Van Ness House (Fairfield, New Jersey)

The Peter Van Ness Farmhouse is located in Fairfield, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The house was built in 1740 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 29, 1977.

The cornerstone shows the date the house was completed, November 5, 1740

Van Ness House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
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Nearest city	Fairfield, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°52′59″N 74°15′35″W
Area	0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
Built	November 5, 1740
NRHP reference No.	77000862[1]
NJRHP No.	1086[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 29, 1977
Designated NJRHP	August 10, 1976

Van Ness family history

After arriving in America in 1699, nine Dutch settlers (Simon Van Ness, Gerebrand Clawson, Hans Spier, Elias Franson, Christopher Steinmets, Andrese Louwrentz, Garret Vanderhoof, Hessell Pieters and Jan Spier) purchased the 14,000 acre (57 km²) Horseneck Tract from the Lenape Native Americans for goods equal to about $325 today. Simon Van Ness owned 300 acres of the north-east boundary. He also gathered some of this land through private contracts with the Lenape Native Americans. Eventually, he ran into trouble with the Lords Proprietor of the region, so he accepted their terms and got a deed on September 3, 1744, confirming he owned the land. After his death in 1749, Simon distributed the land to his four children and two sons-in-law. His son Isaac was given most of what is now Fairfield, New Jersey. Isaac's son Peter was named executor of the will of Isaac Reyken (Ryker) on September 30, 1768. Peter Van Ness then became the first registered owner of the Van Ness House, along the Passaic River where it can still be found today.[3]

Changes to the house

The house went through some renovation in the 1840s, 1930s, and today has electricity.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, New Jersey

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Essex County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. January 10, 2010. p. 3. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
3. "Peter Van Ness Farmhouse, Fairfield Road, Fairfield, Essex County, NJ". https://www.loc.gov/. Library of Congress. Retrieved 28 September 2014. External link in |website= (help)