Dina Van Bergh Frelinghuysen Hardenbergh

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• 1725 – Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on the Prinzen-Gracht Canal to Louis Van Bergh, a wealthy merchant.

• Early Life – Became deeply religious at a young age, considering her parents frivolous and worldly. According to her diary, written in Amsterdam in 1747, she became religious at an early age and was extremely devout. Her diary, preserved in the Rutgers University Library in Dutch with an English translation, documents her religious experiences.

• March 1750 – Married Rev. John Frelinghuysen and immigrated to America with him.

• 1751 – The Dutch Parsonage became the home of Dinah and her husband John.  Their spacious home also served as a theological seminary where John trained young men for the ministry.

• 1751 - Son Frederick was born

• 1754 - Daughter Eva was born

• September 1754 (Age 29) – John became suddenly ill and died while traveling to a Coetus (church council) meeting on Long Island.  Dina and John had one surviving son, Frederick, through whom the Frelinghuysen family name was preserved.

• Circa 1755 – Dina decided to return to Holland with her two children, Eve and Frederick. However, she received an unexpected proposal of marriage from Jacobus Rutsen Hardenbergh, one of John’s young theological students. Initially, Dina was taken aback by the proposal as she was approaching thirty, while Jacobus was only eighteen. After some reflection, Dina accepted his proposal, taking her children to live with his family in Rosendale, New York, while he completed his ministerial training and was ready for marriage.

• Mid-1750s – Moved to Rosendale, New York, on the Hudson River, to live with Jacobus' family while he completed his ministerial training. His family were among the original patentees of huge tracts of land in Rosendale, where there was a fine early Dutch manor house.

• 1758 – Jacobus was called as pastor to the Congregations of the Raritan, and they moved back to Raritan, NJ, settling again in the Dutch Parsonage.

• 1758–1781 – Dina and Jacobus ministered to four Raritan churches while raising their seven children. They lived through the American Revolution, witnessing the frequent advances and retreats of the American Army across New Jersey.

• 1778-1779 – During the American Revolution, Dina and her family frequently entertained General George Washington and his wife, Martha, who were stationed at the nearby Wallace House during the winter of 1778-79. Dina and her family became well acquainted with Washington, and a letter in the Rutgers Library from 1783 references this connection.

• 1781 – Rev. Jacobus Rutsen Hardenbergh was called to serve the church in Rosendale, NY.

• 1790 – Jacobus passed away at the age of 51 in New Brunswick, NJ.

• Post-1790 – Dina continued to live in New Brunswick, NJ, where she remained until her death in 1807.

• 1807 – Dina passed away at the age of 82. She was buried alongside Jacobus in the churchyard in New Brunswick, NJ, where a monument marks their graves.

• Monument – A monument to both Dina and Jacobus, who was President of Rutgers College from 1786 to 1790, can be found in the churchyard in New Brunswick.