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Subject: [DUTCH-COLONIES] R: [DUTCH-CLONIES] Intruiging Hypothesis...Frelinghuysen + Terhune
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 02:20:28 +0000

To Barbara Terhune --

I have delayed answering your question, hoping that others would know more than
I. I really owe you a reply though, since Rev. Frelinghuysen was the local
Dominie for my ancestor Willem Claeszen in the Raritan Valley and since Willem
lived near Johannes, the brother of Margrietje Van Sickelen.

Eva Terhune does indeed appear to be the daughter of Jan Albertse Terhune and
his second wife Margrietje Van Sickelen. Perhaps the confusion came from the
fact that Eva had both a grandfather and uncle with the name Albert Albertse
Terhune. She appears to be descended from the former, not the latter.

Jan Albertse Terhune is thought to have died about 1705 at which time Annetje
and Eva would have been quite young. At this time widow Margrietje Van Sickelen
likely moved to the Raritan Valley in New Jersey where her brother Johannes Van
Sickelen lived near my Willem Claeszen (William Clawson).

Johannes, Annetje, Eva and my Willem appear all to have been born at Nieuw
Amersfoort on Long Island amidst a rather small population there.

This Johannes Van Sickelen had children named Ferdinandus, Abraham, Reynier,
Johannes and Jannetje. My Willem's William Clawson II married a daughter of
Abraham Van Sickelen. This William witnessed Abraham's will and appraised his
estate.

Evidence that widow Eva Terhune likely moved to the Raritan Valley comes from
the Raritan Valley being the next known location for her daughters Annetje and
Eva.

Rev. Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen and his ecclesiastical assistant
("vorleser") and schoolteacher Jacob Schuurman immigrated in January, 1721 from
Europe to the Raritan Valley of New Jersey in response to a call from the
local Raritan DRC members. The two immigrants rather soon married sisters,
respectfully Eva and Annetje Terhune.

Albert Albertse Terhune II settled at Hackensack in a much different section of
New Jersey and it is doubtful that any of his children ever lived in the Raritan
Valley to have become acquainted with Frelinghuysen and Schuurman. Albert's
older brother Jan Albertse Terhune had remained on the family farm at Nieuw
Amersfoort and as far as I can tell died there.

Most genealogies say that Eva Terhune was born at Flatbush (as stated in several
encyclopedias dealing with Rev. Frelinghuysen who eventually became famous) but
this is only because the DRC church at Flatbush was the repository of the
marriage record of Jan Albertse Terhune and Margietje Van Sickelen (Flatbush DRC
marriage records, 6 June 1691).

>From the marriage record it is clear that both Jan and Margrietje were living at
Nieuw Amersfoort rather than Flatbush proper.

As far as I can tell, the source of the information that Eva and Annetje were
daughters of Margrietje Van Sickelen is "The Frelinghuysen Family of New Jersey"
by Emily Frelinghuysen McFarland and Ross Armstrong McFarland. I have only notes
from this work. I do not own it.

Unfortunately there are large gaps in the Flatbush DRC baptismal records, so
proof is elusive. As I keep looking for additional records for Claes Corneliszen
Van Schouw and his family when they lived at Nieuw Amersfoort, I will keep a
lookout for anythinhg relating to the present subject.

I once published an article on the Muhlenberg family of Pietists in America who
were quite important ministers and organizers of Lutheranism here. Rev.
Frelinghuysen was also a Pietist but remained firmly planted in the Reformed
Church. He was somewhat revolutionary, causing a split in America with the
Classis of Amsterdam and ordaining new ministers without permission of higher
authorities. He was a revivalist and evangelist. I continue to study him.
Pietism also had a profound influence on the Moravian church in America and on
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. A group of 40 celibate Pietist
ecclesiastics also immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1699.

Best Wishes,
Frank S. Crosswhite

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• [DUTCH-COLONIES] R: [DUTCH-CLONIES] Intruiging Hypothesis...Frelinghuysen + Terhune by

  • Re: [DUTCH-COLONIES] Intruiging Hypothesis ...Frelinghuysen +Terhune by Barbara Terhune <>