An earlier article discussed Vanderhoof brothers John and Samuel, who relocated from New Jersey to Wisconsin in the mid 1800s.
As I searched the newspapers of Wisconsin for insight into their lives, many articles about another Vanderhoof appeared in the early 1880s.
Peter Vanderhoof and his family were arrested for stealing wheat and wrecking trains near Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1880.
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| "Wheat Thieves" Wisconsin, December 27, 1880 |
Peter Vanderhoof is not an unusual name. I have 46 men of this name in my tree as I write this. The natural question about this person is: Which Peter Vanderhoof is he?
Peter Vanderhoof did not act alone. This was a family criminal enterprise. His sons were named- Nelson and Norton. His sons-in-law were named- Henry Pearson and Frank Harper. Because of this, the correct Peter Vanderhoof was easily identified in the 1880 census in Greenbush, Wisconsin.
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| Household of Peter Vanderhoof and wife Mary [born Atkins] 1880 United States Federal Census, Greenbush, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin |
In 1860 in New Jersey, Peter is easily identified in Pequannock, Morris County, New Jersey because his children's names are unique among the Vanderhoofs: Willis, Araminta, and Norton. Elizabeth was a very popular given name.
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| Household of Peter Vanderhoof and Mary C 1860 United States Federal Census, Pequannock/Boonton, Morris County, New Jersey |
Who were the parents of this Peter Vanderhoof? This was not an easy pursuit and I still may not have a definitive answer.
I expected Peter to be single for the 1850 census, maybe residing with his family of origin, and then married with baby Willis in the 1855 New Jersey state census.
A marriage in the early 1850s may have been recorded only in Morris County or filed with the State of New Jersey. I did not find a record in either collection for Peter Vanderhoof and Mary Catherine Atkins.
If we only view Morris County, there are a few men in the 1850 census who could be this Peter. Without a wife and without knowing the names of his parents, we would not know which Peter of Morris County in 1850 is the bandit Peter of Wisconsin.
On the 1855 state census, ages are not given. All individuals in households are named, except for the entries in Hanover. The household of Peter Vanderhoof contained two males and one female, which fits this Peter.
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| Household of Peter Vanderhoof 1855 New Jersey State Census, Hanover, Morris County. |
We can rule out another contender, Peter Vanderhoof. He died a single man on August 8, 1884 in Montville, age 49 years, 8 months (born about 1830). He was the son of Aaron Vanderhoof and Rachel Doremus.
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| Death certificate of Peter Vanderhoff. Died August 8, 1884 in Montville, Morris County, New Jersey. Parents- Aaron Vanderhoff and Racheal Vanderhoff. |
A contender is Peter Vanderhoof, son of Jacob G Vanderhoof and Melinda Lozaw. He was born around 1834. He was last seen in the 1855 census with his parents and no wife or children. The profile of the criminal Peter Vanderhoof is that he was married with at least one child by 1855, so I do not think that this Peter, son of Jacob and Melinda, was the bandit Peter of Wisconsin.
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| Household of Jacob G Vanderhoof and wife Malinda 1855 New Jersey State Census, Hanover and Pequannock, Morris County |
There is a memorial page on Find A Grave for Private Peter J Vanderhoof of Company C, 15 NJ Infantry. According to this page, he was the son of Jacob G Vanderhoof and Melinda Lozaw and died December 28, 1862 in White Oak, Stafford County, Virginia.
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| Find A Grave memorial page for Private Peter J Vanderhoof died December 28, 1862 in White Oak, Stafford County, Virginia. Civil War. Company C, 15 New Jersey Infantry. |
I am in contact with the contributor and eagerly await documentation on this branch.
Family Trees
Family trees can yield clues to pursue for research. Family trees attribute the bandit Peter of Wisconsin to two different sets of parents.
One avenue is that Peter of Wisconsin was the son of Jacob Vanderhoof and Melinda Lozaw. I have not definitively found Jacob and Melinda's son after the 1855 census. I don't know what happened to Jacob and Melinda, either. Melinda Lozaw is often mixed up with Rachel Bush (1810-1864), wife of another Peter Vanderhoof (1809-1894).
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| Family tree proposing that Peter Vanderhoof (1831-1931) was the son of Jacob G Vanderhoof and Melinda Rachel Lozaw |
The other attribution for Peter's parents is that they were Peter Vanderhoof (1797-1847) and Rachel Peer (1800-1850). Peter and Rachel are buried at the DeMouth Burial Ground in Boonton, Morris County, New Jersey, close to Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Ann Hopler (1772-1841).
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| Family tree offering Peter Vanderhoof (1832-1931) as the son of Peter Vanderhoof and Rachel Hyler Peer |
In the 1850 census, there is a man named Peter Vanderhoof, age 18, living in the household of Rachel Vanderhoof, age 50, in Pequannock, Morris County, New Jersey. Note that the preceding household is Lozaw and a nearby household is Williams Adkins. The bandit Peter Vanderhoof married Mary Catherine Atkins, daughter of William. There is no Mary or Catherine in this household in 1850. Was this her father? We do not know as of this writing.
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| Household of Rachel Vanderhoof 1850 United States Federal Census, Pequannock, Morris County, New Jersey |
In the meantime, I ordered the death certificate of Peter Vanderhoof for the year 1931 in Wisconsin.
What are the names of Peter's parents on his death certificate? Not what I expected.
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| Peter Vanderhoof died June 30, 1931 in Green Bay, Brown County, Wisconsin Available through mail via the Wisconsin Vital Records Office |
The parents were Peter Vanderhoof and Ann Miller of Pennsylvania? Who were they?
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| Parents of Peter Vanderhoof listed on his 1931 death certificate Father- Peter Vanderhoof. Mother- Ann Miller. |
The informant was Mrs Lona Herlik. She was a granddaughter of Peter Vanderhoof. She was born in 1890 in Antigo, Langlade County, Wisconsin to Nelson Vanderhoof (1862-1954). Lona's mother, Anna Kash, died soon after Lona's birth. Lona was raised by her paternal grandparents. Lona never met the great grandparents whose names and birthplaces she was asked to recite for the death certificate. As such, this information may not be accurate.
Peter's death in 1931 merited mention in the newspapers and provided his picture. His crime spree of the early 1880s was not mentioned.
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| Newspaper article announcing funeral of Peter Vanderhoof |
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| Newspaper article announcing the death of Peter Vanderhoof from heat, July 1, 1931 |
Another newspaper article may or may not help. Mrs Sarah Miller celebrated her 94th birthday in 1914 in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey. This article detailed her deceased spouse and living son, as well as her living siblings. Among them was Peter Vanderhoof, age ninety, of Spencer, Wisconsin. They were noted for their longevity and vast number of descendants.
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| "Woman Celebrates at 94; Has 112 Descendants Alive" Mrs Sarah Miller of Caldwell, New Jersey |
Sarah died December 6, 1914 in Caldwell. She was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery, also in Caldwell. Her death certificate listed her parents as Peter Vanderhoof and Rachel Peer.
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| Death certificate of Sarah Miller, died December 6, 1914 in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey. Parents- Peter Vanderhoof and Rachel Peer. Document available through the New Jersey State Archives. |
Thanks to this article about Sarah's 94th birthday, we know that her brother, Peter Vanderhoof, moved to Wisconsin and had many descendants. The specifics are not accurate for the bandit Peter. He was about eighty in 1914, not ninety. He did not reside in Spencer, Wisconsin, but he did reside in Antigo and Green Bay, which were not very far.
Do all of these bits of information add up to the conclusion that the bandit Peter Vanderhoof of Wisconsin was the son of Peter Vanderhoof and Rachel Peer? I will still search for information.
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| Possible family tree of the bandit Peter Vanderhoof of Wisconsin |
Note: "Pequannock" is the current spelling. The name of this New Jersey township was spelled many ways over the centuries. The borders also changed. I used the current spelling throughout this article for consistency. The website of the Pequannock Historical Society is linked here.
