Penelope Van Princis Stout

The Year: 1640

Image: Penelope Stout Commemorative Coin
Shows her being carried away by Indians

Woes in the New World
Penelope Van Princis Stout was born in 1622 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She married John Kent in 1640, and the couple sailed for New Amsterdam (now New York City) on Manhattan Island in the American colony of New Netherland. For unknown reasons, their ship ran aground at the coast of what is now Monmouth County, New Jersey. The ship’s other passengers decided to continue toward their destination on foot, but Penelope remained with her sick husband who was too weak to walk.

Penelope and her husband had not been in the woods very long when they were attacked by Native Americans and left for dead. But the woman was not killed – only stunned. She was horribly cut and mangled, her skull fractured, her left shoulder hacked, and a great cut across the abdomen caused her bowels to protrude. There was little hope of her ever recovering – but no one told her that!

After the Indians had gone, she crawled into a hollow tree nearby, and somehow managed to stay alive. On the seventh day, two Indians found her. Penelope prayed that they might end her misery, and the younger Indian was willing to oblige.

Saved by a Friend
The young man was ready to kill her, but the elder one stopped him. Throwing her over his shoulder, he carried her to his camp, where he sewed up her wounds with fish bone needles and vegetable fiber. Penelope lived with the aged Native American chief until she recovered, and then he took her to her countrymen in New Amsterdam.

In 1642, Penelope met Richard Stout who had left Nottingham, England, because of parental disapproval of his love affair with a girl they considered socially inferior. He had enlisted in the navy, served for seven years, and left his ship in New Amsterdam when his enlistment ended.

Richard found friends among some English settlers who had fled to New Amsterdam from neighboring colonies because of their religious beliefs. Among them were Lady Deborah Moody and her son, Sir Henry Moody. Together they obtained a charter from the Dutch governor to found the first English settlement on Long Island at Gravesend.

Penelope and Richard Stout were married in 1644, when she was 22 and he was 40. They settled at Gravesend on Plantation No. 18, which he had purchased five years earlier. In 1646, he received lot 16 where he grew tobacco. By 1657, seventeen of his twenty acres were under cultivation. In 1661, he bought an adjoining farm, and became the largest landowner of the group.

First Lady of Middletown
After the English took over the rule of New Amsterdam, Penelope persuaded her husband and a number of their neighbors at Gravesend to move across the Lower Bay to what is now eastern New Jersey, near the village of the Indian chief who had saved her life.

The nameless chief was a frequent visitor to the Stout home, and one day, he came to warn her that the tribes were coming to attack the settlement. He urged her to take her family and flee to safety in his canoe. When she told Richard the news, he refused to believe it, but she gathered her children and paddled away.

After Penelope left, Richard reconsidered and gathered the men of the settlement together. They armed themselves and sent the other women and children in canoes to wait offshore, while they prepared to watch all night. At midnight the Indians came.

When the whites attacked, the Native Americans, armed with only bows and arrows, were soon on the run. Then Richard Stout walked out into the open and demanded a meeting. When the whites agreed to buy the native lands on which they had settled, an alliance was formed.

The whites and the Native Americans held a two-day ceremony to celebrate their new peace agreement. This treaty was faithfully kept. Though other settlements had war with the natives, this one avoided it.

The governor gave the settlers a statement called the Monmouth Patent, which guaranteed them religious and political freedom. There were fifty families of whites and 500 Indians inhabiting the area at that time.

As the settlement grew into the town of Middletown, Richard was appointed to assist in laying out the lots. And Penelope became known as the First Lady of Middletown.

Deeds were granted, signed and duly paid for, and witnessed. Among the list of claimants for land, Richard heads the list:

Richard Stout — for himself, his wife and two sons, John and Richard 120 acres each — 480 acres. For his sons and daughters that are to come of age since 1667 — James, Peter, Mary, Alice, and Sarah, each 60 acres — 300 acres. Total 780 acres.

Founding a Church
In 1668, Richard, Penelope, and their family met with others in the kitchen of the Stout home to organize the first Baptist Church of New Jersey. Richard and John, his oldest son, were among the eighteen male charter members. Every Sunday the group met at the homes of its members to sing hymns. Twenty years later a log church was built.

Considered the largest landed proprietor, Richard was appointed overseer of Middletown in 1669. He was a member of the first General Assembly composed of deputies and patentees that convened at Portland Poyot, New Jersey, in 1671, and he was also an Indian commissioner.

By 1675, the couple had accumulated so much land that they were able to deed eighteen hundred acres to their heirs.

Richard Stout died in 1705. Penelope Van Princis Stout lived to the ripe old age of 110.

SOURCES
Penelope Stout
Penelope Van Princis Kent Stout

84 comments

  1. I am actually related to this woman from my dad’s side and he has a collection of our family history.

    1. My Reid lineage is from Richard and Penelope Stout

    2. Hi Naomi, I am also a descendant through my Father’s Stout line. My maiden name is Stout. I would like to connect with you to see if we are from the same branch that migrated to North Carolina in the 1800s. Thank you! Carol

      1. Hello.
        I’m William Stout Johnson of the Wooford County Kentucky Stouts.
        First settling on 700 acres around Mount Vernon Baptist Church around 1812. Then Amos Stout built the Glen Lake Farm home on Pisgah Pike Versailles which my 2 brothers and I were deeded as children with 200 of the original 600 of my great grandfather’s John Woolfolk Stout.
        Was much later later sold to Winstar Farm adjacent to us on Pisgah.

      2. Some of the descendants settled in Woodford county Kentucky around 1812 on 700 acres around Mt Vernon Baptist Curch. Then my ancestor Amos Stout built our Glen Lake Farm c 1854 on Pisgah Pike Versailles on 600 of the original acreage, becoming the oldest Anerican standard bred bloodline in North America until the tragic horse barn fire of the early 1910’s.

        1. She is my direct ancestor. I’m very honored to be related to this amazing women.

      3. They are my 7th Great Grandparents. My 6th was Peter Stout (1654-14 Apr. 1704)/Mary Bollen (Bullen) (1652-1692), My 5th Great Samuel Stout (1676-1733)/ Margaret Price (1678-1730), My 4th was Samuel Stout (10 Apr. 1710- 1801)/Mary Elizabeth Thomas (Born 1735), My 3rd Great was from NC, Samuel Stout (1756-1838)/Rachel Teal (1770-1801) and 2nd wife Flora Munns, My 2nd great Greats were Bryant O. Stout (1792- Before 1860/came from the branch of stouts that eventually settled in NC then my line moved to Grandview, Spencer County, Ind. and his spouse Nancy LaMar (1813 to before 1880). Then they had several sons which my 1st Great Grandparents were Charles Lewis Cass Stout (1845-1928)/Susan Ann Jarboe (1851-1913) Hancock (Breckenridge) Ky. line traces back to Lt. Col. John Jarboe 1st families listed to settle that state of Maryland. My Grandparents were George Cleveland Stout, Hawesville, Hancock) Ky (1885-1962/Ada Snyder (1890-1957), My parents Robert Steht (1922)/Vivian Stout (1922) and then I was hatched. I hope this helps you. I was stuck for years until I finally found the 1800 NC Census that only had one Bryant O. listed.

    3. I am too!

      1. I just recently became aware that Penelope is my 9th great grandmother on my mom’s side. We all live in North Carolina.

        1. My Maternal Grandfather was Levi Parker Stout
          B:2-1888 and D:11 Feb 1960
          Father: Cyrus Bundy. Mother: Della Rush
          He was from Randolph County, NC
          Buried: Marlboro Friends Meeting Cemetery

    4. Naomi, I too am related to her through my mother’s side. I would love to see what sort of historical info you have on her….my family is 17th Generation Monmouth county, NJ residents. Family cemetartary is located at the Baptist Church in middletown as well as on the grounds of Middletown South High School

      1. sorry, 13th generation

    5. She was an ancestor of mine.

    6. She’s like my 11th great grandmother.

    7. I am also a descendant.

      1. She is my 7th grandmother through my mom’s mom, Augusta Octava Stout. Our line was from Richard’s son Peter.

    8. I am also related through my father my Maiden name is Stout and I’m in The book “Stout Strings & a few freyed knots”

    9. I am also a dependent my grandmother was Kathleen rose stout. Michigan

    10. Naomi, so am I on my dad’s family tree. She is my 9th great grandmother.

    11. She’s my 9th Great-Grandmother on my mother’s side. The family joke is that I’m as stubborn (& brave) as she was & I’m gonna live to 110, too.

      My paternal line is equally interesting ~ with plenty of St Claires/Sinclairs & Stuarts.

    12. Hello, this is Wanda Justus Brewer. My great uncle was a Stout. I do enjoy reading about Penelope Stout and her heritage. I live in Texas.
      Where do you live?

  2. I am related to her too! She is my (10 generations back) grandmother 🙂

    1. I am related to her as well!

  3. She is my 9th great grandmother. I would love to connect with anyone that has information to share. contact me at smamom2three @ yahoo. com

    1. Through her directly or do you come from her husbands side? I come from her side.

      1. I believe directly but on my dads side of the family. Penelope and Richard had a son Peter who is son my line comes down. Then Samuel to Peter (The Quaker) to Charles to Peter to Phebe who married Willaim Piggott their son James Picketts son Claude Newton Pickett had a son Robert who is my grandfather.

  4. I m related to my maternal side of my grandmother her son Peter.

    1. I am also related to Penelope Stout. She is my 9th great-grandmother on my maternal side. I am a descendent through Jonathan Stout. Our family settled in Indiana.

  5. I am also related to this Women! My fathers Mother was Kay Stout of Grand Rapids, MI. Her father was Ira Stout.

  6. Look at all the people we are related to in some way. We are related through the Purdy family.

  7. Looking for help to find out if this John Stout (1645-1723 or 1724) is the same one in my family tree. Mine had a wife named Elizabeth Crawford. Thank you for any information. Heather *[email protected]

    1. Heather yes

  8. Penelope is my husbands 9th great grandmother…and our kids 10th great grandmother… on the Stout-Hart side. His 2nd great grandfather Charles Elliott Hart from Shanon Missouri is the line who connects to our Warren Line. We are so proud to connect with such an awesome lady with rich history and faith! What a great long life she ended up living to be 110! We hope to visit the area of her history one of these days!

  9. Glen Lake Farm home built by Amos Stout c. 1854

  10. I just recently discovered this website while researching for more information concerning my 10th great grandmother, Penelope Stout.
    I happen to be a direct descendant of her and Richard through their son, David.
    For nearly 20 years now I’ve been aware of the history of my family tree, primarily through the efforts of the late Rear Admiral Herald F. Stout, who wrote the genealogical book known as Stout and Allied Families.
    After retiring from government service out in Hawaii I relocated to central Ohio in late 2005. In March of 2006 I decided to visit the ancestral home of the Stout family in Middletown, NJ. I sincerely recommend to any modern descendant of Richard and Penelope Stout to visit this place themselves. You will be glad you did, especially if you have the same experience I did when I went there. Read on to understand.
    Upon arriving there I drove to the local library to seek help in locating any local historical sites that might pertain to my ancestors and to also read up on any more information pertaining to my family that might have been in their archives.
    The library staff were very helpful and one of them gave me directions to a nearby old cemetery in town that dated back to the actual founding of the city, over 360 years ago!
    Though she is not interred in this old graveyard, Penelope is honored by having the lane that borders the cemetery named after her.
    Among the numerous graves are some headstones that bear the names of other early pioneers of Monmouth County, including some who married into the Stout family. One among them that stood out was the name “Throckmorton.”
    After taking a few pictures I decided it was time to head back to my hotel in Trenton as the day was getting late.
    So, I walked back to my car where it was parked along the edge of Penelope Lane. As I stood there with the door open, ready to get in, I looked back one last time at the old gravestones and suddenly
    became overwhelmed with emotion. In an instant I realized I was standing on hallowed family ground, the very ground that my first ancestors walked on more than ten generations ago! Taken by surprise over my feelings at that moment, I couldn’t help but say a silent prayer for all those Stouts and their fellow colonists who came before me all those years ago, and I also had to thank them for doing their part in helping to establish what would eventually become the greatest nation on earth!
    Then, with a lump in my throat, I simply wiped my eyes, closed the door, started the car and drove away; feeling forever humbled for what I had just experienced.

    1. Leslie,
      As I wrote in a comment above, she is my relative as well, and my family’s burial plot is in Middletown, NJ (still reside in the area). My mother and father have passed, so I am eager to learn more about this if I can—my email is [email protected]
      Hope to communicate soon

      Jim Marrin

    2. I dont know if you are interested but it be wonderful to share information. I am looking to find definite proof that I have my information correct. you can email me directly at smamom2three @ yahoo.com

    3. I am also a descendant of Richard and Penelope (8th great grandmother) through Their son David. I would love to know more. I am going to have to take a road trip to Middletown, NJ

    4. I too come through the Stout line. My second great grandfather was Ira Stout Compton buried in Alamo, Indiana. Throckmorton was married to James their son I believe.

  11. Hello family lol I’m joshua.. I learned at a very young age that Penelope was a ancestor of mine. My granfathers Robert Stout still alive and in Middle Town. He lived in Little silver NJ for a very long time and I was born and raised in Red Bank NJ.

  12. Penelope Stout is my 8th Great-Grandmother.
    Richard & Penelope Stout > son Richard Stout II > daughter Grace Stout (who married William Merrell) > son Joseph Merrell > son Samuel Merrell > son Joseph Merrell > son Robert Merrell > son Edgar Merrell > son Edgar (Jack) Merrell > son Edgar (Ed) Merrell > daughter Christi Merrell Irwin… Me! Amazing, my ancestors started way back in Gravesend to Middletown to Hopewell, NJ, then venturing North to Canada to settle Beamsville, Ontario, then heading out West to Vancouver, BC… and here I am raising my daughter in Seattle, WA. It’ll be coming full circle if my teenage daughter ends up attending university in New Jersey next year… I’ve told her (Annalise) about her 9th Great-Grandmother and what she survived, endured and built… and when the going gets tough, the tough get going! All teenage girls love soft blankets, so I found a blanket online that has the caption ‘ Beautiful Girl, You Can Do Hard Things’… I would say this is in honor of Penelope. Annalise sleeps with it every night.

  13. She is about my 7th great grandmother ❤️

    1. Dear Anne,
      I seriously doubt the famous Penelope Stout is your 7th great grandmother. Reason is, she is my 10th great grandmother and I turned 69 this year! That would make you 3 generations older than me! However, if what you say is true, you should consider contacting the Guiness Book folks to see if you might qualify as a candidate for the oldest living person in America! Take care, Cuz!

    2. Good morning. I was just reading on the internet and saw that Penelope Stout is your 7th great grandmother, she is my 8th great grandmother if my ancestry is right. My paternal grandmother was Annie Stout Read , her father was John Stout 1861.

  14. I am a descendant of Peter The Quaker. Down to mahlon Stout. to his son Thomas Clarkson Stout, to his son Conrad Wilson Stout who was my father.

  15. I’m related through the great grandson of Penelope.. Jonathan..1704..his daughter Leah married Isaac Harvey Wamsley Sr…..my grandma’s family.. Indiana.. Huntington

  16. Penelope is my 7th generation great-grandmother through my mother’s family. A second cousin contacted me and we were able to verify our family ties. It is amazing to learn about this magnificent grandmother.
    I will share with my siblings and they with their children. Thank you.

  17. Comment correction: Penelope is my 9th or 10th generation great-grandmother.

  18. She was one of my grandmothers, through the Merrell line. I have been reading all about her and her grandson Captain Benjamin Merrell since being in lock down mode, March. What great lessons we can learn from them all. Their lives made a difference and they coped with so much. Just found this sight, love it Thanks you

  19. Rita
    Hi cousins!!! How are you all? Would love to see pictures or talk to you. Penelope Stout was my 10th great grandmother. Her story broke my heart. Such hardship and yet such strength and resilience. In searching my family tree I have found many courageous ancestors. So many of them women. My own grandmother included. Penelope’s story inspires me to be strong and pass this same strength of character to my daughter. I would love to visit her home and take my daughter there as well.
    I was wondering if anyone had actual proof of her parents names and Richard’s parents names. There were so many conflicting articles please let me know or if you just want to say hi contact me I love meeting cousins. Please email me at [email protected].

  20. I have recently found out that Penelope stout is my 10th great grandmother on my dad’s side of the family and I’m hoping to find out if this is true and if it’s true then the line that I come from is as followed
    Richard & Penelope stout
    Son Peter Stout to son Samuel Stout to daughter Elizabeth Stout to son Joseph Huff to daughter Sina Huff to daughter Elizabeth Ellington to daughter Mary Allen to daughter Elizabeth Massie to daughter Maude Weagant to son John A. Trueax to son John R. Trueax to son John Trueax to son me

    I’ve been getting help from the local Mormon church where I live

  21. Hello All,
    Penelope is my 12th Great grand parent on my Mom’s Side. Relation through their daughter Mary Penelope Stout. Married into Browne family and so on to me. Great to read all’s these comments and see all the relationships. Take care

    1. I am a descendant through Mary Stout Bowne as well. Do you have any information on the Bowne side?

  22. My Maternal Grandfather was Levi Parker Stout B: Feb 1888 Randolph County, NC and D:11Feb 1960 Pine Level, NC. He is buried in Marlboro Friends Cemetary in Sophia, Randolph County, NC
    Mother:Cynthia N. Cox and Father: Daniel Henry Stout
    Can anyone lead me in this ancestry search and could I be related to Penelope and Richard Stout. Txs

  23. Very recently I learned about my 9th or 10th Great-Grandmother and Grandfather, Penelope and Richard. Their story is remarkable! I am a genealogist, a Mayflower descendant, and also a member of the DAR. I am fascinated by history and the incredible stories they have left behind for us to research. I believe we are given strength by our ancestors who led the way.

    1. Hi cousin
      I too am related to the Stouts via their son, Jonathan. His granddaughter Catherine married Peter Smith and I am descended from them. Though not a member of DAR my daughter’s research leads us to believe we are connected to the Mayflower.

  24. Richard and Penelope Stout are my 7th and 8th Great Grandparents. This is because down the line cousins married each other. I have the 1810 Stout Bible that was carried by a daughter in law of Judiah and Della Cook Stout as she walked by the wagon from Kentucky to Missouri.

  25. She is my 10 the great grandmother on my dad’s mother side of the family. I come from Penelope’s son Johnathan”s line.

  26. Hi, yet another Stout descendant. I’m curious if you have information that shows some of the details listed her. Things like Penelope marrying a man name Kent, that her husband Richard had a relationship that his family disapproved of, and so on. I’ve heard many variations of the stories, and would love to get whatever documentation exists.

    Thanks.

    1. Just saw your posting while surfing on my computer. Surprised to find your interest in Penelope Kent. I have been a member of Ancestry for over 10 years after retiring as an Administrator for over 50 years. I am now 85. My 9th GREAT Grandparents.were Richard and PENELOPE #3 Van Princis (aka Van Prinzen) STOUT thru their son David. There has been many different conflicting stories about her mother PENELOPE #2 KENT. I had never researched past her. 3 nights ago I couldn’t sleep so I started searching Ancestry and after 3 hours I discovered over 1000 family trees referencing her. After her marriage to Jan Van Prinzen, a Count, she was titled as Countess at 20 years old.
      They had one daughter , our Penelope Stout.

      As pure speculation on my part, I feel her parents were:
      Thomas MYNEER KENT and PENELOPE #1 THOMPSON.
      There were 3 (three) generations of.Penelopes. The 1st two lived and died in the Netherlands. Penelope #1 and Myneer had TWO Children.
      Penelope #2 Kent and JOHN KENT. He was 18 years younger than his sister.
      I am very inclined to believe that our PENELOPE #3, who was 2 years younger than JOHN (her Uncle), married. It happened a lot back then.

      They migrated to the area known as NEW NETHERLANDS/GRAVESEND ( New York and New Jersey now). Close to what is now Sandy Hook, New Jersey.
      He died on the Jersey shore area in June 1643. She was captured and freed by the old Indian and recovered. She met Richard Stout who was in the Gravesend area and they married in 1644. 10 Children.

      My mother was the Stout. Lineage line was:
      Richard – David – James Abel – John – Abraham (all 5 lived and died in NJ) – Eli migrated to KY- Isaac – Francis Marion migrated to IL – John Charles – Ralph – Juanita
      She was the last of my Line with Stout name.
      I was born in IL.

      Again, I feel pretty sure this is correct. So much mis-information has been fed into family trees I don’t want to add to it. People are too quick to put in false info.

  27. Hi distant relatives!
    She was my many great grandmother also from the Stout side. Stout was my maiden name.

  28. Good morning. I was just reading on the internet and saw that Penelope Stout is your 7th great grandmother, she is my 8th great grandmother if my ancestry is right. My paternal grandmother was Annie Stout Read , her father was John Stout 1861.

  29. Penelope (10thGG) has thousands of descendants in Australia also through the Stout/Throckmorton/Stillwell line and first settlers in the new colony. I’m proud to be one of them

  30. I am a direct decendantof Jonathan, son of Richard and Penelope, seems there is alot of us. Can you imagine a family reunion vv?

  31. Does anyone know her connection (through her son Jonathon) to Daniel Boone? She is my 9th great grandmother on my father’s side and I have read of her connection to Daniel Boone but cannot seem to follow the line…

  32. My name is Sue Green Brakenhoff and I am also a direct descendant of Richard and Penelope Van Princis Stout. through Richard and Rachael Stout Rounsavell. I am in Litchfield, Illinois. This is all through my Fathers side the Godowns and Bailey’s . the older Godown Crossed the Delaware with George Washington. A lot of my ancestors were Minutemen and Daniel Long was know as” Terror of Redcoats”. Sincerely Sue Green Brakenhoff

  33. I am related through my paternal grandmother- May Stout- who married my paternal grandfather – Clay Nelson Jones. We have researched the family tree back through the Stout line into the 1100s.

  34. Wow. I just started an ancestry account and discovered she is my 11th great grandmother on my maternal grandmother’s side. I have ended up in Upstate, South Carolina! So interesting to see so many other descendants of what seems to have been an very strong lady!

  35. I am a descendant of Penelope and Richard Stout through both my mother and father. My mother descends from their daughter Mary and my father descends from their son Richard. I was pleasantly surprised. My father is a 7th cousin once removed of my mother. What a wonderful story.

  36. Penelope Van Princin was my 8th great-grandmother.
    Richard & Penelope Van Princin Stout
    Jonathan & Anna Throckmorton Bollen Stout
    Benjamin & Hannah Bonham Stout
    Jonathan & Hannah Jewell Stout
    Thomas & Margaret Phillips Stout
    Isaac & Hannah Lambert Fullens Stout
    Eliza Jane Stout & Thomas Greenlee Murphey
    Ida Emma Arnett & George Washington Murphey
    Bessie Ella Murphey & Valentine B. Jones
    Bruce Murphey Jones & Margie M. Lummus
    Me, Margie Roxana Jones

  37. I’m a little late to the party, but I recently found out that I’m a direct descendent of Penelope and Richard, as well. I can’t tell you how many generations ago, but it’s through my maternal great-grandmother’s line, named Finch. We’re all in lower Michigan. Hi to all the cousins out there!

  38. This is a helpful summary of the Penelope Stout legend as it’s come to be known. At least 7 different versions of the story have been told since it was first published in 1765, decades after she died.

    There are 2 historical records for Penelope Prince Stout, giving us her name, but little else. On 12 September 1648, “Pennellope Prince” testified in a Gravesend slander trial. New Netherland records generally refer to women by their surnames at birth, regardless of their marital status. And on 26 February 1679-80, “Richard and Penelope Stout” sold an orchard, acreage, house, and barn for £66-5-3 in Middletown, NJ.

    No records have been found of her birth, emigration, marriage to anyone other than Stout, death, or burial. The claim that she lived to be 110 is based on 1 version of the legend (1792) that claimed she emigrated 20 years before New Netherland was founded. It doesn’t appear in the 1765 account, which says only that she lived “a long life,” or in 2 19th-century accounts by her direct descendants Therese Seabrook and Nathan Stout. Prince was about 83 when Richard’s will was proven. No further record of her exists.

    The 1792 account was almost surely wrong that Richard was 40 when he married. Based on the dates provided there, Stout would’ve been 121 when he died. Even if the account’s year of marriage is corrected, Stout would’ve lived to be over 100, a claim that no one makes–including the 1792 writer, who didn’t have any records, including Stout’s will or the 1648 Gravesend record that gives Penelope’s surname as Prince. The 1792 is the source of the assumption that Penelope was surnamed “Van Princes” or “Van Princis.” The name doesn’t appear in any historical records associated with Penelope.

    “The Many Stories of Penelope” includes full texts of more than a half-dozen versions of the Penelope story (including Smith, 1765, and Edwards/Hart, 1792). It’s edited by Jim McFarlane, who wrote a historical novel about Penelope.
    http://www.jim-mcfarlane.com/Documentation/Stories_of_Penelope.html

    See also Virginie Adane’s “The Penelope Stout Story: Evolution of a New Netherland Narrative” (2009). https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03352779/document

    Penelope’s Wikipedia article reviews 7 versions of the story from 1765-2016 and cites the Stouts’ known historical records.

    The 1648 record that gives her name as Penelope Prince is in “History of Gravesend and Coney Island, New York” (1884): p 12. The 1679-80 property sale is in Salter’s “A history of Monmouth and Ocean Counties” (1890), p liv (p 54 of the Internet Archive edition). Both books are available in full text online. (Google the titles.)

    I’m a Hopewell Stout: Penelope is my 8th great-grandmother, and I’m proud to have “genuine legend” in the family!

  39. Hey! I read this a little late but I do have a lot of information on our grandmother, in my care, 13th great grandmother. I have a family tree that starts with her and goes all the way down to me. I also have a variety of stories I would love to tell all of you about Penelope and her children. Hope to get in contact with all of you soon.

  40. Hi Cousins,
    I am related through my Father’s side of the family, through Alice Stout, her daughter. Penelope is my 10th great grandmother.

    1. Hi Cassidy, my great grandma was Rosulpha Frances Stout. Her father was William Harrison Stout. Do you have these names in your line? I can not go back any further. I would greatly appreciate anything you can telll me. Thanks in advance.

  41. Greetings from another Penelope great-etc.-granddaughter! Readers should note there are only 2 historical records about Penelope. The first is from Gravesend dated 12 Sept. 1648: “Pennellope Prince” was questioned after she accused one neighbor of milking another’s cow. She “acknowledged her fault” and apologized, satisfying “both sides.” The second is a 26 Feb. 1679-80 NJ land deed: “Richard and Penelope Stout” sold an orchard, acreage, house, and barn for £66-5-3.”

    No records have been found to substantiate any details in the ever-evolving legend of her arrival in the colonies: no record of her birth, emigration, ship stranding, or death. There’s no record she was ever married to anyone but Richard Stout. The undocumented claim that she was married to a “Kent or Lent” dates to 1926.

    She is first identified as “van Prince” in a 1791 letter by Rev. Oliver Hart, pastor to 3rd- & 4th-generation Hopewell Stouts. Hart had access to no documents. Perhaps he added the “van” to her known surname Prince because he assumed that all emigrants to New Netherland were Dutch. “Van Prince” is not a Dutch surname, which is perhaps why the name morphed into the less-Anglo “Van Princis” in the 20th century. The fact is, there’s no evidence Prince Stout was Dutch. She had an English name, married an Englishman, and gave her children English names.

    Rev. Hart, who misdates historical events by decades, is the sole source for the claim that Penelope lived to be 110. Stout accounts from the 19th-century don’t give their ancestor’s age at death.

    Penelope’s Wikipedia entry has a hyperlinked list of 12 versions of her story dating from 1765 to the present and extensive references (including links to the 2 historical sources cited above). One thing’s certain: Penelope Prince Stout is a genuine Jersey legend! All best to cousins far & wide.

  42. My 9th g grandmother legend has only been discovered by family, would be a shame if not truly historical, but an exciting family story anyway. Kinda like the long told story on my Mothers side of the family claiming to be descendants to the Father of the American Navy, Commodore John Barry 1745-1803. He had no descendants.

  43. This is my first comment on this site in a few years, but I thought I’d pass on some interesting reading for all my distant Stout cousins. Not long ago I discovered a book written by the late Deborah Crawford. It is called “Four Women in a Violent Time.” It features our grandma Penelope and three other famous ladies from early American history. Crawford used a combination of fact and fiction to make the stories a more interesting reading. I highly recommend finding a copy of it. I found a former public library copy of it on Amazon.
    On a funnier note, my late paternal grandfather, George Washington Stout, of Ava, IL, once told us grandkids an hilarious story about a “wrong number” phone call he received once. On the other end of the line was a lady who asked, “Do you have any dolls that wet?” To which my grandpa replied, “I beg your pardon?” The lady then asked, “Isn’t this Ben Franklin (the store by that name)?” Then my grandpa, always the quick-witted type, said, “No. This is George Washington.” He only heard a resounding “click” on the other end as the lady hung up!
    Leslie Stout
    Nixa, MO

  44. I am descended from the branch that migrated south to Kentucky.
    Elizabeth Stout who married into Lewis line .Her mother was a Higgins
    I figured Penelope is my 10 g back.Elizabeth rode the Oregon trail and is buried in Bend Or.

  45. My family is also related to Penelope on the Stout side. Would love to learn more of our family history.

    1. Wiki has a very interesting write up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penelope_Stout Plus there are numerous book on her life and accomplishments. Just type her name into your browser and see what pops up. If you wish to e-mail me I can give you a list of what I have found so far in the book market. I have a comment below.

  46. There’s a lot of you related to Penelope stout!! So am I!! I’m 22 years old and she’s my 8x great grandmother! My grandma has her ancestry information but I organized it for her, I can’t remember who directly from but America Stout is my direct descendent and so forth (I have her photo 🙂 she’s so pretty)

    Anybody else trying to live to their 100’s just like our Grandmother? :’D

  47. I found all these comments interesting reading as we are all cousins to one extent or another. I am descended from Richard and Penelope as well, on both my family lines: on my mothers lines Richard and Penelope are my 9th great grand parents by way of their son James; and on my fathers lines, they are my 8th great grandparents by way of their son John. I saw something awhile back that said there was something like 26,000 living descendants of Richard and Penelope.

    I saw a comment above of a lady telling another that it was impossible for her to be a certain generation from Richard and Penelope due to the 1st lady’s age, etc. But s every genealogist that has been at this hobby for any length o time knows, not every generation marries and has children by any certain guideline or age. Someone of 70 years could be the 7th great grandchild while someone of 25 could very well be very well be a 6th great grandchild. So, the wise person would not argue until they have seen the documentation.

    I have been researching my various family lines for over 59 years and still get excited over a new find. I have read a lot concerning the lives of Richard and Penelope and feel extremely honored to be one of their descendants. Penelope was an extremely exciting woman with an internal fortitude not, or very rarely, seen in today’s generations. Then to read of their accomplishments after their marriage, just indescribable.

    John V. Burns

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