Husband Gershom Vandenburg DeForrest 1
AKA: Gurshum De Foreest 2
Born: 20 Dec 1787 - Somerset Co, NJ 2
Christened:
Died: 4 Apr 1882 2
Buried: - Oakwood Cemetery, Sharon, Mercer Co, PA
Father: Abraham DeForrest (1749-1847) 2 3
Mother: Margaret Vandenberg (1755- ) 3
Marriage: 26 Jan 1815 2
Wife Elanor Dunham 2
Born: 11 Jun 1793 - Somerset Co, NJ 2
Christened:
Died: 19 Dec 1872 2
Buried:
Children
1 F Martha DeForrest 2
Born:
Christened:
Died: Bef 1909
Buried:
2 M William C. DeForrest 2
AKA: William C. DeForeest
Born: 17 Dec 1838 - Brookfield Twp, Trumbull Co, OH 2
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Mary E. Locke (1847-Aft 1909) 4
Marr: 16 Feb 1865 4
3 F Catharine DeForrest 2
Born: - New Jersey
Christened:
Died: Aft 1909
Buried:
Spouse: Seth Christy ( - ) 2
General Notes: Husband - Gershom Vandenburg DeForrest
He was a New Jersey farmer, and July 2, 1832, he arrived in Mercer County, PA, having made the trip from New Jersey by team and wagon, with his wife and eight children. He was anything but a well-to-do man and purchased in New Jersey a team of horses, wagon and harness for $36.36, borrowing four hundred dollars, which amount he was to pay within four years with interest. The family was six weeks en route and located in Mercer County, near the Ohio state line, where he rented a piece of land with a log house on it. It was in the year 1836 that he purchased one hundred and fifty-seven acres of land, over the county line, in Trumbull County, OH, paying one hundred dollars down and getting time on the balance. He paid six dollars and a quarter an acre. In the autumn of 1836 he returned to New Jersey with his wife, as he promised her he would return in four years. She had been very industrious in the Buckeye state and had made a large amount of excellent cheese, which they loaded into their wagon, drawn by a fine team. They sold this cheese product all along the road back to “Jersey,” thus obtaining money with which to pay their hotel bills. He had by that time got well stocked up with cattle on his farm and saved up his money from all sources of revenue, so that he was able to pay off the four hundred dollar loan, with accruing interest. Indeed, a proud day in their lives was this pay-day on their farm in the west. They returned to Ohio and continued farming in a highly profitable manner, so that at the date of his death he left an estate valued at twenty-eight thousand dollars. In 1909, the farm-the old homestead above described-was well known as the “De Foreest Farm.” It was owned at that time by the Carnegie Steel Company and Miss Alice Luce.
In 1855 he built a frame house, moving from the old log cabin. He was considered one of the most enterprising farmers of his day and locality, raising wheat, sweet potatoes and watermelons. In his day they had but six months of schooling in each year and that was summer and winter. He was school director for many years and as in his district they had ten months of school each year, he assisted in raising the extra money. He was a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church throughout his entire life and was active in Democratic politics up to 1853-4, but in 1856 he voted for the first Republican standard-bearer-General John C. Fremont, who was candidate for president. He also cast his vote freely for Abraham Lincoln in the fall of 1860. [HMC 1909, 641]