The following is quoted from "The Opdyck Genealogy" (1889) by Charles Wilson Opdyke (1838-1907), and was also reprinted by Robert Smith Craig (1928-2020) in his 1985 genealogy of the descendants of John Updike, "The Virginia Updikes-Updykes":

JOHN UPDIKE OF VIRGINIA
(Son of Third Son; Son of Johannes; Son of Louris)
[Comment by Bryan S. Godfrey: YDNA results indicate no patrilineal relationship between descendants of John Updike of Virginia and those of the Louris and Johannes Opdyck family of Holland (?), New York, and New Jersey, in spite of reasonable assumptions by Charles W. Opdyke that John Updike was from that lineage. Current research focuses on proving John might be descended from or related to the Gysbert and Lodowick Updike family of New York and Rhode Island instead, originating in Wesel, Westphalia, Germany, and some of the traditions quoted below give credence to that possibility, or that he may have been a son of a daughter of Johannes Opdyck of New Jersey].

Born 1718, died 1802; married 1st in 1744 Sarah Farnsworth of Bordentown, N.J.; 2nd in 1751 Sarah Brown, or Carker, of Pennsylvania; resided in Burlington County, N.J., and in Loudoun County, Virginia.

In the office of the Secretary of State of N.J., is the record of the marriage of "John Opdike of Burlington and Sarah Farnsworth of Bordentown, Oct. 7, 1744." The marriage-bond with his autograph has been lost in the vaults. The Farnsworths were English Quakers of high standing and character. In 1665 Thomas Farnsworth was imprisoned in Tupton, Derbyshire, England for attending meetings of Quakers. His brother, Richard, was tried and sent to prison in Yorkshire, England, for not taking off his hat to a Justice. In 1677 Thomas Farnsworth came in the ship Kent to Philadelphia, and in a boat up the river to Bordentown. The following year his wife Susannah came over, bringing her children and two servants, in the ship Shield, the 1st vessel that ascended the Delaware River to Burlington. Her coming was looked for with great interest, as she had been a Quakeress preacher of note in the old country. Thomas had been a shoemaker but was a man of considerable means, and in 1682 and later bought 548 acres, which proved to be in fact 800 acres and covered the whole site of the present city of Bordentown. He is supposed to have settled on his Bordentown tract at about 1683; his cabin was the first house in the place. He appears on the records as Constable in 1689; died 1693, leaving sons, Samuel, Nathaniel, and others. His son Samuel Farnsworth filled at different times all the township offices of Bordentown. The place was called "Farnsworth's Landing," and was a place of importance as the tolls from there to Philadelphia were fixed by a special statute.

The records of the office of the Secretary of State, and those of Burlington County, show that Samuel Farnsworth of Bordentown devised land to his grandson and namesake Samuel, son of John Updike and Sarah Farnsworth; that John Updike's son Samuel died in Bordentown in 1796, leaving a daughter Mary who married a Hance, and a son John Updike who recorded deeds in Burlington County in 1810, 1816, and 1823; that Rachel Farnsworth (daughter of Samuel Farnsworth's brother Nathaniel) bequeathed property to her cousin Mary Updike, wife of David Hance. These records are very explicit. They are confirmed by the testimony of two elderly ladies now living in Bordentown, who report that their father John Updike, born 1789, died 1851, was the son of Samuel Updike who was the son of John Updike who "settled and died in Virginia and owned a great deal of land in that State;" they also say that their grandfather had a brother who settled in Boston, but this probably refers to a brother of their great-grandfather John Updike of this sketch.

John Updike's wife Sarah Farnsworth, died after becoming the mother of his children Samuel, Edith, and Amon. After her death John moved to Virginia, leaving Samuel with the Farnsworths of Bordentown, and taking with him Edith and Amon; he married again, and his second wife bore to him three sons and six daughters. From these three sons, Rufus, Daniel, and John, and from Amon, are descended the "Virginia Updikes" who now comprise fifty families (1889) and amount to 300 persons of the name, including those who later have moved from Virginia over into Ohio. These Virginians have kept good family records, and all trace their ancestry to John Updike who married Sarah Farnsworth of New Jersey, and after her death, before the Revolution, moved to Loudoun Co., Va., leaving his son Samuel in Bordentown. These recollections are unusually trustworthy because a number of John's Virginia grandchildren are still living, from 70 to 80 years of age, who have retained in memory the traditions covering almost two centuries, as handed down to them by their parents. No further particulars concerning John Updike, his father, or children, having been found upon the records, it is important to preserve these interesting recollections, which can best be done by giving the following extracts from letters written to the author by descendants of each of John's four Virginia sons.

From Nathaniel B., Descendant of John's son Amon:
"The children of Amon Updike have all been dead many years. The records have been much neglected and the traditional account seems to have been confused, but the following points are well remembered by the present generation. Amon was a son of John Updike the tailor, who came from near Philadelphia to Loudoun County, VA. We have always been told that he was a tailor by trade, but for a time drove a market-wagon to Philadelphia. Where he was born or what his father's name was, we have never heard. It is the opinion of all the Bedford County Updikes that Amon's mother, John Updike's first wife, was Sarah Farnsworth. The error of the Warren County Updikes, in thinking that she was Abigail Farnsworth, may have arisen from a confusion with an aunt Abigail. A granddaughter of Amon, who lived with his family many years, remembers having heard her aunts speak of 'Aunt Abigail,' who died about 1800 when he was a small child. At the time of Amon's settlement in Bedford, there were a goodly number of immigrants from Loudoun Co., all Quakers, who also came here. There were families from Northeastern Virginia, named Dobyns, Woodford, Sheppard, Bond, and Wilks, all kindred to each other; and this 'Aunt Abigail' was Mrs. Abigail Wilks, and I believe that she was the Abigail Farnsworth spoken of by our Bentonville relatives. It has always been a noticeable propensity with the Updikes of Bedford to name straight after their kindred, and nearly every Bedford family has had a Sarah, while none have had an Abigail. The following is a correct copy of the births of the children of John Updike by his first wife, Sarah Farnsworth, taken from the Age Book of Amon Updike.

Samuel Updike was born Oct. 9th., 1745.
Edith Updike was born Nov. 2nd., 1747.
Amon Updike was born Feb. 25th., 1749.

I cannot find any further account of Edith. If she came to Bedford with Amon, she evidently did not remain here long; none of the present generation has any rememberance of her, and she is not buried in the family burying ground."

From Capt. James G., Descendant of John's son Rufus:
"The history of the original stock of Updike families in this state is as follows. Four brothers of this name emigrated with their families from New Jersey to Virginia soon after the close of the Revolutionary war. Their names were Rufus, John, Daniel, and Amon. Rufus (my grandfather) settled in Loudoun County, VA.; John and Daniel in Culpepper (now Rappahannock); and Amon in Bedford Co., on the south side of the James River. Their father's name and from what part of New Jersey they came are not known to me. These men at that day were young, strong and active, and each one lived to be over 80 years old; and during life, through honesty, industry and economy, managed to accumulate considerable estates besides raising large and respectable families, each one having 9 or 10 children. The descendants of this old stock are now scattered over several States of the Union. Many of the descendants of John and Daniel live in Page and Warren Counties in the Shenandoah Valley; Amon's in Bedford County; and the descendants of Rufus in Ohio and Indiana, except your humble servant, and one brother who lives in S.W. Virginia in Bland County. I will now give you some of the leading characteristics of the Updike families in this State, so that you may be able to compare them with their Northern brethren. In stature they are as a general rule rather above the medium height, of hale robust constitutions, and many of them have been remarkable for great muscular strength. I think they are commonly regarded as honest and industrious, and possess the rare faculty of attending to their own business and not meddling with other people's affairs. None of this stock have ever achieved much distinction in science, arts, or politics. There are one or two divines, several lawyers and two or three third-rate politicians among them, and one or two became a little conspicuous as officers and soldiers during the late war. They generally confine themselves to agriculture and merchandise and have but little ambition for place or power, and are chiefly noted for longevity and progeny."

(Later) "It appears from the charts and reports of some of my Virginia cousins, recently received by you and forwarded to me, that my great-grandfather John lived in Loudoun County. I was speaking from memory rather than record. I have always been under the impression that the four brothers came from New Jersey. If my cousins hold the records against me, I must submit. The name John appears to be well preserved throughout the past generations, and is probably correct. I was born and raised in Loudoun and never lived anywhere else until I came to Rockbridge, when 33 years old. There has been little intercourse between my branch and the Rappahannock families for the past 30 years or more; neither of my children has ever seen an Updike, except two: their Uncle Albert, and one from Rappahannock. I hope your efforts may have the tendency to bring the families in closer communion."

From Daniel, Son of John's Son Daniel:
" I am now 74 years old, and can yet handle the plow better than the pen. I have three sisters living, older than myself; and one younger. I have taken some pains to learn what I can about our ancestors, and I give you the following notes of what I have gathered.

"My grandfather, John Updike the tailor, was said by my father and uncles to have been born in Rhode Island about 1717. His father was shot by accident when young; I don't think I ever heard his name or that of his wife or of any sister of his. John and his brother were put to trades; John to the tailor's trade, and the brother to the shoemaker's. During his time of service, John went to Long Island, was moved almost every year, and got about Philadelphia and Bordentown, N.J. He never had any positive knowledge of his brother after they were parted; he heard of a man who called himself Opdike, or Obdike, whose age and description agreed with that of his brother. I have always thought that this brother's name was William. But I have just received a letter from my sister in Ohio saying that his name was Asa. This is probably so, as my grandfather named a son Asa. We have always supposed that this brother, William or Asa, died unmarried, but we have no certain account.

"Our family belief that our grandfather, John Updike the tailor, was born in Rhode Island and resided in Long Island, may be a mistake. The various members of our family differ in their recollections in other points. It has been fifty years or more since the death of our uncles and aunts. My sister thinks that the name of our great-grandfather (father of John Updike) was Albert; but it is not certain that she is correct. The only name connected with my grandfather's family, that I recollect with any certainty, is Edith. I have heard my father and uncle say that a legacy was coming to the family, --but that Edith had been dead so long that they would never make any effort to get it. I also recall that they mentioned a name something like Roderick, as one of the family, and as engaged in a naval action. But a boy of my age then had a very imperfect idea as to whom they meant. My conclusion is that our ancestor, my grandfather John, was born fifty years or more after the capture (of New York) by the English; that his father died young in Rhode Island, leaving only the two boys; that these boys went, with their mother or guardian, to Long Island, and probably were members of the family that settled there. If there was any record, it was destroyed by the burning of the Court House in the (Revolutionary) war, as it was in the same locality.

"My grandfather John grew to man's estate about 1740, married his first wife, who was a Farnsworth, and resided in or about Bordentown, N.J. His first wife was mother of his three children,---Amon, Edith, and Samuel. After her death, John came to Loudoun Co., Virginia. His children Amon and Edith came with him, but Samuel remained in Bordentown, New Jersey. John married again; I have always thought that the name of his second wife was Sarah Brown, but my sister thinks it was Sarah Carker. (Her mother was married to both a Brown and a Carker and hence the confusion). Her parents lived in Pennsylvania. The oldest child of this marriage, Rufus, was born in 1753. Amon settled in Bedford Co. and Edith went with him.

"My grandfather had only a limited education; was a man of reserved habits; depended on labor for support; was fond of sport, horse-racing and cock-fighting. In his time the work of a tailer was much in buckskin, and the tailor went from house to house. After he came to Virginia, John was often from home at work or taking in work. He owned land in Loudoun, Campbell, and Bedford Counties, but lived and died in Loudoun.

"Many of the family held membership in what they called the Church of England. Others were of the Quaker order, and on that account few of the name ever owned many slaves.

"In Virginia it is seldom that land or any other property remains in the same family through three generations. Changes of ownership and family cause sometimes even changes in churches. Almost all families have a burial-ground, but after changes of owners these family burial-grounds are neglected and go to waste. Village graveyards too suffer from neglect. I have seen few tombstones 100 years old. Families that owned large tracts of land are all gone, and so is their memory. Much land here was held under bond from what they called the British Lords, --perhaps for 99 years; this makes titles uncertain.

"The occupation of the Updike family in Virginia has been agriculture. At present they are engaged in almost all occupations, as the younger members try to keep pace with the age.

"My father, Daniel Updike, married Ruth Heaton, daughter of Benjamin and Nancy Heaton. Nancy Heaton was by birth Nancy Jackson; her brother, Richard Jackson, married my father's sister, Phebe Updike; Nancy's sister Sarah married Elijah Houghton , and her sister Phebe married a Hart. The mother of these four Jacksons was Abigail Haskins; and Abigail Haskins' mother was mother also of Sarah, the second wife of John Updike the tailor. The name Abigail has in this way become frequent in our family bibles and has been mistaken for Sarah Farnsworth, the first wife of John Updike the tailor. The families above named all came from New Jersey and settled together in Virginia, and were connected by marriage.

"My eyes are growing weak. One of my age can have but a short time to remain before he goes to his ancestors."

From James B., Grandson of John's son John:
"My great-grandfather was John Updike, a tailor by trade. I have been told that he came from Germany, and a sister came with him by the name of Edith. He lived on Long Island five years. His first wife was a Miss Farnsworth; she died and the Farnsworths took two of their children, named Samuel and William; I do not know what became of them. John brought two children of his first wife with him to Loudoun County, Virginia; their names were Amon and Edith. Amon married in Loudoun Co., and moved to Bedford County where he died. Edith married Joseph Fagan who died in Washington City. John married, for his second wife, Sarah Carker; and had nine children, among whom were Rufus, Daniel, and John. **I have just received a letter from old Daniel Updike of Bentonville, Va., stating that great-grandfather John Updike was born in Rhode Island about the year 1717, and that his father was shot by accident when John was young. The description of the Virginia Updikes, given by Capt. James G. Updike, agrees with my own knowledge of them; they are in general very large and strong men."

These facts and traditions are valuable, not only for preservation by the Virginia branch and their descendants, but also by reason of their intrinsic interest. The name "something like Roderick as one of their family" would seem to refer to Lodowick Updike of Rhode Island, and to strengthen the tradition that John Updike came originally from that State. It is true that Lodowick Updike's son Richard died young from an accident in 1734, and left sons who were directed by Lodowick's will to be put to trades. But Richard's son John is known to have lived and died in Providence, R.I., where he left numerous descendants, none of whom know anything of the Virginia branch; and the identity of this John as Richard's son is distinctly established by the recollections of the Rhode Island family and by his giving to a son the name of Eldred, the maiden name of Richard Updike's wife. We are therefore forced to conclude that the Virginia tradition has in the lapse of time altered Rhode Island into Long Island, and that John Updike, the ancestor of the Virginians, was born on Long Island, and was in fact a nephew of the Albert Opdyck whom one of their traditions makes his father. For this reason we have placed the Virginia John as a son of the "Third Son of Johannes Opdyck."

It is especially noteworthy that the character and traits of the Virginia Updikes agree with those of the other branches of Updikes--Opdykes, received from many widely different sources.

The Virginians say that John knew nothing of his brother William (or Asa) after they parted in youth. No record has been found of this brother in New Jersey, or of any probable descendant of his unless it be that he had a son Thomas, mentioned in the following record in the office of the Surrogate of Burlington Co.
1826 Thomas Updike of Nottingham, Burlington County, died leaving will on record, bequeathing his property to a niece, and mentioning no wife or children.

***************************************

The Family of John Updike of New Jersey and Virginia:
Possible Long-Lost Descendants of the Rhode Island Updikes and the Only Ones Still Carrying on the Surname?
By Bryan S. Godfrey, 2009


In 1889, Charles Wilson Opdyke published The Opdyck Genealogy, tracing the descendants of the two Opdyck-Updike families in America that were descended from two likely unrelated settlers of New Amsterdam in the mid-1600s who were both born about 1605: Gysbert Opdyck, from Wesel, Germany, whose family subsequently settled Smith's Castle AKA Cocumscussoc at Wickford, Rhode Island and became known as the German or Rhode Island Updikes, and Louris Jansen Opdyck, believed then to have come from Elburg, Holland but now proven to have been born in Husum, Germany, whose descendants settled New Jersey and New York and became known as the Dutch or New Jersey Opdycks-Updikes. Ever since that book was written, it had been assumed, without proof, that John Opdike/Updike (ca. 1718-1801), who established the Virginia Updike family when he came from Burlington County, New Jersey, to Loudoun County, Virginia, about 1750, was a grandson of Johannes Opdyck (ca. 1651-1729) of Long Island and Hopewell, New Jersey, and great-grandson of Louris Jansen Opdyck (ca. 1605-1659) of Albany and Long Island, New York, an assumption the author made mainly due to John's residence in an adjacent county in New Jersey from where his assumed grandfather Johannes had lived, from the fact that Johannes had at least eight children but only the names of six are known, and from the fact that the Rhode Island Updikes were otherwise accounted for. The author placed John among the descendants of Louris and Johannes in spite of the fact that John's grandson Daniel Updike, Jr. (1814-after 1888) claimed in a letter to him that he heard his grandfather was born in Rhode Island and that there was someone in the family "named something like Roderick" who was "engaged in a naval action," strongly hinting at a connection to the family of Lodowick Updike (1646-1737) of Rhode Island, the only son of Gysbert who is known to have left male-line descendants (up to the early 1900s but who now appear to have died out).

However, YDNA tests on two patrilineal descendants of John Updike of Virginia indicate no patrilineal connection between the John Updike family and the proven descendants of Louris and Johannes Opdyck. Because of this and what Daniel Updike, Jr. stated, there is a possibility that John Updike might have descended from or been related to the more prominent, better-traced family of Gysbert and Lodowick Updike of Wesel, Germany, New Amsterdam, and Rhode Island after all. Lodowick had at least four brothers, Richard, Daniel, James, and Johannes. It is known that Richard was born about 1651 and killed in the Great Swamp Fight of 1675, and the 1889 genealogy states that he was unmarried (possibly an erroneous assumption), that Daniel and James (both of whom left wills) had no sons, and that no mention of Gysbert's son Johannes was found after his baptism in 1658, leading the 1889 genealogy author to conclude he probably died young. Maybe that is not true, that he lived to begat offspring and was the father or grandfather of the Virginia John Updike and his family was simply omitted in wills of the early Smiths and Updikes. Indeed, many of Wickford's earliest records were destroyed, no will has been located for Gysbert Opdyck that should have delineated all of his children, nor did Richard Smith's will of 1664 list his grandchildren by name. Moreover, the information on the early generations of the family of Richard Smith and his son-in-law Gysbert Opdyck is largely based on traditions handed down in the family of Gysbert's son Lodowick Updike, who inherited Smith's Castle AKA Cocumscussoc. Lodowick's family may be accounted for, but perhaps not all of his brothers or their possible offspring are yet. It seems the only way John could descend from Lodowick is if he were an illegitimate son of one of Lodowick's daughters, but even if that were the case, he probably would have been mentioned in Lodowick's will (and of course it is still possible that John descends from the Louris and Johannes Opdyck line if he were an illegitimate son of one of Johannes' daughters).

Unfortunately, it appears that the male line of Lodowick Updike's descendants has died out, so the Virginia Updikes have no one from that family to compare their YDNA with. Both of the Virginia Updikes tested match persons with the surnames Germain, Wastle, and Appel, and the results seem to indicate the patrilineal origins of that Updike family are likely German rather than Dutch, as one of the matches has roots in Westphalia, the same German state in which Wesel is located. The news is disappointing to some of the Virginia Updikes because the first three assumed generations of their lineage are no longer valid, whether their Updikes were of Dutch or German descent is now questionable, and they must be content to begin the line with John Updike unless further discoveries are made, but at least the uncertainty the Virginians have had for 120 years is now settled. The only way John Updike could still be related to Johannes Opdyck, son of Louris, is if there were a break in the male line and someone in his ancestry took the Updike surname from the mother instead. Unless that is the case, the news also means that John Updike's descendants are not related to the rest of the Updikes-Opdykes in America of variant spellings, who all appear to descend from Louris and Johannes, including author John Updike.

Hopefully one of the Rhode Island Updikes left behind locks of hair or other items from which YDNA samples might be extracted to see if there is a match with the Virginia Updikes. Otherwise, the only way YDNA samples could be obtained from the Gysbert Opdyck line is if one of the descendants were exhumed, a far-fetched endeavor. The well-known printer Daniel Berkeley Updike (1860-1941) of Providence, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts, a childless bachelor like so many of the Rhode Island Updikes, was possibly the last male-line descendant of the Lodowick Updike family.

Not only did Daniel Updike, Jr.'s remarks suggest a Rhode Island connection, but also the fact that John's son Rufus had a grandson named Smith Newton Updike (1832-1917), makes it worthy of serious consideration. Lodowick's wife and first cousin, Abigail Newton, had a brother named Smith Newton. Furthermore, a granddaughter of one of John Updike's sons who remained in New Jersey said her grandfather had a brother who settled in Boston, but the 1889 author concluded she was probably referring to an earlier generation instead. None of Louris and Johannes' early descendants went to New England, yet two of Gysbert's sons, James and Daniel, are known to have lived in Boston and were mariners, possibly explaining why Daniel Updike, Jr. heard there was someone in his grandfather's family who was engaged in a naval action, an exploit which no one in the Louris and Johannes line had been engaged in from available records.

In terms of social class and personality, the pioneering, agrarian Virginia Updikes were much more like the New Jersey Opdycks-Updikes than the high-society, bookish Rhode Island family. However, if John Updike's father was "shot by accident" when John was young, he and his brother were subsequently put to trades, and he went to Long Island and subsequently to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Bordentown, New Jersey, as Daniel Updike, Jr. stated, then that might explain why John Updike and his descendants were not as prominent as their possible Rhode Island Smith-Updike forebears, and why this line lost contact with those who remained in Rhode Island.

Or, is it possible that John was an immigrant, since one of his great-grandsons claimed hearing that he came from Germany to Long Island with a sister named Edith, and was either a descendant of one of the Opdycks who remained in Wesel, Germany, or perhaps from a third line that is not connected with either Gysbert or Louris? It seems more likely that if John were born abroad, his grandson Daniel would have known, and that this great-grandson may have confused him with an earlier generation. Many of the Virginia Updikes are exceedingly proud of their Dutch heritage, and one has admitted she does not want to claim German heritage instead due to World War II. The aforementioned tradition of German origins strengthens the likelihood that John might descend from the Wesel, Germany Opdycks, yet the Virginians have steadfastly claimed Dutch origins. Is this a claim that arose since the 1889 book was written, or had the Virginians claimed Dutch origins long before that? This is uncertain. The discovery in the 1990s of an Albany court record in which Louris Jansen Opdyck deposed that he was born in Husum even questions whether his descendants are entitled to claim a Dutch heritage, unless of course his family indeed came from Elburg or somewhere else in The Netherlands and lived in Husum temporarily.

Bryan S. Godfrey, an avid genealogist and triple descendant of the John Updike family of Virginia, resides in Richmond, Virginia and is a high school mathematics and social studies teacher. He welcomes input on this and can be reached at [email protected]. He hopes that there might be a few Rhode Island Updikes left contrary to what he and other Updike researchers have deduced from charts in the 1889 book and from updates to the genealogy since then. He serves as a secretary and genealogist of the annual Virginia Updike Reunion and is updating an excellent 1985 genealogy of the descendants of John Updike, The Virginia Updikes-Updykes by Robert S. Craig, now of Charleston, West Virginia.

*********************************
Additional comment by Bryan S. Godfrey:
Below is a 2021 update to the above, copied and pasted from a list of 35+ genealogical goals or problematic areas of my ancestry that is on my findagrave biography/ introduction on my personal pre-need "memorial":

25. Proving my great6- and great7-grandfather John Opdike/Updyke/Updike (1718?-1802?) of Burlington Co., NJ and Loudoun Co., VA, from whom my Grandfather Overstreet was descended 3 ways, was descended from the Gysbert Opdyck (1605-living 1664) and Catherine Smith family of New Amsterdam (present Hartford, CT, New York City, and Coney Island, NY) and Wickford, RI, contrary to conclusions of the author of 1889 "Opdyck Genealogy" who arbitrarily placed John as a son of an unidentified son of Johannes Opdyck (1651?-1729) and wife Catherine of Newtown, Long Island, NY and Hopewell, Hunterdon Co., NJ (Johannes a son of Louris Jansen Opdyck (ca 1605-1659) and Christina Opdyck, probably from Elburg, The Netherlands, unrelated to Gysbert Opdyck from Wesel, Germany) because he resided and married his first wife in Bordentown, NJ, about 20 miles from Hopewell, in 1744. However, YDNA tests show male-line descendants of John Updyke of VA do not match male-line descendants of 2 sons of Johannes Opdyck of NJ, and because the proved male RI Updike line appears extinct, YDNA comparisons cannot be undertaken between male-line descendants of John Updyke of VA and the Gysbert Opdyck lineage. Autosomal DNA matches suggest John was from Gysbert Opdyck family, perhaps a grandson of Gysbert and Catherine's son Lodowick Updike (1646-1737) and wife/first cousin Abigail Newton (1663?-1745) of "Smith's Castle," Wickford, RI through son Daniel Updike (1694-1757) and first wife Sarah Arnold (1698-1718) of Newport, RI, said to have died in childbirth with her infant. Autosomal DNA matches between several of John's descendants and numerous descendants of Gysbert's daughter Elizabeth Updike Wightman, to a few descendants of Lodowick Updike, and to numerous descendants of Sarah Arnold's Arnold, Westcott, Mumford, and Sherman ancestors, suggest John could have been that infant who survived and may have been raised by someone else so his father was less encumbered to remarry and start another family, which may explain why John was omitted in 1800s Rhode Island Updike family record. And, because Sarah Arnold's half-brother was grandfather of the Revolutionary War traitor General Benedict Arnold, the RI Updikes may have been in denial about Daniel having surviving children by Sarah Arnold just to expunge any connection with the Arnold family. In spite of numerous matches between several VA Updike descendants and descendants of the above RI families, it is bothersome that these VA Updike descendants have DNA matches to descendants of NY/NJ Louris-Johannes Opdyck family too, a great3-grandson enough matches for concern, though all have many more to descendants of the RI family and the great3-grandson has lots of other NJ ancestry that might explain matches to descendants of the NJ Updikes-Opdykes, and no other known New England ancestry. In other words, DNA results and circumstantial evidence indicate one could argue both sides as to whether John Updyke of NJ & VA was descended from the RI or NJ Opdyck-Updike families. Evidence in favor of RI descent are that John's grandson Daniel Updike, Jr. wrote a letter to the author of the 1889 book saying he was told his grandfather John was born in RI and there was someone in the family "name something like Roderick" (suggesting Lodowick) who was "engaged in a naval action" (hinting at Lodowick's brother Daniel who was captured by pirates and ransomed, or at Lodowick's brother Richard who was killed in 1675 Great Swamp Fight), the fact that John had a son Daniel, the fact that John had a great-grandson Smith Newton Updike (1832-1917) and Lodowick's wife Abigail had a nephew Smith Newton, the fact that Daniel Updike, Jr. said John's father was shot by accident when John was young and he and his brother were "put to trades," the exact wording used in Lodowick Updike's will over 150 years before when he said sons of his deceased son Richard were to be "put to trades" (but Richard's son John 1726-1804 is known to have resided in Providence, RI), the fact that 2 of Lodowick's brothers settled Boston, MA and great-granddaughters of John stated a tradition to 1889 genealogy author that one of their ancestors had a brother who settled Boston whereas none of the known early descendants of Johannes went to New England, and the fact that YDNA results prove John was not patrilineally related to the Louris-Johannes Opdyck lineage. Evidence in favor of NJ descent is John's proximity to where his assumed grandfather Johannes Opdyck resided after 1697, the fact that Johannes' 1729 will referred to 8 living children but only 6 are known, the possibility John could have been a son of one of Johannes' daughters and taken the surname from his mother, opinions of resemblances between John's and Johannes' descendants, the fact that Johannes had a son Albert and Daniel Updike, Jr. stated to author of 1889 genealogy that his sister said John's father's name may have been Albert (but Albert's son John Opdycke d 1777 of Hunterdon Co., NJ is already accounted for), associations between John's first wife Sarah Farnsworth's relatives in New Jersey and Johannes' descendants, and the fact that the early RI Updikes seemed to be accounted for in wills of Updikes and Smiths there and it seems rather wishful and far-fetched that John could have been a son of Daniel Updike and Sarah Arnold yet not known to Daniel's grandson Wilkins Updike (1784-1867) when he prepared a genealogy for his book on the history of the Episcopal Church in Rhode Island.

A final comment: Over 12,000 descendants of John Opdike/Updike/Updyke have been traced and added by me, Bryan S. Godfrey, into my genealogy file as of 2021. Of John's 12 children and two wives, it appears that his son Amon, my ancestor, is the only one whose grave location is certain and whose tombstone is extant. Technically, one should not create memorials for those with unknown graves, so do not assume that those memorials linked to him as his wives and children are all he had.