Two Kingsland family members, Toni Oakes Marchik and David Kingsland Oakes, donated this painting to the Manor in July of 2021. The painting is a portrait of Rachel Kingsland, daughter of Joseph and Mary Kingsland, the first residents of the Kingsland Manor.

Rachel was born on June 24, 1789, in New York City to Joseph Kingsland and Mary Outwater. She was seven years old when the family moved to the Kingsland home, now known as the Kingsland Manor.

At the age of 18, Rachel married Thomas Oakes (1776-1823) at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Newark, NJ, on April 18th, 1808. The church at 608 Broad Street is still there. Their son, David Oakes, established the woolen mills in Bloomfield, NJ and the homestead known as Oakeside Mansion. Rachel’s husband, Thomas, unfortunately died young, possibly of yellow fever.

This painting is one of five copies that were done and given to the children of Thomas Oakes and Rachel Kingsland. They were David Oakes (married to Abigail Harrison Baldwin), Joseph Kingsland Oakes (married to Mary Jane Dodd), Sarah Oakes (married to Silas W Stiles), John Oakes (married to Ann Elizabeth Ward), and Mary Oakes (married to Horace Pierson). Our picture was the one given to John and Ann.