Covenhoven House
Life in Colonial Monmouth
The Covenhovens were an average Dutch farming family until a large sum of money helped them build
a grand house in 1752. The home - and its very special story - help us to understand life in Colonial America.
Building America
Creating a New World
The Colonies Await
European countries began exploring America in the early 1500s. In 1607, King James I of England established Jamestown, the first permanent colony in America. A colony is an area under the control of another country, usually one that is far away. The people who live there are known as colonists. Claiming land in this "New World" was a way for countries to control trade and expand their territory, which gave them more money and power. It became the goal of many European countries to claim land in America, but many found it hard to hold onto it. It was not easy to survive in a wild and faraway land, and even harder to protect land from other countries who wanted it also.
The colonists slowly began to sail to America to make new lives for themselves, sparking the beginning of the Colonial Era. The Colonial Era of America's history lasted from 1607 until 1775, when the colonies began their fight for independence from the British.
King James I of England, Scotland and Ireland
Courtesy of Library of Congress
Native Americans
The Lenni Lenape
Lenape Chief Lappawinsoe
Courtesy of the Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia
Images courtesy of Boston Public Library
Native Americans: The Lenni Lenape
Native Americans were the indigenous (in-dih-jen-us) people the colonists encountered when they arrived in America. Indigenous, like the word 'native,' means anything that comes from and has existed in a place for a very long time. The Native Americans lived in groups called tribes. They had their own languages and culture on American soil long before the European settlers came. The main Native American tribe in New Jersey were the Lenni Lenape (Leh-NEE Luh-NAH-pay). This means something like the"Original People" in the Lenape language, called Unami (Weh-NAH-mee).
There are no more native speakers of the Unami language, but there are people working to learn it again so it can be spoken like it was hundreds of years ago. You can hear the way the language sounded and give it a try with this Lenape translator tool!
The Covenhovens
A Colonial Monmouth Family
Family Life
William and Elizabeth Covenhoven (CO-ven-HO-ven) were both born in America from Dutch ancestry, meaning their family came here from Holland. They were married in 1720 and settled in Freehold. They had a small farm and a large family...with ten children! Families were bigger at this time because it was important to have many hands to help work the farm, take care of each other, and do all the chores that life in the colonies required.
Being so far from home, people tended to find comfort living in communities where they knew the culture and traditions. The Covenhovens lived in a Dutch community that spoke Dutch, wore traditional Dutch clothes, prepared Dutch foods, and built and decorated in the Dutch style. Many in the community went to the Dutch church to hear services in their own language. They were proud of their heritage and felt it It was important to maintain their culture in the New World.
Covenhoven House, Freehold NJ
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Meet the Locals
Discover some of the people who lived in and visited the historic Covenhoven House!
Cockpit of the Revolution
Monmouth: A Turning Point
General path of British (red) and Continental (blue) paths in the days leading up to the battle
New Jersey has been called the "Cockpit of the Revolution." Over 200 skirmishes, or small battles, took place in New Jersey. This is because it sat in the path between two very important places: New York, and Pennsylvania. Lower New York was a British stronghold, containing valuable harbors for ships to bring constant fresh supplies, while Philadelphia was an American stronghold and the place where our Continental Congress met. The Continental Congress was a group of men, each one representing a colony, who gathered to discuss and make important decisions for the direction of our country. Some wanted independence from Britain, some did not. In the end, the vote was in favor of independence.
The British took over Philadelphia, staying there from September of 1777 to June 18, 1778. On that day, they marched their army across New Jersey to Sandy Hook. They took the Burlington Path, which would lead them right through Freehold. Because their line of men was so long, it was impossible to do this secretly...the residents of Freehold knew they would be passing through in about a week's time. General Washington knew this as well, and decided to move the Continental Army in line with them, engaging them in skirmishes all along the way.
The morning of June 28, 1778, the Continentals stopped the British in their tracks at Monmouth Courthouse, now present-day Freehold Borough. It was not going to a a skirmish that day, it was going to be a battle. British General Clinton received the news and quickly left Mrs. Covenhoven's house to join his men. Washington sent General Lee out to begin the fight, but Lee made a mistake in his attack - the confusion ended up in panicked retreat for his men. Washington showed up just in time to support the Continentals and stop them from running away from the fight. He was very angry with Clinton for allowing them to retreat, and embarrassed Clinton in front of the men before turning them all around. All who witnessed it said it was very unlike Washington to lose his temper that way. General Lee thought he was a better general than Washington, and was very annoyed to be spoken to that way. But he did as he was told, and the two armies met on the battlefield.
Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth by Emanuele Leutze, MCHA collection
New Jersey was in the middle of a heat wave. The temperature soared to nearly 100 degrees by the afternoon, and water was hard to come by. As the armies fought, men began to drop from heat exhaustion. More men died from the heat than from battle wounds! It was a difficult day for both sides.
By nightfall, the battle was not yet over. The armies made camp for the night, but the Continentals were surprised to discover in the morning that the British had left the field. The armies lost about the same number of men, so it was called a tie. But it truly was a win for the Continentals - they stood up to the greatest army in the world, which ran away in the middle of the night! It made the Continentals proud, and gave them the confidence to continue on and win the war.
Analyzing Artwork
Taking a Closer Look
Art is not only cool to look at, but a great learning tool as well! It is important to really look at the details to see what the artist is trying to tell us. Give it a try with the images below!
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Many people know the famous painting Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze (LOYT-za). Leutze painted another iconic scene in 1857 called Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth. In this dramatic image, the viewer can see many different things happening across the canvas. Looking closely at a few details from the painting, tell what is happening in each scene using the details from the Battle of Monmouth section above.
Fun Fact!
General Washington preferred white horses so that his troops could easily see him on the battlefield, but the horse that carried him through much of the Revolution was a chestnut brown-colored horse named Nelson.
An Unwelcome Visit
Artist: Charlie Swerdlow, 2022
1. Look at the scene in An Unwelcome Visit. Does it depict
a different time? How do you know?
2. Describe the setting and what appears to be
happening.
2. What does the mood seem to be?
3. The two enslaved servants in the home with Mrs.
Covenhoven are the young boy, Bross, and Nancy. They
may have been mother and child. What might they have
been thinking at this moment?
4. What do you think Mrs. Covenhoven was thinking when
Clinton finally arrived at her door?