Robert Pennoyer (1614 - 1680)

Born 21 Nov 1614 in Bristol, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1680 at about age 65 in Mamaroneck, Westchester, Province of New York

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Robert Pennoyer migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Great Migration (Series 2), by R. C. Anderson, vol. 5, p. 429) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Robert Pennoyer immigrated to New England between 1621 and 1640 and later departed for Mamaroneck, Westchester, Province of New York.

Robert Pennoyer and various spellings: Pennaird, Pennayer, Penneer, Penoyer

Uncertain Origin

Robert was baptized at St Thomas, Bristol, England on 21 Nov 1614, son of Robert Butler, alias Pennoyer [NGSQ 60:244]. ^[1]

Associations

Robert was first cousin of Evan Butler, the father of Walter Butler of Greenwich, Connecticut [NGSQ 60:248]. ^[2]

Immigration

Robert "Pennaird" immigrated in 1635 aboard the Hopewell, a turner, aged 21 years. ^[1] His certificate of conformity was issued by Doctor Denison, and Robert was enrolled as a passenger from London. ^[3] His first residence was at Medford, then by 1642 he removed to New Amsterdam, was at Gravesend in 1645, and by 1648 he settled at Stamford, Connecticut. ^[1] Robert finally removed to Mamaroneck in 1667, where he remained until the end of his life. ^[1]

Marriages

Robert married twice.

• He married, by about 1653, to Unknown (Unknown). This first wife is sometimes assumed to have been Alice Marshall. A deed of 27 Nov 1652 was made from Alice Marshall to Robert Pennoyer. This was land she had acquired three weeks previous, and the deed was made without consideration. ^[1] Anderson does not go so far as to say this was Robert's wife, but only that the deed is "suggesting a possible relationship between his first wife and Alice Marshall." ^[1]

• He married by 1672, as his 2nd, and as her 2nd, to Mary (Unknown) Scofield, widow of Richard Scofield. ^[1] On 06 Mar 1671[/2], "the widow of Schofield now the wife of Robert Penoer" testified to the accuracy of her late husband, Richard Schofield's, estate inventory. ^[1] Robert and Mary had no children together. ^[1]

Children

Children with 1st wife: (all born at Stamford) ^[1]

1. Elizabeth Pennoyer, b c. 1653
2. William Pennoyer, b c. 1655; m Mary (Unknown)
3. Thomas Pennoyer, b 29 Mar 1658
4. Mary Pennoyer, b 25 Nov 1660
5. Martha Pennoyer, b 26 Sep 1664

A daughter Abigail, born 13 Oct 1666 Stamford, is identified by both Jacobus and Holman, but Anderson points out that there was no record of her birth in the Stamford records. There was, however, an Abigail Pennoyer born to Robert's son, Thomas Pennoyer, on 13 Oct 1686, exactly 20 years after. ^[1]

On 01 Jan 1677[/8?], Richard Loton, the surviving executor of the will of William Pennoyer of London, "... hath only four children living, viz: Elizabeth Pennoyer, W[illia]m Pennoyer, Thomas Pennoyer, and Martha Pennoyer. ^[1]

Another son, Amos, may be just a transcription error, see Research Notes on Amos

Residences and Property

Robert's first residence after his 1635 immigration was at Mystic (Medford). ^[1] By 1642, he had removed to New Amsterdam; he was at Gravesend by 1645 ^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]} and at Stamford by 1648, where he is complained against for drinking wine and becoming noisy and turbulent and abusing the watchman. ^{[9] [10] [1]} In late 1666 or early 1667, Robert removed from Stamford to Mamaroneck. ^[1] As late as 1670 his name was still attached to property at Gravesend. ^[11]

Military

Director Willem Kieft dispatched Fort Amsterdam’s militia in the dead of night with orders to massacre peaceful Indians asleep on the far side of the Hudson River, and Maryn Adriaensen was one of the leaders on site. When the appalled citizenry turned on the Director for this dreadful deed, he shifted the blame to Maryn who responded in a rage.

In a tavern Maryn’s wife, Lysbet Tyse, said to Robert Pennoyer: "My husband wants to shoot the commander. Go and run after him!". Robert found Maryn Adriaensen in the director's chamber with a loaded, cocked pistol and a sword in hand and disarmed him.

The question any descendant of his doesn’t want to know the answer to is, was Robert one of the soldiers who participated in the massacre? Apparently, he was a soldier at the fort at the time (25 Mar 1643). ^{[12] [13] [14]}

Death and Legacy

Robert died after June 1678 (on__ Jun 1678 "old Pennoyer" was summoned to court) at Mamaroneck. ^[1]

Research Notes

Origin: This profile reports Robert's mother as Alice UNKNOWN, without evidence or citation.^{[citation needed]} Another assumed mother is "Robert Butler's first wife, Elizabeth" or Margaret Chambers.^{[citation needed]}

According to one researcher (without documetation), Robert's father changed his name from Butler to Pennoyer after he witnessed a brutal murder and wanted to distance himself from the name, so he took his grandmother's name, Pennoyer. ^[15]

There was a relationship to Evan Buttler of Cusopp, Hereford (see Anderson's Great Migration series). ^[1]

Marriage: Robert's second wife is sometimes assumed to have been Mary (Cook), without evidence or citation.^{[citation needed]} Neither Robert nor his sister Eleanor are mentioned in the will of their brother Samuell, but brother Wiiliam and his wife Martha as well as some Butlers are mentioned in his will ^[16]

Name may have been Benoire or Bennoyre originally, there are some wills from the 1500’s for Benoire of Clifford, Herefordshire and Bennyre of the More, both locations are linked with the Pennoyer/Penoyor/Penoyre family

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16} Anderson, Robert Charles. "Robert Pennoyer: Featured Name." Great Migration 1634-1635, M-P. (NEHGS) AmericanAncestors.org Vol M-P p 429.
2. ↑ Felsing, Rick, Robert Pennoyer Kukkus.com, accessed 08 Jan 2016.
3. ↑ Hotten, John Camden “Original Lists of Persons of Quality” : Empire State Book Company, New York 1874 p 144 https://archive.org/details/originallistsofp00hottuoft/page/144/mode/1up
4. ↑ Stockwell, Austin Parsons “History of the Town of Gravesend, New York” : self published, Brooklyn 1884 p 5 https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofg00stoc/page/5/mode/1up?view=theater
5. ↑ Brodhead, John Romeyn; Berthold Fernow; Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan “Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York” : Weed, Parsons and Company, Albany 1853 pp 64, 290, 354, 361, 365 et seq, 653 https://archive.org/details/documentsrelativ14brod/page/64/mode/1up?view=theater
6. ↑ Bergen, Teunis G “Register of the Early Settlers of Kings County” : S W Green’s Son, New York 1881 pp 222, 223 https://archive.org/details/registerinalphab00berg/page/222/mode/1up
7. ↑ Stiles, Henry R “Civil, Political, Professional and Ecclesiastical History and Commercial and Industrial Record of the County of Kings, City of Brooklyn, New York 1683-1884” : W W Munsell & Company, New York 1884 Vol I p 160 https://archive.org/details/civilpoliticalpr00stil_0/page/n189/mode/1up?view=theater
8. ↑ Summary of legal events described in Hazel Van Salee article about Anthony Van Salee: http://jimwilkworks.com/GENHUBBARDDATA03.html
9. ↑ Huntington, Elijah Balwin “History of Stamford, Connecticut” : self published, Stamford : 1868 p 59 https://archive.org/details/historyofstamfor00hunt/page/59/mode/1up?view=theater
10. ↑ Savage, James “Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England” : Little Brown & Company, Cambridge; Allen & Farnham, Printers 1860 Vol III pp 390, 391 https://archive.org/details/genealogicaldic03savarich/page/390/mode/1up?view=theater
11. ↑ Thompson, Benjamin Franklin “History of Long Island” Vol II : Gould, Banks & Company, New York 1843 Vol II p 178 https://archive.org/details/historylongisla01thomgoog/page/178/mode/1up?view=theater
12. ↑ Innes, John H “New Amsterdam and its People” : C Scribner's Sons, New York 1902 p 294 https://archive.org/details/newamsterdamitsp01inne/page/294/mode/1up?view=theater
13. ↑ Van Laer, Arnold J F “New York Historical Manuscripts - Dutch” : edited by Kennth Scott; Kenn Stryker-Rodda; Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore; Holland Society of New York 1974 Vol II pp 105, 106 https://www.newnetherlandinstitute.org/files/4114/0151/9401/Volume_II_-_Register_of_the_Provincial_Secretary_1642-1647.pdf
14. ↑ O’Callahan, Edmund Bailey “Documentary History of the State New York” : D Appleton & Company, Albany 1852 Vol I p 273 https://archive.org/details/historyofnewneth01ocal/page/273/mode/1up?view=theater
15. ↑ Genealogy.com user, "Solution to Catherine, Butler, Roberts, Leete, Whitmore, Pennoyer Connecton." 08 Feb 2012, accessed 08 Jan 2016.
16. ↑ Will: "England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858"
    The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 240
    Ancestry uk Record 5111 #370713 (accessed 14 Sep 2023)
    Will of Samuell Penoyer, granted probate on 12 May 1654. Died about 1654 in London.

See also:

• Holman, Winifred Lovering. "Pennoyer and Lounsbury Notes." The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston, MA: NEHGS, 1954) AmericanAncestors.org Vol 108: pp 287-90.
• Coldham, Peter Wilson. "English Ancestry of Robert Pennoyer and Walter Butler." National Genealogical Society Quarterly (Dec 1972) 60:244
• NEHGR 108:287-90
• [1][Pennoyer and Lounsbury Family Lines]
• Researches For New England Pedigrees, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass.,1848) Vol II, p 399.
• The Pennoyer Genealogy By Jared L Olar, Sep 2008-Dec 2020 : accessed 13 Sep 2023
• Selleck, Lillian Lounsberry Miner “One Branch of the Miner Family” : D L Jacobus, New Haven 1928 pp 145, 146 https://archive.org/details/onebranchofminer00sell/page/145/mode/1up?view=theater
• Olar, Jared L ‘Pennoyer Genealogy’ Sep 2008-Dec 2020 https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~fesschequy/genealogy/Pennover.html?_gl=1*11mjnc4*_gcl_au*OTY1MjQxNTA5LjE3MDY1NjQ2NzQ.

Acknowledgements

• Thank you to Rick Felsing for generously sharing your extensive research at Kukkus.com Kukkus Families Home Page.