[From the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, 1977.]
A traditional gambrel roof form Dutch style red sandstone farmstead built in the 18th century, the actual date of the construction of the earliest part of the David Des Marest House is still a matter of hypothesis despite extensive research into the history of the property.
As it stands today, the house appears to have been built in four sections. The earliest unit is the small 1 1/2 story west portion. Constructed of rough coursed and random red sandstone, this section originally had a two bay sandstone front, but was opened up and extended about two feet with a red brick bay in 1920. The roof is gable with a slight sweeping overhang. The gable end above the eave is modern cedar shingles. The first floor interior has one single room (11'7" x 13'7") with a large end fireplace which originally had a bee-hive bake oven that has subsequently been removed. There is no basement, and the attic or garret is unfinished. Originally a kitchen wing, the physical evidence does not concretely support the claims of a late 17th century date of construction. While the historical documentation has established a building on the property in the 1680's, this is not necessarily the present kitchen wing.
Attached to the kitchen wing is a 1 1/2 story 18th century gambrel roofed unit. The exterior has superficial uniform characteristics suggesting a single erection date, but close inspection refutes this idea. The cellar foundation establishes that the easternmost two bays of this gambrel roofed section were built separate of the final three bays. It is not unreasonable to conjecture that the two bays were constructed by Jacobus Des Marest sometime after his second marriage in 1720.
The final 18th century portion completes the front facade and was the result of a substantial enlarging by John Demarest. The date of this addition is clearly documented by a stone initialed JDMR ANO 1765.
Overall, however, the gambrel roofed portion projects a uniform appearance-five bays with a center entrance. The windows are all 12/8 sash with paneled shutters and S-shaped shutter dogs...
Constructed of roughly coursed red sandstone, the building measures 43 feet by 30 feet. The stone walls are about 1'8" thick.
The center entrance has a six panel Dutch door. The upper portion has two elliptical bullseye window lights in the panels. Under the easternmost window is an outside cellar entrance. The roof is gambrel with a swept (3'8") overhang at the front. The gable ends are modern cedar shingles above the eaves. There is a chimney on each gable end at the roof peak.
On the interior there is a through center hall with a side stairway. The hall is ten feet wide. The stairs have a simple newel post, round handrail, and square baluster. The door above the stairs has vertical paneling with a Norfolk door latch and Dutch strap hinges. There are two rooms, front and back, on either side of the hall. The front rooms have fireplaces. The west front room is 18'8" x 14'9", while the east front room is 17'11" x 11'5". In the east front is an 18th century side cupboard. The chestnut beams are exposed in the front rooms and are planed, and beaded (their girth measures 8" x 11"). The beams in the basement are hewn chestnut and oak and measure 14" x 11". The rear rooms are much smaller, the east room being 13'10' x 8'8", and the west 14'4" x 8'9".
The second floor has a half-hall, three bedrooms, a bath, and a storage room. In the storage room the original twelve to eighteen inches wide flooring is exposed. Elsewhere the floors are covered with narrow hardwood boards.
Around 1920 a large unit was added to the rear of the 1 1/2 story kitchen unit, and the gambrel roofed section at the rear was opened up with a large shed dormer.
Architecture
As the oldest extant house in the township, the Des Marest-Gurd-Casey House is an excellent 18th century example of the Gambrel roofed buildings unique to the Hudson River Valley.
Constructed of red sandstone, the austere gambrel roof line of the Des Marest House is still unbroken by dormers at the front facade. This is one of only a handful of Dutch houses in New Jersey which still retains its full graceful gambrel roofline. Noted architectural features, beyond the overall appearance, are the front and rear Dutch doors, the front door having one of the few extant bullseye oval windows in the upper panels. Other features are, of course, the stonework and woodwork, the interior details including the open ceiling beaded and planed beams, the paneled hallway and stairs, and various original hardware.
The Des Marest House is still situated on its original site after over two hundred years, a rather unusual accomplishment in view of the surrounding congested suburban development. Built on the first high land along the Hackensack River east of the Old Bridge, this is the last extant settlement property in the area.
Settlement
The Des Marests were French Huguenots who migrated to Amsterdam around 1650 to avoid religious persecution. Later, with other Frenchmen, they moved to German Palatinate, but when their religious freedom was threatened here, the family decided on seeking refuge in America.
David Des Marest settled at Staten Island in 1663. By this time the Dutch had occupied the Hudson River Valley for some fifty years scattering settlements along the valley, primarily in New York but also venturing into New Jersey.
From Staten Island Des Marest went to New Harlem where the family encountered multiple legal difficulties forcing them to announce plans for establishing a colony of French Huguenots in New Jersey.
David Des Marest and his family settled along the Hackensack River in the present-day New Milford area, buying their land from the Lenni Lenape Indians. Shortly thereafter, Des Marest and his sons requested warrants from the Proprietors of East Jersey to establish legal claim to the land. By this process, in 1681 Des Marest received three tracts of land totaling nearly four hundred tillable acres. (As originally claimed, Des Marest Land extended well up into New York state).
The earliest extant house on the patent is the David Des Marest-Casey-Gurd House in New Milford at the intersection of River and River Edge Roads. Perhaps built as early as 1678, this was one of the first, if not the first, permanent settlements in Bergen County.
David Des Marest died in 1693 and stipulated in his will that the property be divided equally among his three sons. The division provided "that ye little mill, house, barn, with all ye land which are on ye side of said mill shall belong to John Des Marest." (Wills. Bergen County. David Des Marest, Senior. 1693).
John Demarest sold the mill sometime during the first or second decade of the 18th century, but maintained possession of the homestead, which after John's death in 1719 came into the possession of another Jacobus Des Marest, apparently the nephew of John.
Jacobus Demarest (1691-1763) was born at Long Island and married Lea DeGroot in 1707 and Margrietje Haring in 1719 acquiring the Des Marest Homestead at about this time, probably constructing the center portion of the building.
Jacobus' will divided the farm equally among his two sons, Daniel and Peter, but the house was eventually occupied by another son, John Demarest (1720-1783), first- born of the second marriage. That John did not receive any land by his father's will suggests that a land transaction was conducted earlier.
John Demarest was a prominent public figure in the area holding the responsible positions of Offices of the Commissioner to the Loan Office of Bergen County, Manager of the Courthouse, Justice and Freeholder, and Assessor and Collector for the Township of Hackensack.
In 1765 John enlarged the homestead (almost doubling its original size) to its present configuration. A stone bearing his initials and the date JDMR ANO 1765 - marks the structural change.
John Demarest was taxed in Hackensack Township in 1779 for 27 acres, two horses, two horned cattle, and two hogs.
He died in 1783 and left the estate to his wife Rachel who remained in possession of the homestead until her remarriage in 1788. Rachel was taxed for 30 acres, cattle, and a slave from 1784-1787.
As a result of Rachel's remarriage, her son Casparus acquired the homestead. He was taxed similarly until 1794 when there was 36 acres and 1802 when he owned a saw mill. Casparus Demarest died in 1844 granting the farm to son Albert.
After nearly 150 yrs. of Des Marest ownership, Albert, in 1850, sold the homestead to Henry J. Zabriskie.
After holding on the house for nearly fifty years, the Zabriskie Family sold to the Brookchester Land Company in 1908.
John A. Gurd, an architect, also acquired the property in 1908. When Gurd died, the DesMarest House came into the possession of his daughter, Alice Gurd Casey, who is the current owner.
Bibliography
Bergen Evening Record. 10/19/1933.
Durie, Howard I. Genealogical and Historical Records Pertaining to the Demarest-Casey House.v1964.
Smith, Leon A., editor. The Story of New Milford, New Jersey. New Milford, 1964.
Deed. Bergen County. Albert Demarest to Henry J. Zabriskie. Book E-5, p. 154, January 30, 1850.
Road Returns. Bergen County. Book A, p. 3, November, 1717.
Road Returns. Bergen County. Book F, p. 100, 1848.
Black, William. "Colonial Buildings in New Jersey." Architectural Record. January, 1894.
Boyd, John T., Sr. "Some Early Dutch Houses in New Jersey." Architectural Record. July, August, September, 1914.
Will. Casparus Demarest. Bergen County, Book F, p. 164, July, 1844.
Des Marest, Mary and William. The Demarest Family. New Brunswick, 1938.
Jacobus Demarest is the first known inhabitant of this house. A son of David des Marest, Jr. (see plate 82), he was born at Hackensack, bap. Oct. 30, 1681 at Flatbush, died 1763. He married first March 8, 1707 Leah, born at the Bowery on the Bay, a daughter of Peter De Groot, and had six children: David, Pieter, Rachel, Beletie, Maria and Benjamin. He married secondly Sept. 26, 1719 Margrietje Haring, bap. April 17, 1700, daughter of Cosine Haring of Old Tappan (plate 89), and had by her four children: Johannes, Lea, Gerret and Samuel. His eldest son by his second matrimonial venture was Johannes or John Demarest, b. Aug. 2, 1720, d. Feb. 5, 1783, married March 7, 1744 Rachel Zabriskie, who married secondly Aug. 1, 1788 Arent Schuyler; she died April 16, 1812. John and Rachel lived in this house and had four sons and one daughter, all of whom lived to great age, dying between the ages of 78 and 96 y ars. The youngest child Casparus or Jasper Demarest, b. April 6, 1766, d. July 6, 1844, married April 12, 1798* Rachel Vorhase, b. April 7, 1766, d. Nov. 14, 1860.* They lived in this house, in which all their eight children were born. The property was bought about 1850 by John H. Zabriskie (who lived in the frame house opposite), and inhabited for a while by his father Henry Zabriskie. It was sold by the Zabriskie family about 1908. John A. Gurd bought the property about 1910 from a land company, and it is now [at the time of Bailey's writing] owned by his widow.