Henry and Lucinda Vreeland

Henry Veeland married Lucinda (Syntje) Jerolamon. Lucinda was the daughter of Cornelius Jerolamon and Jannetje Jarianse. Lucinda was born September 5, 1800 in Passaic, New Jersey. Henry and Lucinda had 9 children, spanning almost 20 years. Their oldest child, Jane Vreeland, was born October 17, 1821. Following Dutch tradition, Jane, their first daughter, was christened with her grandmother, Jannetje Brinkerhoff Vreeland’s name (the American version). Prior to this, as a form of endearment, Dutch girls’ names often ended with je, tje, or ke.

Henry died in 1854. Lucinda lived til 1879.

Paul and Elizabeth Salter

Paul Salter was the first of five children of John Salter and Susannah Mary LaTourette. He was born 11 September 1788. On July 14, 1812, Paul Salter married Elizabeth Cubberly in the Bergen Dutch Reformed Church in Bergen New Jersey. (Elizabeth was born around 1790. Like her future husband, Elizabeth was probably born on Staten Island. She was the daughter of Thomas Cubberly and Mareja (Mary) Mercereau. Paul was 23. Elizabeth was a year or 2 younger at the time of their marriage. Then on July 18, 1812, just four days after Paul and Elizabeth’s wedding, President James Madison asked Congress for a declaration of war on Great Britain. Twenty-three year old, Paul served as a soldier, a private, during the War of 1812. According to an old copy of the ‘History of Henderson County’, Paul was considered an ‘honorable and energetic citizen’. Sometime between 1810 and 1813, Paul had moved from Staten Island to Ocean County, New Jersey. Part of this area was called Salterville. They lived in the Old Oyster Bay area. Their home was between Bergen Point and Jersey City. This would have been about 6 ½ miles from Staten Island. Upon returning from his military duty, Paul’s vocation was fishing and oyster raising (sometimes called oyster farming or culturing). We believe he became known as Captain Paul Salter, more for his occupation as captain of his boat and adventures with his boat and crew, than his time as a soldier.

Paul and Elizabeth became the parents of 8 children. All of their children were born in New Jersey. On August 24, 1815, they named their 2nd son, John Salter. (Later, this John Salter is usually referred to as John Salter Sr.) Their children were:

1. Thomas Salter (May 21, 1813--May 21, 1813, buried in Salter Grove cemetery)
2. John Salter (August 24, 1815--February, 8, 1912, buried Kirkwood cemetery, a few miles away)
3. Mary Salter (1817--1819)
4. Paul L. Salter (1820--September 29, 1885, buried in Salter’s Grove cemetery)
5. Susan Salter (b. abt. 1823)
6. Mary Ann Salter (February 5, 1827--March 21, 1903)
7. Sarah Elizabeth (abt. 1827 - possible twin of Mary Ann)
8. David Salter (1834--October 5, 1862, as a Union soldier in the Civil War)

1819 brought sorrow to their family when Paul and Elizabeth’s little two-year-old daughter died The years went by… Sometime before 1843, Paul, Elizabeth, and several of their children (but not John, who had his own family by now) moved west. It is believed that they lived in Ohio for a brief time. In 1843, they then traveled on - to the most eastern side of Henderson County in the state of Illinois. (The west side of Henderson County borders the Mississippi River.) It appears that all of Paul and Elizabeth’s 7 surviving children eventually moved to Henderson County, Illinois. As mentioned, their son John (who later was known as John Sr.) and his young family remained in the New Jersey area for a time.

At the time of their arrival in Henderson County, Paul bought a tract of land with 800 acres from John Mc’ Kinney. This land had been the first “settled on” in Henderson County. The family initially lived in the small cabin, which had been built by Mr. Mc’ Kinney. This was located on Sec. 15, T. 10, R4. Paul continued to add more land until he was the owner of some 1200 acres of land. Thus, began the love and pride the Salter family had with this land. This area later became known as Salter’s Grove, which included Salter’s Grove Church, Salter’s Grove School, and in time, Salter’s Grove Cemetery.

Searching for Elizabeth Cubberly presented lots of ‘interesting’ challenges. Weeks of searching went by with no concrete information. She was found under her ancestors’ original surname of Coberly. A similar variation with names kept the documentation of her marriage to Paul Saulter hidden for a while. Between Cubberly being changed from Coberly - and Saulter being used instead of Salter, finding her was tricky. In the 1860 Henderson County census Elizabeth was listed as 70 years of age, just a year younger than Paul. The big surprise was that they were living in neighboring Warren County. [Warren County, Illinois, was divided, with the western side becoming Henderson County, in 1841 - just 2 years before Paul and Elizabeth had arrived.] Elizabeth’s younger sister, Gertrude and her husband, Jacob Ackerman, eventually moved to Warren County (just a few miles away from Elizabeth and Paul). As young girls, the two sisters were sometimes called by their nicknames - Betsey (Elizabeth) and Gitty (Gertrude).

In later years, Paul divided what remained of his large estate among his children - sons and daughters. Paul and Elizabeth retired to private life in the village of Kirkwood, 5 miles northeast of the Salter homestead.

Captain Paul died March 15, 1864. He and Elizabeth are buried in Salter’s Grove Cemetery - next to their young granddaughter, Rachel. There is a taller monument next to Paul’s marker. The monument shows two clasped hands. It reads ‘My Husband’. So, Elizabeth would have still been living when Paul died. There does not appear to be a record of her in 1870 census.

The prior generation: George and Jane Vreeland, Thomas and Marja (Mary) Cubberly, John and Susannah Salter

John and Susannah Salter

John Salter married Susannah Mary LaTourette. Susannah was born about 1767. Her parents were Paul LaTourette and Sarah Merrill. Susannah’s great-great grandparents, Jean LaTourette and Marie Mercereau came to America from Bearne, France in 1685. It was great fun to delve into the LaTourette family history and discover that the LaTourette men enjoyed meeting their friends at - the Black Horse Tavern (the Black Horse Tavern was owned by John’s father, Daniel Salter). All five of John and Susannah’s children were baptized in the Dutch Reformed Church of Port Richmond on Staten Island. John and Susannah’s first child (of 5), Paul Salter, was born, on Staten Island, on September 11, 1788.

The 1790 U.S. census shows that the John Salter household in Northfield (Staten Island, N.Y.) consisted of 3. One male adult white male, one adult white female, and one white male under 16 (who would have been little Paul).

We do not have any information on how long John Salter lived. He may have lived his entire life on Staten Island - or he may (like his sons) have moved across the river to New Jersey. According to the Bergen Township (now Jersey City, New Jersey) 1840 census (page 227), Susannah was living in the household of her son, the Reverend David B. Salter. She would have been close to 73 years old. Susannah died around 1855.

Thomas and Mareja (Mary) Cubberly

Thomas Cubberly was born December 7, 1749, the son of Isaac Cubberly and Anne Hooper in Middle Essex, New Jersey. On June 16, 1778, Thomas married Mareja (Mary) Mercereau. (Mary was christened October 31, 1756.) She was the oldest of 4 children of Jacob Mersereau and Fytje Ral.

George and Jane Vreeland

Joris (George) Vreeland was the son of Michael Vreeland and Annatje Vreeland. He was the oldest of 4 children, born January 31, 1762. In 1780, George wed Jannetje (Jane) Brinkerhoff/Blinkerhoff. The 1790 census shows 9 Brinkerhoff heads of family all in New York area. George and Jane had 11 children - 9 sons and 2 daughters. Their first child was born in 1781. Sixteen years later, on October 11, 1797, their 7th and 8th children - twin sons - were born. George and Jane named their little boys Jacob and Henry Vreeland. Henry’s twin, Jacob, died as an infant. As with many couples in trying to preserve the name, George and Jane named 2 others sons, Jacob. The second also died as an infant. The third died when he was 2. The 1810 Census showed George living in Southfield (on Staten Island), New York. The 1810 census showed only 16 Vreeland’s as the heads of their families. All lived in the New York area.

Prior Salters: Daniel, Ebenezer and Richard.

Daniel Salter was born in Mariner’s Harbor, Staten Island, about 1738. He married a Miss Ellis, her first name is unknown. Their son, John Salter, was born around 1763. He was the first of their four children. Daniel owned land on Staten Island. He was the innkeeper - and owner - of the ‘Black Horse’ Tavern (sometimes referred to as an inn). This was likely a stop on the stagecoach route. Close by, on Amboy Road, was the first church built on Staten Island - and the first trading post in that part of the country. When the British took over Staten Island in July 1775, they ‘billeted themselves’ upon Daniel’s inn, Black Horse. Some of General William Howe’s staff was also housed at the Black Horse. (General Howe, commander of British troops in America, was housed at another inn.) On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted - by delegates of the 13 Colonies. This announced their separation from Great Britain - making them into the United States. (In 1776, Daniel’s son, John, was around 13.) The Revolutionary War would last 8 years - until 1783. When the British soldiers finally left, they took most of Daniel’s movable property with them! The following year - in 1784 - Daniel served as a constable on Staten Island. He was 46 at the time.

Daniel's father, Ebenezer Salter was born around 1696. That was the same year his father, Richard, started his political career. Ebenezer’s last name is usually spelled with an e - Salter, like the rest of the generations in the family). In 1714 Ebenezer married Rebecca Stillwell. Rebecca was born around 1693. She was the daughter of John Stillwell and Rebecca Throckmorton. Like his father, Ebenezer went on to become a member of the New Jersey Assembly. Records show - “On Dec. 16, 1732, Ebenezer Saltar, of Upper Freehold, sold, for £900, to Edward Taylor, Jr., and John Taylor, sons of Edward Taylor, of Shrewsbury, N. J., three hundred and eighty acres and over, lying in Upper Freehold.”

This may have been when the Salter family moved about 30 miles southeast to Staten Island - where they would stay for the next 80 years.

Ebenezer and Rebecca had 6 children, including Manassah, Daniel, Alice, Thomas, Ebzer (Ebenezer) Rebecca lived until 1757. Ebenezer lived 3 more years - until 1760.

Richard Saltar (or his family) came from England. It is believed he was born before 1656. (Richard and his son, Ebenezer appear to be the only ones to spell their surname as: Saltar rather than Salter.) Richard eventually settled in Monmouth County, New Jersey. In 1690, Richard married Sarah Bowne. Sarah was born on Nov. 27, 1669 in Gravesend, Kings Co., Long Island. She was the daughter of John and Lydia (Holmes) Bowne. When Richard Saltar wed Sarah Bowne, he married into a family that was deeply committed to the Baptist Church. Sarah’s father, the late Capt. John Bowne, Sr. had helped found the Baptist Church at Middletown, New Jersey. Bowne had donated the lot for the meetinghouse and served as the church’s first lay preacher. Until his death in 1684 (6 years before Richard and Sarah’s marriage), John Bowne had been a passionate defender of religious freedom and the rights of the people.

On December 23, 1689, Richard made his first recorded purchase of land in Monmouth County. On December 31, 1695, he bought 250 acres for a sum of 47 pounds. In this deed, Saltar was referred to as a ‘planter’. The 3rd son of Richard and Sarah’s 5 children was given the name Ebenezer Saltar. Ebenezer was born around 1696. That same year, in 1696, Richard first became active in colonial politics. It had been 12 years since the death of John Bowne Sr. During the interim, the leadership of the antiproprietary movement had fallen to the Quaker lawyer, Richard Hartshorne. Richard Saltar would become a lawyer, judge, and General Assembly legislator in colonial New Jersey. About 1697, Richard acquired property in the far western part of Monmouth County. Sometime before 1700, he built a house and gristmill on this land. He was to purchase even more land over the years.

In 1704, Richard became a member of the second Assembly of Representatives. Author Daniel J. Weeks, Not for Filthy Lucre's Sake: Richard Salter and the Antiproprietary Movement in East New Jersey, 1665-1707 writes: “Richard Saltar played a leading role in shaping most of the important legislation the second assembly had passed. He had served on the committees that drafted or reported on the militia, highway, pacification, election reform, and court bills. Saltar had helped manage the all-important records of the House of Representatives. These are a testament to the energy and spirit he brought to the task.”

Richard served as Justice from 1704 -1708. Along with other gentlemen from Middletown, he took up adjoining tracts of land in Freehold Township, Monmouth County. On the southern border of this land was the ‘Burlington Path’, which was one of the most important roads in early New Jersey. Richard Saltar owned 2,100 acres in the Northern tract. His land was known as ‘Buckhorn (or Buckhole) Manor’. Within Buckhorn Manor was a stream and pond, which would later be used as a forge. History was in the making in 1714, when Richard brought Mordecai Lincoln and his brother, Abraham, to the area to operate his iron forge. (There would be a marriage between these Lincoln and Saltar families - who would become ancestors of a future President.) The forge (it was called a bloomery then) is believed to have been located close to the Burlington Path, at the junction of Buckhold and Doctor’s Creek. (A bloomery was a furnace where iron ore was ‘smelted’ - producing metallic iron. The metal separated from the other materials in the ore. The final ‘bloom’ was a porous lump of iron. This was then hammered to produce wrought iron. The amount of iron depended upon the time spent and the amount of ore that was added to the bloomery.)

Some Salter genealogists believe that the forge built on the property of Richard Saltar, may have later played a part in supporting the colonial troops during the Revolutionary War. During Saltar’s term as a justice, the Monmouth County Court of Quarter Sessions was first held in Shrewsbury - at the public meetinghouse. In 1715, Monmouth County’s first ‘newly built’ courthouse was a frame courthouse in the town of Freehold.

From Daniel J. Weeks' book, it appears that 1723 was a year of heartache for Richard and Sarah Saltar. In April 1723, their eldest son, Thomas, died - at the age of 30. Only four months later, on August 29th, 1723, their next oldest son, John, also died. John was just 28. Both left wives - and young children still at home. Five years later, Thomas’ wife, (Richard’s daughter-in-law) also died. After Elizabeth’s death, it is likely that at least partial care of Elizabeth and John’s children fell to Richard and Sarah Saltar. Also, in 1723 - despite all these sorrows - Richard Saltar was the chief judge of the Courts of Quarter Sessions and Common Pleas. It appears he held the respect of many of the people in the county. By this time, the bench included jurists of English, Dutch, Scottish, French, and Irish descent and the faiths of Baptists, Quakers, Anglicans, Huguenots, and members of the Dutch Reformed Church.

We don’t know the exact dates of Sarah and Richard’s deaths. According to court documents (found by author Daniel Weeks), both Sarah and Richard Saltar were still living in April of 1737.