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CATHARINE TENNENT (Vol. VI. pp. 374 and 498).— Catharine Tennent, widow of the
Rev. Wm. Tennent, of Freehold, New Jersey, was descended from Johannes
PieterseVerbrugge, or van Burgh (Bridges in English), from Haarlem in Holland,
born 1624, who was a trader in Nieu Amsterdam and Beaverwyck at a very early
date, and in 1657 sent down from the latter place three hundred beaver skins.
After his marriage van Burgh made the former his place of residence, where he
became a prominent merchant and magistrate. He married in Nieu Amsterdam, 29
March (24 April ?), 1658, Catrina Roelofse (daughter of Roelof Jansen van
Maesterlandt and his wife, the noted Anneka Jame), widow of Lucas Rodenburgh
(vice-director of Curacoa, 1646-57, in which latter year he died). His children
were all born in Nieu Amsterdam. His will is dated 22 December, 1696, and he
died 1697. (See Valentine's Manual, 1861–4–6.) He had issue:
1. Helena, baptized 4 April, 1659, died young.
2. Helena, baptized 28 July, 1660, married 25 (26 ?) April, 1630, Tennis
de Kay.
3. Anna, baptized 10 August (September ?) 1662, married 13 June (2 July),
1684, Andries Gravenraedt.
4. Catharine, baptized 19 April, 1665, married Hendrick an Rensselaer.
5. Peter, baptized 14 July, 1666, married 2 November, 1688, Sarah Cuyler.
6. Maria, baptized 20 September, 1673, married Stephen Richards.
7. Johannes married 9 July, 1696, Margaret Provoost.
Captain Peter van Burgh was Mayor of Albany, New York, 1699, 1700-21-3. He had
a house lot on the north side of State Street, west of Pearl, and near the
stockade, next to the lot of his father-in-law, Hendrick Cuyler. He was buried
in the church, 20 July, 1740. (See Pierson's First Settlers of Albany, N. Y.) He
had issue, one daughter:
Catharine, baptized 10 November, 1689, married 19 September, 1707, Philip,
eldest son of Robert Livingston, of Albany, born at that place, 1686, died in
New York city, 1749. They had issue, six sons and three daughters. The youngest
son, William, born 1723, was for many years Governor of New Jersey. (See
Holgate's American Genealogies, Livingston family.)
Captain Johannes van Burgh, of New York city, was captain of the sloop Constant
Abigail, captured off the coast of England by a French privateer. (Doc. Col. Hist.
N. Y., vol. iii. p. 430.) By the census of New York for 1706, he was living in
that city. His will, recorded N. Y. Sur. Office, Liber 10, p. 45, is dated 14
November, 1705, in which he styles himself "mariner," and names his wife
Margareta, son Johannes, daughters Johanna and Catharine, and brother Peter van
Burgh, and brother-in-law David Provoost (see N..Y. Gen. and Biog. Record, vol.
6, p. 5, 1876). Issue:
1. Johanna, baptized 16 April, 1697, married 20 August, 1720, Gerardus Duyking.
2. Johannes, baptized 6 August, 1699.
3. Catharine, baptized 16 August, 1704, married first, 1719, John Noble; married
secondly, 23 August, 1738, Rev. Wm. Tennent; she died at Pittsgrove, Salem Co.,
New Jersey, 1787.
4. David, baptized 12 September, 1708.
5. Elizabeth, baptized 25 March, 1712.
After her first marriage, Catharine went with her husband to England, and two
children were soon born: one died young; the other, Mary Noble, married first
Robert Cumming, of Freehold, New Jersey, and married secondly a Mr. Wyncoop, of
Bucks Co., Pa. The husband, John Noble, went to the West Indies on business, and
while there was taken with the fever and died. During his stay, he met an old New
York friend, Mr. Boudinot, who wrote the circumstances of John's death to his
father in England. John had a bachelor uncle named Stokes, of Stoke Castle, near
Bristol, who urged the widow to make his house her home ; but she preferred to
return to her family in New York, which she did in 1723, a short time after the
receipt of the news of her husband's death, when she went to live with her
husband's brother, Mr. Isaac Noble, a wealthy merchant, who, as well as Mr.
Boudinot, were elders in the Huguenot church of that city. This Mr. Isaac Noble
was the means of bringing together the Rev. Mr. Tennent and his widowed sister,
resulting in the marriage, as related by Mr. Elias Boudinot in his life of the
Rev. Wm. Tennent. Her second husband died 8 March, 1777. His son, Rev. Wm.
Tennent, who was pastor of a church in Charleston, South Carolina. came north
upon the death of his father, and after settling affairs, took his father's
papers, and with his mother started to return to Charleston. They travelled by
means of private conveyances, and with them were the widow of the Rev. Dr.
Findley and Capt. Schaff, and two servants. When about fifty miles from
Charleston, her son was suddenly taken sick and died; and his father's valuable
papers were lost sight of, and have not since been found. The bereaved widow soon
decided to return, and went to live with her daughter Mary, now the wife of Matthew
Wyncoop, of Bucks Co., Pa., but in a few years she too died, and Mrs. Tennent then
went to the home of her granddaughter, Anna (Cumming) Schenck, the wife of the Rev.
Wm. Schenck, then the pastor of the Pittsgrove, Salem Co., New Jersey, church,
where he remained from 1780 to 1787, and where this worthy old lady, having
survived two husbands and all of her children, died about 1787, in the 84th year of
her age, and was buried in the church burying ground at that place. A record of
these facts respecting Mrs. Tennent was left some years since by Miss Catharine
van Burgh Schenck, who was born 7 January, 1775, and died at Franklin, Ohio, 4
July, 1871. She had a vivid recollection and a profound love for her great-
grandmother, from whom she derived her name. No record of the death of Mrs.
Tennent, nor any tombstone to her memory has yet been found in New Jersey, but the
statement as to her death at Pittsgrove, and her age at the time, is undoubtedly
correct.
By her first husband, John Noble, she had issue:
Mary, b. Bristol, England, married firsts 1746, Robert Cumming; secondly, Matthew
Wyncoop.
______, d. young.
By her second husband, Rev. Wm. Tennent, she had, besides several children who
died young, issue:
Dr. John, b. Freehold, N. J., d. in West Indies, at about 33 years.
Rev. William, b. Freehold, N. J., d. near Charleston, S. C., Sept. – Oct. 1777,
abt. 37 years.
Dr. Gilbert, b. Freehold, N. J., d. at Freehold, N. J., before his father, aged
28 years (see Life of Rev. Wm. Tennent, by Hon. Elias Boudinot, N. Y., T. Whittaker,
2 Bible House).
General Robert C. Schenck, of Washington, D. C., has a very fine portrait of Mrs.
Tennent, painted in England while yet Mrs. Noble, and which presents a lady of great
beauty.
Mr. John N. A. Griswold, of New York city, brother of Mrs. Secretary Frelinghuysen,
has the portraits of both Catharine van Burgh and her husband, John Noble, and also
of Johannes, brother of Catharine. Catharine was nearly related to Sir John van
Burgh, and to Charles and Philip van Burgh, commanders of men-of-war in the English
navy.
With this much of the record given, can any one give information as to the fate of
the papers of the Rev. William Tennent, of Freehold, N. J., which were lost sight
of at the time of the death of his son ? or give information respecting Mr. Isaac
Noble, the brother of Catharine's first husband, or of his family or descendants ?
Washington, D. C., March 17, 1883. A. D. S.
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