My Grandma Clark was born Alice Rosenkrans in 1886 in Walpack, NJ and died in 1974 in Sussex, NJ. She was born into quite a famous and illustrious family. Her great great great grandfather, John B Rosenkrans, was a captain in the French & Indian War and a Colonel in the Revolutionary War and had a 1000 acre plantation in Walpack. Her family is well documented in a book, "The Rosenkrans Family in Europe and America," by Allen Rosenkrans published in Newton, NJ in 1900. My grandmother is of the last generation mentioned in the book. The name Rosenkrans came from rose wreath or rose crown, and this came about because a Danish knight by the name of Eric had sold fish to the Pope and was presented by the Pope with a rosary and added it to his coat of arms in 1325. He then took the name Rosenkrantz although the family name didn't become official till the King of Denmark made the nobility take family names in 1525. The reason was that there was considerable confusion since, for instance, Neils' son Eric was called Eric Neilson and Eric's son Neils was called Neils Ericson so the names reversed every other generation. Evidently, the part of Denmark where the Rosenkrans's originated, Schleswig Holstein, eventually became part of Germany due to war. Then they went to Amsterdam, Holland, which, at that time, was also part of Germany.
Dirk Jacobszoon Rosencrans (or Roosencrans) was one of the Captains of the Civil Guard of Amsterdam, in 1584 and 1588, and Commissioner in 1589. His father was banished since he was a Calvinist when Spain took over Holland. The family, having lived in Holland for 130 years, then moved to Bergen, Norway and from there to the US. Some of Allen Rosenkrans' correpondents were convinced that the Rosenkrans's in Bergen couldn't have been descendents of the Noble Rosenkrans family because they were engaged in fishing and commerce, but Allen was convinced otherwise due to the fact that the Holland Rosenkrans's had a rose wreath on their crest.
There is not the least probability that your family is related to this Noble Family. Your ancestor, Herman Hendrickson,, is no doubt related to Henrik Rosenkrans who, in 1617, 1619, 1629 obtained permission to the fishery of herring and whales at the coasts of Greenland and Norway, and whose son Henrik Rosenkrans, 1657, was Berggesell in Norway. These two men were known not of the Danish Noble Family of Rosenkrantz. They were on the whole not Noblemen, as their business shows, but it may be presumed from the lively intercourse which took place at that time between Holland and Norway that they were immigrated Dutchmen. Surely a family of the name of Rosenkrantz lived in Holland and Dirk Jacobsen Rosecrans lived in Amsterdam 1580.
Allen Rosenkrans’ ancestors are supposed, in the 16th or 17th centuries, to have emigrated from Holland to Norway and they were employed in the mines. One of them was called Berggesell, which means a position with the Norwegian Mining Company. In the 17th or 18th century some of that family were officers in the Royal Danish Norwegian army. One of Allen Rosenkrans' ancestors was called Herman Hendrickson. The names Herman and Henrik were used by this Hollandish, Danish, Norwegian family, but they were not related to the Royal Danish Noble Family of Rosenkrantz. Herman Hendrisckson's ancestor again must have been Herman Rosenkrands, who in 1617 was permitted to catch whales in Greenland, a Danish possession. The Noble Family of Rosenkrantz is known since 1525.
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In the long list of members of the Famous Rosenkrantz Noble Family there don’t exist any man whose life is proved historically of that name Herman, but a few have been named Henrik. I think, therefore, that Herman Rosenkrantz cannot have been a descendant of that family, especially since he pursued a trade. We know very well the many Rosencrantzs at the period in question. The Rosenkrantz family is perhaps the most famous of all the Noble Families in Denmark, and is still flourishing.
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The above letter from Rector Bendixen, of Bergen, establishes the fact as declared by Mr. Thiset, of Copenhagen, that many of the Rosenkrantz family left Holland and went to Bergen, Norway, between 1593 and 1652. The Herman Hendriksen who went to Norway in 1652 may have been our ancestor born in Holland, who came from Bergen to New York and was married there in 1657 or as Mr. Thiset imagines, Herman Hendrickson, our ancestor, may have been the son of Henrik, the Burgesell of Norway, who he says was the son of Herman the fisherman, descendant of Captain Dirk. But his identity before reaching this country cannot be positively determined, as the early records of Bergen were burned.
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Of the later family there were Jacob Dircksen, the banished [because he was a Calvinist], and Dirk Roosecrans, his son, Captain of the Civil Guard, both of whom used the Rose-wreath, the one upon his dwelling and the other as his coat of arms. This is conclusive evidence that the German branch whence they sprang were descended from Erik of the Rose-wreath, for, till 1525, none but his descendants used it.
Herman Rosenkrantz, the merchant, who went to Norway and secured the right of whale fishing on the coasts of Norway and Greenland, 1617 - 1626, is supposed to have been his son, and the father of Henrik, the Burgesell of Norway, 1657, who was probably the father of our American ancestor, Herman Hendrickszen, as the name indicates. During the years of war and persecution which followed Jacob's banishment till 1652, nearly or quite all of the Rosenkrantz family in Holland emigrated to Bergen, or thereabout, after a stay in Holland of about 130 years.
The book gives this account of the first Rosenkrans to come to America:
HARMON HENDRICK ROSENKRANS, the progenitor of the most numerous branch of the Rosenkrans Family in the United States of America, from whom were descended Colonel John Rosenkrans, of the Revolution, and General William Stark Rosecrans, of the Civil War, was of Holland descent, but came from Bergen, Norway, to New Amsterdam about the middle of the seventeenth century where he was married in 1657. His marriage record copied from 
the Genealogical and Biographical records of New York taken from the First Reformed Dutch Church of the city is as follows: ... Married March 3rd, 1657, Herman Hendrickson, from Bergen, in Norway, to Magdalena Dircks, widow of Cornelius Caper. This form of our ancestor’s name denotes that he was the son of Hendrick or Henrik, and as it is nowhere else found so written, but is usually written Harmon Hendrick, we shall thus write it when speaking of him. Herman and Harmon were interchangeably used in Holland and among the early settlers, as were Jacobus and James, Johannis and John. But one instance is found where he wrote his own name, that being in 1683, when he signed his name to a petition, writing it "Harmon Hyndryx." As family names were then but little used he did not write the name Rosenkrans. After his marriage in New York, 1657, we next find him in Kingston where he settled about 1660. His son Alexander was born in Kingston, as his marriage record shows, and he was baptized in New York, April, 1661.
The following is from "The Rosenkrans Family in Sussex County, NJ, submitted by John D. Rosenkrans,VI":
Colonel John Rosenkrans b.1724 Rochester, NY d.1786 Walpack, NJ, came to the Old Mine Road in Walpack in 1745 when he purchased Fort Shappanack, which
overlooked the Delaware River. [The Old Mine Road is given credit in the history books as the oldest road in the US.] During his day, the Indians were numerous in that section of the country. Col. John often related to his sons, that bands of Indians would often come to his house and partake in generous hospitalities which he offered. Frequently, a score of Indians found shelter beneath his roof for the night, sleeping on the kitchen floor. Fort Shappanack (aka Fort Johns), according to Sussex county histories, was named for the old village in which it stood.When the American Revolution broke out Col. John enlisted in the Sussex County Militia, 3rd Regiment, on May 23, 1777 he was commissioned to the rank of Colonel for his gallantry. He fought at the Battle of Germantown, Pa. and he accompanied General Sullivan in his campaign against the Indians of the upper Susquehanna and Genesee Valley in 1779. At one time, he was shot in the shoulder, and from the results of, he never fully recovered. A physician in Morristown, in the treatment of his wound, scraped the bone of his shoulder, which caused it to grow worse. He died in 1786 and was buried at old Shappanack Graveyard on Old Mine Road, just behind his home. Adjoining the graveyard was a low Dutch church, built of logs, of which he was an elder. In 1959, at the site of former Fort Shappanack, a Memorial was dedicated, in his name, by the Sons of the American Revolution; Col. John Rosenkrans Chapter.
Another son, Major Benjamin Rosenkrans [Alice Rosenkrans great great grandfather] b.1770 Walpack, d.1848 Walpack, was a commander in the Sussex Co. Militia at Sandy Hook, NJ in the War of 1812. Major Benjamin was buried at the Peter’s Valley (Bevans Cemetery) in 1848. My Grandfather, John Russell Rosenkrans b.1896 in Sandyston, NJ, d.1971 Bernardsville, NJ, fought in WWI, my Father, George C. Rosenkrans b.1922 Layton, NJ, fought in WWII.
I think John Russell was my Grandma Clark's brother.
Perhaps the most famous Rosenkrans of them all was a general in the American Civil War - General William Stark Rosecrans. There are many alternative spellings of the name of which Rosecrans is one but they're all related. Rosecrans and Ulysses S Grant were rivals in the Civil War. From 1868 to 1869, Rosecrans served as U.S. Minister to Mexico, but was replaced when his old nemesis, Ulysses Grant, became president. He turned down the Democratic nomination for Governor of Ohio in 1869. He returned to private mining business in Mexico and California for ten years. He was elected as a congressman from California, serving from 1881 to 1885, and was appointed as the Register of the Treasury, serving from 1885 to 1893. When Grant applied to Congress for a pension after engaging in disastrous financial dealings, Rosecrans rose to speak against it. He died in 1898 at Rancho Sausal Redondo, Redondo Beach, California, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, in San Diego, California, is named in his honor.
Every time I drive on Rosecrans Street, a major artery in San Diego, I think of my distant relative. It's interesting how the names Rosecrans and US Grant are preserved to this day in San Diego. The US Grant hotel, which was built by Grant's grandson is a prominent landmark. There's also a Rosecrans Street in LA near Redondo Beach where Rosecrans had a ranch. There is a biography of General Rosecrans: The Edge of Glory: A Biography of General William S. Rosecrans, U.S.A, Louisiana State University Press, 1999, by William M Lamers. Here is more biographical information about General Rosecrans.
I remember when my grandparents, John and Alice, lived on the farm in Hainesville NJ. My Mom and Dad were married there, and I remember riding on the hay wagon when I was a little boy. I think my grandfather used horses to draw the wagon until he retired from farming and moved to Newton, NJ around 1945. I used to visit them at their house on Madison Street. Usually, I stayed for a week every summer. Grandma Clark always had fresh gingerbread cookies in the cookie jar. She was famous for them and her pickled beets. They alway had a nice garden, and a chicken coop in the back yard from which they obtained fresh eggs every day. I remember Grandma reading to me and my cousin, Peggy, when we were little, and the great picture in the dining room of my Mom, seated, and Aunt Winnie (standing) when they were about 12 and 10, respectively. Grandma Clark had a great sense of humor and she always used to tell what I call 19th century jokes. She used to send me to the local Mom and Pop store on errands, and I remember one of her jokes that went as follows:
A mother asked her son to go to the store for a pound of peas. [They were dried in those days.] "Now," the mother said,, "don't forget to ask Mr. Jones about his wife. She's been sick lately." So all the way to the store the little boy said to himself, "A pound of peas and how's your wife? A pound of peas and how's your wife?" When he got to the store he went up to Mr. Jones, the storekeeper, and said "A pound of peas and how's your wife?" "Split er whole?", Mr. Jones replied. "Her did?", said the little boy in amazement.
I remember Grandma always believed that she could cure warts by rubbing them with a bean and putting the bean underneath a rock. Then, when the bean had rotted away, the wart would be gone. It seemed to work. Grandma was very industrious and her house was always immaculate. She had her work cut out for her every day. Each day of the week had a different set of chores associated with it. She took a half hour nap every day at precisely the same time. She crocheted doilies and other items and sold them in the department store where my grandfather worked his retirement job in the window shades and linoleum department on Spring Street.
I remember that, after Grandpa had a stroke and had to go live in a nursing home, Grandma walked the mile every day to see him, and then walked home again. She had never learned to drive. Nor had my other grandmother. My grandfather had a 1952 black Plymouth that never left the garage after that. I bet it was an excellent buy for whoever bought it, because they hardly ever went anywhere, and then it was just to visit relatives locally. I remember Grandma and Grandpa used to play Pinochle once a week on the same night with Mabel Morgan who was Grandma's sister and her husband. I think his name was Ed. They lived just around the corner on a nearby street.
There is a story that, when my Dad was dating my Mom and he brought her home late one night, Grandma came out of the house (on the farm) as they were talking in the car and said, "Young man, in my day we didn't keep girls out to all hours of the night!" Grandma was very strict about not allowing any liquor in the house. I had heard that she was WCTU (Women's Christian Temperance Union). She had been a school teacher, I believe, at least for awhile, and both her daughters grew up to be school teachers. Grandma was the sharpest and most mentally astute of all my grandparents in my opinion although they were all pretty intelligent.
My Dad used to tell the story (not apocriphal) of how his mother-in-law had given him a cemetery plot in the Hainesville cemetery as a wedding present. She was a very practical person. Anyway they are all there together at this point in time which makes it convenient for me.
Here is the genealogical summary:
1. Harman Hendricks Rosenkrans b 1612-1632, Bergen, Norway; d 1697, Rochester, NY.
2. Son Alexander Augustus Rosenkrans b 1661, Kingston, NY; d 1746, Walpack, NJ.
3. Son Johannes (Colonel John) Rosenkrans b 1724, Rochester, NY; d 1786, Walpack, NJ.
4. Son Major Benjamin Rosenkrans b 1770, Walpack, NJ; d 1848, Walpack, NJ.
5. Son John B Rosenkrans b 1792, Walpack, NJ; d 1850
6. Son Alfred b 1822 Walpack, NJ; d 1872, Walpack, NJ.
7. Son John B b 1852, Walpack, NJ; d ?.
8. Daughter Alice Jeanette b 1886, Walpack, NJ d circa 1974, Sussex, NJ.
9. Daughter Florence b 1913, Hainesville NJ; d 1997, Hackettstown, NJ.
10. Son John b 1941, Franklin, NJ.
11. Daughter Justine b 1970, La Jolla, CA.
12. Daughters Jasmine b 2001, San Diego, CA and Monique b 2003, San Diego, CA.
