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Historical Marlboro: The Vanderveer House
04/22/2009
Debbie & Jerry Bailey share the story of their historical home,
the Vanderveer House.
A house is more than just a standing structure of various materials nailed, screwed and fit together. The materials not only serve the purpose of construction and architecture, but they can also help tell a story of years past. Etched in the surface of wooden beams — and deep within the dirt — prominence, fortune, family, community, and township history reside within one magnificent house: the Vanderveer House. Current owners Debbie and Jerry Bailey, who have a love for old homes, met with LIM to talk about their historical home.
Set back from the hustle and bustle of modern-day roadways rests the Vanderveer House onRyan Road. Brightly colored flowers and strong trees sweep over the land, giving it country appeal. Spirits of yesteryear are palpable upon entering the long, narrow redrocked driveway, while small cotton-tailed critters hop curiously along the well-manicured grass. The distinction of tradition radiates from the white-paneled house.
Purchased in 1722, the Vanderveer House has held a significant place within the township’s history. In fact, the home served as the original landmark to define the boundary lines between Marlboro, Manalapan, and Freehold. The history that rests within the estate continues to interest historians, descendants, and residents alike because new information is being found continually regarding the property, the house, and its ancestors. Many historical references have been used to clarify any ties to the house, but none regarding when the house was constructed has been discovered.
The story of the mighty Vanderveer house begins with the genealogy of its owners. In 1722 awealthy Dutch settler named Tunis Vanderveer purchased the then-350-acre lot — which included parts of what is now routes 79 and 9 and Lafayette Mills Road, up to the Freehold/Marlboro boundary line — with the hope to build a family and manage a farm. He and his wife, Altie Schenck, had 10 children while residing at the estate. Upon his death their children divided up Vanderveer’s property, leaving his son David with the biggest part of the property: 260 acres. The genealogy continues with David selling the property to his son Ruleff. Upon Ruleff’s death the estate reverted to David and his father-in-law, John Lloyd, who in return gave the property to Ruleff’s two eldest children, John and Sarah. They, in turn, gave the property to their youngest brother, David R. From 1814 to 1858 he and his wife, Eliza, resided on the land and kept up the tradition of passing the property down through the genealogy line.
The property lost touch with its ancestors in November 1889 when it was purchased by the president of the Freehold Bank, William Statesir, then later sold to Scudder S. Silvers. It wasn’t until 1965 that the house was reunited with its relatives, David F. and Janet Vanderveer. Ironically, according to the Baileys, David and Janet Vanderveer were completely unaware of their connection to the house until later research was conducted.
The Baileys, who moved into the home 11 years ago from another historical house built in 1723 inOld Bridge, said that the richness of the history of the Vanderveer house is unsurpassed. “When we bought the property we were aware of its historical value to the township and were contacted by the Historical Society in 1998 about having a tour of the house,” Debbie said. “We agreed to the tours because we wanted to share the history of the home. And other than the Collier estates this was the only home that held such a profound historical value and was in good enough condition to tour. Two to three buses, with about 40 to 60 people, would pull up and tour the home for the period of the day.”
The Baileys thoroughly enjoyed having the tours and sharing its rich history with interested people from around the area. They encountered visitors to the home after the tours were long gone. “The thing about old houses is that people just stop by randomly to share some of its history with us. We once had a man in his eighties come by to tell us about how he would lease land from the Silvers and grow tomatoes for Campbell Soup, Inc. It’s an interesting experience when people just stop in to share with us the memories they have of the house,” Debbie said.
Another interesting experience concerned a picture of one of the Vanderveer descendants. “Two people from Middletown had bought a portrait at an art auction in New York. They researched the portrait and tracked it to our home. It was of a young girl from the 1800’s who just happened to be Ellen Vanderveer, the daughter of David and Eliza,” said the Baileys. “It was interesting to find out this kind of information and we met up with the people to view the portrait and made a replica of it. In turn, they came to our house to get a better feel for the life of the girl that they had just bought a portrait of.”
A garden of ancient medicine bottles, food jars, jewelry, and ceramic pieces is constantly being exhumed from the now 6.36 acres of land that the house sits upon. Debbie explained that the historical items she digs up, whether ceramic pieces or food jars, excite her. She makes collages of them and creates a framework for the pieces to be displayed around the home.
There’s no question that the historical significance of the Vanderveer house is remarkable. Its genealogical value, colonial character, and age ultimately make it an important structure to the history of Marlboro. But what the Baileys find the most
pleasure in, beyond their home’s historical importance, is just sitting on the back porch, gazing into the colorful garden of flowers and watching the deer enjoying the salt lick, the foxes playing, and the bunnies hopping along the dated walkway imprinted with Scutter Silver’s name.
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