USA > New Jersey > Monmouth County > Early Dutch Settlers of Monmouth County, New Jersey > Part 2
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Some of the descendants of the two Schenck brothers who settled here over two centuries since, like Gen. Robert C. Schenck of Ohio, Admiral Findlay
EARLY DUTCH SETTLERS OF MONMOUTH.
Schenck and others, have left names' famous all over our country for ability and patriotism.
Jan Schenck by his wife, Sarah Cou- wenhoven, had the following children:
Roelof, b. February 21, 1692, married Geesie, daughter of Sheriff or Capt. Daniel Hendrickson; d. January 19, 1766.
Sarah, b. 1696, married May 16, 1721, Johannes Voorhees of New Brunswick, N. J. Second husband, Hendrick Voor- hees of Freehold township.
Altje, baptized May 25, 1705, married Chrystjan VanDooren, d. 1801.
Rachel, h. February 19, 1709, is said to have married a Boone of Kentucky.
Maria, b. August 8, 1712, married Jacob VanDooren and died October 31. 1756.
Leah, b. December 24th, 1714, married December 17th, 1735. Peter Couwen- hoven and died March 14, 1769.
William, baptized April 13, 1718, died young.
Jannetje, baptized April 12, 1719, mar- ried Bernardus Verbryke, who is said to have settled at Neshaminy, Pa.
John, b. June 27, 1722, married June 28, 1750, Nellie Bennett; d. December 24, 1808.
Antje, b .--- married Arie VanDooren. Peter, b. - married first Jannetje VanNostrand, second. Jannetje Hend- rickson.
John, to whom the father devised all his real estate, lived and died on the
homestead farm in Pleasant Valley.
John Schenck, by his wife, Nellie Bennett, who was born November 29, 1728. and died June 1st, 1810, had fol- lowing children all born on the farm in Pleasant Valley:
*John Schenck, b. June 19, 1752.
Chrineyonce. b. September 18, 1753, died young.
* William, b. March 30, 1755.
Ida, h. February 1, 1757.
Sarah, b. February 13, 1759, married Ruliff, son of Hendrick Schenck and Catharine Holmes, her own cousin, Dec- ember 22, 1774; d. April 13th, 1811.
Chrineyonce, b. December 29, 1760. married November 20, 1793, Margaret Polhemus; d. March 15, 1840.
Peter or Ogburn, b. May 27, 1763. married Anna Ogden.
Nellie, b. January 13, 1765, married October 20, 1785, Joseph H. Holmes; died June 5, 1838.
Annie, b. November 15, 1766, married December 28, 1786, Denyse Hendrick: son.
Mary, b. January 23, 1769; d. May 12, 1772.
Daniel, b. April 1, 1771, married Octo- ber 13, 1793, Catharine Smock: d. Ang- ust 9. 1845.
Mary, b. April 19, 1775, married John O. Stillwell, March 25, 1806; died Sept- ember 29, 1864 ..
John and William, the two oldest sons above removed to Ohio and settled there.
DUTCH TENACITY AS SHOWN BY THEIR LOVE FOR THEIR CHURCH.
Roelof Schenck, the eldest son of Jan Schenck and Sara Couvenhoven, his wife, had no real estate devised to him under his father's will although he was appointed one of the executors. The reason of this was that he had acquired a large tract of land at and in the vicinity of what is now Bradevelt sta- tion, Marlboro township, then a part of Freehold township. The younger son John, had doubtless remained at home working on his father's farm. He was 28 years old when he married Nellie Bennett. When his father's will was executed he was unmarried, while the eldest son Roelof, had been married some thirty years, and had eight chil- dren and also grandchildren at this tinie.
His dwelling house stood near the
site of the Brick Church, about two or three hundred yards south of the public road, which now passes by the Brick Church, and about 500 yards east of the railroad track. The buildings are now all gone. The lands owned by him in this vicinity are now cut up into several large and valuable farms, some of which are still owned and occupied by his descendants on the female side. Rev. Theodore W. Wells in his mem- orial address at Brick church, speaks of this Roelof Schenck, and states he was called "Black Roelof" and noted for his great physical strength. He was also the person who selected the site of the church edifice, where it has remained to this day, by carting the first load of building stones to the spot. On page 308 in "Old Times in Old Monmouth"
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EARLY DUTCH SETTLERS OF MONMOUTH.
are several references to this Roelof Schenck, who was quite a noted bus- iness man in his day and active in church work.
The first two Schenck brothers, Gar- ret and Jan, were among the first or- ganizers and supporters of the Dutch church in Monmouth county. Their names appear on the eariy records, both as elders and deacons.
The majority of their descendants down to the present day have generally sustained this church or the churches which have sprung from it.
They have been married, their chil- dren baptized and their funerals sol- emnized by the clergymen of the Dutch church. Many of them sleep their last sleep in the yard adjacent to the Brick Church, as the tombstones show.
Rev. Theodore W. Wells has given us a full history of the successive pastors of this church, but the history of the congregation is yet to be written. When it is, the Schencks and their kinsmen among the Hendricksons, Vanderveers, Conovers .and Smocks, will occupy the most conspicuous places. And I assert without fear of contradiction that the progress and prosperity of the Dutch church in America is due to the stabil- ity and tenacity inherent in the Dutch character, rather than to any excellency in the church government or its polity, and ability of its trained clergymen.
In fact the clergymen of this denom- ination committed a great hlunder when they dropped the name "Dutch" and called themselves the "Reformed Church." This name is applicable to the Episcopalians, Quakers or any other of the many protestant sects, and has no particular meaning.
Instead of resisting the detraction, ridicule and abuse, which originated in England, and was based on conflicting interests, commercial rivalries and national prejudices, which prevailed during the reign of Charles II, and which saturated all English literature of that period, they weakly yielded to it.
This denunciation of Holland and the Republican government and citizens of that country was increased, through the bitter malice and rank partizan feeling which prevailed in England during the reign of William of Orange. As Macauley in his history of England has shown, every effort was made by the adherents of the Stuart dynasty and the papists to stir up English hate and prejudice, hy denouncing and ridiculing the "Dutch" in order to overthrow their "Dutch King" and the Stadholder of
the Dutch Republicans.
This spirit was caught up by writers in America and eagerly imitated until the word "Dutch" became synonymous with all that was vile, cruel, brutal and cowardly. Instead of resisting these slanderous charges and falsehoods, and upholding the right and truth as could have been done, the "Shepherds of the Church" pusillanimously surrendered the old historical name, and the glor- ious past which belonged to it. A res- pectable body of the laymen of this de- nomination strongly objected to this change, but before the matter was fair- ly understood by the lay element, the "disgraceful deed was done." It has been the lay element of this denomin- ation which has upheld and perpetu- ated this church in the United States, and their consent should have been ob- tained before the "standard" or "flag" was pulled down.
This fact is shown by the history 01 each separate church, for the history of one, in its general features, is the his- tory of all which have come down from the last century.
The following article is from the pen of Judge John Fitch, giving an account of the old Dutch church at Schodack Landing, Rensselaer county, N. Y. The writer is a lineal descendant of the Colonial governor of Connecticut of same name, and, I am informed, of un- mixed English descent.
Like Macauley and Motley, he rises above the narrow prejudices and super- cillous arrogance and self righteous- ness which characterize so many Eng- lish writers and their servile imitators in New England, when they write of Holland or its people. We have had lately a specimen of this same spirit in the English papers when they speak of Paul Krueger and the Dutch farmers of South Africa or Boors, as they so frequently call them. Judge Fitch does not hesitate to give others such credit as they justly deserve even when it impairs the extravagant claims of the "Pilgrim Fathers" to all that is great and grand in the early history of our country. The following is a true copy of Judge Fitch's article:
"About the year 1637 the Dutch began the first settlement on the east side of the Hudson river, between the mouths of Kinderhook creek and a point about opposite the present city of Albany. then a mere trading post. The princi- pal settlement was on the present site of the village of Schodack Landing. The first thing they did was to build a log church at the landing. It was located
EARLY DUTCH SETTLERS OF MONMOUTH.
near the site of the present burying ground. This was the origin of the church now in existence at Mutzeskill, which is either the third or fourth edifice.
"It was regularly incorporated in 1788 by the name of The Ministry. Elders and Deacons of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church at Schodack.' In 1810 the church edifice was removed back from the Hudson river about two and a half miles to Mutzeskill, where it still remains.
"The Hollanders Were then, as their descendants are now, firm, reliable Christians-few or no infidels among them. The descendants of these men are today more free from cant, hypoc- risy and "isms" than are the descend- ants of the English. Comparatively few, if any of Holland descent, stray away from the path of rectitude and virtue or the protestant faith of their fathers; while the English become Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Catholics, and frequently what all decent people despise, skeptics or relig- ious reformers, which is another name for hypocrites or infidels. Such has been the experience of those who have observed the fate of the Dutch, Pres- byterians, Methodists and Baptists of the vicinity of which I speak.
"One of the reasons why the Holland- ers have so long retained and main- tained their foothold and standing in the valley of the Hudson and also along the Mohawk is because of their ten- acity and firmly fixed moral and relig- ious principles, temperate habits and homely and disinterested virtues. They do not run about, emigrate from place to place, and are not continually on the go, jump and run. They are not yearly movers, are not easily moved from their fixed residences, but are stable in all their ways.
"The residence of the Hollander can be very readily distinguished from that of other nationalities, because his resi- dence once selected, the location be- comes his home and at once he sets to work to improve it. Buildings, fruit trees, gardens and shrubbery are put up, planted, looked after and cared for.
"The fences are in a still better con- dition, and the farm is more carefully cultivated than the farms of those who are moving from place to place and who never, as it were, live anywhere long. The Hollander has been true to his country's principles of liberty and religion and he has steadily ad- hered to the Reformed Dutch church here in the State of New York. The
Protestant religion holds its own firmly imbued in the mind of the Hollander.
"It is a singular fact that when a Reformed Dutch church is established. it is there to stay. In very few instan- ces has a Dutch church been abandoned when once fairly established in the valley of the Hudson.
"It lives, prospers and holds its own although surrounded by Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, and other persuasions. The Dutch church did its full share and more in spreading the cause of our Saviour from 1637 to 1785 than all the other persuasions in the colony of New York.
"Time has rolled on, but still the dis- tinctive mark of the Hollander remains. The church at Schodack Landing may be said to be the mother church of the Dutch churches on the east bank of the Hudson river."
This account comes from a man whose judicial experience, associations and English descent place it above all suspicion of bias or partiality. By sim- ply changing name of church and loca- tion, it is applicable to the First Dutch church of Monmouth county, as well as other old churches in New Jersey of this denomination.
The same kind of people founded and sustained them, and the same results have followed. Our forefathers from Holland had real practical faith and trust in God. They believed He cared for them in the wilderness of the New World, surrounded by the fierce Mohawk warriors, the perils, diseases and hard- ships of their pioneer life, as He had in their memorable struggle of 80 years with Spain and the popish hierarchy. This church of their fathers had been born "amidst perils, tears and blond:" its countless martyrs were subjected to all the cruelties and tortures Spanish malice, treachery and bigotry could inflict or the inquisitors could invent. and their deeds of courage, sacrifice and endurance have never been excelled in the annals of human history. The persecution of the Puritans in England or of the Presbyterians in Scotland were but child's play compared to the wholesale massacres and tortures of the Dutch people by that Spanish Nero, Philip II, and that fiend incarnate, the Duke of Alva. Instead of weakly yielding to the abuse, ridicule and de- traction which had been heaped on the "Dutch." "The Shepherds of the Church" should have repelled with indignation the mere suggestion of dropping the "historic name." Instead of being ashamed they should have gloried in
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EARLY DUTCH SETTLERS OF MONMOUTH.
their name, and with united hearts and voices raised to heaven the anthem:
"From out the sea, O Motherland,
Our fathers plucked thy billowy strand; As from the deep.
Where treasures sleep,
The pearl rewards the daring hand.
And when far angrier billows broke, Of bigot hate and war's fell stroke,
Our sires withstood
This sea of blood,
With hearts no tyrant's hand could yoke.
The thrift that wrought, like Moses' rod, A path where man had never trod; That highway kept,
By storm unswept.
A land unpromised yet from God.
A land where genius flamed with power, Where learning earned its glorious dower,
Where commerce sped
With boundless tread.
And art bloomed forth in beauteous flower.
A land where knowledge grew for all, Where conscience knew no gyve or thrall;
Where exiled bands ,
From other lands,
Bore truth, that made old errors fall.
That land can well afford to be
The theme of Irving's pleasantry; And toss the jest
From off its crest.
As off it tossed the mocking sea.
Our hearts untraveled high expand, To read thy record strangely grand; With tongue aflame,
We call thy name,
And proudly own thee, Motherland." -Vedder.
Roelof Schenck not only owned the lands around what is now the Marlboro Brick church, but he lived and died in
his dwelling house near this spot. He also married the daughter of Daniel Hendrickson, who was one of the prin- cipal organizers of the Dutch church of Monmouth county, and one of its earli- est elders. His name and the name of his wife, Catharine VanDyke, appear among communicants of this church as early as 1709. Daniel Hendrickson came from Long Island and settled on the farm now owned by his great-great grandson, Hon. William Henry Hend- rickson at Holland in Holmdel town- ship. He was the first person of Hol- land descent to hold the office of high sheriff of this county, and he was also an officer of the county militia. He was very active in all church work, and often conducted service on the Sabbath in absence of any regular clergyman. The late Rev. G. C. Schenck had in his possession a sermon printed in Dutch language which had been written and delivered by this Daniel Hendrickson.
Roelof Schenck married Geesie, one of his daughters, and Jonathan Holmes married Tuniche, another daughter. Their names also appear among com- municants of this church on pages 86- 87 of Wells' memorial address. Roelof Schenck and Jonathan Holmes, his sons- in-law, were appointed executors of his will and settled up his estate. Hen- drick, a son of Roelof Schenck, married Catharine, a daughter of Jonathan Holmes, his own cousin, and his and her children were therefore doubly the grandchildren of this Daniel Hendrick- son.
Roelof Schenck and his wife, Geesie Hendrickson, together with their son. Hendrick Schenck, and his wife, Cath- arine Holmes, are all buried in the Schenck-Couwenhoven burying ground in Pleasant Valley, Holmdel township.
ROELOF SCHENCK AND HIS DESCENDANTS .- A WOMAN OF GREAT BUSINESS CAPACITY.
Roelof Schenck, by his wife, Geesie Hendrickson, had the following chil- dren:
Sarah, b. May 22, 1715, married December 1, 1731, Joseph VanMater or VanMetteren, as spelled on records of the Marlboro Brick church. I e was a son of Kriin or Chrineyonce Van Mater and Nelly VanCleaf ; his wife Sarah, died September 1, 1748.
Katrintje, baptized March 19, 1717, died young.
Kalrya or Catharine, baptized December 21st,
1718, married first, Simon DeHart, second, Peter Couwenhoven.
Jan, b. January 22, 1721, married November 26, 1741. Jacomintje Couwenhoven ; died Jan- uary 27th, 1749.
Daniel, baptized May 26, 1723, died Septem- ber 20, 1747.
Neeltje, b. September 10, 1724, married Oct- ober 13, 1744, Garret Conwenhoven : died March 25, 1800.
Engeltje, baptized April 28, 1732.
Hendrick, born July 29, 1731, married his own cousin, Catharine, daughter of Jonathan
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EARLY DUTCH SETTLERS OF MONMOUTH.
Holmes and Tuniche Hendrickson, his wife. and died August 24, 1766, at the early age of thirty-five years. Catharine Holmes, his wife, was born May 11, 1731, died May 12, 1796. It is said she married a second husband, one John Schenck, of Penns Neck.
Roelof Schenck made his will April 10, 1765, proved March 3, 1766, and is now on record in Secretary of State's office at Trenton in Book 1 of Wills, page 93, etc.
He describes himself as a resident of Freehold township, which then included that part of Marlboro township where he resided. He gives to his grandson, Ruliff, his land at the Point. To his grandsons, Ruliff and Cornelius, the plantation he bought of Peter Voorhees. To his daughter, Nelly Couwenhoven, one hundred acres of land near the church. All the rest of his lands called Timber Neck, he devised in fee to his son, Hendrick, subject to payments of legacies amounting in all to eleven hundred and twenty pounds as follows: To his granddaughter, Geesie Schenck, £280. To his six grandchildren, the children of his daughter, Catharine Couwenhoven, viz: Simon DeHart, Geesie DeHart, Jacob Couwenhoven, Ruliff Couwenhoven, Mary Couwen- hoven and John Couwenhoven, £280, share and share alike. To his three grandchildren, the children of his daughter, Sara VanMater, £280, share and share alike. To his daughter, Nelly Couwenhoven, £280. He also speaks in this will of the children of his deceased son. John. Hendrick Schenck, his son, and Garret Couwenhoven and Peter Couwenhoven, two of his sons-in-law, are appointed executors. The will is witnessed by William Tice, Cornelius Couvenhoven and John Tice.
This Roelof Schenck was a noted man in his day and did considerable business for others in the way of settling es- tates, etc. He served as foreman of the grand jury at the October term, 1754, of our county courts, and his name also appears quite frequently in public matters.
Hendrick Schenck, his son, died with- in a year after his father. His will was made August 23, 1766, proved September 12, 1766, and is recorded in Secretary of State's office at Trenton in Book 1 of Wills, page 105, etc.
He devises to his only son, Ruliff. all his personal and real property, subject to use by his wife of half profits of his real and all profits of his personal prop- erty until all his children arrive at age. After this a fixed amount has to be paid annually to the widow, and she
was also to have use of one room in the dwelling house so long as she lived. This will was evidently made while the testator was sick and just before his death. The injustice of some of the provisions made trouble, and it is a warning that an important matter like the making of a will should not be de- ferred until a man is on his death bed. To make a fair and judicious will re- quires all the faculties of a well man. When a man's mind is clouded by sick- ness and his time is short, it is impos- sible to make a will which is just to all concerned. Such wills generally make trouble. The devise of all his real and personal estate to his son Ruliff, was further subjected to the payment of £160 to each of his four daughters, as they came of age. He appoints his uncle, John Schenck, of Middletown township, and Daniel Holmes and Oba- diah Herbert of Freehold township, executors. The same persons witness his will as witnessed his father's will the preceding year.
On the fly leaf of an old English Bible still in existence, and which the writer has seen, is this inscription:
"Ann Holmes, her book, given her by her mother, Caty Schenck, July 10th, 1792."
Then below is the following entry:
"Presented to Ann Crawford by her annt. Ann Holmes, 1815."
Between the Old and New Testament is a record of the births of the children of Hendrick Schenck and Catharine Holmes, his wife, as follows:
"Rulif Schenck was born April 17, 1752." "Sarah Schenck was born May 26. 1755."
"Mary Schenck was born March 17, 1757." "Jonathan Schenck was born July 19, 1761." "Catharine Schenck was born March 7, 1762."
"Eleanor Schenck was born March 17, 1764." "Ann Schenck was born June 14, 1766."
Of these children Sarah and Jonathan died young.
Ruloff Schenck, the only surviving son, married December 22, 1774, his own cousin, Sarah, daughter of John Schenck and Nellie Bennett, his wife, of Pleasant Valley, and died October 12, 1800. His wife was born February 13. 1759, and died April 13, 1811. They are buried in the old Schenck and Couwen- hoven burying ground heretofore des- cribed.
Mary married Jacob Couwenhoven. who was known as "Farmer Jacob" on account of his well cultivated and pro- ductive farm. It is said that he was
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EARLY DUTCH SETTLERS OF MONMOUTH.
the most handsome man of the day in Monmouth county,
Catharine remained single.
Eleanor was married January 27.
1797, by Rev. Benjamin Bennett to George Crawford of Middletown Village and died there May 17, 1850. Her hus- band was born December 5, 1758, and died July 10, 1834. They are both inter- red in private family burying ground on the Crawford homestead at Nut- swamp.
Ann married Jonathan or Holmes and died without issue.
John
Eleanor Schenck and her husband, George Crawford, had the following children, all born on the homestead in Middletown Village:
Mary, born January 12, 1800, married Nov- ember 20, 1817, William W. Murray, and is buried by the side of her husband in grave- yard of Baptist church at Middletown Village.
Ann, born February 22, 1801, married Feb- ruary 12th, 1833, by Rev. Doctor Milledoller to Rev. Jacob TenBroeck Beekman; died at homestead where she was born and had always lived, May 18, 1876 ; interred by side of her husbard in Fairview cemetery.
Adaline, born February 16, 1803, married John Lloyd Hendrickson and is buried by her husband in private family burying ground on the farm where she lived and died at Middle- town Village.
Eleanor, born January 26, 1805, died Dec- ember 22, 1823, unmarried; interred by her father and mother in Crawford burying ground.
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In Book K of Deeds, pages 380, etc., Monmouth clerk's office, is the record of a deed from John Schenck, surviving executor of Hendrick Schenck, deceased, to Catharine, the widow of Hendrick Schenck, deceased. This deed is dated February 25, 1785, and consideration named therein as £1,000. The land is described as situated in Freehold town- ship (now Marlboro) and as part of a tract of land formerly belonging to Roelof Schenck, deceased, and by him devised to his son, Hendrick. After a particular description by chains and links, a general description is given as one hundred and ninety acres. bounded northwardly by Ruliff Schenck's land, westwardly in part by lands belonging to Dutch congregation and in part by lands of James Van- Kirk, southwardly by Jacob Couwen- hoven's lands and eastwardly by Garret Couwenhoven's lands. Thus it appears that the widow, although cut off by her husband's will from all interest in his real estate except the use of one room in the dwelling house, yet in 20 years thereafter, obtained the absolute own- ership of that part of his real estate on which the house and outbuildings stcod.
containing 190 acres. This is the same farm which Hendrick S. Conover, son of Tunis Conover, inherited and which he sold to John McClellan within the memory of many now living. It is now owned by a son of the late Ruliff Hendrickson of Freehold.
Catharine Holmes Schenck, the widow, is said to have been a woman of great energy and business capacity. She made her will December 12, 1795. It waz proved May 31, 1796, and is on record in secretary of state's office at Trenton.
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