Thomas Romeyn
born at Pompton, now Passaic
County, New Jersey on March 19, 1729
married Margaretta Frelinghuysen
June 29, 1756 at Albany, NY
married Susanna Van Campen
c 1760
Thomas Romeyn was born at Pompton, now Passaic County,
New Jersey on March 19, 1729. (see note) He studied at Nassau Hall
and graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1750. He then took
up the study of theology under Rev. J.M. Goetchius and Rev. T. Frelinghuysen.
After preaching a few times on Long Island, he sailed from New York for
Holland, on April 11, 1752, to receive ordination. After being ordained
by the Classis of Amsterdam on September 3, 1752, he must have immediately
sailed for home, because he accepted a call to preach on November 10, of
that same year, from the congregations of Oyster Bay, Jamaica, Success
and Newtown on Long Island, NY. He remained at Flatbush for eight
years. On June 29, 1756, Thomas married Margaretta Frelinghuysen,
daughter of Rev. Theodore Frelinghuysen, at Albany, NY. His son Theodore
was born on November 28, 1757. Unfortunately, Margaretta died, at
Jamica, Long Island, almost a month later on December 13, 1757.
Just prior to Rev. Romeyn's entrance into the ministry,
a schism took place within the Dutch Church. The trouble focused
around the issue of where young men should be ordained. Since its
inception in 1628 in New Amsterdam, it had been the custom for the ordinations
to take place in Holland. This inconvenience resulted in a severe
shortage of properly ordained ministers. Two, three, and sometimes
four churches were forced to share the same pastor. A large number
of members were in favor of upholding this tradition, but many other members
saw no reason why ordinations shouldn't take place on this side of the
Atlantic. Cultural ties with the old country were still strong.
Church services were held exclusively in the Dutch language. Bibles
were printed in Dutch and church records were written in Dutch. In
1737 a meeting was held in New York City to formulate a plan to hold
a "Coetus" or assembly of ministers and elders. Another meeting was
held the following year. This was the beginning of the separation
from the church in Holland and grew into a demand for an independent American
Church. Of course this was considered subversion by the supporters of the
mother church and they formed an assembly to oppose the Coetus, to which
they gave the name "Conferentie." Peter Gumaer, in his book, "A History
of Deerpark," refers to Rev. Romeyn as a "moderate adherent to the
Conferentie position." This developed into a very bitter struggle.
Some pastors found themselves locked out of their own churches. Family
members divided against each other, engagements were broken off, and some
families that refused to attend services witheld financial support.
According to Pauline Angell, in her "History of the Reformed Dutch Church
of Maghaghamik," Thomas Romeyn was forced to resign as pastor at Flatbush,
Long Island because of his opposition to an independent American Classis.
On Sept. 6, 1760 he relocated to Maghaghkemek (in
the language of the Native American Lenape, "pumpkin fields,") now Deerpark,
Orange County, NY on the Delaware River. He became Pastor of
the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of that community. During his
ministry there he started holding services on the opposite side of the
mountain, at the Clove, now Wantage, NJ. He eventually succeeded
in establishing a church there. He was also largely responsible for
starting a school at Peenpack. About this time, Rev. Romeyn married
Susanna Van Campen, the daughter of Susanna Depue and Abraham Van
Campen, who was one of the most prominent settlers of the Minisink area.
He built a large home, a grist mill, and a blockhouse (fort) on his 3000
acres along the Old Mine Road in Pahaquarry Township. Abraham was
also a Colonel in the French & Indian War of 1755-1758, an elder of
the Dutch Reformed Church at Walpack, a Justice of the Peace, and a Judge
of the Court of Common Pleas.
For almost ten years the church was divided
over the ordination issue. Officially the struggle was settled in
favor of the "American" or Coetus faction in 1746. Trouble continued,
however, when Coetus members insisted that all ministers be re-ordained
and that children who had been christened under the old orders, be re-baptised.
In his book, "A History of the Minisink Region," Charles Stickney
tells us that the Conferentie members considered these new measures "barbarity."
At Maghaghamik it appears that the people of Dominie Romeyn's congregation
attended his services and respected his position. It also appears,
however, that in 1772, after twelve years of service, a few of the most
influential families, who had held the Coetus position, of course, forced
his resignation.
By the middle of the eighteenth century a movement
for an English speaking ministry had also arisen. English was the
secular language and had become the common language of the young.
In 1763 permission was given to preach in English. Some congregations
continued to use their native language, but many others started to use
English, to the great regret of their older members who perfered their
native tongue.
Later in 1772, Rev. Romeyn accepted a call
from the Dutch Church of Caughnawaga (now the town of Fonda) in Montogomery
County, NY. He served that communiy as pastor for the next twenty-one
years. A patriot during the Revolutionary War, he served his church
during very threatening times. His community and the rest of the
Mohawk Valley were under constant threat of attack by the Iroquois Indians
who had allied themselves with the British. The Delaware region was also
threatened. As a matter of fact, Thomas Romeyn's old church at Maghaghkemek
was burned to the ground a few days before the Battle of Minisink in July,
1779, by Indians and Tories led by Chief Joseph Brant. C.G. Hine,
in his book, "The Old Mine Road," tells the story of Susanna Van Campen's
brother, Major Moses Van Campen. In the spring of 1780, Moses
and two other men were captured by a war party. They were told they
would be taken to the Indians' main village on the Susquehanna River where
they would be tortured and executed. Moses had mixed with Indians
all his life, had served with General Sullivan on the Mohawk River Campagin
and wasn't about to lose his life to a band of only ten Indians.
When one of the Indians carelessly left a knife within reach, Moses was
able to free himself and his companions. He escaped by killing two
of the Indians with a tomahawk. Nine of the ten Indians were killed
in the fight. Rev. Thomas Romeyn was eventually forced to relinquish
his position as pastor because of ill health. He passed away on October
22, 1794 and was buried under the pulpit of his church at Fonda, NY.
Of his seven sons, Theodore, Thomas, Nicholas,
Abraham, Broadhead, Benjamin, and James, four devoted themselves to the
ministry. The Rev. Theodore Romeyn settled in Somerville, NJ where
he died at the age of twenty-nine. Thomas Romeyn served as pastor
at the Dutch Churches in Niskayuna and Amity near Albany ,NY. He
died in 1857. It appears that Broadhead Romeyn died at the
age of twenty-two soon after he received his license to preach. The
Rev. James Van Campen Romeyn attended the Schenectady Academy, preached
in several places and became the pastor of The Reformed Church at Hackensack
and Schraalenburgh. He held that position for thirty-three
years from 1799 to 1833. James died at Hackensack in 1840.
Not much is known about his sons Nicholas, Abraham, and Benjamin.
Nicholas I. Romeyn married Hannah Post at the Pompton Plains Reformed Church
in 1807 and they had a son named Nicholas. This is one of the lines
that a large number of Romains in the Pompton, NJ area are descended from.
Note: Some sources give Thomas Romain's birth
date as March 2, 1729. Another, "The History of Orange County, NY,"
gives it as March 20, 1729. The "Outwater Bible," however, with entries
by his father, lists his birth as March 19, 1729.
Tom Riley
Aug. 30, 1997
Submitted Oct 1997 by Thomas R.
Riley, Franklin, NJ
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