Monmouth County NJ Archives Biographies.....Crawford, William Henry 1809 - 1874
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  Author: Mary Depue Ogden, Editor  (1917)
  
  CRAWFORD, William Henry,
  Exemplary Citizen.
  
    Sixty-five years was the span of life allotted to William H. Crawford, years
  passed in honor amid most pleasant surroundings, his home the famous Bowne manor
  house at Crawford's Corner, in Holmdel township, Monmouth county, New Jersey,
  the eastern part of which was built by Captain John Bowne, some time prior to
  1684, the western part by his son, Obadiah Bowne, in 1701. His life was passed
  in the management of his large estate and in promoting the general welfare of
  his community. He was a man of quiet tastes and high character, held in highest
  esteem.
  
    He was a descendant of John Crawford, of Ayrshire, Scotland, who came to
  America in 1672; William Bowne, of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1637; and of William
  Scott, who, with his wife, Abigail Tilton Warner, moved from Long Island to
  Monmouth county in 1682 or 1683.
  
    The surname Crawford was originally derived from the barony of Crawford, in
  Lanarkshire, Scotland, long held by feudal lords who eventually took their title
  from it. The first person of record to bear the name was Johannes de Crawford,
  who is of frequent mention in the registry of Kelso about 1140, from whom has
  been traced a long line of descendants in England, Ireland and Scotland. In
  1296, during the reign of Alexander II., Sir Reginald de Craufurd was appointed
  heritable sheriff of Ayrshire, and the name was closely associated with Scottish
  history down to Alexander, son of Sir Malcolm and Margaret (Cunningham)
  Crawford, who was a sea captain and owner of the ship he commanded. About the
  year 1612 he settled in Ireland, where descendants became numerous.
  
    Crawford Arms—Argent, a fess ermine. In chief two spears saltire, sable. Crest
  —A stag's head surmounted by a triple cross.   Motto—Tut em te robore reddem.
  
    (I) John Crawford, the first of the family in this country, came from
  Ayrshire, Scotland, about 1672, first making settlement in Massachusetts, then
  lived on Long Island, finally settling in Middletown, Monmouth county, New
  Jersey, as early as 1678. He is first of record in New Jersey in a deed from
  Richard Gibbons and wife, dated December 11, 1678, conveying to him a house and
  lot in Middletown, assigned to the grantor in the first division of the land in
  1667, under the Nichols Patent. The original deed was in the possession of
  descendants of John Crawford for 227 years, then (in 1895) was presented to the
  Monmouth County Historical Society (Monmouth County Deeds A, see facsimile in
  "Historical and Biographical Atlas of New Jersey Coast," page 69). Between 1691
  and 1694 a number of men from Monmouth county and Long Island founded a town
  called Portsmouth, on Delaware Bay, in the lower township of Cape May county,
  about three miles north of Cape May Point, and the earliest deed for land at
  Portsmouth was made April 1, 1699, to John Crawford, for 300 acres. 1678,
  December 11: He bought a house and lot in Middletown, New Jersey, from Richard
  Gibbons and wife. 1678: He was licensed to keep an ordinary or public
  victualling house at Middletown. 1679, March 15: John Crawford made a mortgage
  to Robert Hamilton. 1680, November 25: He had 306 acres of a proprietary grant
  surveyed for him at Middletown. 1682, April 10: Richard Hartshorne, attorney for
  Thomas Snowsell, sold forty acres in Middletown to John Crawford. 1682, July 11:
  John Crawford bought land on the south side of the highway in Middletown, as it
  runs east and west from Samuel Moor, of Woodbridge, attorney for Mr. Anthony
  Checkely, of Boston, who received the same by process of law by a marshal's bill
  of sale of lands of Thomas Snowsell, July 10, 1682. 1684-5: John C. sold to
  Richard Hartshorne one hundred acres of land on the south side of said town
  (Middletown) adjoining the home lots of Richard Stout, Richard Gibbons and John
  Smith. 1685, September 19: He sold 130 acres in Middletown to Jeremiah Bennet.
  March 25, 1687, he had a tract of 280 acres at Waykake, conveyed to him by
  patent from the proprietors of East Jersey. 1687, December 3: John Crawford,
  Gentleman, of Middletown, received a grant of land from the proprietors, bounded
  by Richard Gibbons and John Wilson, containing 200 acres, lying in Nutswamp,
  occupied by his descendants till recently. 1691, August 3: John Crawford, of
  Middletown, conveyed 280 acres to his son, John Crawford, Jr., of the same
  place, lying at Waykake, Monmouth county, New Jersey. 1692, April 30: John
  Crawford, of Middletown, and his wife Elizabeth, sold a sixteen acre house lot
  in Middletown to Major Anthony Brockhole, of New York City. 1693, August 18:
  John Crawford, of Middletown, sold to Richard Hartshorne the sixteen acre
  homelot bought of Richard Gibbons in 1678. 1694: John Crawford died, and was
  buried upon his farm in Nutswamp, Middletown. His wife Elizabeth died about the
  same time. They had at least two sons, George and John.
  
    (II) John (2) Crawford, son of John (1) and Elizabeth Crawford, remained in
  Monmouth county, where his father conveyed land to him by deed dated August 3,
  1691, but not signed and delivered until March 9, 1693 (Trenton Deeds F, 739;
  Monmouth Deeds A, 36). His father also gave him the Nutswamp tract which has
  been the Crawford homestead for many generations. He was a grand juror of
  Monmouth county in 1693. Not later than 1698 he married Abigail, surname
  unknown, who bore him at least one son, George Crawford. 1698: John Crawford,
  Jr., and wife Abigail, of Middletown, sold to Elisha Lawrence, of the same
  place, 280 acres, which he received from his father, August 3, 1691. 1704,
  November 25: Administration was granted on the estate of John Crawford, Jr., of
  Middletown.
  
    (III) George Crawford, who so far as known was the only son of John (2) and
  Abigail Crawford, lived on the old Crawford homestead at Nutswamp, in
  Middletown township, first conveyed to his grandfather, John Crawford, in 1687,
  where he died in 1745. His will, dated March 15, 1745, was proved at Perth
  Amboy, May 10, 1745, and is recorded at Trenton (D. 279). February 28, 1723,
  George Crawford, of Middletown, conveyed to Nicholas Stillwell, of same place,
  weaver, land in Middletown, which he had received through his grandfather, John
  Crawford, who took title to it in 1687. George Crawford married, about 1726,
  Esther Scott, of Shrewsbury, born May 13, 1701, daughter of John Scott, whose
  will was made and proved 1736, recorded at Trenton, volume C.
  
    The Scott family of Shrewsbury, New Jersey, is descended from William Scott,
  the first of the family to settle in Shrewsbury, and his wife, Abigail Tilton
  Warner. He was a member of the Society of Friends. John, son of William and
  Abigail T. (Warner) Scott, born January 9, 1680, at Gravesend, Long Island,
  married Mary Bills, about the year 1700, and resided on the homestead inherited
  from his father, near Newman's Springs, in Shrewsbury township, Monmouth county.
  Mary was a daughter of Thomas Bills, and his second wife, Johanna Twining, who
  was a sister of his first wife, Anna Twining. Thomas Bills lived at Eastham and
  Yarmouth, Massachusetts, Burlington, New Jersey; Woodbridge, in the same State,
  finally settling at Shrewsbury. John and Mary (Bills) Scott were the parents of
  eleven children, the eldest, Esther, born May 13, 1701, becoming the wife of
  George Crawford, and the mother of his seven children: George; Richard; William,
  mentioned below; Job; Joshua; Lydia; and Elizabeth, born in 1745, after her
  father's death.
  
    (IV) William Crawford, third son of George and Esther (Scott) Crawford,
  married (license dated December 27, 1756) Catherine Bowne, daughter of Captain
  John (3) and Anny (Lippitt) Bowne, and granddaughter of Obadiah Bowne, son of
  Captain John (1) Bowne, eldest son of William Bowne, the founder of the
  family in America. Children: Esther, born February 3, 1761, married Robert
  White; William, mentioned below; John Bowne, November 27, 1767, married Caro
  line Field; Mary, married George Smith.
  
    (V) William (2) Crawford, son of William (1) and Catherine (Bowne) Crawford,
  was born October 9, 1763, and died December 14, 1837. He was one of the wealthy
  men of his time, inheriting a goodly share of his father's estate, which had
  been greatly increased through the lands his wife, Catherine Bowne, brought to
  him. He married Rebecca Patterson, born October 9, 1768, daughter of John
  Patterson, of Middletown township. Children: John Bowne, married Catherine
  Crawford; William, died young; William Henry, mentioned below; James Patterson,
  married Margaretta Bowne; Anne Bowne, married Hendrick Conover.
  
    (VI) William Henry Crawford, third son of William (2) and Rebecca (Patterson)
  Crawford, was born August 18, 1809, near what is now the town of Holmdel,
  Monmouth county, New Jersey, and died December 21, 1874, at his home on that
  part of the Bowne homestead at Crawford's Corner, in Holmdel township, on which
  stood the large dwelling house erected by Captain John Bowne (1), and his son,
  Qbadiah Bowne. His brother, John Bowne Crawford, inherited the Crawford
  homestead at Nutswamp and there  resided, and to William H. came the Bowne acres
  largely. These constituted a goodly estate, and in their cultivation and care he
  found his life work. He received a good education at Middletown Academy, and all
  his life was a friend of progress and supporter of every forward movement in his
  community. He was a member and generous supporter of the Baptist church, a
  Democrat in politics, and one of Holmdel's most highly esteemed citizens. His
  years, sixty-five, were well spent, and he left to posterity a precious memory.
  
    He married, January 8, 1834, Leah, daughter of Cornelius R. and Mary
  (Stoutenborough) Conover (see Conover VII), who bore him children: Holmes
  Conover (deceased), married Evelyn Peterson; William Henry (deceased), married
  Phebe A. Duryea; John Bowne (deceased), married Henrietta Schenck; Albro Benton
  (deceased); Charles Voorhees, mentioned below; Mary Jane Leslie, died September
  6, 1904; Jamesanna Lawrence, now residing in Holmdel; Sarah Elizabeth
  (deceased), married Daniel T. Polhemus; Katherine Bibb (deceased), married
  Horace A. Field.
  
    (VII) Charles Voorhees Crawford, fifth son of William Henry and Leah (Conover)
  Crawford, was born November 17, 1844, at the old homestead at Crawford's Corner,
  Holmdel township, Monmouth county, New Jersey, and died at Keyport, New Jersey,
  April 16, 1908, aged sixty-four years, the last male survivor of his family.
  After graduation from Glenwood Institute, Matawan, New Jersey, he entered the
  hardware business in New York City, so continuing for a number of years, very
  successfully. After he had amassed a competency he retired from business,
  returned to the old homestead and then for several years was a director and
  secretary of the Keyport Banking Company.
  
    He never married, was very fond of the old homestead and its surroundings, and
  was one of the most upright of men, held in high esteem by all who knew him.
  Several months prior to his death he suffered a paralytic stroke which was the
  primary cause of his death. He was buried in Holmdel Cemetery, April 18, 1908.
  
  (The Bowne Line).
  
    The Bowne arms are thus described: Arms—Ermine, a lion rampant or, on a canton
  of the second a mullet sable. Crest — A demilion rampant sable, holding in its
  dexter paw a sprig of laurel leaves proper.   Motto—Fama nominis bona.
  
    The Bowne estate that was united with the Crawford estate by the marriage of
  William Crawford and Catherine Bowne, was first owned by William Bowne, founder
  of one of the oldest New Jersey families, and one of the grantees of the
  Monmouth Patent in 1665. He was in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1631, there
  receiving a grant of land, May 17, 1637, and soon after moved to Gravesend, Long
  Island, where he was granted a "planting lot," November 12, 1646. He was
  assistant justice in 1651, and attended a council at New Amsterdam, held October
  12, 1655. From 1655 to 1662, inclusive, he was a magistrate. He was granted a
  farm November 13, 1656, and in 1665 was one of the grantees of the Monmouth
  patent in New Jersey. In 1667 he was located at Portland Point (Atlantic
  Highlands), had a house lot at Middletown in 1675, and died at Portland Point,
  Monmouth county, New Jersey, in 1677. He was a member of Assembly of New Jersey
  in 1669, and member of the General Court of deputies and patentees, the same
  year. His first wife, whose Christian name was Ann, bore him five children:
  John, mentioned below; James; Andrew; Philip; Deborah, married Gershom Mott.
  (II) Captain John Bowne, eldest son of William and Ann Bowne, was born about
  1630, in England, and was with his father at Gravesend, where he received a
  "planting lot" in 1647, and was one of the signers of a petition for a minister
  in 1660. He appears frequently in the records as both a buyer and a seller of
  land, and was one of the party who on December 6,1663, visited lands lying along
  the Raritan river, in New Jersey. He was a delegate to the Hempstead Convention,
  February 28, 1665, and in the same year, April 8, 1665, was one of the twelve
  patentees of the Monmouth Patent (his father also appearing as one of the
  grantees). He settled on this property in 1667, and was head of one of the first
  five families in the county. He was a member of the patentees' court in 1670;
  was deputy in 1675-1683, during the last four years was speaker of the house,
  and sat in the first legislature under the twenty-four proprietors; was a judge
  of Monmouth county courts, and in August, 1673, was deputized with the admirals
  and commanders belonging to the States-General and Prince of Orange. He was
  elected to the first Provincial Assembly of New Jersey in 1680 (page 87 of Col.
  of Eng. Man.), also in 1681-82 and 1683; and in 1682 was speaker of the house
  (page 167). He was the first justice of the peace for Monmouth county in 1683,
  and in December of that year was commissioned major of the First Militia
  Battalion of Monmouth county. He was one of the founders of the first Baptist
  church ever organized in New Jersey, and donated the ground at Middletown for
  the first church and for a cemetery. Although never ordained, he acted as the
  first minister of that church, until a regular minister was settled over the
  church, whose house was built in 1688-89. He was one of the largest landowners
  in the county, his acres being numbered in the thousands, partly located at what
  is now known as Crawford's Corner, near the town of Holmdel, then Middletown,
  and from there extending to Raritan Bay. His father's Westfield estate came to
  him in 1678, and 167 acres of it, with the homestead site, is still owned in the
  family, this ownership now covering a period of 237 years. He died January 4,
  1684. From the late James G. Crawford's Bowne papers is taken the following:
  
    Words of advice spoken by Capt. John Bowne to his children as he lay on his
  death bed, January 3, 1684: "There is no way in the world for a man to obtain
  felicity in this world, or in the world to come, but to take heed to the ways of
  the Lord, and to put his trust in Him, who doals faithfully and truly with all
  men, for He knocks at the doors of your heart and calls you to come and buy,
  without money and without price. My desire is that in all actions of Meum et
  tuum you deal not deceitfully, but plain hearted with all men, and remember that
  your dying father left it with you for your instruction that when trust is with
  your honor, to preserve it. And in all contracts and bargains that you make,
  violate not your promise, and you will have praise. Let your mother be your
  counsellor in all matters of difference, and go not to lawyers, but ask her
  counsel first. If at any time you have an advantage of a poor man at law, O!
  pursue it not, but rather forgive him if he hath done you wrong, and if you do
  so you will help the law of God and of His people. Give not away to youthful
  jollities and sports, but improve your leisure time in the service of God. Let
  no good man be dealt churlishly by you, but entertain when they come to your
  house. But if a vicious, wicked man come, give him meat and drink to refresh
  him, and let him pass by your door. It has been many times in my thoughts that
  for a man to marry a wife and have children and never take care to instruct
  them, but leave them worse than the beasts of the field, so that as a man ask
  concerning the things of God, they know not what it means. O! this is a very sad
  thing, but if we can season our hearts so as to desire the Lord to assist us, He
  will help us, and not fly from us."
  
    It was Captain John Bowne who built the eastern part of the old Manor house, a
  mansion built in the most substantial manner. His grave is in the old burying
  ground at Middletown, and is marked by the oldest stone in the yard. From the
  Bowne papers owned by the late James G. Crawford is taken the following:
  
     After Capt. John Bowne's death, to divide his estate as follows,—First—Lydia
  (Holmes) Bowne is to have all the buildings of the deceased John Bowne, with all
  improved lands, with one-third of the whole plantation, called Westfield, during
  her natural life, and then the said third with all buildings and improvements
  whatsoever, shall return to Obadiah Bowne, his heirs and assigns forever, and
  also the said Lydia Bowne is to have one-third part of the movables, amounting
  unto the sum of 114 pounds, to be at her sole disposal. * * * Fourthly— Obadiah
  Bowne is to have all the remainder of the plantation called Westfield, be it
  more or less, to have and to hold to him, the said Obadiah Bowne, his heirs and
  assigns forever, and the said Obadiah Bowne is to have 41 pounds for his share
  of the movables, etc. etc. Capt. John Bowne and his wife, Lydia Bowne, died in
  the old part of the home on the Westfield property and Obadiah Bowne resided and
  died there. On April 15, 1697, John Bowne (2), son of Capt. John Bowne (1),
  conveyed to his brother, Obadiah Bowne, of Monmouth County, New Jersey, all his
  rights, titles, etc. in 769 acres of land at Westfield, in Middletown Township,
  formerly belonging to their father, Capt. John Bowne (1), in 1678.*
  
    Captain John Bowne married (first) Lydia, daughter of Rev. Obadiah and
  Catherine (Hyde) Holmes. Rev. Obadiah Holmes was a faithful leader of the
  Baptists of Rhode Island, who, rather than submit to an unjust fine, was
  publicly whipped by the authorities in 1653. He died in Newport, Rhode Island,
  October 15, 1682. As Captain John Bowne's widow, Lydia Bowne is of frequent
  mention in the old road records from 1684 until 1693, and is the party to whom
  the Indians deeded certain lands May 10, 1690, also receiving 500 acres in
  Monmouth county in 1688. Lydia Bowne's antique snuff-box and many other things
  are in possession of the remaining member of the family. Captain John Bowne
  married (second) July 12, 1669, Mary Haverlads Felt. Issue (by first wife):
  Captain John (2), born April 1, 1664, married Frances Bowman; Obadiah, mentioned
  below; Deborah, January 26, 1668, at Gravesend, Long Island, married Richard
  Stillwell. (By second wife): Sarah, November 27, 1670, at Gravesend, married
  Richard Saltar; Catherine, born at Middletown, New Jersey, married William, son
  of Richard Hartshorne.
  
  
    *On settling Capt. John Bowne'a estate occurs the following: "Between ye
  widow, Lydia Bowne, and ye children of the deceased John Bowne. and Gershom
  Mott, son of ye deceased John Bowne's sister, according to ye agreement of ye
  abovesald parties, as witness our hands this 29th of April, 1686."
  
  
    Andrew Bowne, a brother of Captain John (1) Bowne, was a member of the council
  of East New Jersey in 1692; president of the court of sessions in 1696; sat in a
  council held by the General Assembly at Perth Amboy in 1699, as deputy governor,
  an office he held from, 1682 until 1703; was commissioned in 1704, by Governor
  Basse, to be third judge and assistant to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
  of Judicature for the province of East Jersey, and continued in that office
  until 1706, by Lord Cornbury; was commissioned Governor and Commander-in-Chief
  with power to appoint a deputy governor, by the committee of proprietors of East
  Jersey in America, residing in or about London, and by the rest of the
  proprietors of the said provinces, March 27, 1701 (Liber of Com., pages 65-66).
  Governor Hamilton refused to recognize this commission and he retained the
  offices against all opposition. Governor Andrew Bowne died in 1707, his will,
  dated May 6, 1707, giving his estate to his wife Elizabeth, and after her death
  to his grandchildren, John, Anne and Lydia, children of Obadiah Bowne and
  Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew Bowne.
  
    (III) Obadiah  Bowne,  second  son of Captain John and Lydia (Holmes) Bowne,
  was born July 18, 1666, at Gravesend, Long Island, and died at the homestead at
  Crawford's Corner (called Westfield), Monmouth county, New Jersey, April 19,
  1726. He was a man of education, of great ability and independent spirit, and
  highly respected. He served in 1696-97 as assessor, and later on a committee to
  lay out roads. In 1703-04 he was a member of the first and second provincial
  assemblies, and in 1707 represented the eastern district in the assembly. His
  name appears in many land transactions, and he was one of the important men of
  his day.
  
    He inherited that part of his father's estate upon which stood the old
  homestead, built by his father, Captain John Bowne, and in 1701 he built the
  entire western part, with a fine English hall and stairway, with a massive arch,
  supported on each side by triple carved columns, which were all kept intact. The
  immense parlor, with beautiful arches and an enormous double chimney, which ran
  from the cellar and took in almost the entire western end of the house, had a
  large open fireplace, surrounded by Biblical tiles, which was walled up. The
  wide carved wood frieze was removed, also the large parlor door, upon which was
  painted Biblical scenes and upon the upper panel the Bowne crest. This western
  part of the Manor house, built by Obadiah Bowne, was like the eastern part,
  built in a most substantial manner, the walls, which were very thick, being
  filled in with clay. The floor beams were of hewn logs, some of them sixteen
  inches square, while the laths were of the toughest swamp oak, worked to proper
  dimensions with the axe, and the shingles were scalloped. The nails used were
  made by a blacksmith from wrought iron, some of them are in possession of the
  family. This Manor house was 75 feet by 45 feet.
  
    Obadiah Bowne married (first) his cousin, Elizabeth, daughter of Governor
  Andrew Bowne, who bore him three children: John, mentioned below; Ann, born
  March 22, 1701, married William Channing, a New York merchant; Lydia, February
  11, 1703, married John Pintard. Their grandfather, Governor Andrew Bowne, of
  Middletown, in his last will, gave all his plantation, called Matawan, unto
  these children of his daughter, Elizabeth. Obadiah Bowne married (second)
  Elizabeth Longfield, daughter of Cornelius and Alary Longfield, and had four
  children: Alary, born May 23, 1712, died February 22, 1743, married Dr. Richard
  Stillwell, son of Richard Stillwell and Deborah Bowne; Cornelius, born October
  15, 1713, had wife Sarah; Obadiah (2), born April 16, 1717, lived in
  Philadelphia in 1743, was a mariner, and married, in 1749, Anna, daughter of
  Colonel John Reid and Mary Sands; Thomas, born June 9, 1721, lived in New York,
  was a mariner, and married, in 1748, Helen, daughter of Colonel John and Mary
  (Sands) Reid. August 20, 1747, Obadiah (2), Cornelius and Thomas Bowne
  (mariners) conveyed to John Bowne (3), their elder brother, their share in the
  land, containing 632 acres, and the Manor house, formerly the dwelling place of
  their father, Obadiah Bowne, "which now is and has been for years the dwelling
  place of the said John Bowne (3d)," in exchange for 513 acres at Matawan, which
  was left John Bowne (3d) and his two sisters by their father, Obadiah Bowne.
  John Bowne (3d) also received land at Chingaroras (Keyport) from his three
  brothers—Cornelius, Obadiah (2) and Thomas, which had been conveyed to them by
  their father, Obadiah Bowne. In 1730 James Paul of Scotland and Middletown,
  made his will and left all he had to the children of Obadiah Bowne and his
  second wife, Elizabeth Longfield, "in consideration of manifold favors and
  kindness received from Obadiah Bowne in his life time, as my diet and
  entertainment for several years with other provisions for me made by him,, both
  in my sickness and health." (From Bowne-Crawford papers).
  
    (IV) Captain John (3) Bowne, eldest child of Obadiah and Elizabeth (Bowne)
  Bowne, was born May 29, 1700. and died in the latter part of the year 1774. He
  inherited the homestead and other lands, was judge of Monmouth county in 1741-
  42, an educated, honored gentleman, spending his life in the management of his
  valuable estate. He married Anny Lippitt, born November 29, 1702, daughter of
  Moses and Sarah (Throckmorton) Lippitt, of Middletown. Children: Lydia, born
  October 25, 1732; Andrew, May 26, 1734; Catherine, mentioned below. Much of the
  Sheffield silver of John Bowne (3d) is still in possession of the remaining
  member of the family.
  
    (V) Catherine Crawford, daughter of Captain John (3) and Anny (Lippitt) Bowne,
  was born March 12, 1736, and on December 27, 1756, married William Crawford,
  bringing to her husband the Bowne estate and Manor house, so long in her family,
  both residing there until their death. The famous house which has been known as
  both "Manor house" and "Crawford Hall" was the family residence until destroyed
  by fire, June 17, 1895. The destruction of all wooden parts of the famous
  structure was complete, the large double chimney, the four old-fashioned
  fireplaces, the arches and the cellar vaults alone remaining to mark the site of
  this long-time home of two of Monmouth's noted families, the Bownes and Crawfords.
  
  (The Conover Line).
  
    This is a variation of the old Dutch name which appears in earliest New York
  records as Cowenhoven, Couwenhoven, Kouwenhoven and Van Couwenhoven. The form
  Kouwenhoven is retained by that branch of the family which remained on Long
  Island, while most of the descendants who settled in New Jersey have taken the
  form Conover.
  
    Couwenhoven Arms—Argent, a cross azure, on a canton three leopards' heads
  erased, gules. Crest—A leopard's head of the shield, between two wings addorsed,
  the dexter argent, the sinister azure. Motto—Scqnitur victoria fortes (Victory
  follows the brave).
  
    (I) Wolfert Gerretson Van Kowenhoven, the progenitor of the Conover family in
  this country, came from Amersfoort, province of Utrecht, Holland, in the ship
  "Eendracht," and landed March 2i, 1630, accompanied by his family. His
  birthplace, Amersfoort, was an ancient city, formerly surrounded with a wall,
  with twenty towers, broken down in 1829. He was employed in 1630 as
  superintendent of farms by the Patroon Van Rensselaer, at Rensselaerwyck, now
  Albany; subsequent to this he cultivated a farm on Manhattan Island, and later
  located on Long Island. In June, 1637, in association with Andrus Hudde, they
  purchased the westermost part of three flats in Flatlands and Flatbush, and a
  patent was issued to them by Director Van Twiller, June 16 of that year. In
  1639 he purchased the interest of Hudde in these lands, the deed for a house,
  barn, barrack and garden, dated August 2. He took a deed dated September 16,
  1641, from Hudde, of lands in the same neighborhood, including sixty-eight
  morgens of plainland and fifty-five and one-half acres of woodland. Their
  settlement was first named New Amersfoort, in honor of the city of Wolfert's
  nativity, and afterwards Flatlands. He probably removed to New Amsterdam some
  years before his death, as he appears as a great burgher there in 1657, and died
  in June, 1660. He was commissioner to Holland, 1653. His wife's name was Neeltje
  (Nellie), and they are known to have had sons: Gerret, mentioned below; Jacob,
  who was one of the agents in 1649, on the part of the community to Holland;
  Peter, who was a brewer on the corner of the present Whitehall and Pearl streets
  in New Amsterdam, where, among other offices, he held that of magistrate for
  many years.
  
    (II) Gerret Wolfertson Van Kowenhoven, son of Wolfert Gerretson and Neeltje
  Van Kowenhoven, was born 1610, in Holland, died 1645. He came with his father to
  America and resided in Flatlands, where he purchased of Andrus Hudde fifty
  morgens of land at "Achlervelt," the deed bearing date July 26, 1638. He was one
  of the eight men representing the people, who memorialized the States-General,
  November 3, 1643, setting forth the unprotected condition of the settlers, and
  praying for better provision against Indian depredations. A patent for nineteen
  morgens of land was issued in his name, March 11, 1747, after his death. He
  married Altie, daughter of Cornelius and Altie (Cooley) Lambertson, of Gowanus.
  Children: William Gerretse, mentioned below; Jan Gerretse, born 1639, married
  Gerdientje, daughter of Nicasius De Sille, fiscal of New Netherlands; Neeltje
  Gerretse, born 1641, died 1672, married, 1660, Roelof Martinse Schenck, of
  Flatlands; Marritje Gerretse, born 1643, died 1709, married Coert Stephense Van
  Voorhees.
  
    (III) William Gerretse Van Kouwenhoven, elder son of Gerret and Altie
  (Lambertson) Van Kowenhoven, was born 1636, in Flatlands, and resided early in
  life in Brooklyn, where he was a magistrate in 1661, 1662 and 1664, and deacon
  of the Reformed Dutch Church in 1663. He removed thence to Flatlands, his name
  being on the patent for that town in 1667, and on the assessment rolls in 1675,
  1683 and 1693. He was an elder of the Reformed Dutch Church there in 1677, and
  subscribed to the oath of allegiance in 1687. He sold his lands there to his son
  William, in 1709, and probably removed in his old age to Monmouth county, New
  Jersey, where he died in 1727.
  
    He married (first) in 1660, Altie, daughter of Joris Dircksen and Susanna
  (Dibbles) Brinckerhoff, who was widow Matthews, and lived but a short time after
  her marriage to Kouwenhoven. He married (second) February 12, 1665, Jannetje,
  daughter of Peter and Sarah (DePlancken) Montfoort. Children: Gerret, born
  January 4, 1662, resided at Flatlands and Wallabout; Altje, born December 14,
  1665, married, March 16, 1687, Cornelius Seymonse Van Arsdalen, of Flatlands,
  died before 1691; Neeltje, born February 7, 1669, married John Peterse Wyckoff,
  of Freehold, New Jersey; Peter, born February 12, 1671, lived in New Jersey;
  Cornelius, mentioned below; Sarah, born December 20, 1674, died January 31,
  1731, married, 1692, John R. Schenck, of New Jersey; Albert, born December 7,
  1676, lived in New Jersey; Jacob, born January 29, 1679, lived in New Jersey;
  John, born April 9, 1681, lived in New Jersey; Annatie, born April 13, 1683,
  married (first) Albert Williamsen, (second) Johannes Antonides, both of Monmouth
  county, New Jersey; William, born March 7, 1686; Joris; Jacomina, born December
  28, 1689, married, June 5, 1709, Elbert Williamson, of Monmouth county, New
  Jersey. The three sons, Cornelius, Albert and Jacob, married three daughters of
  Rulof Martense Schenck, whose wife was Neeltje, daughter of Gerret Wolfertse Van
  Kouwenhoven.
  
    (IV) Cornelius Williamson Van Couwenhoven, son of William Gerretse and his
  second wife, Jannetje (Montfoort) Van Kouwenhoven, was born November 29, 1672,
  and died May 16, 1736, settled in 
  
  [transcriber's note: the pagination in the book is continuous, but there is
  obviously something missing from the narrative at this point]
  
  and 1287. He sold his estate in Geyen, April 1, 1287. His wife died in 1271, and
  in her memory he gave a revenue to the Convent of Graevendael, near Goch, in
  whose cloister she was buried. Of their seven children, four were living in 1301.
  
    (I)	Heinrich Schenck van Nydeck, the first from whom a continuous line can be
  traced, is mentioned in 1346 as a grandson of Wilhelmus Schenck, but the name of
  his father is unknown. In 1359 he was assessed four men and horses, fully
  equipped and armed, in fulfilment of a treaty made by the Netherlands
  authorities. He was Lord of Afferden, a village in Geldern, and also Feoffer of
  Wachtendonk. He sold the Court of Munster, July 12, 1389, later called Munster
  Mannshof, in the county of Geldern.
  
    He married Aleid Van Rayde, who inherited the castle of Walbeck, which thus
  came into possession of the Schenck family. In consideration of one-half the
  revenues of this estate, in 1581, Wilhelm van Julich, Duke of Geldern, assumed
  the protection of the village and parish. Heinrich Schenck had sons: Wynand and
  Heinrich; and a daughter, Lizbeth, who became a nun at Graevendael. His estate
  was divided, December 31, 1403.
  
    (II) Heinrich (2) Schenck van Nydeck. junior son of Heinrich (1) and Aleid
  Schenck van Nydeck, received the Court of Ten Broke, in Kampen, and an estate at
  Ottersum, beside some revenues, and became co-heir, with his brother, to some
  other properties. The brother gave him his share of Walbeck, and having no
  heirs, the entire estate and title fell ultimately to the junior son, Heinrich,
  who was bailiff of Geldern, and died December 8, 1452.
  
    He married Alheid van Goen van Kaldenbrock, daughter of Allerd van Kaldenbrock
  and Anna Montfoort, his wife. They had three children: Diedrick, Johann and Alheit.
  
    (III) Diedrick Schenck van Nydeck, elder son of Heinrick (2) Schenck van
  Nydeck, inherited the paternal estates, to which he added largely. Like his
  predecessors he was a benefactor of the Convent of Graevendael, to which he gave
  an estate, June 1, 1443. He died 1487. Of his eleven children, two were monks
  and three were nuns.
  
    (IV) Derick Schenck van Nydeck. fourth son of Diedrick Schenck van Nydeck,
  received some property by inheritance, and in 1515 assumed the title and
  ownership of the estate through the death of his elder brothers, and was Lord of
  Afferden and Blydenbeck.
  
    He married Alheit Custers, of Arssen. He had previously contracted two
  inorganic marriages, and for seventy years his estate was in litigation. The
  civil courts decided in favor of his children, but the Pope decided against
  them, and the matter was finally carried before the Emperor, Charles V., who
  ordered the decree of the Pope sustained, October 21, r549. As continental
  Europe was at this time in a state of almost constant war, the estate suffered
  heavily. Derick Schenck had children: Otto, Derick. Peter, Heinrich, Johann,
  YYinand, Adelheid, Maria and Margaretha.
  
    (V) Derick (2) Schenck van Nydeck, second son of Derick (1) and Alheit
  (Custers) Schenck van Nydeck, was born about 1485, resided at Goch, and was Lord
  of Afferden and Blydenbeck.
  
    He married Maria van Galen, and but one child is recorded.
  
    (VI) Diedrick (2) Schenck van Nydeck, son of Derick (2) and Maria (van Galen)
  Schenck van Nydeck, born about 1507, was Lord of Afferden and Blydendeck, and
  resided at Goch.
  
    He married Anna Van Berlaer. Children: Martin, Peter, Johann, Maria Margaretha
  and Maria Magdalina.
  
    (VII) Peter Schenck van Nydeck, second son of Diedrick (2) and Anna (Van
  Berlaer) Schenck van Nydeck, was born in 1547, at Goch, and distinguished
  himself in the wars which raged almost continuously in the Netherlands, becoming
  a general of the troops which defended his native country.
  
    He married, at Doesburg, May 17,1580, Johanna Van Scherpenzeel. They had
  children: Wilhelmina and Martin.
  
    (VIII) Martin Schenck, only son of Peter and Johanna Schenck van Nydeck, was
  born August 7, 1584, at Doesburg, and started for America with three of his
  children, dying on the voyage. The constant wars in the Netherlands had made the
  position of the family uncomfortable, and its members came to the New World to
  improve their prospects. They are supposed to have arrived in the ship "de
  Valckener," in June, 1650. The elder son, Roelof, settled in Flatlands, Long
  Island, as did also the junior son, Jan. The daughter, Anetje, married Adrian
  Reyersz, of Flatlands.
  
    (IX) Roelof Schenck, elder son of Martin Schenck, was born in 1619, at
  Amersfoort, Holland, and came to America in 1650 with his brother and sister,
  settling in Flatlands, Long Island. He resided for a time in Brooklyn, and
  removed about 1660 to Amersfoort (Flatlands), where he died in 1704. He received
  a grant of twenty-three morgens of land there, January 29, 1661. He subsequently
  purchased two hundred acres and also bought of his brother one-half of the mill
  subsequently known as "Crookes Mill." He was one of the grantees in the
  confirmatory patent issued by Governor Nicolls, October 4, 1667. He was a
  magistrate in 1664, and was deputy to the council held in the city hall at New
  Amsterdam, March 26, 1674. He was appointed schepen, August 16, 1676, and
  elected lieutenant of the local militia, October 25 of the same year. In 1687 he
  subscribed to the oath of allegiance to the British government, was commissioned
  December 12, 1689, a justice for King's county, and held this office in 1693. He
  was commissioned captain of a company of horse for King's county, January 13,
  1690. On a valuation of property made in September, 1676, he was credited with
  personal estate valued at -£152 14s, including five horses, sixteen head of
  cattle and three swine, and also with fifty-two morgens of land valued at £104,
  making a total of £256 14s—a large valuation in that day. Only one estate in the
  town was assessed at greater value, and in 1681 his was the highest in value in
  the town. In 1691 he possessed four slaves.
  
    He married (first) in 1660, Neeltje (Nelly), daughter of Gerret Wolfertson Van
  Kowenhoven. She was baptized September 20, 1641, in Flatlands, and died about
  1673. He married (second) in 1675, Annatje, daughter of Peter Clausen Wyckoff,
  and (third) November 19, 1688, Catherine Crigers, widow of Stoffel Hoojland. His
  first wife was a granddaughter of Wolfert Gerretsen Van Kowenhoven, who came
  from Amersfoort, Holland, in 1630, and died in 1661. His wife bore the name of
  Neeltje, and their son, Gerret, born 1610, died 1645. His wife, Altje
  Cornelisse, was a daughter of Cornells Lambertsen Pool, of Gowanus, Long Island,
  and they were the parents of Neeltje, wife of Martin Roelof Schenck. Children:
  Martin, born June 22, 1661; Annatje, about 1663; Jannetje, about 1665; Marike,
  February 14, 1667; Jan, March 1, 1670; Gerret, October 27, 1671, died young.
  Children of second wife: Margaret, mentioned below; Neeltje; Maryken and Gerret.
  
    (X) Margaret Roelofse Schenck, daughter of Roelof Schenck and child of his
  second wife, Annatje Wyckoff, became the wife of Cornelius Willemse Conover, of
  Middletown, New Jersey (see Conover IV).
  
  
  Additional Comments:
  
  Extracted from:
  
  MEMORIAL CYCLOPEDIA OF NEW JERSEY
  
  UNDER THE EDITORIAL SUPERVISION OF MARY DEPUE OGDEN
  
  VOLUME III
  MEMORIAL HISTORY COMPANY NEWARK,  NEW JERSEY
  1917
  
  
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