Family of Evert

Family of Evert^4 Van Wickle(n)

Evert^4 Van Wickle(n) (Simon^3, Evert^2, Jentie^1 Jeppes), b. 1725, Somerset County, NJ

Married: Cornelia Lupardus (b. 1727, Jamaica, L.I.) mar. (lic.) 9 December 1752 Somerset County, NJ

Children:
1. Ann Van Wickle, b. 1754, NJ

Parents:
Evert's parents are Simon and Geradina (Kouwenhoven) Van Wickle(n)
Cornelia's parents are Christian and Antye (___) Lupardus

Background information:

Evert^4 Van Wickle(n) (Simon^3, Evert^2, Jentie^1 Jeppes) was b. 1725 in Somerset County, NJ and bap. 1 January 1726 at the Raritan Dutch Church, NJ. Philip Volkert and his wife Metje were sponsors; Metje is Evert’s grandmother, and Philip--her second husband. Evert^4 married Cornelia Lupardus (9 December 1752-date of license) in Somerset County, NJ. Cornelia was born 1727 in Jamaica, L.I. and bap. 3 March 1727. They had one child Ann^5 Van Wicklin, b. 1754 and bap. 27 September 1754, New Brunswick RDC, and she d. 1808, just two years before their untimely death. Ann married Rev. Abraham Beach, then Rector of Christ Church, New Brunswick, later Assistant Rector of Trinity Church, New York City (1784-1813), after which he retired to the Van Wickle farm (Appleton's Cyclopedia, see below).

Children: Ann Van Wickle, b. 1754, NJ

Evert and Cornelia both died 3 March 1757. He made a will the day before he died, adding a codicil the day of his death. The will names his wife, daughter, his brother and all his sisters. He and Cornelia died in a fire. (Myterious that he made a will one day before he and his wife died in a fire.) They are buried on the farm at Raritan. Their grave, overlooking the Raritan River, is a brick tomb with a brown stone slab inscribed “On the 3d day of March 1757, Evert Van Wickle and Cornelia his wife accompanied each other to the Land of the Spirits. One grave contains their ashes and this stone is erected over it by their only child Ann, then an infant, but now the wife of Abraham Beach, D.D.” As of 1936 the house was still occupied by descendents.

It appears that the Van Wicklen’s descended from Simon^3 who went to New Jersey adopted the surname Van Wickle (dropping the n). It is evidenced in the tomb inscription cited above. It is also seen in Simon’s home which today is referred to as the Van Wickle house.

Will of Evert^4 Van Wickle(n)

Evert Van Wicklen, d. 2 March 1757, Somerset Co., NY; Calendar of NJ Wills, Vol III 1751-1760

yeoman, will of: Wife, Cornelia. Daughter, Antje. Brother, Nicholas van Wicklen, Brother-in-law, Ram Lupardus, Sisters--Mattje (wife of George Anderson, Jr.), Seytje (wife of John Boyce), Dinah (wife of John Probasco), Antje (wife of Jacob Suydam). Children of deceased sister, Elsee, late wife of Joseph Mount. Real and personal estate, Executors--brother, Nicholas and brother-in-law, Ram Lupardus. Witnesses--John van Buren, Barnardus Lagrange and Brunt Neume--(in German script, very indistinct), Codicil of March 3, 1757, provides that outset, given to wife Cornelia by father, Christianus Lupardus, and devised to daughter Antje, shall go in case of Antje's death without issue, to wife's sister Anatje, wife of Cornelius Duryea, of Long Island, Witnesses--John Van Bueren and Barnardus Lagrange. Proved March 17, 1757.

Source:
Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography 1 [1887]:202-03. (contains information on Rev. Abraham Beach, husband of Ann
(Van Wickle) Beach)

Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol III 1751-1760 (Evert Van Wicklen) (submitted by Georgi Sills in 24 July 2000 email)

Harry Macy, Jr. The Van Wicklen/Van Wickle Family: Including its Frisian Origin and Connections to Minnerly and Kranchheyt; The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 128, No. 4 (October 1997); p. 251.

Is Evert and Cornelia's home haunted? (source: hauntedhouses.com - Evert Van Wickle house - "The Meadows" (New Jersey))

LOCATION

Built before the Revolutionary War, one can find this restored, historical home in Franklin Township, New Jersey. It was built in a secluded area, which is hidden by the trees and where a person can gain access to the house only after traveling a narrow, curvy road.

DESCRIPTION & HISTORY:

This beautifully restored 18th century home was built as a wedding present for Evert and Cornelia Van Wickle, in 1752. The young couple died on the same day, on March 3rd, 1757, way before their time. They are buried on a hill, under some trees, although there is a Revolutionary War era cemetery located on the house's estate, which was established in a time after their death. The house has a main downstairs, an upstairs and an attic. Sometime in its history, the second floor was made into a residence by itself. The house was privately owned up until 1976, when the Franklin Township officials bought the whole estate as a historical site, to be restored to it's former greatness.

MANIFESTATIONS:

"The Meadows" has long been known to be haunted. Several people have had recent experiences which tell of the sometimes rascally, sometimes helpful, and sometimes tormented entities, who occupy the house.

1) Kay & Ed had bought and lived in the house, from 1975 to 1978, and rented out the 2nd floor unit to other people. They had moved in with visions of having peace and quiet, but found that the house was crowded with unexpected company.

a) Kay found a pool of water on a chair in the living room where she had been sitting only a moment before. The puddle seemed to come out of nowhere, when she had gotten up to get something.

b) While walking in the living room, a doily, which had been on a chair, flew past her head, landing on the floor, way across the room.

c) The couple's dog and cat would sit together in the living room, looking up at the ceiling. The dog would be wagging its tail, while the cat would be hissing.

d) Kay and Ed lived with daily annoyances, such as unexplained, self- slamming doors, and a radio which would turn itself on loudly and unpredictably during the night.

e) However, on several occasions, the blasting sound of the radio woke up Ed when he had overslept, so he could get to work on time.

f) Kay heard a woman's voice that was calling Ed's name.

g) After shouting to the unseen entities that he would burn down the house, if they didn't behave themselves, Ed awoke one morning to find that there were 5 misty apparitions appearing before him. Two were standing at the foot of the bed, while the other 3 were sitting on the bed. On cue, they all floated into the bathroom together and disappeared.

2) Matt and Leslie moved into "The Meadows" in 1978, to be the caretaker and the curator of this historical home which was now owned by the Franklin Township. Annoyances and unusual occurrences started right away.

a) After moving in, their sleep would be interrupted by a noisy knocker on the front door, which would knock all by itself.

b) Various items and objects in the house would disappear and turn up somewhere else, or vanish altogether.

c) Some unseen entity knew the cost of electricity, for lights would turn themselves off when the couple would go to another place in the house, or outside.

d) Both heard unexplained sounds in the attic.

e) While Matt was working on a conduit under the house, an icy, unseen hand touched his shoulder gently, as if to tell him to be careful.

f) On two different occasions, Leslie awoke to find a middle-aged lady apparition, dressed in past-era clothing, standing at the foot of the bed. The couple wasn't scared of her, for she was a kindly spirit who was there to protect them, they felt.

3) In 1979, a new caretaker, Harry, moved into the upstairs unit, that had been renovated by Matt.

a) One night, Harry was awakened by a blood-curdling, tormented scream of a tortured soul, which came from below the kitchen window. The next morning, Harry found that the kitchen windowsill's potted plant had been broken in the middle of the floor. In 1980, Harry heard the same horrendous scream again.

b) When his daughter, J., came to visit, she complained to him one morning that someone was noisily doing the dishes in the middle of the night, complete with pot banging and dish rattling

Still Haunted? Definitely Yes!

It is assumed that at least 5 restless ghosts reside here. Two are thought to be the spirits of Evert and Cornelia Van Wickle. When their graves were temporarily dug up, only their ashes were found. As cremation was banned during the time that they were living, it's assumed that they perished in a fire. The other three seen apparitions are perhaps former owners of the house. Sometimes, those unfortunates who are killed before their time, may have trouble passing on to the other side. They may not know that they have died. Or, they try to live out their normal life time, perhaps trying to be helpful. In some cases, they try to get revenge in some way on the living, through pranks, annoying or scary behavior. Also, they sometimes reinact their horrible death over and over to the living, who don't understand it.