This is my second article on the neighborhood of Sandy Ridge in Delaware Township. The previous article was written by Jonathan M. Hoppock in 1905 (and heavily annotated by me.) Today’s article was written by Egbert T. Bush, over 25 years later.
The Dilts family in Hunterdon County is abundant and always has been. However, I have not been able to attach William Dilts of Sandy Ridge to the larger Dilts family. His list of descendants will stand on its own until I can link him with the other Hunterdon County Dilts family.
One of the earliest Dilts in New Jersey was Wilhelm Dils, who died in Knowlton, Sussex County in 1794, age 83. His wife Rachel died in 1793, age 72. Other early settlers were Johann Wilhelm Dils and Henrich Dils who were present in Lebanon Township in the 1730s.
Larison or Larason. It all depends. There doesn’t seem to be too much of a hard and fast rule. And as often happens with other names having alternate spellings, the same person would sometimes use both spellings, or else a clerk would make his own choice of spelling. I tend to use the spelling most commonly used by each individual.
This past fall, an application was prepared to create a Sandy Ridge Historic District in Delaware Township. This area is full of interesting properties, with the old Sandy Ridge Baptist Church standing at its center.
The Vandolah’s were Dutch. Their name was often spelled Van Dolah, but Vandolah seems to have been used the most. The family showed up early in Hunterdon County, but their exact origins are not known. Hubert G. Schmidt, in his book Rural Hunterdon (pp. 31-32), wrote of the many Dutch families who came to Hunterdon in the early 18th century:
Like the Hunt and Vandolah families, the Butterfoss family was one of the earliest to settle in Hunterdon County. But where they came from or exactly when I cannot say. Butterfoss suggests a German name, but I have found nothing to confirm that. I hope there are some Butterfoss descendants out there who can help out.
The Hunt Family was well-known in Hunterdon County from its earliest years, both in the county as it is known today, and in the part of it that was divided off to become Mercer County. For proof of that, just check out the index for Dr. Eli F. Cooley’s Genealogy of Early Settlers in Trenton and Ewing “Old Hunterdon County” New Jersey. You will find Hunt names filling two pages there.
