Bergen County New Jersey Genealogy

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At the turn of the 20th century Cornelius Burnham Harvey edited a large volume of work title the Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey. This monumental work tried to present a collective work for the two counties whose earl records were strewn all across New York and New Jersey. For purpose of New Jersey Genealogy I have transcribed the genealogy section of the manuscript separating the biographies from the genealogies and separating the families of Bergen from Hudson county, so as to make a more specific and searchable work, since the manuscript was not indexed.

Early Bergen County New Jersey Settlers

Some of the original settlers of what is now Bergen County were descendants of those who have been mentioned as having settled Hudson County. Others came from Manhattan Island, Long Island, New Harlem, Yonkers, Albany, Esopus, Kingston, and other already established settlements, while still others came direct from Europe. The grant of section 1 to William Sandford, in 1668, extended north as far as Boiling Springs near Rutherford. The northern half of this was released to Kingsland. In 1702 Elias Boudinot, a French Huguenot, purchased a large tract from the Kingslands, described as butting on the Passaic River in, Bergen County. John and William Stagg, Bartholomew Feurst, Daniel Rutan, Jacob Van Ostrand, Cornelius Vanderhoff, Herpert Gerrebrants, John Varrik, David Provost, John Van Emburgh, Jacob Wallings (Van Winkle), and Henry Harding acquired title to portions of the tract in Bergen County, but the bulk of Kingslands’ estate, at his death, passed by his will to his near relatives, who settled on it and retained it for many years. In 1668 Captain (afterward Major) John Berry received from Governor Carteret a patent for section 2, being all the lands between the Hackensack and Saddle Rivers, for a distance of six miles north from Sandford’s purchase, or nearly as far as Cherry Hill, on the New Jersey and New York Railroad. Berry settled and built his home mansion on the southerly part of this tract, and on his death, most of it passed to the ownership of his heirs. the northerly part he had conveyed in parcels various times to his son, Richard Berry, his daughter, Hannah Noel, and Garret Van Dien, Laurence Laurensen Ackerman, Rev. Guilliaem Bertholf, David Thomas, Thomas Nicholson, Albert Albertsen (Terhune), Arie Albertsen (Terhune), Claes Jansen Romeyn, Dr. John Van Emburgh, Hendrick Hopper, Ryck Lydecker, Juriaen Lubbertsen (Westervelt), Herman Brass, Abraham Huysman, Isaac Vreeland, Nicholas Devoe, Walling Jacobsen (Van Winkle), Elinor Mellinot, Folkert Hansen (Van Nostrand), Thomas Staag, Alexander Alliare, Peter France, Nicholas Kipp, Corneliese Christiansen, John Christiansen, Charles Maclean, and Anthony Anthonys (a negro), each of whom settled on the portions purchased by them. The “Moonachie” section he sold to Rutt Van Horn, Nicasie Kipp, and Thomas France. The Zabriskies, Voorheeses, Brinkerhoffs, Demarests, Coopers, Van Reipens, and Powlesses acquired interests in the tract at an early date. In 1668 Samuel Edsall and Nicholas Varlet bought from the native Indians section 3, comprising 1,872 acres of “waste land and meadow,” bounded east by the Hudson River, west by the Hackensack River and Overpeck Creek, and south by the “Town and Corporation of Bergen.” The extent of this tract was two and a half miles from north to south, and the north boundary, beginning at Aquepuck Creek below Fort Lee, on the Hudson, ran northwest to the Overpeck Creek near Leonia. Subsequently Carteret gave Edsall and Varlet a patent of this tract. Nicholas Varlet soon after sold his interest in it to Edsall, who, in 1671con, conveyed the northerly part of it to Michael Smith (a son-in-law of Major John Berry). Smith, at his death, left it to his son and heir-at-law of Samuel Edsall, deceased, who settled on it and devised it to his children.

Biographies of Bergen County, New Jersey

Genealogies of Bergen County, New Jersey

Source: Harvey, Cornelius Burnham, Editor; Genealogical History of Hudson and Bergen Counties, New Jersey, New York: The New Jersey Genealogical Publishing Company, 1900.

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