Giving Up the Family Bible — Sarah Dumont

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

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. Peter had two children from a previous marriage. He was prominent in the area and served as sheriff and judge at various times. Sarah had seven younger siblings, but three of them died young.

On April 30, 1789, Sarah married Christopher Van Arsdalen in Somerset County. Christopher was a veteran of the American Revolution, 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.

When Sarah's father died in 1818, she received land and a female slave named “Dine." 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.” What became of the slaves isn't known; slavery was soon phased out in New Jersey.

Christopher died in June of 1840, and a couple of years later, Sarah filed for a Revolutionary War pension as his widow. He had been receiving a pension of 80 dollars a year since 1834, 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.

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.” 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.” 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, 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.

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; D. 12 Mar 1858; M. Jacobus Voorhees (1789-?), 7 Jul 1810, Somerset County, New Jersey

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:
Military pension file of Christopher & Sarah Van Arsdalen, Somerset County, New Jersey, 1832-1843
"Wallerand Dumont and his Somerset County Descendants," John B. Dumont, Somerset County Historical Quarterly, Vol. 1, 1912
Will of Peter A. Dumont, Somerset County, New Jersey, 23 Oct 1817
Will of Sarah Dumont, Hillsborough, New Jersey, 6 Jul 1818
Will of Christopher Van Arsdalen, Hillsborough, New Jersey, 6 Feb 1834
Application for widow's military pension of Sarah Van Arsdalen, Somerset County, New Jersey, 22 May 1843
Will of Sarah Van Arsdalen, Hillsborough, New Jersey, 22 Jun 1840
Death certificate of James Ross, 27 Jul 1878, Jerseyville, Illinois
Death certificate of Alletta Ross, 13 May 1886, South Branch, New Jersey
New Jersey marriages,1682-1956