Another researcher, descendant of William Wilkins of Flushing, and I have made some progress with this in finding more documents and fleshing out the life of merchant Jacob Wilkins of New York City, his two wives, and his many children. The only Wilkinses to carry on the surname moved to California in the early 20th century. I now think that Jacob Wilkins and his wife Hannah Betts (who married in NYC) may have originated in the Jamaica, Queens Co., NY area and that their baptismal records were lost when those of mid-18th century Grace P. E. Church burned. Our only real hope of finding their parents may lie with descendants of their siblings. I listed the names of the children above as they may provide some hints. Ann Rapalje, the second wife, was of course the daughter of Garret Rapalje and his wife Helen Denys--and we have plenty of information on that family.
My own ancestor, Ann(e) or Nancy, daughter of Jacob and Hannah, has proved to be much more interesting than I at first thought. She apparently married twice more after George Stanton died: 2nd Hewlett Kissam of Long Island in 1796 (their wedding date misattributed to HIS second marriage, to Sophia Hunt); and then to an unidentified Mr. Pierce, as she wrote a letter in 1818 from Canaan, Columbia Co., NY, about her brother Augustus' estate. Kissam seemed to be looking for her in the early years of that decade, so perhaps she just ran off and he remarried or took up with Sophia with the belief she was dead.
Any thoughts welcome. Elizabeth