Jersey City – New Jersey Genealogy

Biography of James B. Vredenburgh of Hudson County

Genealogical history of Hudson and Bergen counties, New Jersey

James B. Vredenburgh is of Holland descent, the respectability of which has been strengthened by intermarriage with the Coles, Schuremans, Van Dorns, Brinckerhoffs, and other of the most prominent Holland families. Isaac Van Vredenburgh (1), a well-to-do citizen, resident, and burgher of the City of Hague, in Holland, had a son who bore the somewhat elongated name of William Isaacsen Van Vredenburgh (2), who, while yet a very young man, enlisted as a soldier in the service of the Dutch West India Company and came to America in May, 1658, on board the good ship “Gilded Beaver.” He seems to … Read more

Biography of John J. Voorhees of Hudson County

Steven Coerts (or Koerts, as he wrote it), the common ancestor of the Voorhees family in Bergen and Hudson Counties, emigrated to this country in April, 1660, coming over on the ship “Spotted Cow,” with his wife and seven children. They came from Ruinen, in the Province of Drenthe, Holland, and from in front of the little hamlet of Hees, near that locality. Hence, the name was a first Van Voorhees, “Van” meaning “from,” “Voor,” meaning “near,” and “Hees” (the hamlet name) “from near” or, “over from Hees.” Steven was not the first of the family to emigrate. In February, … Read more

Genealogy of James A. Romeyn of Bergen County

The Romeyns, Romaines, and Romains, of Bergen County, claim to be of Italian lineage, which they trace to one Giacomo de Ferentino, an Italian gentleman who settled at Rongham Manor, Norfolkshire, England, in the early part of the thirteenth century, and married an English lady, Isabella de Rucham, by whom he had issue two sons, one James A. Romeyn of whom was Peter. This Peter was sent to Rome to be educated, and on his return took the surname of Romaeyn (Peter the Roman). He married a daughter of Thomas De Leicester. Many of Peter’s descendants became noted men in … Read more

The Powless Family of Bergen County

The Powless Family, still very numerous in Bergen County, trace their descent from Paulus Pietersen, who was born at Merwen, Holland, in 1632, and emigrated to this country in 1656. His wife, Tryntie Martens, was among the emigrants who came over from Holland in the ship “Gilded Beaver,” in 1658. The marriage of Paulus Pietersen and Tryntie Martens is that announced on the records of the old Dutch church in New York: “Paulus Pietersen, j.d. Van Merwin int Stiff Aken in lant van Gilbert Sept 1, 1685.” Merwin is a small town in Holland, and Aken a town in Prussian … Read more

Genealogy of John H. Post of Bergen County

Captain Adriaen Post first came to America from Harlengen, Holland, about 1653, as agent or manager of Baron Van der Cappellan’s colony on Staten Island. Upon the destruction of that colony by the Indians early in 1655, Mr. Post fled to Bergen (Jersey City), whence, in September following, he, with his wife, five children, two servants, and one girl, were taken prisoners by the Indians at what is known as the second massacre of Pavonia. The family escaped by the payment of a heavy ransom, and Post was thereupon dispatched by the Bergen colonists to treat with the sachems of … Read more

Biography of Edmund W. Kingsland of Hudson County

Edmund W. Kingsland, President of the Provident Institution for Savings of Jersey City and one of the ablest and best known financiers in Easter New Jersey, was born in Jersey City on the 15th of December, 1839, his parents being Edmund W. and Sarah A. Kingsland. He is a direct descendant in the sixth generation from Isaac Kingsland, an Englishman from the Parish of Christ Church, on the Island of Barbadoes, W. I., and a nephew of Major Nathaniel Kingsland, of the same place. On July 4, 1668, one Captain William Sandford, also of Barbadoes, W. I., purchased of the … Read more

Genealogy of Cornelius Burnham Harvey of Bergen County

The surname Harvey is corrupted from Hervey, and is from an ancient Norman name, Herve or Hervie. M. de Greville in his Mem. Soc. Ant. Norm.. 1644, observes: ” We sometimes call it Hervot le Hervurie. As a family designation it appears in the twelfth century.” Didot, however, in his Nouvelle Biog. Universale, shows the name to have been adopted much earlier, when he speaks of Hervie, Archbishop of Rheims, who, he says, died A.D. 922, and Polydore Virgil, in his Chronicle, says ” Harvey and Hervey ” was Hervicus. ” One of the family,” he adds, ” came over … Read more

Genealogy of Jacob H. Hopper of Bergen County

The Hopper family, it is said, started in France. They spelled the name Hoppe, and finally changed it to Hopper. Some of them went to Holland during times of religious persecution. It is known that Andries (Andrew) Hopper came to America from Amsterdam, Holland, with a wife (and, perhaps, two or three children), as early as 1653, and located in the City of New Amsterdam. The name of his wife does not appear in the New Jersey records. After their arrival the couple had three children born to them: William in 1654, Hendrick in 1656, and Matthew in 1658. Of … Read more

Biography of Gilbert Collins of Bergen County

Gilbert Collins, a Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, was born in Stonington, New London County, Conn., August 26, 1846, and is a descendant of an old English family which originally came from Kent. England. His great-great-grandparents were Daniel Collins and Alice Pell. His great-grandfather, Daniel Collins (1732-1819), of Stonington, served in the Revolutionary War, and according to existing records was First Lieutenant in the First Regiment Connecticut line, formation of 1777, and it is also known that he was in service from 1775. He married Anne Potter. His son Gilbert (1789-1865), grandfather of the present Gilbert Collins, … Read more

Biography of Edmund W. Kingsland of Bergen County

Edmund W. Kingsland, President of the Provident Institution for Savings of Jersey City and one of the ablest and best known financiers in Eastern New Jersey, was born in Jersey City on the 15th of December, 1839, his parents being Edmund W. and Sarah A. Kingsland. He is a direct descendant in the sixth generation from Isaac Kingsland, an Englishman from the Parish of Christ Church, on the Island of Barbadoes, W. I., and a nephew of Major Nathaniel Kingsland, of the same place. On July 4, 1668, one Captain William Sandford, also of Barbadoes, W. 1., purchased of the … Read more