Arents Schuyler Depeyster Vrooman
ID # 1307, (1789-)
| Father | Adam Vrooman (1753-1810) |
| Mother | Margaret Mattice (1759-) |
| Birth | Arents Schuyler Depeyster Vrooman was born in 1789. |
| Marriage | He married Mary Douglas. |
| Note | He On 5 July 1811, at Niagara (Town), A.S. Depeyster Vrooman petitioned Francis Gore, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Upper Canada, for a Crown grant, his entitlement as the son of a United Empire Loyalist. (C-2947, Vol 514A, Bundle V10, petition 4.) The sequence of events that followed isn't entirely clear, but this petition was granted and Arents received 200 acres in Reach Township on July 11, 1811, according to the book in the surveyor general's office. (See MS693 reel 157, vol. 4, page 16.) This grant was for lot 20, concession 13 in Reach. It is based on an Order in Council dated July 9, 1811. The Abstract Index for this lot in Reach Township East shows a date for the Crown Patent for August 1, 1811, in Arents' name. Arents sold this property to a William Campbell on June 12, 1818. We cannot be sure that Arents ever actually lived there. On July 22, 1811, Joseph Brown of Niagara sold lot 4 of the 1st concession of Beverly Township (on which he held the Crown Patent) to Depeyster Vrooman. (See GS1421, B992). Since Arents did not sell his Reach Township property until well after he had purchased his Beverly property, it seems he had other resources. On 27 June 1823, Arent S.D. Vrooman sold half his Beverly property to Admiral N. Vrooman 'of Beverly', the son of his sister Rachel Vrooman. On 15 June 1842, Arents sold off the remaining half of this lot and purchased portions of lot 18 on concessions 2 and 3 in Garafraxa Township on the same date. Township assessments for Beverly show Arents' name variously. He appears as Depeyster Vrooman, S.D.S. Vrooman, Aaron Vrooman, but, mainly, Arents Vrooman. Niagara Peninsula Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society provides us with transcriptions of the 1816 and 1819 assessments and the 1825 and 1842 censuses for Beverly. The first two refer to ownership of property and it is by no means certain that the family resided in Beverly and not in Reach. It's a guess and assessments for Reach Township have yet to be examined, but considering the marriages entered into by the children of Arents with Beverly worthies, it's probable that the early years of Arents and his family were spent in Beverly. Some authors have suggested that Arents' mother, Margaret Mattice, had Depeyster connections, and this is possible. What's striking is that, in the days of the American Revolutionary War, there was an able British Army officer by the name of Arent Schuyler De Peyster. (See the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online.) He was the son of Pierre Guillaume DePeyster and Cornelia (or Catherine) Schuyler. During the hostilities, he was able to hold the British forts at Michilimacinack and Detroit and gave a good account of himself. He was later, in 1784, at Niagara and in charge of victualling civilians, including the Vrooman family. It seems reasonable that he was sufficiently well thought of by Adam and Margaret that they named a son after him. Here, we will mention that Henry Howard, JP, in 1888, wrote The Lynden Letter, which comprises a chapter in John Cornell's The Pioneers of Beverly. In discussing early settlement of the First Concession, Howard mentions that, in his memory, 'Aaron Seyler Depoister Vrooman' owned lot 4. Some assessments in Beverly identify Arents as S.D.S. Vrooman and it may be that he had the added given name of Sylvester. This is a guess based entirely upon the fact that he had a grandson named Arents Schuyler Depeyster Sylvester Vrooman. Arents seems to have had a penchant for gathering his family around him. In 1842 he was able to purchase several pieces of land near to hand in Garafraxa Township in what became Wellington County and these he passed along to his children. He does not appear to have directly passed land to his daughter Lucinda and her husband Peter Drake, but they certainly purchased land in Garafraxa and lived there for a time. The last information this researcher has found relating to Arents and Garafraxa Township is the 'sale' of half of lot 17 on Concession 3 to Elam Vrooman on December 30, 1864. Wellington County Museum provided a copy of the transaction as it appears in the register of Garafraxa Township Deeds, Vol. H4, instrument 23107. The transaction in the register refers to the party of the first part as Aaron Depeyster Vrooman of the County of Newaygo, Michigan. The transaction was witnessed by George Main of Beverly Township and Peter Drake of Newaygo, Michigan. This is of some interest, for Peter Drake was married to Arents' daughter Lucinda and therefor was Arents' son-in-law; George Main was father to Caroline Main, wife of Elam Vrooman and so was Elam's father-in-law, but since, by this time, George was married to Arents' daughter Margaret, he was also Arents' son-in-law...and Elam's brother-in-law! In the 1870 U.S. census, he, Arents/Aaron, is found in Ensley, Newaygo, Michigan, living with daughter Lucinda and her husband Peter Drake. Given that the above mentioned land transaction places Arents in Newaygo in 1864, we must believe that he was living there for some time. Since he does not appear to be buried in Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Garafraxa with his wife Mary, we must for the moment guess that he died in Michigan and is buried there. Whether this is in fact the case, the surrogate court at Newaygo County was queried. A reply was received to the effect that they had searched for a will for Arents Schuyler Depeyster Vrooman back to 1870 without success. No place of burial for Arents has been found in Newaygo County, Michigan, or anywhere else. Recently, it was brought to this researcher's attention that Aaron D. Vrooman served in the 2nd York Regiment of Militia. On the payroll for the period of 25 June to 24 July, 1814, his rank is given as that of sergeant, but he is shown as having deserted. He is back on the payroll for the period of 25 October to 24 November of the same year, though now his rank is that of private. Toward these latter dates, substantial blocks of privates are shown as having 'deserted', though Arents (Aaron) is not among them. Students of the period suggest that the term Absent Without Leave would be more appropriate. The militia men had home responsibilities, especially later in the year. One researcher states that a fine was likely applied when the person returned to the militia, though perhaps in Arents case he was simply reduced to being a private. Microfilm T-10384 is available online from Canada Archives. Something of Arents' payroll history in this regard is near the beginning of the reel. Arents' militia service extended beyond the years of the War of 1812. For a portion of what follows refer to Men of Upper Canada, Militia Nominal Rolls, 1828-1829, edited and with an introduction by Bruce S. Elliott, Dan Walker, and Fawne Stratford-Devai, Toronto, Ontario Genealogical Society, 1995. Information to do with the families of Upper Canada in the years between the War of 1812 and the census of January of 1852 is remarkably light. This book was compiled with a view to producing an intermediate census of the province referring at least to the male population between the ages of 19 and 39. At the time the book was written, the information produced was not available on microfilm, but had to be sought at Canada Archives (this seems to be still the case). Page 71 of the book shows Aaron D. Vrooman as a lieutenant in the 4th Regiment of the Gore Militia. His date of commission is shown as 25 November, 1823. His nephew, Admiral N. Vroman, so shown, is a private in this regiment as well. Apparently the militia members were required to attend a muster once a year, on the king's birthday. Letters and diarys from the era indicate that this was as much a social event as it was a militia muster, for families would attend bringing picnics and there was frequently a party atmosphere. Whether this was the case with the 4th Regiment of the Gore Militia remains unrecorded. In later years, Arents (Aaron) Vrooman served in the 11th Gore Militia as a captain at least in November and December of 1838. See List of War Office Records (WO13) in the Public Record Office London/Muster Rolls and Pay Lists, Militia and Volunteers. This appears to be an index. More research is needed, but Arents' presence in 1838 in the Gore Militia probably had to do with the 1837 rebellion against the Family Compact led by William Lyon McKenzie. In 1842, a Henry Almas married Elizabeth (Betsy) Vrooman in Hamilton. No evidence as to the identity of Elizabeth has been found, but it's possible that she was the daughter of Arents and Mary. The notion that this might be the case is strengthened by the fact that when Lucinda Vrooman married Peter Drake, one of the witnesses was Harry Almas. Henry Almas, farmer, age 32, appears with his wife E. Almas, age 31, in Oxford East Township in the 1851 census (actually done in January of 1852). He is almost certainly the Henry Almas who was a witness at the marriage of Lucinda Vrooman and Peter Drake in 1854. Henry and Elizabeth are farming in Lapeer County, Michigan, as of the 1860 U.S. Census. They are still there in 1870 and in Tuscola County in 1880. We may also note that Darius Drake, born approximately 1821, appears on the same page as Henry Almas in Oxford East 1851 census. Darius and family also went to Tuscola County, Michigan. Ancaster's Heritage would have it that Darius was the son of patriarch Reubin Drake and he would have been a connection of Peter Drake's, though at this point Peter's parentage isn't at all clear. Until further evidence is found, Elizabeth is not listed here and her place (or not) in the family remains to be resolved. A note here: Henry Almas died in Tuscola County, Michigan, in 1899. There is nothing said of his parentage. Betsey Almas died in the same place in 1902. Her father's name is simply given as Vorman. Her mother's name is shown as unknown. We are only told that she was born in Canada. |
Children of Arents Schuyler Depeyster Vrooman and Mary Douglas |
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| Last Edited | 25 Feb 2023 |