 87 Washington st., on Monday, July 6."

Maybe Bridget's husband, Andrew ONeil, was also from Cavan. Some records survive for County Cavan in the 1800s. I looked for Charles ONeil and Catherine Brougham, the supposed parents of my third great grandmother, Mary Neil. I found a marriage record for Patrick Neal and Cath Brogan from 1824 in Urney Parish. Could this have been Mary's parents? More research is needed. Maybe the name is more commonly spelled Brogan and not Brougham.

Marriage of Patrick Neal and Cath Brogan in Urney, County Cavan.
August 18, 1824.
Witnesses Patrick Brady and Petra??? Brogan.
Collection at Ancestry

Summation

My line:
Mary Neil (later O'Neill), born about 1830 in New Jersey, later Ireland.
Daughter of Charles O'Neill and Catherine Brougham of Ireland.

Potential relatives number 1:
Hugh ONeil, born about 1834 in Ireland.
His wife, Margaret ONeil, born about 1838 in Ireland. Daughter of James O'Neil and Margaret.
Settled in Washington.

Potential relatives number 2:
Andrew O'Neil, born about 1798 in Ireland. His wife, Bridget Goodfellow, born about 1798, possibly in County Cavan, Ireland. Settled in New York City.

More on Terence ONeil

To trace Terence ONeil, we cannot stop at the records available at Ancestry. Additional documents were filed to probate Margaret's estate. Some are available at FamilySearch.

Probate Administrator Records for Kings County, New York.
Available on FamilySearch.org Image Group Number 004362601.

"Administrator Records" provide several pages listing names and addresses of Margaret's relatives. Terence ONeil, her brother, lived at 153 Steuben Street in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Below is Terence's death certificate from 1910 and a picture of his gravestone in Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City.

Death certificate of Terrance O'Neill, died June 16, 1910
in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey.
Father- Andrew. Mother Bridget.

Holy Name Cemetery, Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey
O'Neill gravestone in Block M
March 30, 2019

This DNA connection was only recently brought to my attention in the current year, 2026. Yet the dates on the records of Terence is from 2019.

Why did I gather this information seven years ago? Because Terence's son, Andrew Leo ONeill (1863-1941), married into my mother's family. My mother is not an ONeil descendant, but she has cousins who are.

Terence's third great granddaughter is among my DNA matches. She and I are third cousins, once removed on my mother's side. We share a segment of DNA. Ancestry does not report shared DNA between her and my father.

Note that Ancestry does not provide you a list of everyone who shares DNA with you. Both testing parties would need to upload their DNA files to GedMatch to check for shared DNA. Not finding someone listed as a DNA match at Ancestry does not mean that you don't share DNA.

Tangled Family Lines at First Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Rockaway, New Jersey

On May 9, 2026 I visited the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey. It was a rainy day, so the stones were darkened. I prefer overcast, dry days for cemetery visits, but this is how the schedule worked out.

This is an active church and cemetery. This is their website.

I saw some Wiggins stones. More articles on Wiggins are coming.

Jody at grave of Daniel G Wiggins (1827-1895) and wife Phebe Belcher (1830-1888).
First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey.
May 9, 2026.

Daniel Gard Wiggins (1827-1895) was a granduncle of Sarah Lavinia Merritt (1842-1909), wife of Private Charles Youmans Cook (1833-1913). Charles was the reason for this visit.

Elizabeth Minton (1822-1901) and husband Jonathan Wiggins (1820-1877).
First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey.
May 9, 2026.

Jody at the Cook/Merritt graves.
First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey.
May 9, 2026.

Here's the stone of Catherine Shaw (1825-1891). She was the first wife of Nicholas Keating (1825-1898). After Catherine's death, Nicholas remarried to Mary Neil (1830-1898), my third great-grandmother. Finding this marriage lead to discovering the names of her parents. 

Jody at the grave of Catherine Shaw (1825-1891),
wife of Nicholas Keating.
First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey.
May 9, 2026.

Tangled lines: Catherine Shaw was a granddaughter of Conrad Hopler (1730-1816), making her a first cousin, once removed of Mary Neil's first husband, my third great-grandfather, Calvin Cook (1826-1889).

The Tragedy of Willard's Cemetery

Imagine enduring a difficult life within the confines of a mental institution, only to be laid to rest in an unmarked grave identified by nothing more than a number. No headstone with your name and dates. Even in death, you remain unreachable, as the records that could guide loved ones to your grave are withheld. This is the ongoing injustice faced by those buried in the defunct cemetery at Willard Asylum in Seneca County, New York.

Find A Grave memorial page for the person buried in grave 13.
New York will not allow anyone to see who lies in this grave.

The facility was known by several names over the years. Asylum and Insane are words that have fallen out of favor in current American English. Willard State Hospital is a defunct facility that housed tens of thousands of people deemed "insane." The remnants are located in Willard, a hamlet of Romulus, Seneca County, New York.

Modern map showing location of Willard Hospital and its cemetery

Willard was one of the many state hospitals created in the 1870s in response to a growing movement to treat the mentally ill better in sprawling campuses and formally trained staff. (See my article on Nurse Julia Flanagan.) A centralized state facility relieved the counties of financial burdens of insane paupers. Most patients were too poor to provide for themselves. And some of them were mentally ill by today's standards.

And- they were called inmates, not patients as we do today. They were literally locked up with no recourse. They had few recognized rights. Medications to treat schizophrenia were invented in the 1950s.

Part of the hospital grounds includes a cemetery where the patients were buried. Most plots were not marked, meaning no stones were erected. (This was a standard practice. See my article mentioning burials of Edith Duryea and her child in Laurel Hill in Secaucus, New Jersey.) Records were created and maintained over the decades and were sent to the New York State Archives. Today the cemetery is in disrepair.

Here's the problem: the records of this cemetery are prohibited from being viewed. Why? No logical reason, in my opinion. The boxes of records are described on the webpage of the Archives' finding aid. A New York State law is cited as the authority for blocking access.

"Access Restrictions. Restricted in accordance with Mental Hygiene Law, Section 33.13, relating to confidentiality of clinic records."

I can't excerpt the wording in this law that prohibits access to cemetery records because NONE EXISTS. This law clearly pertains to confidentiality of very recent patient CLINICAL records because it discusses who may receive records: police, targets of the patient, and close family members. There is no mention of great great grandchildren's access. The spouses and children of patients in these sought-out historical records are also dead. They can't request access to records.

There is a bill in the New York State Legislature that would make public these burial records.¹ It's a shame that all that effort and time must be lodged to counteract a deliberate misapplication of a law. 

If the burial records were allowed to be viewed at the Archives, I doubt many people would look at them. Part of the reason is that they would essentially be inaccessible to people who do not live close to Albany and can visit during the few hours the building is open.

If the burial records were digitized and placed online, a few more people would view them, but not many. Where is the harm? I see only benefit. The "inmates" had no rights once locked away. Prohibiting access to their burial records completes their sequestration from society and their families. It's simple cruelty.

Inhabitants of institutions were included on the federal census every ten years. Although a person was removed from society, this process and their status at Willard was not a contemporaneous secret. Below is a page from the 1900 federal census for Romulus and Ovid listing patients at Willard State Hospital.

1900 United States Federal Census
Patients at Willard State Hospital
Ovid and Romulus Towns, Seneca County, New York

Clinical records of inmates can include detailed descriptions of their family relations and the circumstances that lead to placement in the state hospital. This provides missing insight into past generations and is invaluable to genealogical studies.

For further reading on advocacy of Willard Hospital, please see the blog The Inmates of Willard. 

At Find A Grave, 727 burials are listed. Some veterans and numbers have pictures of stones. Most are names without pictures.

Other States

Other states have placed records online relating to mental health records and burials of the these people.

Below are images from records available for Rhode Island and California available on Ancestry.

Burial ledger. Dexter Asylum in Providence, Rhode Island.
Collection at Ancestry
"Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., Dexter Asylum and Almshouse Records, 1828-1956"

Case Books, Personal Description List (Females), 1900-1920
Sonoma State Hospital, Eldridge, California
Collection at Ancestry
"California, U.S., State Hospital Records, 1856-1923"

Future Endeavors

It's time to release these stigmatized records in all states and allow researchers to uncover family mysteries and bring to light the historical treatment of people deemed mentally ill.

¹ New York Senate Bill S08903 and Assembly Bill A10242, 2025–2026 legislative session.

Multiple Marriages in the 1910 Census

The United States federal census provides a framework for tracing families every ten years (except the mostly destroyed 1890). Later census forms asked more detailed questions of all members of households.

Marital status became a question in 1880.

The 1910 census asked two questions about marital status:

Question 8. Whether single, married, widowed, or divorced.

Question 9. Number of years of present marriage.

Questions on the 1910 federal census.
Questions 8 and 9 pertained to marital status.

Enumerators were to mark answers in accordance with rules that are not reflected on the census form. The rule for question 8: ". . . if this is the first marriage, write 'M1,' but if this is the second or subsequent marriage, write 'M2' (meaning married more than once)."

Instructions to the enumerator about how to record the answer
to Question 8 about marital status

Answers on the census can be wildly inaccurate. But the 1910 census can mislead the researcher with the answers about marriage. M1 means first marriage, but M2 means more than one marriage, not necessarily the second marriage.

We will look at two people to illustrate this question in the 1910 census, Albert Baldwin Duryea (1853-1924) and Minnie Tuthill (1870-1941).

Albert Baldwin Duryea

Albert was the son of George Winfield Duryea (1823-1892) and Barbara Ann Savidge (1825-18xx). He was born around 1853, probably in Montgomery, Somerset County, New Jersey.

On March 18, 1882 Albert married Margaret Lear Heavener (1851-1903) in Upper Black Eddy, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This union produced two children, Paul Gamble Duryea (1883-1966) and Edwin Jayne Duryea (1886-1942).

On May 6, 1905 Albert married Virginia Stryker (1854-1907) in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey. Virginia was the widow of William S Barr. She died two and a half years later from cancer of the bowels.

Marriage certificate
Albert B Duryea and Virginia S Stryker
married May 6, 1905
in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey

On May 15, 1908 Albert married Elizabeth Tinsman Morris (1850-1925) in Trenton.

Marriage certificate
Albert Baldwin Duryea and Elizabeth Morris Comly
married May 15, 1908
in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey

This brings us to the 1910 census. Albert Duryea and his wife Elizabeth were enumerated in Trenton with a boarder, William Hillpot.

1910 federal census in Trenton, New Jersey
Household of Albert Duryea

For Question 8, "M2" is written for the marital status of Albert and Elizabeth. Elizabeth had at least one prior marriage (looks like "Comly") on her marriage certificate to Albert. We found three marriages for Albert. This is an illustration of M2 properly indicating more than one marriage and not second marriage.

Close up of 1910 federal census
Albert was on marriage number 3. "M2" was the correct response.

Minnie Tuthill

Tuthill or Tuttle and variations is a popular name from Suffolk County, New York. Minnie was born around 1870 in Riverhead to Albert Daniel Tuthill (1846-1920) and Hannah Erskine (1847-1927).

Minnie's marital history is vague at times, but we will see what we can see.

On January 10, 1887 Minnie C Tuthill married John Edwin Duryea in Riverhead- according to the New York State Marriage Index. As of this writing, New York is still refusing to release genealogical copies of records.

In the 1900 census, Minnie Gusswiller was enumerated in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey with her husband, Frank Gusswiller. They were married for nine years. She had six children, four still living, listed with birth years from 1888 through 1899, all using the surname Gusswiller.

John E Duryea died February 22, 1901 in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey. 

Death certificate of John E Duryea
died February 22, 1901
in Long Branch, Monmouth County, New Jersey.

If Minnie Tuthill married Frank Gusswiller around 1891, she would have need to have divorced her first husband, John Duryea. I use "if" because I have not found a possible entry in the marriage indexes for Minnie and Frank in New Jersey, New York, and New York City.

This brings us to the 1910 census. Minnie Woodin and her husband, William Woodin, were enumerated in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York. His marital status was "M1," married five years. Her marital status was "M2," married five years. She had ten children, six still living. With them were five children. Four children were named Gusswiller and were ages 9 through 19. William Woodin, final child, was three years old.

1910 federal census in Poughkeepsie, New York
Household of William Woodin

Close up of 1910 federal census
Minnie was on marriage number 2 or 3. "M2" was the correct response.

The answer "M2" means that she was married at least twice and is not indicative of whether she and Frank Gusswiller actually married.

Minnie continued marrying after the 1910 census. In the 1920 census, Minnie Woodin, married, was still in Poughkeepsie, but without a husband. From the New York State marriage indexes we find that on October 20, 1920 Minnie M Trythill aka Gussweller married John Henry in Beacon, Dutchess County; on July 27, 1937 Minnie Henry married Charles Hults.

Minnie M Hults died December 25, 1941 in Poughkeepsie.

Obituary of Minnie M Hults (born Tuttle or Tuthill)
December 27, 1941

Minnie's husbands as far as I can tell:

1887  John Edwin Duryea (1867-1901)

18xx  Frank X Gusswiller (1862-19xx)

19xx  William J Woodin (1868-19xx)

1920  John Henry (18xx-19xx)

1937  Charles Hults (1865-1954)

Minnie's children as far as I can find:

Edith Mabel May Duryea (1888-1943)

Everett Tuthill Duryea (1890-1937)

Elnora Frances Gusswiller (1893-1893)

Theresa Tessie Gusswiller (1895-1975)

Frances Gusswiller (1897-1898)

Ivon Albert Gusswiller (1898-1969)

Elsie Gusswiller (1901-1991)

William James Woodin (1906-1983)

Leon Ellsworth Woodin (1910-1987)

A note about Edith, the daughter of John E Duryea and Minnie Tuthill: she had a troubled life. She was born May 16, 1888 in Jersey City.

Birth certificate
Edith Mabel Duryea
born May 16, 1888 in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey.
First child of John E Duryea and Minnie M Tuthill.

Newspaper article from the Evening Journal of Jersey City November 21, 1907.
"Mrs Gussmiller angry at her arrest."

In the 1910 census, Edith "Gusswiller" was an "inmate" at Laurel Hill in Secaucus, Hudson County. This institution housed those who were mentally ill or infirm. It was also called Snake Hill, or Hudson County Insane Asylum, and still exists today as "Meadowview Psychiatric Hospital." Edith was still there in the 1920, 1930, and 1940 censuses, but under the name Duryea, not Gusswiller.

This is why I think that the baby named "Peter Duryea or Gussweller" was hers. I did not find a birth certificate for him, but he was issued a death certificate. He died at the Hudson County Insane Hospital on January 21, 1913 from inanition. His date of birth was December 13, 1912. He was "out of wedlock." Only his mother was listed on his death certificate- "Edith Duryea or Gussweller."

I searched unsuccessfully for a marriage between Duryea and Gussweller. With the additional information gathered about Minnie Tuthill and her daughter, Edith Duryea, I think that Peter was the baby of Edith.

Death certificate of Peter Duryea or Gussweller.
Died January 21, 1913 at the Hudson County Insane Hospital in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Age 1 month. Mother- Edith Duryea or Gussweller.
Burial at Laurel Hill. Undertaker Alms House.

Burials at Laurel Hill were unmarked, which was not an unusual practice at such institutions. Laurel Hill burials included not only people from the insane asylum, but also from the alms house, tuberculosis hospital, and jail. Records were kept, but supposedly Hudson County cannot find them today. In 2002, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority sought to extend part of the Turnpike (Interstate 95) into the burial area and found bones and artifacts when construction crews started digging. It is thought that over 10,000 people were buried in this area.

When Edith Duryea died in 1943, she too was buried in an unmarked grave at Laurel Hill. Her usual address was in Poughkeepsie, connecting her to her late mother's residence since at least 1910.

Death certificate of Edith Duryea
died December 29, 1943 in Secaucus, Hudson County, New Jersey
at the Hudson County Hospital for Incurable Diseases.
Burial at Laurel Hill.

For pictures and further reading on Laurel Hill and the burials, see Weird New Jersey and this article from NJ dot com.

When reviewing the 1910 census, be mindful that the answer "M2" for a married person means that this is at least the second marriage. You would still need to use other records to discover marriages and their disposition.

Name Change: Bostedo to Bishop

My fourth great grandfather, Reuben Levy Bishop (1805-1856) remains a tail end in my tree. I explored possible connections to other Bishops of Morris County, New Jersey, such as William Bishop (1768-1844), with origins in Connecticut.

In a work by J Percy Crayon about Morris County families,¹ I found mention of a Bishop originally being Bostedo. A change in name could cause a tail in a tree until the older versions are uncovered.

Crayon's book about families in Morris County, New Jersey.
" . . . Bostedo, or Bishop as the name was changed . . . "

I found some documentation on this name change. Please note that changing one's name was not a formal process in this time period. We are not looking for a court proceeding or newspaper announcement of the name change.

Gideon Bostedo and Mary Beach married in Pequannock, Morris County on August 2, 1803.

Marriage record of Gideon Bostedo and Mary Beach
in Morris County, New Jersey.
August 2, 1803.
Viewable at Family Search from home. Film 4541274.

Research note: Marriages were recorded at the state level in New Jersey beginning in the year 1848. Prior to this, individual counties recorded the marriages. Indexes are found throughout Ancestry but the images are on Family Search.

Gideon and Mary had a son, Abner Bostedo, around 1817. Abner married Lavinia Landers (1816-1895) and they had children. Abner was a Civil War veteran who served in Company L, 27th Infantry. He died in 1890. His military service is reflected on his stone in the Bostedo Family Cemetery in Marcella, Rockaway Township, Morris County. (He is the only person listed in this vanished burial ground on Find A Grave.)

Abner's parents on his death certificate were Gideon V Bostedo and Mary Bostedo. Burial was at Greenville. This was the name of an area, more noted on a mine, near Marcella.

Death certificate of Abner Bostveda September 25, 1890.
Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey.
Viewable in-person from microfilm at the New Jersey State Archives.

Then we have the person mentioned in Crayon's book, Charles Bishop (1804-1881). He married Mary Kimble (1811-1888) and they had many children. Mary's mother was Elizabeth Vanderhoof (1789-1861). (How she connects to my Vanderhoof line is unknown at this juncture.)

Charles' death certificate lists his parents as George Bishop and Mary Beach.

Death certificate of Charles Bishop July 7, 1881.
West Milford, Passaic County, New Jersey.
Viewable in-person from microfilm at the New Jersey State Archives.

Why did Charles change his surname from Bostedo to Bishop? The informant of this death certificate knew Charles' father as George, not Gideon? Why did Charles change his surname but Abner did not?

Is my fourth great grandfather, Reuben Levy Bishop, from this Bostedo family? I do not know at this time. A name change could explain why Reuben appears from seemingly nowhere.

More research is needed.

1. J. Percy Crayon, Rockaway Records of Morris County, N. J., Families (Rockaway, New Jersey: Rockaway Publishing Co., 1902), digital images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/rockawayrecordso00cray : accessed 8 April 2026).

Deborah Vanderhoof Decker 1805-1832

Research Question

Was Deborah Vanderhoof (1805-1832) a daughter of Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Ann Hopler (1772-1841)?

Online family trees

Some trees posit Deborah as a child of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler.

One of the many trees at Ancestry listing children
of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler

Published book of Vanderhoof researcher

Louisa Caroline Freeman Hickerson mentioned Deborah Vanderhoof in her book, Vanderhoof, though not as a daughter of Jacob and Ann. Three Decker brothers married Vanderhoof women. Louisa did not determine the parentage of Deborah.

Page of Freeman's book about Decker and Vanderhoof marriages.
Housed at the Denville Historical Society

Marriage of Deborah Vanderhoof and John Decker, 1822

On March 19, 1822 Deborah Vanderhoof and John Decker were married by Pastor John Ford in Morris County, New Jersey. Marriages in Morris County can be found in books digitized at Family Search. The range of years is from the late 1700s through the late 1800s, including past 1848, when New Jersey required centralized recording of marriages.

"March 19 1822 John Decker, Stony Brook to
Deborah Vanderhoof of Rockaway Valley"

"March 19 1822 John Decker, Stony Brook to
Deborah Vanderhoof of Rockaway Valley"

The problem with these marriage records is that additional information is scarce. For example, ages of the parties and names of parents are often not given.

Burial and gravestone evidence

Deborah Vanderhoof and John Decker were buried at Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery in Boonton, Morris County.

Gravestones in Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery
visited on the cold day of November 11, 2025.
Deborah Vanderhoof died March 13, 1832 
John Decker died September 5, 1877
Rachel Jacobus died November 17, 1866

The date of death etched on Deborah's stone is March 13, 1832. I'm no expert on gravestones, but I do not think that her stone was created at the time of her death; therefore, it is prone to inaccuracies. Next to Deborah is her husband, John Decker (1800-1877). Next to John is his second wife, Rachel Jacobus (1796-1866).

Children of Deborah Vanderhoof and John Decker and problems with the timeline

Deborah and John had children. Names of the children can reveal names of grandparents. John Decker's parents were Andrew Decker and Elizabeth Dulhagle. The two oldest children were named Elizabeth and Andrew. It is possible that other children were born and named after Deborah's side of the family and that we do not know about these children because they died young or they married and moved away before the 1850 census.

--Elizabeth Decker (1822-1897) married Cyrus Dixon (1814-1868)

--Andrew Decker (1827-1906) married Martha Dixon (1830-1919)

--Sarah Louise Decker (1830-19xx) married William Kanouse (1823-1903)

--Catherine Amanda Decker (1835-1915) married Charles Augustus Kincaid (1832-1901).

The year of birth for the youngest child, Catherine, varies in records, but is usually in the early 1830s. The year of birth on her gravestone is 1835. So Catherine's mother, Deborah, died anytime after her birth until her father remarried before the 1850 census. There were no recordings of deaths to the county or State of New Jersey in the 1830s. Either Deborah did not die in 1832 or Catherine was not born in 1835, or Deborah was not her mother.

Conclusion

With the information so far gathered, the parentage of Deborah Vanderhoof remains a mystery. No direct evidence links Deborah to Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler. None of the known and speculated children of Jacob and Ann named a daughter Deborah. Online trees copy one another. Further evidence is required to link Deborah to any set of parents.

If you have probate, church, or family Bible records related to Morris County Vanderhoofs, I would welcome hearing from you.

Similar Name, Different People

As I sort through the Vanderhoofs, I processed the death certificate of William H Van Derhoef. He died at age 79 years on October 9, 1943 in West Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. According to this document, his wife was Jennie Byington and his parents were John Van Derhoef and Sarah Graft. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Death certificate of William H VanDerhoef.
Died October 9, 1943 in West Orange, Essex County, New Jersey.
Document available through mail or in-person at the New Jersey State Archives.
(New Jersey death certificates are not accessible online.)

William was born in the early 1860s, probably in Brooklyn. He was one of the middle children. His father, John, worked in the seafood markets and had deep roots in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

1880 United States Federal Census
Brooklyn, Kings County, New York
Household of John V Vanderhoef and Sarah Ann Graff

William was already entered at Find A Grave. I found his parents entered at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn: John V Vanderhoef (1824-1900) and Sarah Ann Graff (1829-1919). Sarah's entry at Find A Grave currently has no year of death. Burials are searchable on the website of Cypress Hills. She was interred on December 11, 1919. She probably died in New Jersey, which has no index for deaths in 1919.

There is a problem with the Find A Grave listing for this family. John V Vanderhoef and Sarah Ann Graff were already attached to a son named William H Vanderhoef (1861-1930), buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. 

Memorial page at Find A Grave for William H Vanderhoef
1861-1930 in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn

There are so many people named Vanderhoof or variant spellings that it is easy to mix them up. In my family tree are currently 49 people named William Vanderhoof/hoff/hoef.

The creator of William's memorial page in Green-Wood Cemetery supplied a spouse- Henrietta Dixon (1863-1908).

Marriages and deaths in New York City are digitized for these earlier years. 

On the marriage record from 1882, William J Vanderhoof's father was John Vanderhoof, but his mother was Catherine Mulligan- not Sarah Ann Graff.

Marriage certificate side 1
William J Vanderhoof and Henrietta Dixon
married April 27, 1882 in Brooklyn, New York

Marriage certificate side 2
William J Vanderhoof and Henrietta Dixon
married April 27, 1882 in Brooklyn, New York

On William J's death certificate from 1930, his father was again John Vanderhoof. His mother was Elizabeth, not Catherine, but her surname remained Mulligan- not Graff.

Death certificate of William J Vanderhoof
died January 1, 1930 in Queens, New York

Note that the death certificate lists the place of burial as Evergreens Cemetery. This is another large cemetery in Brooklyn. Although they do not have an online index, they will confirm burials via email. Because I had precise dates of death for William J, his wife Henrietta, and their son, William, Evergreens Cemetery was able to quickly confirm that the family was buried there.

The entry on Find A Grave, in contrast, lists the place of burial as Green-Wood Cemetery.

I did request changes to the memorial page of William H Vanderhoef (1861-1930) of Green-Wood Cemetery, but they were declined.

Email notifying me that changes would not be made to the memorial page
of William H Vanderhoef (1861-1930)

Do not blindly rely on relationships found linked on Find A Grave, or anywhere else. View the original documents whenever possible.