THE
Op DYCK GENEALOGY,
CONTAINING THE
OPDYCK- OPDYCKE - OPDYKE- UPDIKE
AMERICAN DESCENDANTS
OF THE
WESEL AND HOLLAND FAMILIES,
By
CHARLES WILSON OPDYKE,
WITH AN INVESTIGATION INTO THEIR OP DEN DYCK ANCESTORS IN EUROPE,
By LEONARD ECKSTEIN OPDYCKE.
Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land.
PRINTED FOR
CHARLES W. OPDYKE, LEONARD E. OPDYCKE AND WILLIAMS. OPDYKE,
NEW YORK, 1889,
BY WEED, PARSONS & CO., ALBANY, N. Y.
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by going to the top of your browser, click Edit and then click find on this page. Type in the desired search word and click. This will take you to the places on
the page where this word is found. It will take you through all of the places that this word is found on this page PREFACE. This collection of records and recollections was begun three years ago to gratify my own
interest, and has now so grown that its preservation requires this book. Beside the many
members of the various branches of the family who have contributed valuable material to the
work, the following antiquarians are entitled to my thanks for their kind assistance in matters
relating to the colonial and revolutionary periods: Hon. Berthold Fernow, Keeper of State
Historical Records at Albany; James Riker of Waverly, N. Y., author of Annals of Newtown;
Van Brunt Bergen, of Bay Ridge, L. I., who has given access to the valuable unpublished notes
of his father, the well known genealogist Tennis G. Bergen; J. O. Austin of Providence, the
Rhode Island genealogist; William S. Stryker, Adjt. Gen. of N. J., the compiler of the Rolls of N.
J. Soldiers in the Revolution; William H. Stillwell of Brooklyn, the historian of Gravesend; Dr.
Henry Race of Pittstown, N. J., an untiring student of old Hunterdon history; Andrew D.
Mellick, Jr., of .Plainfield, a most successful collector of accurate information regarding colonial
life in New Jersey; Mr. O'Gorman, the antiquarian Town Clerk of Newtown, L. I.; Hon. Charles
D. Deshler of New Brunswick, N. J.; and William F. Wyckoff of Jamaica, L. I. My kinsman, L. E. Opdycke, desires me to express his sense of obligation to the following
gentlemen for their courteous aid in his searches in Germany and Holland: the Rev. Dr. Boelitz,
Senior Pastor at Wesel-on Rhine; the Privy Counsellor Dr. Waldemar Harless, Director of the
Royal Prussian Archives at Dusseldorf; Heer J. F. Bylevelde and the Baron Sloet, Director and
Assistant Director of the Royal-provincial Archives at Arnhem, Holland. CHARLES WILSON OPDYKE. May, 1889. NINETY-FIVE PAGES OF ILLUSTRATIONS. The facsimiles of ancient documents are all taken from the originals on the official files. The old
New Jersey wills bear the official endorsements of the Governors of the Colony, but these are
omitted to give more room for the wills themselves. Through the favor of Governor Abbett and
of Secretary of State Kelsey, these wills were sent, in charge of a special officer, to Edward
Bierstadt of New York to be photographed and then, with the photographs from Wesel and
Elburg, and those of American homesteads,-transferred to plates from which the illustrations are
printed. The portraits of representatives of the various branches are from such pictures as have been
gathered, reproduced by the Heliotype Printing Company of Boston. CONTENTS. WESEL OP DEN DYCKS; 1261-1616. PAGES. Eight generations of the ancestors of Gysbert op Dyck,- burgomasters, schepens, etc. ; their
doings, homes, and seals; chronicles of Wesel, its churches and
institutions..................................................................................... 1- 45 AMERICAN DESCENDANTS OF THE WESEL FAMILY; 1638-1889. 46-126 First generation. Gysbert op Dyck, New York, 1638-1.664; commander of Fort Hope; official
and private life, patent for Coney Island, house in Stone Street, etc.; Dutch records; struggles of
the Dutch colony.......................... 46-69 Richard Smith Sr., father of Gysbert's wife; his Mespath colony and Narragansett trading house;
conflict with R. I. General Assembly; Richard Smith Jr.; Gysbert's children inherit Narragansett
property; " Smith castle " (Updike Mansion) at
Wickford.................................................................................................................................................. 69-84 Second generation. Change of name to Updike; Lodowick, 1646 - 1737; King Philip's war;
development of Wickford; Richard's death in the Swamp Fight; James at Boston and Wickford;
Daniel captured by Algerine pirates; Rhode Island records
....................................................................................................................................................
84-99 Third generation. Richard, of Kingstown, R. I.; active career of Daniel, twenty-four years Atty.
Genl. of R. I. Colony....... 99-106 Fourth to eighth generations. Chapter A. Descendants of Richard, in R. I., Mass., N. Y., Ohio, Ill., Ia., Mo., La., and
Cuba............ 107-110 Chapter B. Descendants of Daniel (Atty.Genl.), in R. I., Mass., N. Y., and Pa.; life in
Narragansett in the last century; sketches of Lodowick 2d, Daniel 2d (Atty. Genl. of R.I. State),
and Wilkins, of R. I..................... 110-126 HOLLAND OP DEN DYCKS; 1355-1889 PAGES. 127-135 Elburg; historical and descriptive sketch; op den Dycks, 1355-1662; burgomaster, sheriff, etc.;
estates, seals, records. .....
...................................................................................................................................................................127-134 The present Oppedyk family at Ylst, 1654-1889
......................................................................................... 134-135 AMERICAN DESCENDANTS OF THE HOLLAND FAMILY; 1653-1889. First generation. Lonris Jansen op Dyck; early history of Holland; Lonris at Albany, New York,
and Gravesend, 1653-1659; his houses and land; local descriptions;
records........................................................................ 136-154 Second generation. Johannes Louwrensen Opdyck, 1651-1729, life at Dutch Kills, Newtown, L.
I.; migration in 1697 to West Jersey; his purchases at what are now Lawrenceville, Trenton, and
Pennington; early settlement of old Maidenhead and Hopewell townships; records
................................................................................ 155-180 Third generation. Johannes' children at Lawrenceville and Trenton; Lawrence Updick,
1675-1748; Albert Opdyek, 1685-1752; early churches and courts;' colonial life in New Jersey;
records.................... ............................180-202 Fourth generation, Lawrence's sons; their early settlements: William Updike at Dutch Neck, N.
J.; John Updike at Princeton; Revolutionary, incidents; Tunis and his probable Updike
descendants....... ................................. 202-214 Samuel Green, pioneer in Sussex Co., N. J.; Samuel Green Jr. and the Hope Moravians
............................. 214-217 Albert's four sons, ancestors of all the Opdyckes, Opdykes, and Obdykes in America; their early
settlements in Hunterdon, N. J.: -Esq. John Opdycke in old Amwell; his house Washington's
Headquarters; Joshua Opdyke in Kingwood; - Hunterdon in the Revolution; William Opdycke
(Obdike) at Lawrenceville; Benjamin Opdycke in Bethlehem; their farms, mills, stores, and local
offices; old homesteads; sketches and records....217-235 John Updike; his settlement in Loudoun Co., Virginia, in 1750; letters from his descendants;
sketches ....... 236-241 Fifth generation. Updikes remaining at Dutch Neck and Princeton: -Levi, Lawrence, Isaac,
William, and Peter; " Updike road" and grave-yards near Princeton; Revolution ary soldiers;
depredations of the British and their adherents; migration of Burgoon, Roliph, Abraham, Jacob,
and John Jr., to Tompkins Co., N. Y.; " Updike settlement," Log Church, and grave-yard, in
Ulysses township; characteristics of Tompkins county Updikes; sketches and records ..........
241-258 Opdyckes and Opdykes: -George, Samuel, Thomas, Esq. Richard, Esq. Luther, William, Robert,
Hope, Capt. Albert and Joshua,-all abiding in Hunterdon; Revolutionary soldiers; migration of
John to Warren Co., N. J., and of Samuel to Troy and Seneca Co., N. Y.; local offices, farms,
mills, stores, old homesteads, churches and grave-yards; manumission of slaves; sketches and
records .................................................................................................................................
259-281 Sons of John Updike the Virginian: - Samuel of Bordentown, N. J.; Amon, Rufus, Daniel, and
John Jr., in Virginia; sketches of their settlements and homesteads; strength of their descendants;
Revolutionary incident ....................... 281-284 Sixth to ninth generations.
Chapter C. Descendants of Levi Updike, in Mercer Co., N. J. Jerseyville, Ill., etc.; Revolutionary soldiers and sketches
........................................................................................................................................................................285-289 Chapter D. Descendants of Lawrence Updike, in Ind., N. Y., N. J., etc.; Indiana pioneers and Union soldiers;
sketches....................... . ................................................................................................................................. 289-299 Chapter E. Descendants of Burgoon Updike, in N. Y. and Mich.; Burgoon's homestead in Ulysses, Tompkins, N. Y.;
sketches...............................:..........:................................................................................................................... 299-302 Chapter F. Descendants of William Updike, in N. J., Ill., Ia., New York City, etc.; their size, strength, and longevity;
sketches.............................................................................................................................................................. 302-310 Chapter G. Descendants of Roliph Updike, in Grass Lake, Mich., Belleville, Ill., etc.; Michigan pioneers............. 310-312 Chapter H. Descendants of Abraham Updike, in Tompkins Co., N. Y., Grass Lake, Mich., etc.; sketches of Abraham G.,
Samuel, and others; Michigan pioneers ................................................................................................................. 313-321 Chapter I. Descendants of Jacob Updike, in N. J., Tompkins Co., Binghamton, and Elmira, N. Y., Tioga Co., Pa., Hillsdale
and Sherman, Mich., etc.; sketches of Jacob's six stalwart sons; Pennsylvania pioneers.... ...................................... 321-329 Chapter J. Descendants of Peter Updike, in N. J., Ohio, Neb., and Chicago; the home at Pennington, N. J.; Chicago
pioneer; New Jersey enterprise in Nebraska .......................................................................................................... 330-335 Chapter K. Descendants of John Updike Jr., in Ohio, Ill., Ia., and gas.; Jeremiah's migration to the lake country, N. Y., and
Mt: Liberty, Ohio................................................................................................................................................. 335-338 Chapter L. Descendants of George Opdycke, in N. J., Bucks and Montgomery Counties and Philadelphia, Pa., Conn.,N. Y.,
Ill., gas., Cal., and Oregon; Opdycke's Ferry on Delaware river; Joseph R. pioneer at Morris, Ill.; Stacy B. pioneer at
Kaskaskia and a founder of Springfield, Ill.; Judge Andrew S. of Carlinville, Ill.; and other sketches.. .................. 338-350 Chapter M. Descendants of Samuel Opdycke, in N. J., N. Y. City, and Col.; Sheriff John, and Samuel G., lawyer, of
Hunterdon, N. J................................................................................................................................................... 351-355 Chapter N. Descendants of Thomas Opdycke, in Hunterdon and Somerset, N. J., and Ill..................................... 356-358 Chapter O. Descendants of Esq. Richard Opdycke, in Hunterdon, N. J., Seneca, N. Y., Bucks, Pa., Jerseyville, Ill., - Mich.,
Wise., etc.; Richard's nine athletic sons; rich farms in Bucks Co., Pa., and Seneca Co., N. Y.; sketches................ 358-368 Chapter P. Descendants of Esq. Luther Opdycke, in Hunterdon etc., N. J., N. Y. City and Seneca, N. Y.; Hudson, Mason,
etc., Mich., Plymouth and Shiloh, Ohio, Conn., Pa., gas., and Arizona; early settlement of John in Richland Co., Ohio; life of
Mayor George Opdyke of N. Y. City; sketches of Luther, Rev. Sylvester H., Rev. Hiram D., of N. J., and
others....................................................................................................................................................................368-394 Chapter Q. Descendants of John Opdyke, in Warren Co. etc., N. J., Albany and Troy, N. Y., Jesup and Le Mars, Ia.,
Ashland, gas., etc.; millers; sketches ..................................................................................................................... 395-400 Chapter R
Chapter S. Descendants of Hope Opdyke, in Trenton, Greenwich, and Bridgeton, N. J., Philadelphia, Ill., etc.; Opdykes and Updikes; sketches................................................................................................................................................ 405-409
Chapter T. Descendants of Samuel Opdyke (Updike), in Seneca, N. Y., Tecumseh, Mich., etc.; only living great grandson of Albert Opdyk....................................................................................................................................................... 409-411
Chapter U. Descendants of Capt. Albert Opdycke, in N. J., N. Y., Pa., Ohio, Ind., Ill., Ia., gas., Neb., Col., Tex., and Cal.; early settlements in Ohio by Henry, Peter, and Albert; and in Ind. by Henry C.; the old New Jersey homestead; Ohio pioneer life; military career of Gen. Emerson Opdycke; other sketches............................................................................. 411-429
Chapter V. Descendants of Joshua Opdycke, in N. J., N. Y., Pa., Ohio, Ill., Mo., Minn., Neb., Col., and Cal.; Joshua's old farm and mill in N. J.; migrations to Utica, Ohio, Stark Co., Ill., and Bible Grove, Mo.; Cornelius M., his repeated trips across the Continent and early mining in California; war raids in Missouri ........................................................... 429-441
Chapter W. Descendants of Amon Updike, in Bedford Co., etc., Virginia; brave Confederate soldiers.......... ..... 441-444
Chapter X. Descendants of Rufus Updike, in Shenandoah Valley, etc., Virginia, and in Ohio; early hunting in the Blue Ridge mountains; Capt. James G. of the Stonewall Brigade; touching incident at Bull Run; characteristics of Virginia Updikes ........................................................................................................................................................................... 444-449
Chapter Y. Descendants of Daniel Updike, in Bentonville, etc., Virginia, and Ohio.............................................. 449-450
Chapter Z. Descendants of John Updike Jr., in Warren, Rappahannock, and Albemarle Counties, Virginia, West Leipsic, etc., Ohio; letter from Miss Zorelda W. of Bentonville.......................................................................................... 450-453
Page. Line.
93, 35, should read: given in our Chapter B.
98, 2, " the Rhode Island branch.
108, 27, " although he was also a sea captain.
110, 2, " is a merchant in Belton, Texas.
135, 4, " op den Dycks of Wesel and Elburg.
154, 18, " in Mespath 1667 when he married.
159, 12, " made the wood into pipe-staves.
190, 47 " John, (death, in table), 1790.
235, 46, " Joshua, (death, in table), 1800.
289, 15-6, " John, (residence, in table), Smithfield, Pa.
330, 14, " Theodore B.
332, 27 " Frederick P.
389, 6 " married Ida Reed.
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN CITING FROM RECORDS.
Ac. Bks. D.................. Account Books of the Town of Wesel, in Archive Office at Dusseldorf-on-Rhine.
B ......................... Records of West Jersey Proprietors in Surveyor General's Office at Burlington, N. J.
B. B. D..................... Buergerbuch, or List of Admissions to Citizenship of Wesel, in Dusseldorf Archive Office.
C. C. D ..................... Catalogus Consulum, or List of Wesel Magistrates, in Dusseldorf Archive Office.
Ch. Arch. W ....... .. ....Church Archives at Wesel. The number following the word "gef." (gefack) indicates the case in which the book is kept, while the second number is that borne by the book itself.
Clev. Mint Acs. D ........... Account Books of Mint-Master of Duchy of Cleves, in Dusseldorf Archive Office.
C. M. D..................... Wesel Council Minutes, in Dusseldorf Archive Office.
Dutch MSS ......... ....... Historical Manuscripts in State Library, Albany, N. Y. Elb.
Elb. Bapt. Reg. Elb ......... Baptismal Register of Elburg, in Town Hall of that place.
Elb. Ct. Min. A ............. Minutes of Elburg Court, in Archive Office at Arnhem-on Rhine.
Elb. MSS. A........... .... Manuscripts relating to Elburg, in Arnhem Archive Office. The number following the letter "L." (Lade) indicates the box in which the manuscript is kept, while the second number is that borne by the manuscript itself.
Elb. Sch. Book A ........... Minute Book of the Elburg Schepens, in Arnhem Archive Office.
Elb. Town Min. A........... Minutes of Elburg Town Council, in Arnhem Archive Office.
Elb. Urk. A. ........... ... Urkunde, or Sealed Instruments, relating to Elburg, in Arnhem Archive Office. The number following the letter " L." indicates the box in which the instrument is kept, while the second number is that borne by the instrument itself.
F........................... Hunterdon County Records, at Flemington, N. J.
Geld. Lease Bk. A........... Leenaktenboek, or Lease Book, of the Duchy of Gelderland, in Arnhem Archive Office.
Geld. Lease Regist........... Register of Gelderland Leases, in Arnhem Archive Office.
MSS. D..................... Manuscripts relating to Wesel, in Dusseldorf Archive Office. The number following the word "caps." (cap-sel) indicates the box in which the manuscript is kept, while the second number is that borne by the manuscript itself.
Mt. H......... ............. Burlington County Records, at Mt. Holly, N. J.
N .................... Sussex County Records, at Newton, N. J.
N. B ....................... Middlesex County Records, at New Brunswick, N. J.
Newt. R.................... Records in Town Clerk's Office, at Newtown, L. I.
Oldenbrk. Ct. Min., Oldbrk . .Court Minutes of the town of Oldebroek, in the Town Hall of Oldebroek, near Elburg.
P ......................... Records of East Jersey Proprietors, in Surveyor General's Office, at Perth Amboy, N. J.
Register of Kampen etc...... is an official printed catalogue of documents relating to the city of Kampen, near Elburg. A copy of this catalogue is kept in the Arnhem Archive Office.
S .......................... Somerset County Records, at Somerville, N. J.
T .......................... Records on file in the office of the Secretary of State, at Trenton, N. J.
Urk. D..................... Urkunde, or Sealed Instruments, in Dusseldorf Archive Office. The addition of the words " cert. copy " indicates that a certified copy of the document has been deposited in the Library of the N. Y. Historical Society.
CHARTS.
Charts 1 to 4 show the Wesel family and their American descendants; charts 5 to 30 show the family at Elburg, and the American descendants of the Holland family. These charts contain references to pages of the book, and are designed to serve as a family guide. They could all have been given in two large folding sheets, showing the two great family trees in a very impressive manner. The reader however would have found such sheets inconvenient to handle and easily injured; for this reason, the members of the Wesel branch have been divided in four charts, and those of the Holland branch in twenty-six charts.
ARRANGEMENT OF THE BOOK.
The arrangement of the book follows the order of the charts, the Wesel line being placed first because it has been traced to the earlier date.
First the European ancestors, as far as known, are given as they appear in Charts 1 and 5.
Then the early American patriarchs are described in the order of their generations, as shown in Charts 2 and 6.
Finally the later generations are divided into twenty-six groups or chapters, corresponding with the division of the twenty-six remaining charts. Chapters A and B contain the last five generations of the Wesel descendants; Chapters C, to Z the last four generations of the Holland descendants. By this arrangement every present descendant can find grouped together in one chart and chapter all his nearer relatives,-that is, all the descendants of his grandfather, great-grandfather, or great-great-grandfather, according to the generation of the reader.
TABLES OF CHILDREN.
Tables of children, in all parts of the book, show the year of birth, the year of death, the wife or husband, the residence, and the occupation. In cases of married women the occupation given is that of the husband.
Immediately following these tables of children, will be found sketches of daughters and unmarried sons. The sketches of sons that have had married children are generally given later,-in the order of their generation.
NOTATION.
In the Chapters,- A, B, and C to Z,- the notation of children is based upon a system that will be readily understood. For instance the children of 4 are numbered 40, 41, 42, etc.; the children of 41 are numbered 410, 411, 412, etc. To find an individual's an cestor, the reader need only drop the last figures of that individual's number; thus, the father of 412 is 41, and the grandfather is 4.
In the case of the patriarchs of the earlier generations - covered by Charts 2 and 6 - this system is not followed, as the later generations would then have had to be designated by long and unwieldy numbers. In the earlier generations we have therefore substituted page references at the beginning of each sketch, to direct the reader to the ancestors;-and at the end, a reference to the page or chapter where the descendants may be found.