Cornelius Cornelis Sebring

It is assumed that Cornelus Sebring was buried here because he was a member of the Neshanic Dutch Reformed Church. There is no surviving gravestone.

It has been noted that he spelled his name Cornelus not Cornelius.

Cornelus Sebring was the son of Roelof Janse Sebring and Chrystyntje/Christina Volkertse. The published genealogy "The Sebring Collections" (1975) speculates that he was born in Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY c. 1703. There is, however, no baptism record for him as there is for his eldest siblings. There is a difference of opinion when he was born. Some say 1703 citing the order of the children in his fathers' will. Other Sebring researchers speculate that he was a younger son and born about 1713 in Somerset County, NJ. Since he was named Cornelus after an uncle rather than a grandfather, it seems likely that he would have been lower in the birth order. Either c. 1703 or c. 1713 are arguable.

His parents were in Somerset County c. 1708 and two younger children were baptized at the Raritan Reformed Church near what is now Somerville. His parents were among of the earliest members of the "Dutch Church" in New Brunswick (now the First Reformed Church). His father was a deacon in 1717, 1718, and 1733. From his earliest youth, Cornelus was a member of the "Dutch Church" and his four children were baptized there. He was a deacon in 1765.

He moved his family to Hillsborough, Somerset County, about 12 miles away, about 1766 and remained there for the rest of his life. He and his wife transferred their church membership to the Neshanic Reformed Dutch Church in 1767. Three of his children and their spouses were members as adults; the fourth moved from the area after her marriage. Most of his grandchildren were baptized at Neshanic, including two in 1780 and one as late as 1790. It seems reasonable to assume that his family was active in the church at the time of his death, that the church was important to him, and that he was buried at Neshanic Cemetery or in the cemetery around the church.

He married Aeltje Van Arsdale/Van Aersdalen in 1748 in Somerset County. The marriage bond was dated 25 April 1748. Her given name has been a source of confusion and has been spelled several ways in surviving records including Altje, Antje, Antie, Aaltie, Aeltye, and Altie and was listed as Onche ("an acceptable anglicization of the name Antje") in his will. Descendent and Sebring researcher Andrew L. Leath published an article in the GMNJ Vol. 92 in 2017 discussing this problem. He studied the variations in her name in original records and came to the conclusion that it was most correctly spelled Aeltje supported by the evidence that all four of her children named daughters Aeltje.

The name Cornelus was much used by the Sebring family. He is sometimes confused with his nephew Cornelius Sebring 1736-1816 of Bridgewater Township, Somerset County.

His children were:

• Annetje/Onche/Annie Sebring b. 1749; married Dennis Bice/Buys 1765; children baptized at Neshanic; moved to Mercer Co., KY c. 1794
• Catherine Sebring b. 1751; married Harmonus Vanderipe/Vandereypen c. 1772; children baptized at Neshanic; moved to Mercer Co., KY c. 1793
• Rulif/Roelof Sebring 1755-1815; married cousin Femmetje (Phoebe) Peterson c. 1779; children baptized Neshanic; moved to Mercer Co., KY c. 1794
• Cristina Sebring 1759-1829; married Peter Canine 1774; lived in Bound Brook, NJ; then York County, PA; moved to Mercer Co., KY 1794; finally moved to Shelby County, KY.

Cornelus Sebring is found in deeds, tax records, jury records, and other records throughout his life.

In his 1786 will, he left his real and personal estate to his wife for her lifetime or widowhood. After her death or remarriage, he left his real estate to his son Rulif and his personal property to his children in equal shares. His three married daughters received L 100 each and his son received his clothing and his "large Dutch Bible" after his wife's death or remarriage. The executors were his son, son-in-law Harmonus Vanderipe, and cousin Rulif Peterson.

Note that the spellings of names are very slippery in the record.

Information chiefly from the research of Andrew L. Leath and the 1975 "Sebring Collections."* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Apr 7 2022, 17:00:57 UTC

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jul 12 2022, 12:42:57 UTC