Notes on Dorothy "Dolly" Thomas
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SOURCE HAS WRITTEN A BOOK ON THE VAN WINKLES
"A GENEALOGY OF THE VAN WINKLE FAMILY 1630-1993
DESCENDANTS OF JACOB WALICHS OF HOLLAND"
Tradition placed Jacob in Maryland and six sons are attributed to him. Four of the sons went to Kentucky with their mother and their stepfather, John Davis, as numerous Nelson County, Kentucky records will attest. A fifth brother, Aaron, was
captured by Indians. However, no records have been found to prove these assumptions are correct" (1:61). I think they are incorrect and that in c1767 in New Jersey or New York he married DOROTHY "DOLLY" THOMAS The baptism of their son, Aaron, is
recorded in the Reformed Dutch Church records of Minisink (now Port Jervis, Orange County, New York). Under "names of children baptised across the mountains", on 12 May 1769-Aaron, born April 10 to Cobus (Jacobus) Van Winkelen and Duly (should be
Dolly) Thomas.(64: 156) The same record also records the birth of Jacobus' sister's child, Cate, born to John Williams and Wyntje Van Winkelen 304.1, on 25 Nov 1766, witnesses were Peter and Debora Middag.(58:76; 64:152) This lineage is further
strengthened by the naming of the children. Note that all 5 living sons of Jacobus (James) as well as his daughter name a son James, 3 of the sons name a son Alexander, and 3 of the sons name a son Abraham--these are unusual names but are common
in this line of Van Winkles in keeping with the Dutch tradition of naming children. Also 2 of the sons name a son Moses which is a very prominent name in the Thomas family. We also know that one of the sons, Moses, stayed in Sullivan County, New
York and married there; that "across the mountain" mentioned above means living in Cochecton, or what is now Sullivan County, New York or Wayne County, PA.; and that area was full of Dutch families who came up from New Jersey; and that New Jersey
is very close.
The family did not stay in one place very long and records are scarce. It appears they moved from New York west into Pennsylvania and were in westernmost Pennsylvania by 1785. James Van Winkle was on the tax lists in Nottingham Township,
Washington County, PA, in 1785 (50:3). James died in c1786 and in Washington Co. on 17 Nov. 1786, a $500 bond was issued for Doharty (Dorothy) Van Horn lately Van Winkle, Benjamin Van Horn, Johnston Campbell, and Henry Lydi, upon the estate of
James Van Winkle, all of Washington Co. Dorothy and Henry could not write and signed with an X (50:2). On 17 Nov. 1787 a letter of administration was issued for James Van Winkle to Benjamin and Dorothy Van Winkle as nearest kin (50:1). This fits
together; James (Jacobus in Dutch) was Dorothy's husband and he died in 1786, leaving a widow with 6 minor children. By necessity she likely married Benjamin Van Horn. Dorothy's son, Moses, later moved to near Charlestown, West Virginia, just west
of Washington Co., PA, where he is listed from 1799 to 1804.
Benjamin Van Hoorn must have died between 1787 and 1791.(69:) Sometime during this same period the family moved to Nelson County, Kentucky. Zanes Trace and the Miami Path are a straight line between Wheeling, WV and Nelson County, KY and was the
road of choice for pioneers in 1796 before the National Road west was completed. Dorothy Van Horn was married to John Davis on 12 April (or 29 April) 1791 in Nelson County. This is the correct marriage because John Davis is listed as the
stepfather on the marriage liscenses of the four sons and two daughters who went to Nelson County with their mother. Dorothy died in 18?? in Nelson County??..(50:4.; 5 1:1; 52:1,2).
Who is the Isaac Van Home Jr. who purchased land at the Zanesville, Ohio, land office on the same day as Moses Van Winkle (16 Jan 1806)? Also, who is the John Davis who purchased land there on 14 Jan. 1817? Are they related?
Received from:Clark M. Leonard
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