top of page

The Stuff of Legends


Penelope “Van Princis” Stout (ca 1622-1732)

Penelope Stout is not an Abbott but she is the 9th great grandmother of Kate and Sam by this path: Max → Nathaniel Harrison Hartshorne → Robert Doremus Hartshorne → Hugh Hartshorne → Samuel Hartshorne → John Hartshorne → Lucy Salter Hartshorne → Hannah Lawrence Salter → Lucy Stout Lawrence → Richard Stout → Richard Stout and Penelope “Van Princis” Stout

[Pictured at the top: Penelope Stout commemorative coin depicting her rescue by an Indian]

Penelope Stout is the stuff of legends. Someone should make a mini-series on this woman. Her story has a shipwreck, first husband killed by Indians, severely injured by and then saved by Indians, taken to Court for slander, married a second time and had eight children, rescued by Indians a second time, “first white woman” to set foot in New Jersey, and lived to be 110.

Her origins are not really known. There are various theories about her parentage, but none of them really have much support. It is likely that she was of English origin and her family might have been some of the English that went to Leiden, Holland to escape religious persecution in England. She may have been born in Leiden. Her maiden name may have been Kent.

In any event, Penelope seems to have married at Leiden and she and her young husband, who was perhaps named Prince, hopped on a boat leaving Holland for New Netherland around 1647. The ship, believed to be the Kath, shipwrecked off what is now Sandy Hook, New Jersey somewhat off the mark of New Amsterdam. Most of the passengers and crew survived the wreck, but had no way to get to New Amsterdam. The other passengers decided to start off on foot. Penelope’s husband was sick from the trip and too weak to walk and Penelope stayed with him.

It is not sure when, but very soon after wrecking and the other passengers having left, Penelope and her husband were attacked by Indians. The husband was killed and Penelope was very severely injured with large gashes and she was left for dead. Her injuries were quite severe and she did not have full use of her arms for the remainder of her life. The story goes that she regained consciousness and survived for a few days eating berries and fungus. She was found by two other Indians who took her to their village and treated her wounds. She was there for an unknown period of time, but a rescue party from New Netherland, who heard of a European woman being in an Indian village, came upon her and she went with them back to New Amsterdam. The first record evidence of her is as Penelope Prince in September, 1648 when her name appears in records of Gravesend, Long Island.

Penelope settled in Gravesend which was the settlement area within New Netherland where most of the English speaking settlers resided. It is here that Penelope Prince shows up in 1648 Court records related to it being said that one woman had milked another woman’s cow. This apparently was a story that Penelope had repeated or started to begin with. At any rate, the problem was resolved when Penelope stated that she was mistaken in what she said and she was sorry. Apparently, in those early colonial days, you were taken to Court for every little thing that happened. Imagine if every person who started or repeated a rumor got taken to Court now.

Around 1648, Penelope married Richard Stout. He was somewhat older than Penelope, perhaps 10-15 years older. They had a total of eight children and it is not certain how many were born in Gravesend. But the family did relocate to New Jersey in the area of Monmouth and were likely there by 1665. When the family was in New Jersey, it is reported that the Indian who had originally rescued her became a family friend and frequently visited. There is a story, which is perhaps a myth, that this same Indian warned Penelope of a pending attack and that Penelope and her young children were able to flee to safety.

Now the issue of how long Penelope lived. She was definitely alive in 1705 at the time of her husband’s death as she is mentioned in his will. It is generally accepted that she lived until 1732. Her birth year is most often reported as 1622, but it might have been as late as 1628. She was married by 1647 and young women did not marry before the age of 18, and more typically not until age 20. Although it seems unbelievable, it is likely that she did live to be at least 100 years old.

And here is a little trivia tying in the original Hartshorne immigrant, the attorney Richard, to Richard and Penelope Stout.

1682 April 10: Deed."Richard Hartshorne, as attorney for Thomas Snowsell, to John Crawfurd, for 40 acres bought from Richard Stout and wife Penelope", Feb., 26, 1679-80. Property description, a homelot, bounded N. by a road, W. by John Smith, E. by Richard Gibbons, S. by land then not laid out. source: New Jersey Colonial Documents, East Jersey Deeds, Etc. Liber B, pp150

Sources:

Salter, Edwin. (1890). A history of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Bayonne, New Jersey: Gardner and Son.

Smith, Samuel. (1765). The history of the colony of Nova-Caesaria or New Jersey. Burlington, New Jersey, printed by James Parker.

Stillwell, John. (1882). First families of Old Monmouth.

RECENT POSTS:
SEARCH BY TAGS:
bottom of page