Richard Denton is the son of Richard Denton and Susan Sibilla. He married Helen Windebank 16 Nov 1623 Southward Savior, Surry, London, England. They had children Sarah, Daniel, Timothy, Nathaniel, Richard, Samuel, Phebe, John. There is another birthdate and place on the internet, Apr 1586 St Albans, Hertfordshire, England.
According to early researchers he came on the Ship "James" Bet. 23 May–17 Aug 1635. Also the early researchers gave this tomestone inscription (This may be a marker put up by some descendents after his death.
Information from William Derel Denton and Walter Krumm
Denton Historian who died several years ago.
He said Rev Denton is buried in Yorkshire?
His tombstone bears the following inscription in Latin: "Here lies the dust of Richard Denton. O'er his low peaceful grave bends the perennial cypress, fit emblem of his unfading fame. On earth his bright example, religious light, shown forth o'er multitudes. In heaven his pure rob'd spirit shines like an effulgent star." A graduate of Cambridge in 1623, and acknowledged by many as the founder of Presbyterianism in America, Rev. Richard Denton came to New England in 1635. Before coming he was a preacher in Halifax England.
From England, the Cambridge University listing for Richard Denton says: "Sizar of St. Catherine's Easter, 1621, b. 1603 in Yorks, B.A. 1622-3, priest 8 June 1623. Deacon at Peterborough 9 March 1622-3. Curate of Coleys Chapel, Halifax, for some years." ("Sizar" is defined as an undergraduate student.)
From New England Genealogical Reg. 11/241: Rev. Richard Denton came to American from the Parish of Owram, North England on the ship "James." He lived in Wethersfield and Stamford, Connecticut. The J.S. Denton papers show baptismal records of Nathaniel and Timothy sons of Rev. Richard Denton "in Parish Church of Bolton, England."
In his book, "The History of the Clergy in the Middle Colonies" author Weiss makes reference to the religious conflict of early Connecticut which resulted in Rev. Richard Denton moving on to Hempstead, Long Island, NY in 1644. He settled there in the midst of a large Dutch colony. However, there were also many English settlers living in the area without benefit of religious guidance. With these scattered members for a beginning, Rev. Denton established the first Presbyterian Church in America. This church was so successful that soon the Dutch neighbors were attending services there. History shows some controversy developed when Rev. Denton began to baptize some of the younger children of the Dutch who did not agree with all the Presbyterian beliefs.
The history of Hempstead, Long Island makes many references to the Dentons and their marriages and big families. The men were active in the local militias fighting the Indians and they developed excellent military experience that prepared them for officer commissions when they moved on to the Virginia frontier.
From "Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664" a letter to the Classis of Amsterdam from Johannes Megapolensis and Samuel Drisius dated August 5, 1657: "At Hempstead, about seven leagues from here, there live some Independents. There are also many of our own church, and some Presbyterians. They have a Presbyterian preacher, Richard Denton, a pious, godly and learned man, who is in agreement with our church in everything. The Independents of the place listen attentively to his sermons; but when he began to baptize the children of parents who are not members of the church, they rushed out of the church." From another letter dated Oct. 22, 1659 the same writers continue: "Mr. Richard Denton, who is sound in faith, of a friendly disposition, and beloved by all, cannot be induced by us to remain, although we have earnestly tried to do this in various ways. He first went to Virginia to seek a situation, complaining of lack of salary, and that he was getting in debt, but he has returned thence. He is now fully resolved to go to old England, because of his wife who is sickly will not go without him, and there is need of their going there on account of a legacy of four hundred pounds sterling lately left by a deceased friend, and which they cannot obtain except by their personal presence." 1
Rev Richard Denton returned to England and spent his years writing Memoirs and Religious Studies. He briefly went to Virginia and his wife became ill so he returned to England. He died at home in 1662. Buried in Yorkshire England.
Information From William Derel Denton, Elizabethtown, NY desc.
'Mr. Richard Denton, who is sound in faith,
of a friendly disposition, and beloved by all, cannot be
induced by us to remain, although we have earnestly tried to do
this in various ways. He first went to Virginia to seek a
situation, complaining of lack of salary, and that he was
getting in debt, but he has returned thence. He is now fully
resolved to go to old England, because of his wife who is
sickly will not go without him, and there is need of their
going there on account of a legacy of four hundred pounds
sterling lately left by a deceased friend, and which they
cannot obtain except by their personal presence.
Sue Montgomery's Page
http://www.dentongenealogy.org/
∼WHO WAS THE REV. RICHARD DENTON?'
By WALTER C. KRUMM, Ph.D.
•Note:
One of the first settlers in New England and Long Island was the Rev.
Richard Denton, a Jacobean cleric from Yorkshire, England. Often given only
a passing mention in accounts of early Amerian history, his life and career
have heretofore admitted to only a few specific facts. That
situation is changing; remote and obscure records and journals are now
published and easily available on microfilm. Historical societies and journals
nourish as never before. Enough is now known about this American pioneer
to formulate a picture of his life. Besides, Denton was an individual
who labored actively in the society around him, shaping it, shaping his own
destiny, and innuencing that of others. He wrote a book, led his
congregation on an extended migration, and founded a family in America
which numbers in the tens of thousands and reaches to the eleventh
genera tion. A general knowledge of the times and events of the day can
explain much about a public man's attitudes and motivations. In Denton's
case these include religious strictures, the English Civil War and Cromwell's
interregnum, the expansion of England into North America (including
a flood of immigrants), and dealings with the Dutch. Richard Denton belongs
among the more familiar public ligures who lirst settled New England: John
Winthrop, Sir Richard Sallonstall, William Brewster and Miles Standish, Anne
Hutchinson, and a host of others, for he was one of them. The
Presbyterian Church of America claims him as the lirst Presbyterian on
this conti nent. This paper, then, recounts what the records show of the
Rev. Richard Denton and considers what can reasonably be deduced
therefrom. Of past accounts it seeks to separate whimsy from
substance and to provide a sound basis for future investigation.
•Note:
Denton's Beginnings in England
An early description of Richard Denton survives from the American side of
the Atlantic. In his book Magnalia Christi Americana (pub. in London, 1702)
the internationally famous Congregational minister from Massachusetts,
Cotton Mather (1663-1728) pays this tribute:
The apostle describing the false ministers of those primitive times calls
them "clouds without water, carried about of winds." As for the true men
of our primitive times, they were indeed "carried about of winds", though
not winds of strange doctrine, yet the winds of hard suffering did carry
him as far as from England into America: the hurricanes of presecution
wherein doubtless the Prince of the powers of Air" had its influence, drove
the heavenly clouds from one part of the heavenly church into another. But
they were not clouds without waters, when they came with showers of
blessings and rained very gracious impressions upon the vineyard of the
Lord.
Among the clouds (meaning the ministers who early came 10 New
England) was one Mr. Richard Denton, a Yorkshireman, pious and learned,
who, having watered Halifax in England with his fruitful ministry, was by a
tempest then hurried into New England where lirst at Wetherslield and then
at Stamford, his doctrines dropped as rain, his speech distilled as the dew,
as the small rain upon the tender herb, as the showers upon the grass.
Though he was a little man, yet he had a great soul, his well accomplished
mind in his lesser body was an Iliad in a nutshell. I think he was blind of one
eye, nevertheless he was not the least among the seers of Israel; he saw a
very considerable portion of those Ihings which "eye hath not seen". He was
far from cloudy in his conceptions and principles of divinity, whereof he
wrote a system entitled "Soliloquia Sacra" (apparently it has not survived)
so accurately considering the fourfold slate of man, first in his Created
Purity, second Contracted Deformity, third Restored Beauty and fourth
Celestial Glory, that judicious persons who may have seen it very much
lament the churches being so deprived of it. At length he got beyond the
clouds nd so beyond storms; waiting the return of the Lord Jesus Christ in
the clouds of heaven, when he will have his reward among the saints.
•Note:
.. Extensive information continues in this article and in its continuation in
NYGBR v, 117 pp. 211-217, as well as in "Descendants of The Rev. Richard
Denton", also by Walter Krumm,
According to early researchers he came on the Ship "James" Bet. 23 May–17 Aug 1635. Also the early researchers gave this tomestone inscription (This may be a marker put up by some descendents after his death.
Information from William Derel Denton and Walter Krumm
Denton Historian who died several years ago.
He said Rev Denton is buried in Yorkshire?
His tombstone bears the following inscription in Latin: "Here lies the dust of Richard Denton. O'er his low peaceful grave bends the perennial cypress, fit emblem of his unfading fame. On earth his bright example, religious light, shown forth o'er multitudes. In heaven his pure rob'd spirit shines like an effulgent star." A graduate of Cambridge in 1623, and acknowledged by many as the founder of Presbyterianism in America, Rev. Richard Denton came to New England in 1635. Before coming he was a preacher in Halifax England.
From England, the Cambridge University listing for Richard Denton says: "Sizar of St. Catherine's Easter, 1621, b. 1603 in Yorks, B.A. 1622-3, priest 8 June 1623. Deacon at Peterborough 9 March 1622-3. Curate of Coleys Chapel, Halifax, for some years." ("Sizar" is defined as an undergraduate student.)
From New England Genealogical Reg. 11/241: Rev. Richard Denton came to American from the Parish of Owram, North England on the ship "James." He lived in Wethersfield and Stamford, Connecticut. The J.S. Denton papers show baptismal records of Nathaniel and Timothy sons of Rev. Richard Denton "in Parish Church of Bolton, England."
In his book, "The History of the Clergy in the Middle Colonies" author Weiss makes reference to the religious conflict of early Connecticut which resulted in Rev. Richard Denton moving on to Hempstead, Long Island, NY in 1644. He settled there in the midst of a large Dutch colony. However, there were also many English settlers living in the area without benefit of religious guidance. With these scattered members for a beginning, Rev. Denton established the first Presbyterian Church in America. This church was so successful that soon the Dutch neighbors were attending services there. History shows some controversy developed when Rev. Denton began to baptize some of the younger children of the Dutch who did not agree with all the Presbyterian beliefs.
The history of Hempstead, Long Island makes many references to the Dentons and their marriages and big families. The men were active in the local militias fighting the Indians and they developed excellent military experience that prepared them for officer commissions when they moved on to the Virginia frontier.
From "Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664" a letter to the Classis of Amsterdam from Johannes Megapolensis and Samuel Drisius dated August 5, 1657: "At Hempstead, about seven leagues from here, there live some Independents. There are also many of our own church, and some Presbyterians. They have a Presbyterian preacher, Richard Denton, a pious, godly and learned man, who is in agreement with our church in everything. The Independents of the place listen attentively to his sermons; but when he began to baptize the children of parents who are not members of the church, they rushed out of the church." From another letter dated Oct. 22, 1659 the same writers continue: "Mr. Richard Denton, who is sound in faith, of a friendly disposition, and beloved by all, cannot be induced by us to remain, although we have earnestly tried to do this in various ways. He first went to Virginia to seek a situation, complaining of lack of salary, and that he was getting in debt, but he has returned thence. He is now fully resolved to go to old England, because of his wife who is sickly will not go without him, and there is need of their going there on account of a legacy of four hundred pounds sterling lately left by a deceased friend, and which they cannot obtain except by their personal presence." 1
Rev Richard Denton returned to England and spent his years writing Memoirs and Religious Studies. He briefly went to Virginia and his wife became ill so he returned to England. He died at home in 1662. Buried in Yorkshire England.
Information From William Derel Denton, Elizabethtown, NY desc.
'Mr. Richard Denton, who is sound in faith,
of a friendly disposition, and beloved by all, cannot be
induced by us to remain, although we have earnestly tried to do
this in various ways. He first went to Virginia to seek a
situation, complaining of lack of salary, and that he was
getting in debt, but he has returned thence. He is now fully
resolved to go to old England, because of his wife who is
sickly will not go without him, and there is need of their
going there on account of a legacy of four hundred pounds
sterling lately left by a deceased friend, and which they
cannot obtain except by their personal presence.
Sue Montgomery's Page
http://www.dentongenealogy.org/
∼WHO WAS THE REV. RICHARD DENTON?'
By WALTER C. KRUMM, Ph.D.
•Note:
One of the first settlers in New England and Long Island was the Rev.
Richard Denton, a Jacobean cleric from Yorkshire, England. Often given only
a passing mention in accounts of early Amerian history, his life and career
have heretofore admitted to only a few specific facts. That
situation is changing; remote and obscure records and journals are now
published and easily available on microfilm. Historical societies and journals
nourish as never before. Enough is now known about this American pioneer
to formulate a picture of his life. Besides, Denton was an individual
who labored actively in the society around him, shaping it, shaping his own
destiny, and innuencing that of others. He wrote a book, led his
congregation on an extended migration, and founded a family in America
which numbers in the tens of thousands and reaches to the eleventh
genera tion. A general knowledge of the times and events of the day can
explain much about a public man's attitudes and motivations. In Denton's
case these include religious strictures, the English Civil War and Cromwell's
interregnum, the expansion of England into North America (including
a flood of immigrants), and dealings with the Dutch. Richard Denton belongs
among the more familiar public ligures who lirst settled New England: John
Winthrop, Sir Richard Sallonstall, William Brewster and Miles Standish, Anne
Hutchinson, and a host of others, for he was one of them. The
Presbyterian Church of America claims him as the lirst Presbyterian on
this conti nent. This paper, then, recounts what the records show of the
Rev. Richard Denton and considers what can reasonably be deduced
therefrom. Of past accounts it seeks to separate whimsy from
substance and to provide a sound basis for future investigation.
•Note:
Denton's Beginnings in England
An early description of Richard Denton survives from the American side of
the Atlantic. In his book Magnalia Christi Americana (pub. in London, 1702)
the internationally famous Congregational minister from Massachusetts,
Cotton Mather (1663-1728) pays this tribute:
The apostle describing the false ministers of those primitive times calls
them "clouds without water, carried about of winds." As for the true men
of our primitive times, they were indeed "carried about of winds", though
not winds of strange doctrine, yet the winds of hard suffering did carry
him as far as from England into America: the hurricanes of presecution
wherein doubtless the Prince of the powers of Air" had its influence, drove
the heavenly clouds from one part of the heavenly church into another. But
they were not clouds without waters, when they came with showers of
blessings and rained very gracious impressions upon the vineyard of the
Lord.
Among the clouds (meaning the ministers who early came 10 New
England) was one Mr. Richard Denton, a Yorkshireman, pious and learned,
who, having watered Halifax in England with his fruitful ministry, was by a
tempest then hurried into New England where lirst at Wetherslield and then
at Stamford, his doctrines dropped as rain, his speech distilled as the dew,
as the small rain upon the tender herb, as the showers upon the grass.
Though he was a little man, yet he had a great soul, his well accomplished
mind in his lesser body was an Iliad in a nutshell. I think he was blind of one
eye, nevertheless he was not the least among the seers of Israel; he saw a
very considerable portion of those Ihings which "eye hath not seen". He was
far from cloudy in his conceptions and principles of divinity, whereof he
wrote a system entitled "Soliloquia Sacra" (apparently it has not survived)
so accurately considering the fourfold slate of man, first in his Created
Purity, second Contracted Deformity, third Restored Beauty and fourth
Celestial Glory, that judicious persons who may have seen it very much
lament the churches being so deprived of it. At length he got beyond the
clouds nd so beyond storms; waiting the return of the Lord Jesus Christ in
the clouds of heaven, when he will have his reward among the saints.
•Note:
.. Extensive information continues in this article and in its continuation in
NYGBR v, 117 pp. 211-217, as well as in "Descendants of The Rev. Richard
Denton", also by Walter Krumm,
Richard Denton is the son of Richard Denton and Susan Sibilla. He married Helen Windebank 16 Nov 1623 Southward Savior, Surry, London, England. They had children Sarah, Daniel, Timothy, Nathaniel, Richard, Samuel, Phebe, John. There is another birthdate and place on the internet, Apr 1586 St Albans, Hertfordshire, England.
According to early researchers he came on the Ship "James" Bet. 23 May–17 Aug 1635. Also the early researchers gave this tomestone inscription (This may be a marker put up by some descendents after his death.
Information from William Derel Denton and Walter Krumm
Denton Historian who died several years ago.
He said Rev Denton is buried in Yorkshire?
His tombstone bears the following inscription in Latin: "Here lies the dust of Richard Denton. O'er his low peaceful grave bends the perennial cypress, fit emblem of his unfading fame. On earth his bright example, religious light, shown forth o'er multitudes. In heaven his pure rob'd spirit shines like an effulgent star." A graduate of Cambridge in 1623, and acknowledged by many as the founder of Presbyterianism in America, Rev. Richard Denton came to New England in 1635. Before coming he was a preacher in Halifax England.
From England, the Cambridge University listing for Richard Denton says: "Sizar of St. Catherine's Easter, 1621, b. 1603 in Yorks, B.A. 1622-3, priest 8 June 1623. Deacon at Peterborough 9 March 1622-3. Curate of Coleys Chapel, Halifax, for some years." ("Sizar" is defined as an undergraduate student.)
From New England Genealogical Reg. 11/241: Rev. Richard Denton came to American from the Parish of Owram, North England on the ship "James." He lived in Wethersfield and Stamford, Connecticut. The J.S. Denton papers show baptismal records of Nathaniel and Timothy sons of Rev. Richard Denton "in Parish Church of Bolton, England."
In his book, "The History of the Clergy in the Middle Colonies" author Weiss makes reference to the religious conflict of early Connecticut which resulted in Rev. Richard Denton moving on to Hempstead, Long Island, NY in 1644. He settled there in the midst of a large Dutch colony. However, there were also many English settlers living in the area without benefit of religious guidance. With these scattered members for a beginning, Rev. Denton established the first Presbyterian Church in America. This church was so successful that soon the Dutch neighbors were attending services there. History shows some controversy developed when Rev. Denton began to baptize some of the younger children of the Dutch who did not agree with all the Presbyterian beliefs.
The history of Hempstead, Long Island makes many references to the Dentons and their marriages and big families. The men were active in the local militias fighting the Indians and they developed excellent military experience that prepared them for officer commissions when they moved on to the Virginia frontier.
From "Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664" a letter to the Classis of Amsterdam from Johannes Megapolensis and Samuel Drisius dated August 5, 1657: "At Hempstead, about seven leagues from here, there live some Independents. There are also many of our own church, and some Presbyterians. They have a Presbyterian preacher, Richard Denton, a pious, godly and learned man, who is in agreement with our church in everything. The Independents of the place listen attentively to his sermons; but when he began to baptize the children of parents who are not members of the church, they rushed out of the church." From another letter dated Oct. 22, 1659 the same writers continue: "Mr. Richard Denton, who is sound in faith, of a friendly disposition, and beloved by all, cannot be induced by us to remain, although we have earnestly tried to do this in various ways. He first went to Virginia to seek a situation, complaining of lack of salary, and that he was getting in debt, but he has returned thence. He is now fully resolved to go to old England, because of his wife who is sickly will not go without him, and there is need of their going there on account of a legacy of four hundred pounds sterling lately left by a deceased friend, and which they cannot obtain except by their personal presence." 1
Rev Richard Denton returned to England and spent his years writing Memoirs and Religious Studies. He briefly went to Virginia and his wife became ill so he returned to England. He died at home in 1662. Buried in Yorkshire England.
Information From William Derel Denton, Elizabethtown, NY desc.
'Mr. Richard Denton, who is sound in faith,
of a friendly disposition, and beloved by all, cannot be
induced by us to remain, although we have earnestly tried to do
this in various ways. He first went to Virginia to seek a
situation, complaining of lack of salary, and that he was
getting in debt, but he has returned thence. He is now fully
resolved to go to old England, because of his wife who is
sickly will not go without him, and there is need of their
going there on account of a legacy of four hundred pounds
sterling lately left by a deceased friend, and which they
cannot obtain except by their personal presence.
Sue Montgomery's Page
http://www.dentongenealogy.org/
∼WHO WAS THE REV. RICHARD DENTON?'
By WALTER C. KRUMM, Ph.D.
•Note:
One of the first settlers in New England and Long Island was the Rev.
Richard Denton, a Jacobean cleric from Yorkshire, England. Often given only
a passing mention in accounts of early Amerian history, his life and career
have heretofore admitted to only a few specific facts. That
situation is changing; remote and obscure records and journals are now
published and easily available on microfilm. Historical societies and journals
nourish as never before. Enough is now known about this American pioneer
to formulate a picture of his life. Besides, Denton was an individual
who labored actively in the society around him, shaping it, shaping his own
destiny, and innuencing that of others. He wrote a book, led his
congregation on an extended migration, and founded a family in America
which numbers in the tens of thousands and reaches to the eleventh
genera tion. A general knowledge of the times and events of the day can
explain much about a public man's attitudes and motivations. In Denton's
case these include religious strictures, the English Civil War and Cromwell's
interregnum, the expansion of England into North America (including
a flood of immigrants), and dealings with the Dutch. Richard Denton belongs
among the more familiar public ligures who lirst settled New England: John
Winthrop, Sir Richard Sallonstall, William Brewster and Miles Standish, Anne
Hutchinson, and a host of others, for he was one of them. The
Presbyterian Church of America claims him as the lirst Presbyterian on
this conti nent. This paper, then, recounts what the records show of the
Rev. Richard Denton and considers what can reasonably be deduced
therefrom. Of past accounts it seeks to separate whimsy from
substance and to provide a sound basis for future investigation.
•Note:
Denton's Beginnings in England
An early description of Richard Denton survives from the American side of
the Atlantic. In his book Magnalia Christi Americana (pub. in London, 1702)
the internationally famous Congregational minister from Massachusetts,
Cotton Mather (1663-1728) pays this tribute:
The apostle describing the false ministers of those primitive times calls
them "clouds without water, carried about of winds." As for the true men
of our primitive times, they were indeed "carried about of winds", though
not winds of strange doctrine, yet the winds of hard suffering did carry
him as far as from England into America: the hurricanes of presecution
wherein doubtless the Prince of the powers of Air" had its influence, drove
the heavenly clouds from one part of the heavenly church into another. But
they were not clouds without waters, when they came with showers of
blessings and rained very gracious impressions upon the vineyard of the
Lord.
Among the clouds (meaning the ministers who early came 10 New
England) was one Mr. Richard Denton, a Yorkshireman, pious and learned,
who, having watered Halifax in England with his fruitful ministry, was by a
tempest then hurried into New England where lirst at Wetherslield and then
at Stamford, his doctrines dropped as rain, his speech distilled as the dew,
as the small rain upon the tender herb, as the showers upon the grass.
Though he was a little man, yet he had a great soul, his well accomplished
mind in his lesser body was an Iliad in a nutshell. I think he was blind of one
eye, nevertheless he was not the least among the seers of Israel; he saw a
very considerable portion of those Ihings which "eye hath not seen". He was
far from cloudy in his conceptions and principles of divinity, whereof he
wrote a system entitled "Soliloquia Sacra" (apparently it has not survived)
so accurately considering the fourfold slate of man, first in his Created
Purity, second Contracted Deformity, third Restored Beauty and fourth
Celestial Glory, that judicious persons who may have seen it very much
lament the churches being so deprived of it. At length he got beyond the
clouds nd so beyond storms; waiting the return of the Lord Jesus Christ in
the clouds of heaven, when he will have his reward among the saints.
•Note:
.. Extensive information continues in this article and in its continuation in
NYGBR v, 117 pp. 211-217, as well as in "Descendants of The Rev. Richard
Denton", also by Walter Krumm,
According to early researchers he came on the Ship "James" Bet. 23 May–17 Aug 1635. Also the early researchers gave this tomestone inscription (This may be a marker put up by some descendents after his death.
Information from William Derel Denton and Walter Krumm
Denton Historian who died several years ago.
He said Rev Denton is buried in Yorkshire?
His tombstone bears the following inscription in Latin: "Here lies the dust of Richard Denton. O'er his low peaceful grave bends the perennial cypress, fit emblem of his unfading fame. On earth his bright example, religious light, shown forth o'er multitudes. In heaven his pure rob'd spirit shines like an effulgent star." A graduate of Cambridge in 1623, and acknowledged by many as the founder of Presbyterianism in America, Rev. Richard Denton came to New England in 1635. Before coming he was a preacher in Halifax England.
From England, the Cambridge University listing for Richard Denton says: "Sizar of St. Catherine's Easter, 1621, b. 1603 in Yorks, B.A. 1622-3, priest 8 June 1623. Deacon at Peterborough 9 March 1622-3. Curate of Coleys Chapel, Halifax, for some years." ("Sizar" is defined as an undergraduate student.)
From New England Genealogical Reg. 11/241: Rev. Richard Denton came to American from the Parish of Owram, North England on the ship "James." He lived in Wethersfield and Stamford, Connecticut. The J.S. Denton papers show baptismal records of Nathaniel and Timothy sons of Rev. Richard Denton "in Parish Church of Bolton, England."
In his book, "The History of the Clergy in the Middle Colonies" author Weiss makes reference to the religious conflict of early Connecticut which resulted in Rev. Richard Denton moving on to Hempstead, Long Island, NY in 1644. He settled there in the midst of a large Dutch colony. However, there were also many English settlers living in the area without benefit of religious guidance. With these scattered members for a beginning, Rev. Denton established the first Presbyterian Church in America. This church was so successful that soon the Dutch neighbors were attending services there. History shows some controversy developed when Rev. Denton began to baptize some of the younger children of the Dutch who did not agree with all the Presbyterian beliefs.
The history of Hempstead, Long Island makes many references to the Dentons and their marriages and big families. The men were active in the local militias fighting the Indians and they developed excellent military experience that prepared them for officer commissions when they moved on to the Virginia frontier.
From "Narratives of New Netherland, 1609-1664" a letter to the Classis of Amsterdam from Johannes Megapolensis and Samuel Drisius dated August 5, 1657: "At Hempstead, about seven leagues from here, there live some Independents. There are also many of our own church, and some Presbyterians. They have a Presbyterian preacher, Richard Denton, a pious, godly and learned man, who is in agreement with our church in everything. The Independents of the place listen attentively to his sermons; but when he began to baptize the children of parents who are not members of the church, they rushed out of the church." From another letter dated Oct. 22, 1659 the same writers continue: "Mr. Richard Denton, who is sound in faith, of a friendly disposition, and beloved by all, cannot be induced by us to remain, although we have earnestly tried to do this in various ways. He first went to Virginia to seek a situation, complaining of lack of salary, and that he was getting in debt, but he has returned thence. He is now fully resolved to go to old England, because of his wife who is sickly will not go without him, and there is need of their going there on account of a legacy of four hundred pounds sterling lately left by a deceased friend, and which they cannot obtain except by their personal presence." 1
Rev Richard Denton returned to England and spent his years writing Memoirs and Religious Studies. He briefly went to Virginia and his wife became ill so he returned to England. He died at home in 1662. Buried in Yorkshire England.
Information From William Derel Denton, Elizabethtown, NY desc.
'Mr. Richard Denton, who is sound in faith,
of a friendly disposition, and beloved by all, cannot be
induced by us to remain, although we have earnestly tried to do
this in various ways. He first went to Virginia to seek a
situation, complaining of lack of salary, and that he was
getting in debt, but he has returned thence. He is now fully
resolved to go to old England, because of his wife who is
sickly will not go without him, and there is need of their
going there on account of a legacy of four hundred pounds
sterling lately left by a deceased friend, and which they
cannot obtain except by their personal presence.
Sue Montgomery's Page
http://www.dentongenealogy.org/
∼WHO WAS THE REV. RICHARD DENTON?'
By WALTER C. KRUMM, Ph.D.
•Note:
One of the first settlers in New England and Long Island was the Rev.
Richard Denton, a Jacobean cleric from Yorkshire, England. Often given only
a passing mention in accounts of early Amerian history, his life and career
have heretofore admitted to only a few specific facts. That
situation is changing; remote and obscure records and journals are now
published and easily available on microfilm. Historical societies and journals
nourish as never before. Enough is now known about this American pioneer
to formulate a picture of his life. Besides, Denton was an individual
who labored actively in the society around him, shaping it, shaping his own
destiny, and innuencing that of others. He wrote a book, led his
congregation on an extended migration, and founded a family in America
which numbers in the tens of thousands and reaches to the eleventh
genera tion. A general knowledge of the times and events of the day can
explain much about a public man's attitudes and motivations. In Denton's
case these include religious strictures, the English Civil War and Cromwell's
interregnum, the expansion of England into North America (including
a flood of immigrants), and dealings with the Dutch. Richard Denton belongs
among the more familiar public ligures who lirst settled New England: John
Winthrop, Sir Richard Sallonstall, William Brewster and Miles Standish, Anne
Hutchinson, and a host of others, for he was one of them. The
Presbyterian Church of America claims him as the lirst Presbyterian on
this conti nent. This paper, then, recounts what the records show of the
Rev. Richard Denton and considers what can reasonably be deduced
therefrom. Of past accounts it seeks to separate whimsy from
substance and to provide a sound basis for future investigation.
•Note:
Denton's Beginnings in England
An early description of Richard Denton survives from the American side of
the Atlantic. In his book Magnalia Christi Americana (pub. in London, 1702)
the internationally famous Congregational minister from Massachusetts,
Cotton Mather (1663-1728) pays this tribute:
The apostle describing the false ministers of those primitive times calls
them "clouds without water, carried about of winds." As for the true men
of our primitive times, they were indeed "carried about of winds", though
not winds of strange doctrine, yet the winds of hard suffering did carry
him as far as from England into America: the hurricanes of presecution
wherein doubtless the Prince of the powers of Air" had its influence, drove
the heavenly clouds from one part of the heavenly church into another. But
they were not clouds without waters, when they came with showers of
blessings and rained very gracious impressions upon the vineyard of the
Lord.
Among the clouds (meaning the ministers who early came 10 New
England) was one Mr. Richard Denton, a Yorkshireman, pious and learned,
who, having watered Halifax in England with his fruitful ministry, was by a
tempest then hurried into New England where lirst at Wetherslield and then
at Stamford, his doctrines dropped as rain, his speech distilled as the dew,
as the small rain upon the tender herb, as the showers upon the grass.
Though he was a little man, yet he had a great soul, his well accomplished
mind in his lesser body was an Iliad in a nutshell. I think he was blind of one
eye, nevertheless he was not the least among the seers of Israel; he saw a
very considerable portion of those Ihings which "eye hath not seen". He was
far from cloudy in his conceptions and principles of divinity, whereof he
wrote a system entitled "Soliloquia Sacra" (apparently it has not survived)
so accurately considering the fourfold slate of man, first in his Created
Purity, second Contracted Deformity, third Restored Beauty and fourth
Celestial Glory, that judicious persons who may have seen it very much
lament the churches being so deprived of it. At length he got beyond the
clouds nd so beyond storms; waiting the return of the Lord Jesus Christ in
the clouds of heaven, when he will have his reward among the saints.
•Note:
.. Extensive information continues in this article and in its continuation in
NYGBR v, 117 pp. 211-217, as well as in "Descendants of The Rev. Richard
Denton", also by Walter Krumm,
Gravesite Details
This stone has not been found
