| General Non-Fiction posted July 19, 2022 |
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A Grandma to be proud of.
Penelope Van Princis
by prettybluebirds
An Ancestor Story Contest Winner
Anytime I feel life is too hard, I must stop and remember my 9X Great Grandmother, Penelope Van Princis. She survived ordeals most of us can't imagine, raised ten children, and lived to the ripe old age of one-hundred and ten. She is one of New Jersey's most famous survivors.
Penelope was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1622, the daughter of Baron Van Princis. In 1640, she married a young man named John Kent, then the bride and groom set sail for New Amsterdam (now New York). It was a short time later that Penelope's worst trial began.
The ship they were on ran aground at the northeast corner of New Jersey, on a point now called Sandy Hook. At that time, it was a rough wooded country inhabited by unknown perils. The other passengers decided to resume their journey on foot, but Penelope stayed with her husband John, who had become too ill to travel. Their companions promised to send help as soon as they reached civilization.
Penelope and her husband hadn't been in the woods long when Native Americans attacked them, killed John, and left Penelope for dead. Although severely injured, her skull fractured, her left shoulder broken, partially scalped, and a cut across her abdomen through which her intestines protruded, Penelope still lived. There was little hope she could recover, but no one told her that.
After the Natives had gone, Penelope regained consciousness, crawled into the hollow of a nearby tree, and somehow managed to stay alive. She undoubtedly found water from a nearby spring and food from the bushes, as she suffered alone for several days before being discovered by two Natives. When they found Penelope, they argued over what to do with her. The younger Native wanted to kill her, but the older man objected and won the argument. He put Penelope across his shoulder and carried her to his village, where he sewed her wounds with a fishbone needle and thread made of vegetable fiber (ouch). He treated her kindly, and she recovered. Penelope helped the squaws with their work and adapted to Native life for perhaps a year.
Eventually, a rumor reached New Amsterdam that a white woman resided with the Natives, and some of the men went to the Native's town and offered to buy her. The old Native asked Penelope what she wished to do. When she replied she wanted to go with the men, her captor agreed but accepted the money they offered for her. After her return to New Amsterdam, Penelope lived with an English family until she met and married Richard Stout in 1644. Richard was forty then, and Penelope was in her twenty-second year.
After the English took control of New Amsterdam, Penelope persuaded her husband and several other Dutch families to move across the Lower Bay to what is now New Jersey. There they formed a settlement that later became known as Middletown.
Richard and a few other men began exploring the mainland of the New Jersey coast, near the place where the Indian saved Penelope's life. Around 1648, Richard and eleven others purchased a large section of East New Jersey from Governor Nichols. Richard bought some seven-hundred- and forty-five acres of upland country. By 1675, he had accumulated so much land that he could deed eighteen hundred acres to his heirs. Considered the largest proprietor, Richard served as the overseer for the district of Middletown, and Penelope became known as the First Lady of Middletown.
Shortly after the settlers founded Middletown, the old Native who saved Penelope's life appeared at their home. He had come to warn her that the tribes intended to attack the settlement. He urged her to take her family and flee to safety in his canoe. When Penelope told Richard what the Native had said, he refused to believe her, so she gathered the children and paddled away to seek help from New Amsterdam.
After Penelope left, Richard reconsidered and brought the men together to make plans. They armed themselves and sent the remaining women and children in canoes to wait offshore while the men prepared to watch all night. At midnight, the Natives came. When the well-armed settlers attacked the Natives, armed only with bows and arrows, they were soon on the run. Then Richard walked into the open and called for a parley. After a conference, the Natives agreed to sell the settlers the lands where they built the town of Middletown. The date of purchase was recorded on January 25th, 1664. The treaty remained intact throughout the years. While other settlements fought wars with the Indians, Middletown avoided it. Later, Governor Nichols gave the settlers a statement known as the Monmouth Patent, which guaranteed religious and political freedom. Records show that fifty families of immigrants and five hundred Native Americans inhabited the area at the time.
Penelope, Richard, their family, and others organized the first Baptist Church of New Jersey. The group met at one of their homes every Sunday and sang hymns. Eventually, they built a log church. Now, over three hundred years later, a new church stands on the spot, but some of the materials from the original log church have been carefully preserved in the new building.
Records indicate Penelope always wore a cap because of her scalp scar, and she had no use of her left arm. Her knowledge of the native language and friendship with the Natives must have been advantageous to the New Jersey settlement.
Penelope outlived Richard by twenty-seven years, dying in 1732 at the ripe old age of one-hundred and ten. She raised ten children; seven sons and three daughters. At the time of her death, she had welcomed five hundred and two descendants into the world--a most prolific lady.
For Penelope to have survived such horrific wounds was nothing short of miraculous back in those days. I can't even imagine the pain she must have suffered while being sewed up with no anesthesia. On top of that, she witnessed the brutal murder of her first husband. Many times Great Grandmother Penelope must have been one tough lady. I'm proud to call her Grandma.
Anytime I feel life is too hard, I must stop and remember my 9X Great Grandmother, Penelope Van Princis. She survived ordeals most of us can't imagine, raised ten children, and lived to the ripe old age of one-hundred and ten. She is one of New Jersey's most famous survivors.
Penelope was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1622, the daughter of Baron Van Princis. In 1640, she married a young man named John Kent, then the bride and groom set sail for New Amsterdam (now New York). It was a short time later that Penelope's worst trial began.
The ship they were on ran aground at the northeast corner of New Jersey, on a point now called Sandy Hook. At that time, it was a rough wooded country inhabited by unknown perils. The other passengers decided to resume their journey on foot, but Penelope stayed with her husband John, who had become too ill to travel. Their companions promised to send help as soon as they reached civilization.
Penelope and her husband hadn't been in the woods long when Native Americans attacked them, killed John, and left Penelope for dead. Although severely injured, her skull fractured, her left shoulder broken, partially scalped, and a cut across her abdomen through which her intestines protruded, Penelope still lived. There was little hope she could recover, but no one told her that.
After the Natives had gone, Penelope regained consciousness, crawled into the hollow of a nearby tree, and somehow managed to stay alive. She undoubtedly found water from a nearby spring and food from the bushes, as she suffered alone for several days before being discovered by two Natives. When they found Penelope, they argued over what to do with her. The younger Native wanted to kill her, but the older man objected and won the argument. He put Penelope across his shoulder and carried her to his village, where he sewed her wounds with a fishbone needle and thread made of vegetable fiber (ouch). He treated her kindly, and she recovered. Penelope helped the squaws with their work and adapted to Native life for perhaps a year.
Eventually, a rumor reached New Amsterdam that a white woman resided with the Natives, and some of the men went to the Native's town and offered to buy her. The old Native asked Penelope what she wished to do. When she replied she wanted to go with the men, her captor agreed but accepted the money they offered for her. After her return to New Amsterdam, Penelope lived with an English family until she met and married Richard Stout in 1644. Richard was forty then, and Penelope was in her twenty-second year.
After the English took control of New Amsterdam, Penelope persuaded her husband and several other Dutch families to move across the Lower Bay to what is now New Jersey. There they formed a settlement that later became known as Middletown.
Richard and a few other men began exploring the mainland of the New Jersey coast, near the place where the Indian saved Penelope's life. Around 1648, Richard and eleven others purchased a large section of East New Jersey from Governor Nichols. Richard bought some seven-hundred- and forty-five acres of upland country. By 1675, he had accumulated so much land that he could deed eighteen hundred acres to his heirs. Considered the largest proprietor, Richard served as the overseer for the district of Middletown, and Penelope became known as the First Lady of Middletown.
Shortly after the settlers founded Middletown, the old Native who saved Penelope's life appeared at their home. He had come to warn her that the tribes intended to attack the settlement. He urged her to take her family and flee to safety in his canoe. When Penelope told Richard what the Native had said, he refused to believe her, so she gathered the children and paddled away to seek help from New Amsterdam.
After Penelope left, Richard reconsidered and brought the men together to make plans. They armed themselves and sent the remaining women and children in canoes to wait offshore while the men prepared to watch all night. At midnight, the Natives came. When the well-armed settlers attacked the Natives, armed only with bows and arrows, they were soon on the run. Then Richard walked into the open and called for a parley. After a conference, the Natives agreed to sell the settlers the lands where they built the town of Middletown. The date of purchase was recorded on January 25th, 1664. The treaty remained intact throughout the years. While other settlements fought wars with the Indians, Middletown avoided it. Later, Governor Nichols gave the settlers a statement known as the Monmouth Patent, which guaranteed religious and political freedom. Records show that fifty families of immigrants and five hundred Native Americans inhabited the area at the time.
Penelope, Richard, their family, and others organized the first Baptist Church of New Jersey. The group met at one of their homes every Sunday and sang hymns. Eventually, they built a log church. Now, over three hundred years later, a new church stands on the spot, but some of the materials from the original log church have been carefully preserved in the new building.
Records indicate Penelope always wore a cap because of her scalp scar, and she had no use of her left arm. Her knowledge of the native language and friendship with the Natives must have been advantageous to the New Jersey settlement.
Penelope outlived Richard by twenty-seven years, dying in 1732 at the ripe old age of one-hundred and ten. She raised ten children; seven sons and three daughters. At the time of her death, she had welcomed five hundred and two descendants into the world--a most prolific lady.
For Penelope to have survived such horrific wounds was nothing short of miraculous back in those days. I can't even imagine the pain she must have suffered while being sewed up with no anesthesia. On top of that, she witnessed the brutal murder of her first husband. Many times Great Grandmother Penelope must have been one tough lady. I'm proud to call her Grandma.
Penelope was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1622, the daughter of Baron Van Princis. In 1640, she married a young man named John Kent, then the bride and groom set sail for New Amsterdam (now New York). It was a short time later that Penelope's worst trial began.
The ship they were on ran aground at the northeast corner of New Jersey, on a point now called Sandy Hook. At that time, it was a rough wooded country inhabited by unknown perils. The other passengers decided to resume their journey on foot, but Penelope stayed with her husband John, who had become too ill to travel. Their companions promised to send help as soon as they reached civilization.
Penelope and her husband hadn't been in the woods long when Native Americans attacked them, killed John, and left Penelope for dead. Although severely injured, her skull fractured, her left shoulder broken, partially scalped, and a cut across her abdomen through which her intestines protruded, Penelope still lived. There was little hope she could recover, but no one told her that.
After the Natives had gone, Penelope regained consciousness, crawled into the hollow of a nearby tree, and somehow managed to stay alive. She undoubtedly found water from a nearby spring and food from the bushes, as she suffered alone for several days before being discovered by two Natives. When they found Penelope, they argued over what to do with her. The younger Native wanted to kill her, but the older man objected and won the argument. He put Penelope across his shoulder and carried her to his village, where he sewed her wounds with a fishbone needle and thread made of vegetable fiber (ouch). He treated her kindly, and she recovered. Penelope helped the squaws with their work and adapted to Native life for perhaps a year.
Eventually, a rumor reached New Amsterdam that a white woman resided with the Natives, and some of the men went to the Native's town and offered to buy her. The old Native asked Penelope what she wished to do. When she replied she wanted to go with the men, her captor agreed but accepted the money they offered for her. After her return to New Amsterdam, Penelope lived with an English family until she met and married Richard Stout in 1644. Richard was forty then, and Penelope was in her twenty-second year.
After the English took control of New Amsterdam, Penelope persuaded her husband and several other Dutch families to move across the Lower Bay to what is now New Jersey. There they formed a settlement that later became known as Middletown.
Richard and a few other men began exploring the mainland of the New Jersey coast, near the place where the Indian saved Penelope's life. Around 1648, Richard and eleven others purchased a large section of East New Jersey from Governor Nichols. Richard bought some seven-hundred- and forty-five acres of upland country. By 1675, he had accumulated so much land that he could deed eighteen hundred acres to his heirs. Considered the largest proprietor, Richard served as the overseer for the district of Middletown, and Penelope became known as the First Lady of Middletown.
Shortly after the settlers founded Middletown, the old Native who saved Penelope's life appeared at their home. He had come to warn her that the tribes intended to attack the settlement. He urged her to take her family and flee to safety in his canoe. When Penelope told Richard what the Native had said, he refused to believe her, so she gathered the children and paddled away to seek help from New Amsterdam.
After Penelope left, Richard reconsidered and brought the men together to make plans. They armed themselves and sent the remaining women and children in canoes to wait offshore while the men prepared to watch all night. At midnight, the Natives came. When the well-armed settlers attacked the Natives, armed only with bows and arrows, they were soon on the run. Then Richard walked into the open and called for a parley. After a conference, the Natives agreed to sell the settlers the lands where they built the town of Middletown. The date of purchase was recorded on January 25th, 1664. The treaty remained intact throughout the years. While other settlements fought wars with the Indians, Middletown avoided it. Later, Governor Nichols gave the settlers a statement known as the Monmouth Patent, which guaranteed religious and political freedom. Records show that fifty families of immigrants and five hundred Native Americans inhabited the area at the time.
Penelope, Richard, their family, and others organized the first Baptist Church of New Jersey. The group met at one of their homes every Sunday and sang hymns. Eventually, they built a log church. Now, over three hundred years later, a new church stands on the spot, but some of the materials from the original log church have been carefully preserved in the new building.
Records indicate Penelope always wore a cap because of her scalp scar, and she had no use of her left arm. Her knowledge of the native language and friendship with the Natives must have been advantageous to the New Jersey settlement.
Penelope outlived Richard by twenty-seven years, dying in 1732 at the ripe old age of one-hundred and ten. She raised ten children; seven sons and three daughters. At the time of her death, she had welcomed five hundred and two descendants into the world--a most prolific lady.
For Penelope to have survived such horrific wounds was nothing short of miraculous back in those days. I can't even imagine the pain she must have suffered while being sewed up with no anesthesia. On top of that, she witnessed the brutal murder of her first husband. Many times Great Grandmother Penelope must have been one tough lady. I'm proud to call her Grandma.
An Ancestor Story Contest Winner |
 Recognized |
#46 July 2022 |
My sister, Carol, does a lot of genealogy work, so I asked her if we had any exciting ancestors; this is what she discovered.
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