Giving Up the Family Bible — Sarah Dumont

B. 9 Mar 1764 in Somerset County, New Jersey¹
M. 30 Apr 1789 in Somerset County, New Jersey²
Husband: Christopher Van Arsdalen
D. 28 Feb 1846 in Somerset County, New Jersey³

When Sarah Dumont was in her old age, she was forced to destroy a precious possession in order to receive a government pension. Sarah was born in Somerset County, New Jersey on March 9, 1764 to Peter Abraham Dumont and Sarah Hegeman, their first child together.¹ Peter had two children from a previous marriage. He was prominent in the area and served as sheriff and judge at various times.⁴ Sarah had seven younger siblings, but three of them died young.

On April 30, 1789, Sarah married Christopher Van Arsdalen in Somerset County.⁵ Christopher was a veteran of the American Revolution,¹ and he was also Sarah’s third cousin. Reverend John Duryea, pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church of Raritan at Somerville, performed the ceremony. The date of their wedding was the very same day Washington was inaugurated as the nation's first president in New York City. Between 1790 and 1803, Sarah gave birth to six children; the birthdate of each child was noted by Christopher in their family Bible.

Writing in the family bible. (AI-generated image)

After Sarah’s father died in 1818, she received land and a female slave named “Dine."⁶ Two years later at the death of her mother, she received the majority of her estate valued at about $1,000, and another female slave named “Eve.”⁷ What became of the slaves isn't known; slavery was soon phased out in New Jersey.

Christopher died in June of 1840,⁸ and a couple of years later, Sarah filed for a Revolutionary War pension as his widow.⁹ He had been receiving a pension of 80 dollars a year since 1834,⁵ and after his death, she was entitled to continue it. So at age 80, she appeared in the Middlesex County court on February 27, 1843 to present her application; her grandson, Peter, accompanied her.⁹

In order to get her husband’s pension, Sarah had to prove she had been married to him. The minister was deceased, as were the other witnesses at the wedding, and there was no written document. The only proof she could provide was the family Bible, and she told the court she was “extremely loathe to part with it.”⁹ But it was ordered that she needed to give up the document, so all of the pages listing births, deaths and marriages were sent to the office handling the pension.

Pension application document filed by Sarah to prove she was married to Christopher.

After that was done, Sarah was approved for a pension that was only 30 dollars a year. Her lawyer wrote to the pension office that “the disappointment to her of the reduction proposed in the pension to her is very great.”⁹ He argued that her husband had served as a soldier for nine consecutive months, and did other shorter stints in the militia during the war. The final ruling, though, was that the pension would remain at 30 dollars.

Sarah died on February 28, 1846,³ having lived her entire life in Somerset County. She left a will leaving her "wearing apparel" to her three surviving daughters, and all other property to be divided equally between her five surviving children.¹⁰

As for the Bible pages with all of the vital records of her family, it stayed on file with the records of her pension. It wound up in the National Archives, available to future researchers. Who knows if the precious document would have survived if it had remained with her family?

The pages of Sarah's Bible that she had to give up to receive her husband's pension.

Children:
1. Sarah Ann Van Arsdalen – B. 7 Mar 1790, Somerset County, New Jersey;¹¹ D. 12 Mar 1858, (probably) Somerset County, New Jersey;¹² M. Jacobus Voorhees (1789-?), 7 Jul 1810, Somerset County, New Jersey¹³

2. Henry Christopher Van Arsdalen – B. 1 Jun 1792,Somerset County, New Jersey;¹⁴ D. 6 Nov 1860, (probably) Somerset County, New Jersey;¹⁵ M. Maria Van Pelt (1790-1867), 20 Mar 1815, Somerset County, New Jersey¹⁶

3. Peter Christopher Van Arsdalen – B. 4 Nov 1794, Somerset County, New Jersey;¹⁷ D. 20 Oct 1886, Hillsborough, New Jersey;¹⁸ M. (1) Maria Van Middleswart (1798-?), 31 Dec 1815, Somerset County, New Jersey;¹⁹ (2) Ann Nancy Oppie (1793-1875), 5 Oct 1828, Somerset County, New Jersey²⁰

4. Ann Van Arsdalen – B. 29 Jun 1797, Somerset County, New Jersey;²¹ D. 29 Oct 1831, Bridge Point, New Jersey;²² M. John Oppie (1798-1836), 20 Nov 1822, Somerset County, New Jersey²³

5. Catherine Van Arsdalen – B. 20 Oct 1799, Somerset County, New Jersey;²⁴ D. 3 Aug 1888, Somerset County, New Jersey;²⁵ M. Jacob J. Quick (1800-1875), 23 Dec 1823, Somerset County, New Jersey²⁶

6. Alletta Van Arsdalen – B. 7 May 1803, Somerset County, New Jersey;²⁷ D. 13 May 1886, South Branch, New Jersey;²⁸ M. James S. Ross (1803-1878), 29 Mar 1826, Boundbrook, New Jersey²⁹

Sources:
1    Birth record of Sarah Dumont, Family bible of Christopher and Sarah Van Arsdalen, pension file of Sarah Van Arsdalen, NARA
2    Marriage record of Christopher Van Arsdalen and Sarah Dumont, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.
3    Death notice of Mrs. Sarah Van Arsdale, U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930, Ancestry.com
4    “Wallerand Dumont and his Somerset County Descendants,” John B. Dumont, Somerset County Historical Quarterly, Vol. 1, 1912, pp.117-118, 210
5    Revolutionary War pension file of Christopher Van Arsdalen
6    Will of Peter A. Dumont, New Jersey, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1739-1991, Ancestry.com
7    Will of Sarah Dumont, U.S., W. & P. R.
8    Death record of Christopher Van Arsdalen, New Jersey, Deaths and Burials, 1720-1988, FamilySearch.org
9    Revolutionary War pension file of Sarah Van Arsdalen
10  Will of Sarah Van Arsdale
11  Birth record of Sarah Ann Van Arsdalen, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.
12  Find-a-Grave listing of Sarah (Vanarsdale) Voorhees
13  Marriage record of Jacobus Voorhees and Sarah Ann Van Arsdalen, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.
14  Birth record of Henry Christopher Van Arsdalen, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.
15  Find-a-Grave listing of Henry C. Van Arsdale
16  Marriage record of Henry Christopher Van Arsdalen and Maria Van Pelt, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.
17  Birth record of Peter Christopher Van Arsdalen, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.
18  Death record of Peter Christopher Van Arsdalen, New Jersey, Deaths and Burials, 1720-1988, FamilySearch.org
19  Marriage record of Peter Christopher Van Arsdalen and Maria Van Pelt, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.
20  Marriage record of Peter Christopher Van Arsdalen and Ann Nancy Oppie, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.
21  Birth record of Ann Van Arsdalen, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.
22  Find-a-Grave listing of Ann (Van Arsdalen) Oppie
23  Marriage record of John Oppie and Ann Van Arsdalen, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.
24  Birth record of Catherine Van Arsdalen, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.
25  Find-a-Grave listing of Catharine (Van Arsdale) Quick
26  Marriage record of Jacob J. Quick and Catherine Van Arsdalen, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.
27  Birth record of Alletta Van Arsdalen, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.
28  Find-a-Grave listing of Alletta (Van Arsdalen) Ross
29  Marriage record of James S. Ross and Alletta Van Arsdalen, Family bible of C. & S. V. A.