In a previous post, I shared information about Anthony and Margaret (Decker) VanScoter. They are my great, great, great, great grandparents. Of note, the descendants of Anthony dropped the Ben part of the surname, and began using the name as VanScoter. Thus, Anthony is considered the founder of the VanScoters.

But now we will go back further in time. Anthony’s parents were: Antony Van Benschoten and Margaret Wells. My great x 5 grandparents. You can find more about them on pages 417 to 419 of the VanScoter genealogy book. Antony was born 9/11/1709 in Kingstown (in New York). He married Margaret on 2/14/1730, as recorded in the church books of Kingstown. She was the daughter of John Wells and Cornelia de Duyster and was baptized in the same church on 12/15/1706. Page 417 says:

“Antony and Margaret had their first three children baptized at Kingston. The fourth, Jacobus, was baptized ‘in Menissing’ but the entry thereof was made in the Kingston records along with twenty two other baptisms performed by Domine Mancius of the Kingston church when on a visit to this frontier settlement on the Delaware before a church had been established there. Their six remaining children were all born and baptized in the Delaware valley above the Water Gap and there it must have been that Antony and Margaret ended their days though as to when that was there is nothing to show. Frontier life leaves few records of itself beyond a subdued wilderness.”  (The  book describes life in the Minnisink Valley during the French and Indian war to give a sense of Antony’s life then.)

You can find the list of their 10 children on pages 418-419, born between approximately 1732 and 1749. Child number 9 was Antony – founder of the VanScoters.

Next post we will look at Antony Van Benschoten’s parents.

* NOTE: This is a free wordpress blog, therefore you will see ads. I have NO control over the ads.*