We are looking for the parents of John Van Woert. He was born around 1804 in New York. His mother, or possibly stepmother, might have been named Sarah. He moved to Butte County California sometime after 1860 as he is shown in the 1870 Butte County census as living with his son William. He died in Butte County on July 23, 1882. His wife Sarah died in Biggs, CA in September of 1883 at the home of daughter, Louisa McDonald.
Obituary information for John:
"The Chico Semi-Weekly Record" on July 28, 1882, page 3 column 5:
DIED VAN WOERT near Chico, July 23, 1882, John Van Woert, aged 78 years.
Died 1882 John Van Woert, farmer res. on Butte Creek, formerly near Nord; born New York, age 78 years, funeral Methodist South Church, Rev. J. Burrough. (John was buried in Butte Creek, Ca. Some other members of the family were buried in the Chico Cemetery.)
John Van Woert is listed as father to William Van Woert on William's death certificate.
John bore sons William (see below), George (b. abt 1832), Richard (b.
abt. 1836), John (also b. abt. 1836) and daughters Mary (b. abt.
1830), Amy (b. abt. 1834), Sarah (b. abt. 1838), and Ann Louisa, a.k.a.
Louisa, (b. abt. 1843).
William (b. 6/15/1831 in Saratoga County NY; d. 12/1914 in Silver Creek, WA) married Elnora Ferris (b. 10/12/1839; d. 1/1915). They were married on March 24, 1869 in Stillwater, Saratoga County, New York by Rev. L.P. Judson. The marriage was reported on 4/24/1869 in the Ballston (NY) Journal.. (Elnora was originally from the Hudson Valley also.) Relatives of the Van Woerts lived in the Saratoga Springs, Stillwater, Mechanicsville, Ketcham's Corners and Amsterdam in Fulton County. On Thursday 4/1/1869, William and Elnora set sail from New York City bound for San Francisco, California. They originally settled in Nord California located in Butte County. William had two sons after arriving in California. They were John Henry (b. 4/29/1870) and William Jr. (b. 4/12/1873) called "Willie".
William's obituary said that he is survived by a sister, Louisa Van Woert McDonald of Oroville, Ca, and a sister, Sarah Van Woert Hall of Idaho.
If you have any information please contact Kathy Callahan or Mary Cheyne. Thanks