M. 7 Sep 1788 in New Jersey3
Husband: John Ross
D. 27 May 1853 in Somerset County, New Jersey1
When Martha Van Tuyl's husband died, he left her with a modest farm, but when the earliest railroads were being constructed, the property was in the way.
There is no clear paper trail identifying Martha’s beginnings except for the fact she was born in New Jersey on June 20, 1767.1 Because there was a noted Van Tuyl family in Dutch America, her connection to it can be assumed, and with her firstborn son being named “John Van Tuyl Ross,” that indicates her father was named John Van Tuyl.4
A deeper dive into who that might be leads to a John Van Tuyl born on Staten Island in 1734 and died in Sussex County, New Jersey in 1771.5,6 While this isn’t 100% proven to be her father, it’s very, very likely. John Van Tuyl’s father lived in Somerset County, and when John’s widow Mary died in 1773,6 Martha may have been taken in by relatives in the place that we know she would ultimately live.7 It’s important to note, though, that this is my own speculation.
The first record where Martha's name appeared was her marriage to John Ross on September 7, 1788 in New Jersey.3 They settled first in Piscataway, then in the town of Bound Brook.3 Martha gave birth to a baby boy on March 3rd of the following year3 (suggesting that she may have been pregnant at the time of her marriage), and the child died as an infant.3 She had nine more children by 1806, with one more dying young.
On March 2, 1808, Martha's husband John died; it appeared to have been sudden.8 She was left with one third of his estate to live on with the rest divided up among the children when the youngest came of age.9 Running a farm must have been a challenge with four boys under the age of 10, and only one old enough to do much of the physical work.
Martha owned at least two slaves during the time she lived as a widow.10 Slavery in New Jersey was being phased out, but if a slave was born before 1804, it was still legal to keep them. Martha freed a man named Joseph in 1829,10 and a woman named Susan in 1843.10 She was one of the last slave owners in the state of New Jersey.
After all of the children had grown and moved away, Martha had to deal with a threat to her farm. The Elizabethtown and Somerville Railroad was chartered to build a line between the two towns,11 and needed part of her land for the project. She was able to negotiate a payment of $1,300 for the land, which apparently included a stable and barn.12
Somerville, New Jersey in about 1840.
Work was to begin in 1841, but on May 1st of that year, Martha’s children, led by oldest son John, filed a suit against the railroad company, charging that by order of the will, their mother only had one third ownership, and they held title to the other two thirds.12 The court ruled in favor of the railroad, though, and the land was given up;12 the project was completed in 1842.11
Martha died on May 27, 1853 at the age of 85.1 She was buried in Bound Brook Presbyterian Cemetery next to her husband.
Children:
1. John Van Tuyl Ross – B. 3 Mar 1789, New Jersey, (probably) Piscataway, New Jersey;3 D. 23 May 1790, (probably) Piscataway, New Jersey3
2. Sarah Ross – B. 12 Dec 1790, Piscataway, New Jersey;13 D. 19 Jan 1872, Jerseyville, Illinois;13 M. Jeremiah Reading Parsell, 31 May 1815, Raritan, New Jersey14
3. John Ross – B. 25 Dec 1792, Bound Brook, New Jersey;15 D. 16 Nov 1881, Somerset County, New Jersey;15 M. Joanna Sebring (1792-1874), 1 Apr 1816, Somerset County, New Jersey16
4. Martha Anderson Ross – B. 7 Sep 1794, Bound Brook, New Jersey;3 D. 6 Nov 1838, (probably) Bound Brook, New Jersey;17 M. Isaac Staats (1791-1869)17
5. Esther Ross – B. 26 Sep 1796, Bound Brook, New Jersey;18 D. 29 May 1864, Morris County, New Jersey;18 M. David R. Runyon (1795-?), 28 Jan 1818, Somerset County, New Jersey19
6. Joseph Ross – B. 5 Dec 1798, (probably) Bound Brook, New Jersey;3 D. 29 Jun 1875, Somerset County, New Jersey;20 M. Phebe Talmage (1805-1881), 30 Oct 1823, Somerset County, New Jersey21
7. Peter B. Ross – B. 16 Jan 1801, Bound Brook, New Jersey;3 D. 14 Sep 1878, New Jersey;3 M. Sarah B. Smith (1802-1898), 13 Nov 1828, Somerset County, New Jersey22
8. James S. Ross – B. 4 Mar 1803, Bound Brook, New Jersey;23 D. 14 Jul 1878, Jersey County, Illinois;23 M. Alletta Van Arsdalen (1803-1886), 29 Mar 1826, Bound Brook, New Jersey24
9. William Ross – B. 5 Dec 1804, (probably) Bound Brook, New Jersey;3 D. 15 Oct 1805, (probably) Bound Brook, New Jersey3
10. William Ross – B. 26 Jul 1806, (probably) Bound Brook, New Jersey;3 D. 6 May 1882, Bridgewater, New Jersey;25 M. Elizabeth Winsor (1810-?), 13 May 1835, Somerset County, New Jersey26
Sources:
1 Find-a-Grave listing of Martha (Van Tuyl) Ross
2 Speculative birth place based on that John Van Tuyl (who died in Sussex County, New Jersey) was her father (see footnote 5).
3 The Ross Family of New Jersey, Bob Ross, 1990, pp. 631-633
4 The Dutch had a tradition of naming their first two sons after grandfathers, and first two daughters after grandmothers. Since John and Martha Ross named their second son and second daughter for John’s parents, the name “John Van Tuyl” is almost certainly in honor of her father.
5 Before arriving at the idea that John Van Tuyl born in 1734 was Martha’s father, I eliminated every other possibility in the family. The others were the wrong age and/or their offspring were fully accounted for.
6 Probate record of John Van Tuyl, Calendar of New Jersey Wills: 1771-1780, Vol. 5, Abraham Van Doren Honeyman, p. 553
7 Martha’s presumed grandfather was Abraham Van Tuyl, who had several married children at the time Martha would have become an orphan. It’s my belief that Martha’s aunt Sarah (Van Tuyl) Bolmer took her in, and that’s who Martha named her firstborn daughter after instead of her own biological mother. Of course this is my own speculation.
8 Find-a-Grave listing of John Ross
9 The will of John Ross, Middlebrook, New Jersey, 26 Feb 1808
10 Somerset County Historical Quarterly, Vol. 2, 1913, pp. 45-47
11 New Jersey Railroad Information (website)
12 Ross v. Elizabeth-Town & Somerville Railroad, 2 N.J. Eq. 422 (N.J. Ct. of Ch. 1841, New York Court of Chancery)
13 Find-a-Grave listing for Sarah (Ross) Parsell
14 Marriage record of Jeremiah Parsell and Sarah Ross, New Jersey, U.S., Compiled Marriage Records, 1684-1886, Ancestry.com
15 Find-a-Grave listing for John Ross
16 Marriage record of John Ross and Joanna Sebring, N.J., U.S., C. M. R.
17 Find-a-Grave listing for Martha Staats
18 Find-a-Grave listing for Esther (Ross) Runyon
19 Marriage record of David Runyon and Esther Ross, N.J., U.S., C. M. R.
20 Death record of Joseph Ross, New Jersey, U.S., Birth, Marriage and Death Records, 1711-1878, Ancestry.com
21 Marriage record of Joseph Ross and Phebe Talmage, New Jersey, U.S., Marriage Records, 1670-1965, Ancestry.com
22 Marriage record of Peter Ross and Sarah Smith, N.J., U.S., M. R.
23 Find-a-Grave listing for James S. Ross Sr.
24 Marriage record of James Ross and Alletta Van Arsdalen, N.J., U.S., M. R.
25 Death record of William Ross (younger), New Jersey, U.S., Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971
26 Marriage record of William Ross and Elizabeth Winsor, N.J., U.S., M. R.
