Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-06-29
OLD CHURCH
AT TfNNENT.
Brief Description Of Historic Old
Building Near Monmouth
Battle Field.

visited the old historic Tennent
church, near where the Battle of
Monmouth was fought, June 2S
1878. This battle was the turning
point in the affairs of the war of in
dependence. and Miss Ryno has writ
ten the following description OF the
church from the book of Rev, r.. II.
Symmes entitled, History of Old
Tennent church."
The Odd Tennent church is situat-
ed in a little hamlet called by the
same name. Tennent, In Manalapan
township, Monmouth County, New
Jersey. The place may be reached
by trains over the Pennsylvania Rail-
road, scheduled in timetable head
ed New York and Amboy Division,
or by a carriage on the Freehold
Englishtown turnpike, crossing
the Manalapan and the Patton cor
ner turnpike.
The present corporate name of the
Tennent church is THE First Pres
byterian church of the county OF
Monmouth" Its history is that OF
a continuous organization, yet des-
ignated by different names. It's earl
lest formation Is called the old Scots
church, afterwards, for more thar
one hundred years, it vas known as
the Freehold church. Under this
name it acquired its reputation. But
in memory of the sanity John Ten
nent, and the long and efficient SER
vices of his brother, William Ten
nent Jr., as pastor it has taken
the name of the "Tennent church."
BY this name 1t has been enrolled in
the lists of the General Assembly
since 1859. The date of the organ
ization of the Tennent church per-
haps will never be positively known.
1t is a generally acceptedopinion that
the church was formed in 1892.
The date of death marking the
earliest tombstone in old Tennent
cemetary is October 81, 1744, This
stone stands over the grave of John
Mattison, who died in his twenty
third year. Possibly there were
hundreds around the church on
White Hill previous to 1744 and like
mopv otbare c;nca tbs orava bava no.
oo,ra ohlitaratad or oannot he ;aon-
t;Gad From tb;s data b~ur;als bava
continued ~ ha mada n ola Tannent
yard and here gravestones mark
burials of the dead for almost
every. wear from 1744 down To tne
nrasant sw
The nresent Fnastor of the church
is Rav Frank n Svnmes In refer
ence To the frst sanctuary ON White
Hin Mr. svmmes, hook saws. On
Monday ,Julv % 173O tha elders
of the church met NJ the honse al
Charles Gordon and agreed IN build
n meeting honse on White Hin. II
was first nlanned to locate the church
unon a site lower than the present
situation hnt old Janet Rhea one
of the Scotch Covenanters. seized
tho small cornerstone in her anron
and. toiling to The ton Of The hill. set
n mon the summit saving to the
astonisbad s.Wha ever
heard q, ganeinp doom TO the Hoose
~ tho I,ord an*no N banging ,oon a.
tho HOOcQ n tho TnrdUV
Soma sort of . ,aoa, alliance nos
sihlv WOO moda for tha huiIdine ~
tha e;rst church on white Hin for n
4 IL soia that nern,it wos grartod
in 1727 Inv King George I For The
araction Of that bonsa
Al the time Of the hattie This
church voc ,sed n somo extant nc !
bosnital II &c : cprrent tradition thai
n,uslet halle ana cannon halls niarced
sides If Inc church DUNG tha
hatt,a A. Amar,can soldior was ~
t;na on tha baadetono Of ! g,ov 70
= sew foot from The church when be
sas strno,, nv ! cannon bau ana had-
II, wanndaa and tho beadstona hrol,-
-, ow 10 was carriad into tha
oh,noh ard ,aid n tha tb;rd Now
go. ~ sao.;a ~ wost oida u,han
~ ia I'M Mood Stains fro,, bic
,no,sma a., st,,, ba saan IN tho hoa ~
sa,t
l.a t.sUH H4'