Person:Jacobus Van Aken (12)

Biography from Concerning The Van Bunschoten or Van Benschoten Family in America, pg. 423

Cornelius Middagh dying early Elizabeth was m. to Jacobus, or James, Van Aken on Feb. 10, 1759, at Mahackemack--"married by me, Justice of the Peac e, Anthony Van Etten." Jacobus was b. at Tyshock, Pa., son of Cornelius Van Aken and Sarah Westbroeck, and was bp. at Minisink just across the river, June 18, 1734. His father was bp. at Kingston, May 25, 1690, son of Marinus Van Aken and Pieternelle Du Pree. The first of the name in this country came from the German-Dutch town of Aachen, Aix-la-Chapelle as the French call it,--the ancient capital of Charlemagne. (Not true)

James or "Cobus", short for Jacobus, owned a good farm in Pennsylvania on the Delaware flats--settled there before the Revolution where Rosetown now is, then known as Upper Smithfield. He was a committeeman from Upper Smithfield at Easton, Oct. 2, 1775, at the time of organizing Associated Battalions. Again on the 30th of May, 1776, he was present at Easton at a meeting of the General Committee. Without doubt he served in the local militia during the war. On July 31, 1784, his name is on the muster-roll of an Expedition to Wyoming [County, Pennsylvania] under Capt. Van Etten at the time of the civil strife in that valley.

For many years James was a Justice of the Peace. In 1765 he was elected church-master at Mahackemack; in 1785 he became deacon and continued in office several years. He is said to have died in 1812, Elizabeth in 1816. Van Auken children, all born at Mahackemack:

1. Levi, bp. Aug. 19, 1760
2. Charity, bp. June 14, 1761
3. Anthony, bp. in 1763
4. John, bp. Nov. 17, 1765; d. in infancy
5. John, bp. Oct. 31, 1767
6. Gerrit, bp. Jan. 26, 1770

1. ↑ Carol Lauer. Westbrook Generations. (http://www.junebird3.com/westbrook.htm).
2. ↑ Van Benschoten, William Henry. Concerning the Van Bunschoten or Van Benschoten family in America: A Genealogy and Brief History. (Poughkeepsie, NY: A. V. Haight Co. Printers, 1907).
3. ↑ Dutch Reformed Church (Kingston, New York), and Roswell Randall Hoes (ed.). Baptismal and marriage registers of the Old Dutch Church of Kingston: Ulster County, New York (formerly named Wiltwyck and often familiarly called Esopus or 'Sopus), for One Hundred and Fifty Years from their commencement in 1660. (New York, 1891)
   203.