I decided to write this paper after researching and finding errors in the genealogical record. Additionally, the social/political history of the times, both in Europe and in the Americas, provides a few reasonable answers, shedding light on why and when the lives of our ancestors developed as
they did. Analysis reveals a story, some of which is at odds with generally accepted genealogy. I found it very compelling; the reader may disagree; but that's what makes a horse race.
The following material is divided into three parts:
Part One deals first with identifying the true parents of Eva Terhune, granddaughter of the immigrant Albert1 Albertse Terhunen; and eventual wife of Dominee Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen. This part also strives to secondly, assemble the children of Jan2 Albertse Terhune (son of the immigrant) and his second wife, Margrietje Ferdinandus Van Sicklen. For some reason, little effort seems to have been made to identify this family group.
Part Two deals with first, the life of Dominee Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen, his wife, Eva Terhune (our relative) and some of their descendants. Secondly, the events and history of the Dutch (later English) colony and its Dutch Reformed Church that led to the Schism are discussed. It also covers the colonial history, the social schism that occurred when the English took over the colony, and the religious schism that developed around 1700.
Part Three takes a fresh look at the earliest generations of the Terhune family who lived and remained on Long Island, New York; and offers some corrections affecting allied families along the way.
PART ONE
Who were the parents of Eva3 (Terhune) Frelinghuysen?
Upon consulting numerous sources, it became readily apparent that the prevailing ancestry of Eva Terhune, wife of Dominee Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen could not be accurate. All sources concur that Eva was from Long Island. Most sources maintain Eva was born about 1708 to Albert2 Albertse Terhune. Thus stating or implying that she was 12 or 13 when she married Dominee Frelinghuysen in 1720 or 1721. Some sources contend she was an orphan, cared for by Reverend Bernard Freeman, of Long Island.
A contradiction arises when associating "Albert Terhune" as her father and Long Island as her residence. There was no Albert Terhune, of age to be her father, living in Kings County, New York. Furthermore, in the early 18th Century, we find no Terhune daughters marrying before the age of 18, usually older. In 1720s, a minister of a Dutch community would be scorned, had he taken a wife of such tender years.
There are but two candidates for the father of Eva Terhune, the only surviving sons of the immigrant Albert1 Albertse Terheunen (the lint weaver or ribbon weaver) and his wife, Geertje Dircks (not Denyse):
- 1. Albert2 Albertse Terhune (1651 to 1709)
- 2. Jan2 Albertse Terhune (about 1654 to after 1731)
Let us first consider where these two men resided.
1. Albert2 Albertse Terhune was baptized 13 Aug 1651 in Flatlands, Long Island, New York, and died 7 September 1709 in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey. Based on tax and marriage records, we believe he was the eldest son of Albert1 and Geertje (Dircks) Terhune.
In 1682, with Jacques Cortelyou and others, he obtained a patent for a tract of 5000 acres on the Passaic River, New Jersey.
Source: [Bergen, Kings County, citing page 118 of the Record of the Governor and Council of East New Jersey]
Source: [Documents Relating to the Colonial History of New Jersey, page 48, East Jersey Patents ...Liber Number 4, page 8]
Albert2 moved to Hackensack, NJ in 1689, with his wife and six children, the eldest of whom was under 15. Albert was admitted to membership at Hackensack Dutch Reformed Church in May 1689,"upon letter from other church" (not identified).
Source: [Collections of the Holland Society of New York, Volume I, "Records of the Reformed Dutch Churches of Hackensack and Schraalenburgh, New Jersey"---Volume 1. Part 1, Hackensack]
Baptismal records exist for eleven of the thirteen children listed in Albert's 1707 or 1708 will, probated in 1709; which are: John, Annell, Stephen, Gerrebrecht, Willemeyntje, Maritje, Rachel, Geertruyd, Albertus, Johannes, Dirck, Wyntje and Annatje.
Source: [Liber 7, Page 420 in Office of Surrogate of New York]
The last seven of these children were baptized between April 1690 and December 1706 at Hackensack Dutch Reformed Church, the last one being Annatje (who, at the ripe old age of 14 according to many sources, married Frelinghuysen's associate, Jacobus Schuurman in 1720 or 1721!).
Source: [David William Voorhees, translated and edited, Records of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Flatbush, Kings County, New York, (The Holland Society of New York, New York, 1999.)]
Source: [Collections of the Holland Society of New York, Volume I "Records of the Reformed Dutch Churches of Hackensack and Schraalenburgh, New Jersey"---Volume 1 Part 1, Hackensack]
There is not an Eva among them. To attach Eva to this family group, one must assume she was born between the date of Albert's will and his death in 1709; as well as disregard the fact that Albert was living in New Jersey. It also requires extrapolating her marriage to Dominee Frelinghuysen at about age 12, flying in the face of Dutch social mores of the time. There is a more logical and probable candidate!
2. Jan2 Albertse Terhune was born about 1654 in Flatlands, Long Island, New York, and died there after 1731. Based on tax and marriage records we believe him to be the younger son of Albert1 Albertse Terhunen and Geertje Dircks. He was a Captain in the militia, and on 14 Oct 1699, he was appointed High Sheriff of Kings County, New York.
His name first appears in 1674, when "John Terhune" (Jan2 Albertse Terhune) surveyed and laid out a map of Gravesend, Long Island, New York including the location of the house of his father, his land crossing the boundary line between Gravesend and Flatlands.[See maps on page 2, page 3, and page 4. Note: The map on page 3 is transcribed for clarity.] I find this map quite significant; it is surveyed and scaled to an accurate measure unlike many maps of these times that were sketched freehand. It precisely locates his father's (and his own and his children's') house on the southeast side of Strom Kill in Gravesend. The located features are in English and tell us that John/Jan Terhune was a young man of substantial education and talents for his time.
Jan obtained the family homestead upon the death of his father in 1685. He, in turn, left it to his two surviving sons, Roelof and Albert. Terhunes lived on this land for five generations, until they "daughtered out." The last remaining Terhune residing in Flatlands appears to be Anna (Ammerman) Terhune, age 82, living with Wilhelmina Lott, age 55, in the 1850 census. To repeat, all sources concur that Eva Terhune and her elder sister Annetje were from Long Island.
Jan's first wife, Annetje Roelofse Schenck died in 1688, less than five years after their marriage; she bore him two surviving sons, Roelof and Albert. In 1691, Jan married Margrietje Van Sicklen, daughter of Ferdinand Jans Van Sicklen and Eva Anthonie Van Salee. The 1698 Census "In the town of fflatlands als New Amersfoort" lists:
"]an Alberttz ter heunen" with wife and six children
Source: [The Documentary History of the State of New York, arranged under direction of the Honorable Christopher Morgan, Secretary of State, by E. B. O'Callaghan, Volume III, pages 87 to 89. (Albany: Weed, Parsons and Company 1850].
Jan's will, written and recorded 20 February 1696/7, decades before his death, names three sons, but unfortunately, merely mentions "daughters" without providing any names for them. There is no record of probate.
Source: [Conveyances in the Office of the Registrar of Kings County, New York, Liber 2, page 296 ]
The 1738 Census [actually the 1731 census] "in the township of Flatlands" lists:
"Ijan Terhunen" with one white man and woman and four slaves
I believe this to be the same Jan2 Albertse Terhune. Jan's children will be discussed in detail following this study of Eva Terhune's parents.
Source: [The Documentary History of the State of New York, arranged under direction of the Honorable Christopher Morgan, Secretary of State, by E. B. O'Callaghan, Volume IV, pages 122 to 131]
The subject of location leads us to an obscure about 1774 autobiography of a former slave of Eva (Terhune) and Dominee Frelinghuysen that sheds light on the question of where she was reared and hence who were her parents.
Source: [Black Atlantic Writers of the 18th Century, edited by Adam Potkay and Sandra Burr 1996. pages 23 to 66, "A Narrative of the Most Remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, An African Prince, Written by Himself" First published about 1774 in England)
Supplemental end notes provided by Potkay and Burr are informative; however, without identifying their specific source, they repeat the conventional, though improbable, identity of Eva Terhune Frelinghuysen as "the youngest daughter of seventeen children born to Albert Terhune, a wealthy and respected farmer in Flatbush, Long Island... twelve year old Eva became Mrs. Frelinghuysen..."[Emphasis added by Barbara Terhune]
Gronniosaw's own narration is far more illuminating, providing a path to follow...from Africa, to Long Island, New York, and finally to Dominee Frelinghuysen in Somerset County, New Jersey. Furthermore, we believe, it points directly to Jan2 Albertse Terhune and Margrietje Van Sicklen as the authentic parents of Frelinghuysen's wife, Eva Terhune.
Before proceeding with Gronniosaw's recollections, it should be noted that there are close marital and location connections between the Van Hooren/Horne, Van Sicklen, and Terhune families. In 1687, Jannetje Cornelius Van Hooren married Reynier Ferdinandus Van Sicklen. They lived at Gravesend. In 1691 Jan2 Albertse Terhune married second, Margrietje Ferdinandus Van Sicklen, sister of Reynier. Jan and Margrietje Terhune lived nearby on land straddling the boundary of Gravesend and Flatlands. One would expect frequent visits and interaction among these families.
Gronniosaw, born about 1710 to 1714, was sold into slavery as a teen-ager and sent to the island of Barbados in the Caribbean. There he came to the attention of a Mr. Van Horn (sic), "a young man of New York," who bought him and took him home as a house slave. Gronniosaw in his autobiography wrote of his "religious awakening" and that his mistress, Mrs. Van Horn, spoke fondly of his religious fervor to her acquaintances and guests. The Van Horns of Long Island were visited by "Mr. Freelandhouse," who, impressed by Gronniosaw, prevailed upon the Van Horns to sell Gronniosaw to him. He did indeed make the purchase for 50 pounds and took Gronniosaw to his home in Somerset County, New Jersey.
Gronniosaw relates "My dear kind master grew very fond of me, as was his lady, she [Eva] put me to school... my master and mistress requested me to learn in the gentlest terms and persuaded me to attend my school...I learnt [sic] to read pretty well"
Gronniosaw "remained with the Frelinghuysens until the deaths of the Reverend, Eva, and their sons despite being freed at the death of Dominee Frelinghuysen in 1747. He relates that the Reverend was sick "but a short time" before his death and that Gronniosaw was with him at his deathbed. The slave also related that he remained with his "kind, indulgent mistress until her death, but two years after his master ...then he continued with the sons, one by one, as they too died. Years later, Gronniosaw moved to England where his autobiography was written and published.
Gronniosaw's narrative is important because it shows that Frelinghuysen visited Long Island near the home of Jan Terhune, and visited the Van Horns who were, as previously noted, interrelated with the Terhunes by marriage. This association, while not conclusive, points toward Jan Terhune as Eva's father. As a side issue, it gives a little insight into the personal qualities of Eva and her husband as they dealt with their slave at a time when slavery was accepted. Moreover, it should be noted, his autobiography is the only first person account of Dominee Frelinghuysen and his wife, Eva Terhune and their deaths.
One might wonder why early researchers were so eager to place Eva Terhune in the family of Albert2. The answer is really quite elementary. Little effort seems to have been made to track Jan2 Albertse Terhune or to identify the children of Jan and his second wife, Margrietje Van Sicklen. For some unfathomable reason, Jan was presumed to have died in 1705 or 1708 despite clear evidence to the contrary. See Part Three, page 28 for details.
One would think that Dutch naming conventions * alone should have sounded an alarm as to Eva Terhune's earlier presumed parentage.
Source: *[Rosalie Fellows Bailey, "Dutch Systems in Family Naming in New York and New Jersey, National Genealogical Society Quarterly, March 1953 pages 1 to 29.]
Eva Terhune married Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen, a Dutch Dominee about 1721 and her sister, Annetje married Frelinghuysen's associate, Voorleser (schoolmaster) Jacobus Schuurman about the same time. Frelinghuysen arrived from Holland in 1720 to serve New Jersey Dutch Reformed Church congregations and quickly became embroiled, along with Schuurman, in bitter controversy that lasted for decades and virtually split the Dutch Reformed Church. It is to be noted, however, that Frelinghuysen was one of the most influential and important Dominees of his time and thus his wife, Eva, had obviously married well. Shortly after arriving in New York, the Dominee Frelinghuysen traveled south to the Raritan Valley in central New Jersey and assumed pastoral duties at several churches there.
Dominee Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen and Eva Terhune had the following children:
- Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen2 born 1723 died 1761 (Named for father)
- John Frelinghuysen born 1727 died 1754 (Named for maternal grandfather, Jan Albertse Terhune) Married Dinah Van Bergh
- Jacobus Frelinghuysen born about 1730 died 1753 (Named for paternal grandfather)
- Ferdinandus Frelinghuysen born about 1732 died 1753 (Named for maternal great grandfather Ferdinand Jans Van Sicklen)
- Henricus Frelinghuysen born about 1735 died 1757
- Margaret Frelinghuysen born 1737 died 1757 (Named for maternal grand-mother Margrietje Van Sicklen) Married in 1756 Thomas F Romeyn, Minister
- Anna Frelinghuysen born 1738 died 1810 (Named for maternal sister - Annetje Terhune Schuurman) Married William Jackson, Minister
The contenders and their wives were:
1. Albert2 Albertse Terhune had three wives:
- Hendrickje Stephense Van Voorhees, the younger; daughter of Stephen Coerte Van Voorhees and Willempie Roelofse Seubring (eight known children)
- Wyntje Jans Brickers, daughter of Jan Brickers and Geertje Fonda (five known children)
- Maritje de Graves, widow of Andries Tibout (one known child)
2. Jan2 Albertse Terhune had two wives:
- Annetje Roelofse Schenck, daughter of Roelof Martense Schenck and Neeltje Gerretse Van Couwenhoven (two surviving sons).
- Margrietje Ferdinandus Van Sicklen, daughter of Ferdinand Jans Van Sicklen and Eva Anthonie Jansen Van Salee (four known surviving children, perhaps more)
The names Albert, Hendrickje, Wyntje and/or Maritje are significant by their absence among the children of Eva and Dominee Frelinghuysen.
Baptismal records have not be found for Jan's children, save that of his first born son, Albert, who died young. To complicate matters further, Jan's will was written and recorded in 1696/1697 (long before his death) He named only his three sons (Roelof and Albert by his first wife, and Aucke by his second wife). In addition, he referred to (unnamed) "daughters" and "children that are now or hereafter shall be born."
Look again at the names given the children of Eva and Dominee Frelinghuysen. Three of their children were named after Eva's father (Jan Terhune), mother (Margrietje Van Sicklen) and maternal grandfather (Ferdinand Van Sicklen). It should also be noted that Ferdinand was a most unusual name at that time and it did not appear in the lines of Albert2 Terhune or any of his wives.
To complete our identification of Eva's correct parents, we should examine what is known of her sister, Annetje, who by all accounts, married Voorleser Jacobus Schuurman, the associate and close friend of Dominee Frelinghuysen.
Annetje Terhune and Jacobus Schuurman had the following children:
- Anne Schuurman born 1721 died 1800
- Jacoba Schuurman born 1724 died 1760
- Margaret Schuurman born 1726 died 1745 (Named for maternal grand-mother Margrietje Van Sicklen)
- John Schuurman born 1729 died 1795 (Named for maternal grand-father Jan Albertse Terhune)
- Ferdinand Schuurman (Named for maternal great-grand-father Ferdinand Jans Van Sicklen)
- Jacob Schuurman
- Albertines Schuurman born 1735 died ?(Named for maternal great grandfather Albert1 Albertse Terheunen, the immigrant)
Source: [Schuurman of New Jersey, 2nd Edition, by Richard Wynkoop; The Knickerbocker Press, New York, New York 1902]
Once again, we find the names John, Margaret and Ferdinand supporting the probability that Annetje (Terhune) Schuurman was the daughter of Jan and Margrietje (Van Sicklen) Terhune and the sister of Eva (Terhune) Frelinghuysen. In addition, we find Albertines, who, based on birth position was probably named for Annetje's grandfather, Albert1 Albertse Terheunen, the immigrant. Once again, there is no trace of a Wyntje or a Maritje, wives of Albert2 Albertse.
The only contender is:
Jan2 Albertse Terhune's will, written and recorded 20 February 1696/1697 (as noted above), mentions unnamed daughters (plural).
He had only two surviving sons, both borne by his first wife, Annetje Schenck; proved by the 1704 will of her father, Roelof Martense Schenck, who wrote:
"...to ye two children of my daughter Anneke [Anake] deceased by name Roelof and Albert, each ten pounds in money..."
Source: [Recorded New York Surrogate's Office, Liber 7, page 209]
Jan married second, Margrietje Van Sicklen in 1691. Therefore, according to Jan's will, at least two daughters would have been born between 1692 and 1696/1697. The first born daughter, according to Dutch naming conventions, would be named Annetje or Antje for Jan's late wife. The second born daughter, according to Dutch custom, would be named Eva for Margrietje Van Sicklen's mother.
In summary, the following points apply
- These daughters of Jan Terhune and Margrietje Van Sicklen, born between 1692 and 1696, were of proper age to have married Dominee Frelinghuysen and Jacobus Schuurman in 1720 to 1721.
- These daughters of Jan Terhune lived on Long Island, as all previous accounts stipulate.
- The names of Eva Terhune Frelinghuysen's children support the conclusion that she was the daughter of Jan Terhune and Margrietje Van Sicklen, viz: Margaret, John, Ferdinand.
- The names of Annetje Terhune Schuurman's children, likewise, support the conclusion that she was the daughter of Jan Terhune and Margrietje Van Sicklen, viz: Margaret, John, Ferdinand.
- Once again, it bears repeating that the given name "Ferdinand" was very unusual and it points directly to Ferdinand Jans Van Sicklen, the father of Margrietje Van Sicklen.
- Gronniosaw's autobiography relates Dominee Frelinghuysen's strong connection with families intermarried with Terhunes living on Long Island; rather than Terhunes in Bergen County, New Jersey.
- Some early genealogists who maintain that Eva was the daughter of Albert Terhune cite a Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church baptism in 1708. There are No baptismal records available between 1699 and 1709 for this church!
- One final tidbit is found in Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey, by Francis Bazley Lee 1910 Volume IV page 7 where Lee notes:
"...John, the second son of the Reverend Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen,...died suddenly at the home of his mother's parents, Flatbush, Long Island, September 15, 1754 while on his way to attend ...meeting of the united Coetus of New York..."[Emphasis added by Barbara Terhune]
Lee confirms that Eva Terhune Frelinghuysen was a Long Island girl, but unfortunately, he does repeat the age old error that her former residence had been Flatbush, rather than Flatlands. In 1754, Eva's ancestral home crossing the boundary of Flatlands and Gravesend was occupied by either her half-brother, Roelof Jans Terhune, uncle of John Frelinghuysen or Roelof's son, Albert, Eva's half nephew.
Finally, let us consider some possibilities for the dearth of church records. The Leisler Rebellion of 1689 to 1691 culminated many years of the Dutch congregations' increasing contempt of their Dominees' collusion with the English. Dominee Selyns of New York and Dominee Varick of Long Island bitterly opposed the takeover by Jacob Leisler. Following the barbaric execution of Leisler in 1691, 75% of the Dutch colonists stopped taking communion. Indeed, many of the men attended church solely at the annual election of deacons and elders; and they refused to support the Dominees financially. [Ecclesiastical Records] These events are explored in Part Two of this work. The "Pietist" Dominee Bertholf in New Jersey, content to "tend his flock" rather than engage in political conflict, was respected and supported by his parishioners.
These events were the result of political turmoil arising from the English revolution in 1688 when Catholic King James was overthrown and replaced by Protestant King William. A colonist, Jacob Leisler, became de facto Governor of New York for two years. Leisler and the militia supported the new King and feared an attack from French Catholics, which actually occurred in Schenectady in New York in 1690 killing 60 Dutch, including their Dominee. Leisler was
ultimately exonerated a few years later by the English Parliament (a day late and a head short?).
Jan Terhune was promoted to Lieutenant in Leisler's militia in January 1691. He and Margrietje Van Sicklen were married in June 1691. Annetje and Eva were likely born within the next few years, based on Jan's will of 1696/1697. We believe that Jan, an obvious supporter of Leisler, was among those 75% who disassociated themselves from Dominee Varick's Flatlands church.
Source: [A Perfect Babel of Confusion, by Randall H. Balmer, Oxford University Press 1989]
There are no records of baptisms at Flatlands in the period 1690 to 1695, indicative that others shared the opposition; or the elders were simply not present or keeping records for the same reasons. While this is not hard evidence or an absolute certainty, it may account for missing records based on known facts and circumstances of that time and place. Van Arsdale researchers, among others, are also plagued with "a strange absence of records of the Reformed Dutch Church" during this period. Specifically, Cornelis Van Arsdalen first married in 1687 and again in 1691, had 6 children according to the 1698 Flatlands census, but no baptisms were recorded.
Source: [The Vanguard, Volume 1, Issue 2, Page 6] A Van Arsdalen newsletter available online at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~vanaersdalen/vanguardIndex.html
Origins of Eva Terhune's Flawed Identification
The earliest reference to Eva and her sister Annetje appears to be the "Historic Discourse Delivered at the Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the First Reformed Dutch Church, New Brunswick, New Jersey" by Richard H. Steele, Doctor of Divinity on October 1, 1867. Reverend Steele commented:
"Very little information ...has been transmitted to us, which is the more surprising from the fact that his [Dominee Frelinghuysen] descendants have always lived in this vicinity... The name of his wife has been recently recovered...Eva Terhune."
Actually, it's not too surprising that Frelinghuysen's descendants in the mid 1800s, 120 years after his death, had little or no information to contribute. Six of his seven children died in their 20s and 30s; they simply didn't live long enough to share family history with the next generation. Only one daughter, Anne, wife of Reverend William Jackson lived to a ripe old age, but this family did not reside in Somerset County. Indeed, all of the subsequent Frelinghuysen's descend from a single grandson of Eva and Dominee Frelinghuysen - Frederick, whose father John Theodore Frelinghuysen died when Frederick was less than 2 years old.
Therefore, virtually all information coming down through the years arose with Reverend Steele who expressed gratitude to Doctor Abraham Messler and Reverend William Demarest for what little he knew of Eva Terhune at that time. Subsequently, through the years, Steele's scant information was repeated by other ministers extolling Dominee Frelinghuysen, and embellishing the little known facts related to his wife, Eva Terhune who bore him five sons, all ministers, and two daughters who married ministers.
Other Sources associated with Eva's flawed identity
Historical discourse delivered at the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the First Reformed Dutch Church, New Brunswick, New Jersey, October 1, 1867 New Brunswick, New Jersey: Published by the Consistory in 1867, 225 pages and on October 1, 1867, delivered by Richard H. Steele, Doctor of Divinity, Pastor of the Church, pages 29 to 30:
"...Quite early in his ministry he [Dominee Frelinghuysen] was married to Eva Terhune, of Long Island...About the same time Schureman [sic] became his brother inlaw by marrying the sister of his wife, Antje Terhune and resided near the farm which is known as the Schureman property."
Forty years at Raritan: eight memorial sermons with notes for a history of the Reformed Dutch Churches in Somerset County, New Jersey. Author: Messler, Abraham, 1800 to 1882. Published 1873 page 175
"... His wife, named Eva, was a daughter of Albert Terhune, of Flatbush, Long Island, a farmer of wealth and respectability."
Proceedings of the one hundred and seventy fifth anniversary of the Reformed Dutch Church of Six Mile Run; Reverend Henry DuBois Mulford: Franklin Park, New Jersey, November 18, 1885. page 16 (parenthetic in original print),
"They [Frelinghuysen and Schuurman] came from Holland single, but, as the terms of the call had been increased by the addition of 45 more acres of land, with the use of a parsonage, both Dominee and Schoolmaster took the hint. Suffice it to say, that they married sisters by the name of Terhune, who lived on Long Island. (Two rather long meter Tehunes). How these men could administer a parish of 200 square miles and go a courting to Long Island...can only be explained by the fact that 1720 was leap year, and the inference that these women, as resolute as fair, as muscular as devoted, crossed New York bay in an open boat, and traversed the wilds of New Jersey, or took the day schooner for New Brunswick (accompanied in either case by a chaperone), to make benedicts out of these bachelors out of pity for them, that pity which has been described by a Dominee's wife of today as 'akin (achin') to love'". [Emphasis added by Barbara Terhune]
Commentary: Perhaps the good minister was trying to interject a bit of "humor" in his presentation. Nonetheless, the above stands as a fine example of the contradictions and 'folklore' that have contaminated the history and genealogy of this family.
Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey is a book of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation; (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York: 1910 and 1962 page 6.
"By his wife, Eva, daughter of Albert Terhune of Flatbush, Long Island, Dominee Frelinghuysen had five sons and two daughters..."
Forerunner of the Great Awakening, Sermons by Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen (1691 to 1747) Joel R. Beeke, Editor; The Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America, Number 36; published 2000. page xviii
"...Shortly after his arrival [1720] in the New World, Frelinghuysen married Eva Terhune. An orphan daughter of a well to do Long Island farmer, Eva had been cared for by [Reverend Bernard] Freeman after her parents' death"
Dutch Calvinistic Pietism in the Middle Colonies: A Study in the Life and Theology of Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen, by James Robert Tanis 1967. Citing Ackerman's "The Terhune Family," Mr. Tanis writes on pages 48 to 49 that Eva, born in 1708 to Albert Terhune in Flatbush, was orphaned by 1720, and "cared for" by Dominee Freeman.
Comment: There is no documentation to substantiate that Reverend Freeman cared for any Terhune children! Indeed, Jan Terhune supported Freeman's rival, Dominee Antonides who, in fact, performed the marriages of both of Jan's sons. [See Part Two, page 21]