Penelope Stout
Encyclopedia
Few early NJ histories of any great detail neglect the Story of Penelope Stout. She was an early white settler of Monmouth Co., NJ.
According to "History of the Baptists" (cited in Stout and Allied Families RADM H.F. Stout) she lived to the age of 110. She would have been that age in 1712.
(or perhaps closer to 1640), Penelope and her husband took ship from the Netherlands to New Amsterdam.
Their ship foundering, she and her husband and several others made land at Sandy Hook
. Her husband, often identified as named Van Princin, wasn't able to travel and after the couple were abandoned they suffered an attack from the natives. She survived the attack and sheltered in a hollow tree until she, due to hunger she said, felt compelled to make herself known to a couple of Leni Lenapi
. They bound up her wounds, and when she was well enough to travel she was, perhaps sold, to the Dutch at New Amsterdam
. There she married Richard Stout. They had a large family (7 sons and 3 daughters) mostly born at Gravesend
in the area of Coney Island, Kings Co. NY. They moved to Middletown, Monmouth Co., NJ
perhaps in the 1660s. This was where the Leni Lenapi who had earlier helped her were living, and they were still living there when the Stouts arrived. In at least one story she refers to one of them as her father. She appears to have spoken the language of the Leni Lenapi, but there seems little doubt that she was white and born in Europe. After returning to NJ she was informed of an indian attack in the planning stages, and was able to keep it from having any fatalities or keep it from happening at all.
According to "History of the Baptists" (cited in Stout and Allied Families RADM H.F. Stout) she lived to the age of 110. She would have been that age in 1712.
Her Story
About the time of the MayflowerMayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
(or perhaps closer to 1640), Penelope and her husband took ship from the Netherlands to New Amsterdam.
Their ship foundering, she and her husband and several others made land at Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit along the Atlantic coast of New JerseySandy Hook may also refer to:-Places:United States* Sandy Hook , a village in the town of Newtown, Connecticut* Sandy Hook, Kentucky, a city in Elliott County...
. Her husband, often identified as named Van Princin, wasn't able to travel and after the couple were abandoned they suffered an attack from the natives. She survived the attack and sheltered in a hollow tree until she, due to hunger she said, felt compelled to make herself known to a couple of Leni Lenapi
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
. They bound up her wounds, and when she was well enough to travel she was, perhaps sold, to the Dutch at New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
. There she married Richard Stout. They had a large family (7 sons and 3 daughters) mostly born at Gravesend
Gravesend, Brooklyn
Gravesend is a neighborhood in the south-central section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA.The derivation of the name is unclear. Some speculate that it was named after the English seaport of Gravesend, Kent. An alternative explanation suggests that it was named by Willem Kieft for the...
in the area of Coney Island, Kings Co. NY. They moved to Middletown, Monmouth Co., NJ
Middletown Township, New Jersey
Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 66,522...
perhaps in the 1660s. This was where the Leni Lenapi who had earlier helped her were living, and they were still living there when the Stouts arrived. In at least one story she refers to one of them as her father. She appears to have spoken the language of the Leni Lenapi, but there seems little doubt that she was white and born in Europe. After returning to NJ she was informed of an indian attack in the planning stages, and was able to keep it from having any fatalities or keep it from happening at all.