By Candy Willis for The Montgomery News | June 30, 2026
Twenty-two-year-old, fifth generation John Van Dike (1709-1777) married Margaretta Barcalo in 1732 and moved to the 230 acres that his father had purchased for him in the Bridgepoint section of Montgomery.
He built a house and settled into a life of farming while raising a family.
The John Van Dike House built circa 1740 in the scenic Bridgepoint section of Montgomery Township.
Soon thereafter, John’s brother Roelif (1711-1786) married Catherine Emans and moved to an adjacent 230-acre property, purchased for him by his father. John’s wife, Margaretta, had four children but she died in 1749. John then married Charity Bergen, who had nine more children.
John’s son, John, fell in love with Roelif’s daughter, Rebecca, his first cousin. They married in 1761. Their fathers gave them 227 acres in the Harlingen area.
The extended Van Dike family land holdings eventually amounted to more than 1100 acres, stretching from Harlingen to Opossum Road to Montgomery Road to Staats Farm Road. It was the Van Dikes who, in 1749, gave property to the Harlingen Reformed Church on which to build a new church.
Brothers John and Roelif were patriots, opposing British rule and advocating for independence.
Rumor has it that John died fighting at the Battle of Monmouth—but that is unlikely because he would have been 69 years old at the time. He died in 1777 and it is not known where he is buried. An inventory, taken upon his death, lists that he owned, among other things, eight slaves.
Brother Roelif served on the Committee of Safety and Correspondence and was also a member of the Provincial Congress.
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Roelif’s son Henry was a colonel of the 2nd Battalion of Somerset County, NJ Militia.
John’s eldest son, John, was also a colonel. However, his story is different. He had sworn allegiance to King George III and had risen to the rank of colonel in the British Army prior to the Revolutionary War.
He was an unapologetic British loyalist, a Tory. Father John was so incensed that, in his will, he refused to name John, his first born son, as his executor. In addition, he required him to pay 500 pounds to realize his inheritance.
When the war ended, John was banished to Nova Scotia and his possessions were ordered to be seized and auctioned off. The John Van Dike House built circa 1740 in the scenic Bridgepoint section of Montgomery Township. VHHS photo collection
Wife Rebecca had eight children to support. With the help of her father Roelif (John the 5th died in 1777), she managed to retain the familial possessions although both she and her father had to endure several lawsuits by the government.
By the late 1790s, all was forgiven and John was allowed to return to his home and family. When he applied for a tavern license in 1799, he received character recommendations from six Montgomery Township officials.
After John Van Dike died, his wife Charity lived on the farm until her death in 1787.
Daughter Elsie (Alice), married Martin Voorhees who ran the farm until his death in 1825. The burying ground on the property is named for Martin but there are several unmarked stones—could John and Charity be two of them? Their descendants farmed the land until 1854 when the family farm was sold to John P. Opie.
The sign for Bridgepoint Run Farm
Van Dike’s farm has remained a working farm for all these years. Bridgepoint Run Farm is a working farm to this day.
Remarkably, all three houses (John’s, Roelif’s, and John’s son (the Tory) stand.
