Help is on the Way for the Peter Van Ness House

Friends of the Peter Van Ness House, LLC

236 Little Falls Road, Fairfield, New Jersey 

The First Van Ness ancestors to settle in America were Cornelis Hendricksz van Ness (1600-1681) and his wife Maycke (Hendricksdr) van den Burchgraeff (1602-1664), who were married in Vianen, Netherlands in 1625, and by 1641 arrived on the Rensselaer tract near present-day Albany, New York. Their grandson Simon Van Ness (1666-1733) came south to New Jersey to purchase land, along with eight other Dutch settlers, in the 14,000 acre Horseneck Tract from the Lenape Native Americans. Simon Van Ness owned 300 acres of the north-east boundary. Eventually, in a dispute with the Lords Proprietor of the region, the administrators of his estate accepted their terms and his descendants got a deed on September 3, 1744, confirming they owned the land. In 1749 his estate was divided among his four children and two sons-in-law. The part of his property known as his homestead was inherited by his son Isaac (1707-1785). The house is estimated to have been built ca. 1760. Isaac’s son Peter (1730-1820) was the next owner, followed by his son Jacob (1755-1821). The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 29, 1977, and in 2019 it was listed by Preservation New Jersey as one of the ten most endangered properties in the state.  

Help is on the way. Friends of the Peter Van Ness House, LLC has been set up, and donations will be accepted. First step, a new roof. A new owner has stepped up to procure the house from the town. Want to help? Any size donation will be accepted gratefully.

Send checks written out to:

Friends of the Peter Van Ness House, LLC

so-and-so’s address.

Or donate online here: (Paypal button)

John Ostering, johnostering@yahoo.com, 973-865-7398. Cedar Grove resident, member of the Cedar Grove Historical Society. Michael Middleton, jmiddl2778@aol.com. Fairfield resident, preservation architect with Li/Saltzman Architects in NYC. Sharon Olson, slopoet@gmail.com, 203-893-3497. Fifth great-granddaughter of Peter Van Ness, Annapolis, MD, resident.