He was born on June 1, 1842, in Jersey City to Henry Mackaness Traphagen and Sarah Conselyea.

He had a brother, New York State Senator William C. Traphagen, who was the father of bank president John C.

[1] He was the great-grandson of former Jersey City mayor Cornelius Van Vorst.

He was a descendant of Willem Traphagen, from Lemgo, County of Lippe, who settled in Manhattan in 1652.

He studied at Rutgers College and Brown University and became an attorney in 1864.