Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/173

 liOMEYN

RONCKENDORFF

glasses. Those manuscripts are now in existence and are most remarkable for being written so fine that it requiries the aid of a strong magnify- ing glass to decipher them. He was elected professor of rhetoric at Rutgers college, but declined; received from Columbia the honorary degree of S.T.D. in 1838, and was a trustee of Rut- gers, 1840-48. He was married to Jo- anna Bayard, daugh- ter of the Rev. John Rodgers, pastor of the First Presbyterian church. Wall street, New York, for twenty years; and grand- daughter of Col. John Bayard. He is the author of: The Crisis, sermon (1842); and Plea for the Evangelical Press (1843). (See " A Manual of the Reformed Dutch Church in America," by Rev. E. I. Cor- win, 1869. Published by the Board of Publica- tion, Reformed Church in America). He died at New Brunswick, N.J.. Sept. 7, 1859.

ROMEYN, John Brodhead, clergyman, was born in Marbletown, Ulster county, N.Y., Nov. 8, 1777; son of the Rev. Theodoric(orDirck)Romeyn (q.v.). He was graduated from Columbia college in 1795; was licensed to preach in 1 798, and was pastor of the Reformed Dutch church at Rhine- beck, N.Y., 1799-1803; of the Presbyterian church in Schenectady, N.Y., in 1803; of the First Pres- byterian ciiurch in Albany, 1804-08, and of the Cedar Street church. New Y^'ork city, 1808-25. He declined the presidency of Transylvania uni- versity and of Dickinson college; was one of the founders and a director of the Princeton Theolo- gical seminary, 1812-25; a trustee of the College of New Jersey, 1809-25; and was moderator of the general assembly of the Presbyterian church in 1810. The honorary degree of A.M. was con- ferred on him by Union college in 1797, and that of D.D. by the College of New Jersey in 1809. He is the author of occasional discourses which were collected and published (2 vols., 1816). He died in New York city, Feb. 22, 1825.

ROMEYN, Theodore Bayard, clergyman, was born in Nassau, N.Y., Oct. 22, 1827; son of the Rev. James (1797-1859) and Joanna Bayard (Rod- gers) Romeyn; grandson of the Rev. James Van Campen (1765-1840) and Susanna (Van Vranken) Romeyn, and a descendant of Claas Janse, New Amsterdam, about 1653. He was graduated from Rutgers college. A.B., 1846, A.M., 1849, and from the New Brunswick, N.J., Theological seminary

in 1849. He married Amelia A. Letson, daughter of Johnson and Eliza Shaddle of New Brunswick. He was ordained to the ministry in 1850, and was pastor of Dutch Reformed churches in Blawen- burg and Hackensack, N.J., 1850-85. The hon- orary degree of D.D. was conferred on him by Rutgers in 1869. He is the author of: Historical Discourse on the Reopening and Dedication of the 1st Reformed churchat Hackensack, N.J., May 2, 1SG9 (1870); Adaptation of the Refoniied Church in America to American Character (1876); be- sides many sermons, addresses and articles in the religious press. He died in Hackensack, N.J., Aug. 29, 1885.

ROMEYN, Theodoric (.u Dirck), clergyman, was born in Hackensack, N. J., June 12, 1744; son of Nicholas, grandson of John, and great- grandson of Claas Kuyper (Janse) Romeyn, or Romaine. who emigrated from Rotterdam, Hol- land, 1653, and married Cliristiantje Terhune Dirck Romeyn. He was graduated from the Col- lege of New Jersey in 1765; studied theology at Queen's college, and was ordained to the minis- try of the Reformed Dutch church in 1766. He was pastor of the Dutch churches at Hackensack and Schraalenburgh, N.J., from May, 1776, to about 1786, and in 1784 he declined the presi- dency of Rutgers college. He was one of the founders of Union college; was a trustee, 1795- 1803, and was professor of theology in the General Synod of the Reformed Dutch church, 1797-1804. He married Elizabeth Brodhead. He was con- sidered one of the most prominent American theologians, and was widely quoted. The honor- ary degree of D.D. was conferred on him by Rut- gers and by the College of New Jersey in 1789. He died in Schenectady, N.Y., April 16, 1804.

RONCKENDORFF, Wilham, naval officer, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., Nov. 9, 1812. He was warranted midshipman, Feb. 17, 1832; was pro- moted passed midshipman, June 23, 1838, and lieutenant, June 28, 1843. He was attached to the Brazil station, 1843-45, and in 1845 was made bearer of despatches to Commodore Robert F. Stockton, with whom he served on the Pacific coast during the Mexican war. He served off the African coast, suppressing the slave-trade. 1849- 52; engaged against Paraguay in 1859, and on June 29, 1861, was promoted commander, attached to the Gulf squadron. In the spring of 1862, as commander of the San Jacinto, he was sent to Hampton Roads to attack the Merrimac, if neces- sary. He sailed to Norfolk, took part in the attack on Sewell's Point, and later did blockading duty on the North Carolina and Virginia coasts. In 1863 he tracked the Alabama in the West Indies, and in May was given command of the flagship of the West Indian squadron. In 1865, in command of the ironclad Monadnock, he patrolled the