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Subject: [NJHUNTER] re: Garret Conover/Covenhoven
Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2002 20:37:54 EST

Hi John,

I believe we may have corresponded previously but I'm not sure if we
discussed Garret Conover/Covenhoven. I believe that he is my ancestor via
his first wife Mary Elizabeth Apgar. They apparently had a daughter named
Elidia/Lydia aka Elizabeth Conover (c1812-1877) who was married to a George
Hoffman. Here are some notes I have on Mary Elizabeth Apgar and Garret
Conover/Covenhoven.

The Facts: This is what we know. Elidia aka Lydia aka Elizabeth Conover
died on May 15, 1877 at Cokesbury. She was the widow of George 'Yermickle'
Hoffman of Tewksbury TWP. Her age at the time of her death suggests a
birthdate of c1812. LDS IGI records record her marriage to George on Dec 18,
1828 in Morris County when she was about 16. I don't know which church
although I suspect somewhere in Washington TWP. We also know from Elidia's
death record that she was the daughter of a Garret and Mary Conover.
Chambers also states that she was the daughter of Garret and that this Garret
married Elizabeth Hoffman as a second wife. He also states that Elizabeth
Hoffman, daughter of John and Ann Elizabeth Young Hoffman was born in
December 1778 and married first to Conrad Lommerson who died in 1814. He
states that she married second 'Garret Covenhoven'. Of course Covenhoven and
Conover were used interchangeably during this time. Hunterdon marriage
records show that a Garret Conover and Elizabeth Lommerson were married in
1819 by Justice of the Peace Haas who is probably John Haas (another ancestor
of mine) of Tewksbury or his son John, also a JP. This means that Garret's
first wife Mary must have died before 1819. If this Garret and Mary are the
parents of Elidia, then Mary must have died after 1812. The 1850 census
data also fits nicely. Elizabeth is listed as 71, yielding a year of birth
of approximately 1779, a nice match for Chamber's date of Dec 1778. Garret
is listed as 76 yielding a date of birth of c1774. This matches nicely with
the birth date in the Apgar Book. David Conover's data suggests that this
Garret may be a son of George Covenhoven of Monmouth County, NJ.

A second Garret Conover and his wife Mary Stiger are another possible set of
parents for Elidia. However, I believe that they were too young to be my
Garret and Mary. According to the Conover Genealogy website, they were
married in 1822. This Garret was born in 1796 and Mary lived until 1890.
This would make in unlikely that this Garret would have a second wife named
Elizabeth. Remember that Elidia Conover was born c1812 and I also find it
hard to believe that her father would have been 16 at her birth and her
mother probably even younger. This couple was also found in the 1850 census
living in Bethlehem TWP. He was 52 which gives a fair match to his year of
birth of 1796 and she was 47 yielding a date of birth of about 1802. This
would make her 10 at the time Elidia was born, not a very likely match!

Conjecture: My theory is that Mary Elizabeth Apgar, Apgar #10.4, did indeed
marry a Garret Conover. However, unlike the claims in the Apgar genealogy
(Volume I,page 269 of the 'Descendants of Johannes Peter Apgard), it seems
likely that she was actually married to a Garret that lived in Tewksbury,
where her father (Conrad Apgar) had resettled by 1779 and stayed until at
least 1813 (the Cokesbury Tavern/Inn evidence, see Volume I, page 255-257 for
more information on Conrad Apgar). All available evidence suggests a strong
connection with Tewksbury and no connection with Bethlehem TWP. I further
believe that Mary Apgar Conover died between 1812 and 1819, probably around
1818. Her husband Garret then remarried to Elizabeth Hoffman Lommerson in
1819. She had been a widow for at least 5 years (unless she had a third
husband that I am unaware of). The census records continue to show Garret
Conover in Tewksbury through at least 1850 when he was 76. At the same time,
a second Garret Conover is present at Bethlehem TWP. Perhaps this Garret did
indeed die 1840 as the Apgar Book suggests. I don't have a date of death for
Garret of Tewksbury but could not find him in the 1860 census. The Garret
that Bob Smith mentions in the will data from 1855 sounds like a possible
match. Anyone have access to this will and is willing to look it up?

Regards,

Rick Novak

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