Garret Van Arsdale, Sr.
A Note on the Van Arsdale Name Variations
Surname variations are abundant in the Van Arsdale family and to some extent changed over time. For the purposes of the following discussion, I am calling the early settler of the Town of Fleming (then part of Aurelius), Cayuga Co., New York and client of Jacob Post, Sr.'s tannery on present-day Stone School Road, Garret Van Arsdale, Sr., Van Arsdale being the form adopted by Garret's descendants. Garret used several other forms of his surname during his lifetime, which I will identify when encountered. I also have generally used the standardized Dutch male patronymic name ending "sz." for "son of" (e.g., Jansz. instead or Jansen or Janszen, etc.) to simplify the several forms used in the old records.
Family Origins
Garret's line of the Van Arsdale family has roots in the person of Jan Pauwelsz. van Aedsdaele of Nukerke, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium and his wife Geertie Philipsdr. Halters. One of their sons, variously seen as Symon Jansz. Van Aersdalen or Van Arsdalen, came to New Amsterdam, New Netherland in 1653. He had left his wife, Marijtje Balutsdr., and two children in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands where they died of disease by November 1655. Symon remained in the New World. He married second, ca. 1658, Pieterje (aka Pietertje) Claesen Van Schouw and resided at Nieuw Amersfoort (Flatlands, now part of Brooklyn) on Long Island.
Symon (aka Simon) and Pieterje Van Arsdalen's son, Cornelis Simonsz. Van Arsdalen married as his third wife Marretje Dirkse Ammerman (aka Amerman). Cornelis had farms at Gravesend and Flatlands on Long Island. He appears to have spent some time in New Jersey as his Will was executed in Somerset County in 1738 although later registered at New York, New York. Cornelis died at Flatlands in 1745.
Jacobus Cornelisz. Van Arsdalen was among the nine children of Cornelis and Marretje. He was born at Flatlands in 1709. Jacobus at some point removed to Somerset Co., New Jersey, perhaps by 1738, the year that his father's Will was executed there. He married Alida Hooglandt (aka Hoagland), who was said to have been previously married, in 1752. Their son, Jacob, was baptized at Six Mile Run Reformed Dutch Church in Franklin Township, Somerset Co. on 17 November 1754 under the surname Van Aersdalen (aka Van Arsdalen).
Jacob Van Arsdalen, son of Jacobus and Alida, married a 1st cousin once removed, Aleda (aka Alida) Van Arsdalen, by 1776. Jacob and Aleda apparently lived in the vicinity of Harlingen, Montgomery Township, Somerset Co., New Jersey because at least two of their sons were baptized at the Harlingen Reformed Dutch Church under the surname Van Arsdalen, including Garret Van Arsdale, Sr., the subject of this sketch. Jacob must soon have become involved in the Revolutionary War as a Private in Captain Duryea's Company, 1st Battalion, Somerset County Militia where he was listed under the surname Van Asdalen.
Jacob is present with the surname Van Arsdol in the 1810 federal census of Aurelius, again adjacent to the Post and Peterson families in the portion of Aurelius that would be taken off as the Town of Fleming in March 1823. He died between 15 September and 1 October 1817 (sources differ on the exact date) after executing his Will on 13 September 1817. In his Will and probate documents (the latter dated 29 October 1817), Jacob's surname again appears as Van Arsdol, which may represent the spelling he adopted later in life. I have found no burial record for Jacob although one would expect that he should be in Sand Beach Cemetery in the Town of Fleming based on his support for Sand Beach Church and his farm's proximity to its location. As in the case of Revolutionary War veteran Roger Strickland of Sempronius, Jacob Van Arsdol is another patriot settler of Cayuga Co. to lie in an apparently unrecorded grave where he cannot be properly honored for his service in the founding of this country.
Jacob Van Arsdalen, son of Jacobus and Alida, married a 1st cousin once removed, Aleda (aka Alida) Van Arsdalen, by 1776. Jacob and Aleda apparently lived in the vicinity of Harlingen, Montgomery Township, Somerset Co., New Jersey because at least two of their sons were baptized at the Harlingen Reformed Dutch Church under the surname Van Arsdalen, including Garret Van Arsdale, Sr., the subject of this sketch. Jacob must soon have become involved in the Revolutionary War as a Private in Captain Duryea's Company, 1st Battalion, Somerset County Militia where he was listed under the surname Van Asdalen.
Jacob Van Arsdalen, Sr., Revolutionary War Veteran and Early Settler of Cayuga County
Revolutionary War veteran Jacob Van Arsdalen, Sr. had removed from Somerset County by 1800 when he and at least two of his sons (Jacob, Jr. and Garret) appear in the federal census of Aurelius, Cayuga Co., New York, placing his family among the early Dutch settlers who settled around Owasco Lake. Tax records indicate that Jacob, Sr. owned a farm valued at $350 in 1802. This farm would not have been far from Owasco Lake because Jacob was censused in close proximity to the Post and Peterson families who were early settlers on the western shores of the lake. In 1807, Jacob is listed as Jacob Van Artsdal, Sr. (at least in this transcription of the document) in Meeting House of the United Congregation of the Reformed Low Dutch church at the Owasco Outlet, a list of subscribers for what would later be known as Sand Beach Church in the Town of Fleming, Cayuga Co., New York. Jacob's son, Garret, also is among the subscribers for the Meeting House and appears with the surname Van Artsdal, like his father.Jacob is present with the surname Van Arsdol in the 1810 federal census of Aurelius, again adjacent to the Post and Peterson families in the portion of Aurelius that would be taken off as the Town of Fleming in March 1823. He died between 15 September and 1 October 1817 (sources differ on the exact date) after executing his Will on 13 September 1817. In his Will and probate documents (the latter dated 29 October 1817), Jacob's surname again appears as Van Arsdol, which may represent the spelling he adopted later in life. I have found no burial record for Jacob although one would expect that he should be in Sand Beach Cemetery in the Town of Fleming based on his support for Sand Beach Church and his farm's proximity to its location. As in the case of Revolutionary War veteran Roger Strickland of Sempronius, Jacob Van Arsdol is another patriot settler of Cayuga Co. to lie in an apparently unrecorded grave where he cannot be properly honored for his service in the founding of this country.
Garret Van Arsdale, Sr. and his Time in Cayuga County
Garret, son of Jacob and Aleda Van Arsdalen (aka Van Arsdol), presumably grew up near Harlingen, Montgomery Township, Somerset Co., New Jersey. He married Nelly Quick as his first wife, probably ca. 1798, because the birth and baptism of their son, Peter Quick Van Arsdalen, appear in records of the Harlingen Reformed Dutch Church in 1799. Peter was baptized on 25 August 1799. It seems likely that Garret, Nelly, and Peter removed from Somerset County either in the fall of 1799 or the spring of 1800 because Garret appears in the federal census of 1800 for the Town of Aurelius. Garret possibly was located in that part of the town that was taken off as the Town of Fleming in March 1823 although at some remove from his father, Jacob, who was near Owasco Lake. Tax records of 1802-1803 show that Garret had a small farm with real estate valued at $125, less than half the value of his father's farm and so likely relatively small in acreage. Garret had a personal estate valued at $32 in each of those years.
Garret and Nelly had a second son, recorded as Jacob Van Arsdalen, presumably born 23 June 1801 (the last two digits of the birth year are missing in the record fragment), his tentative birth year generally being supported by Jacob's age given in later census data. Census data for Jacob's birthplace repeatedly give New Jersey, but he was baptized 23 August 1801 at the Old Log Reformed Dutch Church near Brinkerhoff Point (now Burtis Point) on the east side of Owasco Lake. It may be that Jacob's mother, Nelly, had returned to Somerset Co., New Jersey for a time before Jacob's birth. It should be noted that the Old Log Reformed Dutch Church was located in the part of Aurelius that was taken off in 1802 as the Town of Owasco, Cayuga Co., New York.
I believe Garret Van Arsdale, Jr., born 6 June 1804, is the third son of Garret, Sr. and Nelly Quick based on somewhat indirect evidence. Garret, Jr. would later marry Phebe Wyckoff, daughter of Peter Wyckoff and Phebe Ditmars. Phebe Ditmars Wyckoff may be remembered as numbering among the victims of William Freeman in the infamous Van Nest murders of 1846 in the Town of Fleming. Another victim was Sarah Wyckoff Van Nest, sister of Garret, Jr.'s wife, Phebe. Garret, Jr. appears elsewhere in the Tannery Ledger of Jacob Post, Sr. and will be the subject of a future blog post.
Cornelius Van Arsdale, a wounded survivor of the aforementioned murders, is believed to be the fourth son of Garret Van Arsdale, Sr. and the first son borne by Garret, Sr.'s second wife, Polly Whitlock [NOTE: One source transcribes Polly's surname as "Whitbeck"]. I have not found a record for this birth; however, Sheila Saft Tucker writes (p. 44) in The Township of Fleming Cayuga County New York 1823-1973: "Cornelius, a half brother to Mrs. Wyckoff's son-in-law Garret Van Arsdale, [Jr.] had arrived at the home that past Thursday to work for the family." Reference to Cornelius and Garret, Jr. being half-brothers indicates that Garret, Sr.'s first wife, Nelly Quick, was deceased at the time of Cornelius's birth in 1808-1809. Cornelius married three times, the second of which was to Hannah V. D. Van Nest, sister of Van Nest murder victim John G. Van Nest.
Polly Whitlock and Garret Van Arsdale, Sr. next had a son, Henry, whose birth appears in records of the Reformed Dutch Church at the Owasco Outlet (Sand Beach Church) in 1812. At least one more son of Garret, Sr. and Polly is known, John Van Arsdale, born in 1818, presumably in Fleming (then part of Aurelius).
Garret Van Arsdale, Sr. temporarily disappears from Fleming by 1820. Two Garret Van Arsdales appear in the 1820 federal census, one in Ohio and one in Virginia, but there is no evidence that either represent the subject of this discussion. Garret would later remove to Livingston Co., New York so it is possible that he also spent time there in the 1820s. Garret, Sr. resurfaces in Fleming by 1827 when he again appears in the Tannery Ledger of Jacob Post, Sr. About this time, Garret, Sr. marries for the third time to Sarah Tallman, daughter of Peter Tallman and Margaret Cobhem. The one known child of this marriage was Tunis Tallman Van Arsdale, who was born in Fleming 20 September 1829 and would later become a prominent hardware merchant in Cheboygan, Cheboygan Co., Michigan in partnership with Jacob J. Post, a grandson of Jacob Post, Sr. and Jannetie Nevius of Fleming.
Garret, Sr. and Sarah Tallman Van Arsdale appear in the 1830 federal census at Fleming. By 1840, they are at Mount Morris where Garret, Sr. died in 1846, supposedly near Ridge, an historical hamlet and Post Office. Only two of his sons, Henry and Jacob, and wife Sarah appear in probate documents. No burial place is recorded for Garret, Sr. Sarah, however, is buried at Pine Hill Cemetery in Cheboygan. Many of Garret's descendants removed to Kalamazoo Co., Michigan.
I believe Garret Van Arsdale, Jr., born 6 June 1804, is the third son of Garret, Sr. and Nelly Quick based on somewhat indirect evidence. Garret, Jr. would later marry Phebe Wyckoff, daughter of Peter Wyckoff and Phebe Ditmars. Phebe Ditmars Wyckoff may be remembered as numbering among the victims of William Freeman in the infamous Van Nest murders of 1846 in the Town of Fleming. Another victim was Sarah Wyckoff Van Nest, sister of Garret, Jr.'s wife, Phebe. Garret, Jr. appears elsewhere in the Tannery Ledger of Jacob Post, Sr. and will be the subject of a future blog post.
Cornelius Van Arsdale, a wounded survivor of the aforementioned murders, is believed to be the fourth son of Garret Van Arsdale, Sr. and the first son borne by Garret, Sr.'s second wife, Polly Whitlock [NOTE: One source transcribes Polly's surname as "Whitbeck"]. I have not found a record for this birth; however, Sheila Saft Tucker writes (p. 44) in The Township of Fleming Cayuga County New York 1823-1973: "Cornelius, a half brother to Mrs. Wyckoff's son-in-law Garret Van Arsdale, [Jr.] had arrived at the home that past Thursday to work for the family." Reference to Cornelius and Garret, Jr. being half-brothers indicates that Garret, Sr.'s first wife, Nelly Quick, was deceased at the time of Cornelius's birth in 1808-1809. Cornelius married three times, the second of which was to Hannah V. D. Van Nest, sister of Van Nest murder victim John G. Van Nest.
Polly Whitlock and Garret Van Arsdale, Sr. next had a son, Henry, whose birth appears in records of the Reformed Dutch Church at the Owasco Outlet (Sand Beach Church) in 1812. At least one more son of Garret, Sr. and Polly is known, John Van Arsdale, born in 1818, presumably in Fleming (then part of Aurelius).
Garret Van Arsdale, Sr. temporarily disappears from Fleming by 1820. Two Garret Van Arsdales appear in the 1820 federal census, one in Ohio and one in Virginia, but there is no evidence that either represent the subject of this discussion. Garret would later remove to Livingston Co., New York so it is possible that he also spent time there in the 1820s. Garret, Sr. resurfaces in Fleming by 1827 when he again appears in the Tannery Ledger of Jacob Post, Sr. About this time, Garret, Sr. marries for the third time to Sarah Tallman, daughter of Peter Tallman and Margaret Cobhem. The one known child of this marriage was Tunis Tallman Van Arsdale, who was born in Fleming 20 September 1829 and would later become a prominent hardware merchant in Cheboygan, Cheboygan Co., Michigan in partnership with Jacob J. Post, a grandson of Jacob Post, Sr. and Jannetie Nevius of Fleming.
Garret, Sr. and Sarah Tallman Van Arsdale appear in the 1830 federal census at Fleming. By 1840, they are at Mount Morris where Garret, Sr. died in 1846, supposedly near Ridge, an historical hamlet and Post Office. Only two of his sons, Henry and Jacob, and wife Sarah appear in probate documents. No burial place is recorded for Garret, Sr. Sarah, however, is buried at Pine Hill Cemetery in Cheboygan. Many of Garret's descendants removed to Kalamazoo Co., Michigan.
Images of Garret Van Arsdale, Sr.'s (aka Van Artsdal) Account in Jacob Post, Sr.'s Tannery Ledger
 |
| Debit Page (15A) for Garret Van Artsdal's (aka Van Arsdale) Account at the Tannery of Jacob Post, Sr. - Fleming, Cayuga Co., New York |
 |
| Credit Page (15A) for Garret Van Artsdal's (aka Van Arsdale) Account at the Tannery of Jacob Post, Sr. - Fleming, Cayuga Co., New York |
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| Additional Debit Page (2A Bottom) for Garret Van Artsdal's (aka Van Arsdale, V. Nasdallen) Account at the Tannery of Jacob Post, Sr. - Fleming, Cayuga Co., New York |
Transcription of Garret Van Arsdale, Sr.'s (aka Van Artsdal) Account
| Garret Van Artsdal [Van Arsdalen, Van Arsdall, Van Arsdale] | Debit | Garret Van Artsdal [Van Arsdalen, Van Arsdall, Van Arsdale] | Credit | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date
|
Description
|
₤
|
S
|
d
|
Date
|
Description
|
₤
|
S
|
d
|
| October 14, 1811 | To Sundries |
0
|
17
|
0
|
November 1811 | To Cash paid |
0
|
17
|
0
|
| February 18, 1812 | To Leather |
0
|
8
|
0
|
March 6, 1812 | To one Skin |
0
|
5
|
0
|
| March 6, 1812 |
To Leather
|
0
|
1
|
6
|
April 15, 1812 |
To Cash
|
0
|
4
|
6
|
Total [not shown] =
|
1
|
6
|
6
|
Total [not shown] =
|
1
|
6
|
6
|
||
| Note: The ledger shows double underlines under the last debit and credit entries above, indicating that the account was balanced as also apparent from the above totals (not shown in the ledger). | |||||||||
| October 3, 1812 |
To A ½
Side of Soalleather [sole leather] And A peace [piece] of hors
[horse] leather
|
0
|
15
|
0
|
November 12, 1812 |
To Cash
|
0
|
12
|
0
|
| November 12, 1812 |
To Leather
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
December 28, 1812 | By Cash |
0
|
16
|
0
|
To Cash
|
0
|
1
|
6
|
||||||
| May 1813 |
To Sugar 8
½ lb
|
0
|
8
|
6
|
|||||
Total [not shown] =
|
2
|
0
|
6
|
Total [not shown] =
|
1
|
16
|
6
|
||
| Note: The ledger shows double underlines under the last debit and credit entries for 1812-1813 indicating that the account was balanced, but payment of the apparent 4-shilling difference was not shown in the ledger. | |||||||||
| July 15, 1814 |
To ½ Side
of uper [upper] leather
|
0
|
11
|
0
|
July 15, 1815 |
By Cash
|
2
|
0
|
7
|
| October 11, 1814 |
To ½ Side
of Soaleather [sole leather] wt 10 lb
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
|||||
| April 24, 1815 |
To ½ Side
of Soaleather [sole leather] wt 4 ¼ lb
|
0
|
9
|
7
|
|||||
Total =
|
2
|
0
|
7
|
Total [not shown] =
|
2
|
0
|
7
|
||
| Note: The ledger shows a debit total but a credit total was not necessary for a single credit entry. Double underlines under the debit total and lone credit entry indicate that the account was balanced by Garret's cash payment. | |||||||||
| March 8, 1827 |
To Leather
|
0
|
16
|
0
|
No date |
By Cash
|
0
|
16
|
0
|
Total [not shown] =
|
0
|
16
|
0
|
Total [not shown] =
|
0
|
16
|
0
|
||
| Note: The ledger was balanced without need for showing total debits and credits. An apparent duplicate debit entry for leather purchased by Garret in 1827 appears on Page 2A of the Tannery Ledger. This entry identifies the account holder as Garret V. Nasdallen, almost certainly Garret Van Arsdale. The entry on Page 2A, which is X'd out, may have been moved to Page 15A where all other entries for Garret Van Arsdale's account appear. The probable duplicate entry is transcribed below. | |||||||||
| [Page 2A, Garret V. Nasdallen] 1827 |
To Leather
|
0
|
16
|
0
|
|||||
Garret Van Arsdale, Sr.'s (aka Van Artsdal, V. Nasdallen) Purchases and Credits
The first debit entry for Garret is 17 shillings for sundries and is dated about a month prior to the ledger being put into use in November 1811 so must be a sum brought forward to the new ledger, perhaps when Jacob Post, Sr. recorded Garret's cash payment of the balance in November. The account, though balanced, was left open, and Garret purchased leather twice during the late winter of 1811-12. Using a combination of one animal skin valued at 5 shillings and cash in the amount of 4 shillings 6 pence, Garret had cancelled his recently incurred debt by 15 April 1812.
Garret visited the tannery twice in the fall of 1812 to buy sole leather, horse leather, and unspecified leather. The cash entries of 12 November 1812 on the debit and credit pages of the ledger are confusing (at least to me). Garret apparently made a payment of 12 shillings to Jacob but also received 1 shilling 6 pence from Jacob, both recorded the same day. The other curiosity is that the term "to" preceding the item description was twice used in the credit column instead of the usual term "by." Garret's use of 8 1/2 pounds of sugar as part of his payment is interesting. Sugar must have been eagerly sought by Jacob's large family. The account was marked by a double underline as settled in May 1813 despite a 4 shilling difference between the debits and credits shown in the ledger.
In 1814 and 1815, Garret purchased sole leather and upper leather on three occasions. The debit balance of 2 pounds 0 shillings 7 pence was paid in cash on 15 July 1815. Garret does not reappear in the Tannery Ledger of Jacob Post, Sr. until 1827. Presumably, Garret remained in Cayuga County for the next several years because he and his brother, Peter, were appointed Executors of their father's estate in the fall of 1817. As previously discussed, by 1820 Garret does not appear to be present in the county.
Garret purchased unspecified leather on 8 March 1827, showing that he had returned to Fleming prior to that date. This purchase happened to be recorded at two different locations in the Tannery Ledger, probably in error. The first entry, under the name Garret V. Nasdallen, is near the front of the ledger where Jacob Post, Sr. likely was using up unfilled pages. This entry appears to have been crossed out and re-entered on the original, previously used ledger pages labeled for Garret Van Artsdal. The 1827 balance of 16 shillings was paid by cash although the entry is undated. Garret made no more purchases during the unknown number of years that he remained in Fleming (at least until 1830) before removing to Mount Morris.
