USA > New Jersey > Hunterdon County > Readington > Historical discourse and addresses delivered at the 175th anniversary of the Reformed Church, Readington, N.J., October 17, 1894 > Part 1
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1719-1804
5th Anniversary
REFORMED CHURCH. READINGTON N. J.
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Gc 974.902 R227R
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02713 0415
Gc 974.902 R227R READINGTON REFORMED CHURCH (N. J. ) HISTORICAL DISCOURSE AND ADDRESSES DELIVERED AT THE
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NJ (Readington)
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Ichvier. 17. 1894
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http://www.archive.org/details/historicaldiscou00read
THE REFORMED CHURCH OF READINGTON, ERECTED 1864-5.
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1719 - 1894.
HISTORICAL DISCOURSE
AND ADDRESSES
DELIVERED AT THE- -
175th Anniversary
OF THE REFORMED CHURCH,
READINGTON, N. J.
October 17th, 1894.
Allon County Public Library 900 Webster Street PO Box 2270 Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2270
Press of The Unionist-Gazette Association, Somerville, N. J.
Prefatory Note.
Two things have impelled us to the preparation and publication of this little volume. One is the very unanimous expression that such a volume ought to be issued which was given by our many friends on our anniversary day. The other is the deep conviction -a conviction which has grown deeper with each day that has succeeded the anniversary-that a considerable amount of material was being brought together at this time which would undoubtedly be of great value to posterity. Some facts have been ascertained which might, a few years hence, be entirely lost. Hence we have felt the need of gathering them up at this time in some permanent form. We trust that their publication may serve to recall to many for a long time to come, the memory of an exceedingly pleasant day ; and that, in years to come, those who follow us in this " field which the Lord hath blessed" may find this volume a help to them in their endeavors to discern the way by which the Lord hath long led his people here. One thing especially, we think, will add interest to these pages, viz. : the numerous cuts of church buildings and pastors which have been brought together and pub- lished for the first time. For the drawings of the two earliest church buildings we are indebted to one of our church's skillful sons, Mr. Ira Voorhees, of Somerville, N. J. The third is the workmanship of Mr. Andrew Hageman, now of Illinois.
With the earnest desire that these pages may serve to enshrine " Old Readington" more than ever before in the affectionate remembrance of all our children and friends, and also that their
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record may inspire those who still abide under her shadow to renewed consecration of themselves to Zion's grand work, we leave them with the public. On behalf of the Consistory.
B. V. D. WYCKOFF, JOHN FLEMING, SOLOMON ROCKAFELLOW.
Committee.
Anniversary Exercises.
MORNING SESSION.
Wednesday, October 17, was a day long to be remembered by the congregation and friends of the Reformed Church of Readington. That day had been selected by this church as the date for the cel- ebration of the 175th anniversary of its existence. Fairer skies, balmier air, and conditions more delightful in every way it would have been impossible to provide. Providence had smiled most brightly on their undertaking. Hosts of friends from all directions gathered on the church grounds at an early hour, and when the time for opening the services arrived every tie-post within reach of the sanctuary was taken, and the pews of the capacious edifice were full almost to overflowing. The exercises commenced at 10:30 o'clock. The choir sang an appropriate anthem, after which the 103d Psalm was read by the Rev. W. H. De Hart, of Raritan, and then an eminently appropriate prayer was offered by the Rev. George S. Mott, D. D., of Flemington, who also an- nouunced hymn 149. After the singing a historical discourse was delivered by the pastor of the church.
Historical Discourse by the Rev. B. V. D. Wyckoff.
PSALM 77, 10, II-"I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord : surely I will remember Thy wonders of old."
I have selected these words as the basis of my discourse this
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ANNIVERSARY EXERCISES
morning because they express exactly the idea that I have had, and that I think this people has had, in arranging for this celebra- tion. So far as we know, Readington Church has never hitherto celebrated an anniversary of this sort. We have thought there- fore, that it might be wise for us at this time to pass in review these many years of our church's life and work. Such a review can hardly fail to increase our acquaintance with and respect for our long and honorable past-while at the same time we trust that it may arouse in us new gratitude and a more loving allegiance to Him from whose hand these years and their accompanying bless- ings have come.
I may state at the outset that I do not expect to lead you along any new and unexplored paths this morning.
It is not for me to blaze a way through any hitherto untrodden wilderness. Many as are our church's years, and far back as she reaches in her influence over this community and others around it, her entire life has been traced out and very accurately set forth by at least two writers who had access to all the facts, and whose books are procurable by all.
One of these was the Rev. Dr. Messler, in whose "Historical Notes," published in 1873, we have a brief but very complete sketch of our past. The other was that beloved son of this church, now made "perfect through sufferings," the Rev. Henry P. Thompson, whose "History of Readington Church," issued in 1882, gives an exhaustive recital of the facts and brings the story down almost to the present day. From this you will see that the task which falls to my lot to-day is simply to glean from these and from whatever other sources may be open to me, that which shall suffice to set before your minds with some degree of distinctness, for the purposes of the present occasion, these one hundred and seventy-five years and their manifold mercies. That purpose will be best attained, I think, if I ask your attention to two things:
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READINGTON REFORMED CHURCH.
First, the times out of which this church arose ; second, her one hundred and seventy-five years of work. First then let us con- sider
I. THE TIMES OUT OF WHICH THIS CHURCH AROSE.
As we are observing our one hundred and seventy-fifth anni- versary to-day, it would be entirely natural to suppose that we were one hundred and seventy-five years old. In reality, however, we consider ourselves somewhat older than that.
This church is so unfortunate as not to know the precise day, or even the year, of her birth. All that we know certainly of her earliest history is that the first church edifice, which was begun in 1718, was completed and taken possession of in 1719, one hun- dred and seventy-five years ago. That edifice stood on the brow of the hill overlooking the junction of the North and South branches of the Raritan, almost in front of the present residence of John Vosseller. That church was known as the " Church over the North Branch," and later as the " Church of the North Branch," because of the fact of its overlooking that stream. It remained till 1737, when, tradition says, it was destroyed by fire ; and when the congregation came to rebuild, they moved farther West, and reared their new house of worship very nearly on the site of the present structure, where, because of its being within the bounds of Readington township, it grew later to be known as the "Church of Readington." I stated that that first edifice was begun in 1718. That, as you see, was one hundred and seventy-six years ago. It is hardly likely that that house would have been erected had there not been a congregation previously organized. Hence it is clear that our congregation must date back at least to 1718, and we cannot be sure that it did not exist even a year or two earlier. Dr. Messler, who carefully reviewed all the facts in the case, gave it as his opinion that there certainly was a church organization here in 1718, and that it was altogether likely that it began earlier,
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possibly even as early as 1715. Hence we have ground for saying that we feel sure we are one hundred and seventy-six years old, we suspect we may be one hundred and seventy-seven, and it would not surprise us very much if-were all the facts known- we should be found to be even one hundred and seventy-eight or nine. I would like now to set before you briefly the conditions amid which this church had its birth. First, let us glance at
I. The temporal surroundings of that newly-organized congre- gation.
The first settlers came to this region about 1700. Less than twenty years, then, before the rearing of that " Church over the North Branch " the entire country about it was a wilderness.
Historians tell us that it was everywhere covered with dense forests. Through these there were no roads. The only openings that could be found anywhere were a few natural clearings in the lowlands along the rivers. These were cultivated somewhat by the savages, and so it came to pass that there was a trail from one patch to another, along the North bank of the Raritan, from the site of the present city of New Brunswick, to Bound Brook and Somerville, and so on to the head-waters of the river. That trail was the only road the first settler here had to the outer world, save as he put his flat-boat on the waters of the Raritan, and allowed it to float downward with the current. Then, when he had dis- charged his cargo and wished to return home, he had to tow it laboriously all the way up-stream. To show you further the wild- ness of this country at that time, I may say that the History of Hunterdon County tells us that there was in those days an Indian settlement near the site of the present village of Centreville, and that when these Indians disposed of the principal part of their domains to the whites a few years later, they still reserved some land for themselves. That land now constitutes the farms owned by Backer Hoagland and John S. Craig, situated about two miles
נבחן
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FIRST CHURCH BUILDING, ERECTED 1718-19. BURNT 1737.
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READINGTON REFORMED CHURCH
Southwest of this church. It is difficult to conceive that we live so near to primeval times, is it not ? Or rather, it is difficult to conceive that this church, which still seems so youthful and vigor- ous, has a life behind her which goes back so far into the past. But, from these temporal conditions let us turn to a survey of those that were spiritual.
2. Spiritual surroundings.
Until two days ago I had it in mind to state that I believed that that first church at the headwaters of the Raritan was the first dis- tinctive house of worship erected anywhere in this region-in fact. anywhere between the old church at Three Mile Run, and the Delaware River. I do not mean by this that I thought it to be the oldest church organization. There were two church organiza- tions in this territory before ours was established, viz. : The Church of Raritan (now First, Somerville), organized in 1699, and the Presbyterian Church of Bound Brook, organized in 1700. But though the dates of these organizations preceded ours, I failed to find that either of these congregations possessed a church building until several years after ours had been reared.
Dr. Messler says that the Raritan Church built its first edifice in 1721, and the "History of Somerset County" informs us that the one at Bound Brook was erected in 1725. From which facts it would appear as if until these dates, both of these congregations had been content to worship in convenient barns or other tem- porary quarters.
That would have made our first church building, for a number of years, the only thing of its kind in the greater part of this wide region that is now known to us as Somerset and Hunterdon coun- ties. Two days ago, however, I was informed by the pastor of the First Church of Somerville that I must make cautious use of this statement, inasmuch as very recently it had been brought to his notice that there existed somewhere an ancient document,
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which, if it could only be secured and verified, might prove con- clusively that the Church of Raritan had a "new church" as early as 1709. I trust that document may be found, and also that its records, when examined, may fully establish this very important fact. I am sure no one could rejoice more heartily than the daughter over the knowledge that her honored mother had been well housed and fully established ten years earlier than herself, es- pecially as in this case the daughter would still have had a suffi- ciently wide field left her, a field that reached all the way from Roysfield to the Delaware river, and included some of Somerset and the whole of Hunterdon County. And then we must recol- lect how great a need that church supplied. The life of those early settlers must have been an extremely hard, toilsome one, af- fording scant time for the cultivation of religion except as it was determinedly snatched from the midst of most pressing duties. Morality was in a low state the world over. Infidelity had cast its blight over the fair lands of Europe, and its advocates were not slow in speeding its progress in these new lands beyond the sea. The Hollanders who came to this section were constitutionally far more religious than many of the emigrants of that day, but yet they were far from perfect. Above all else church privileges and ordinances had been up to this time about the scarcest things that could be found in all these parts.
About twice a year previous to 1720, good old Domine Ber- tholf, the pastor of all northern New Jersey and a considerable portion of New York, had made it his duty to visit this region, preach and administer the sacraments, and thus semi-annually had sought to blow the coals of spiritual life that he found here into renewed warmth. Those were the only spiritual advantages our forefathers in this region enjoyed up to the time of the founding of this church and the arrival of its first pastor in 1720. Can we pot conceive somewhat of the joy that must have filled their
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hearts at the sight of the laying of its foundation stones? And when its completion was announced must there not have been a felt if not expressed cry of "Grace, grace unto it."
But we have dealt at sufficient length upon the beginnings. Let us turn our thoughts next to
II. THE ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS OF WORK THAT HAVE PASSED SINCE THEN.
These years may, I think, be divided into two periods, the first of which is that of collegiate relationship with other churches, and the second that of independent organization. The former of these reaches from the date of the coming of the first pastor, in 1720, to the separation from the church of Bedminster, in 1800. These eighty years saw four full pastorates, and a portion of the fifth. The first of these pastors was that father of evangelical religion in these regions, the Rev. Theodorus Jacobus Freling- huysen. He served Three Mile Run, (now First, New Brunswick, or Franklin Park), and Raritan, (First, Somerville), in connection with this church. His labors in this wide field must have been exceedingly arduous, but for twenty-seven years he continued them unceasingly. He met with bitterest opposition because he was so stern and uncompromising in his treatment of the sins of his day. But he kept fearlessly on his way, doing his divine work of giving utterance to the whole truth, whether men would hear, or whether they would forbear. The result proved his wisdom. Toward the close of his life he enjoyed greater quietness. Men came to appreciate better, no doubt, the solidity and permanence of his work ; and to realize the advantage of building up the church on the grand foundations that he had so laboriously laid. During his pastorate, in the year 1737, the old log church overlooking the river burned, and the next year the second edifice was reared near where we are sitting, at the Southwest corner of our present
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ANNIVERSARY EXERCISES
church-yard, just back of the old locust trees that were removed a few years ago. That church was of somewhat peculiar con- struction. It was almost square, the longer side being the front and facing the road, while the roof slanted to the front and rear instead of to the sides. A drawing of this building may be seen yonder in the rear of the church, while a plan of its galleries, showing the position of the lofty pulpit at the rear of the house, may be seen in our ancient volume of minutes, where it was prob- ably placed long years ago by some careful church Treasurer, and has remained ever since, being handed down from generation to generation with the most scrupulous care. It was my exceeding privilege, a few days ago, to stand beside the little plot in the old cemetery at Three Mile Run where lie the remains of Mr. Fre- linghuysen.
Until a few years ago that spot was practically unmarked, and almost unknown. Now, however, by the timely and eminently appropriate act of some of those who bear his honored name, a plain but stately granite stone stands at the head of the narrow mound, precisely such a stone as one feels should mark the spot where rests one whose life was so strong and brave and enduring. I give herewith the simple but expressive inscription which that stone bears :
" Rev. Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen. Born at Lingen, East Friesland, in 1691. In 1719 he was sent to take charge of the Reformed Churches here by the Classis of Amsterdam. He was a learned man, and a successful preacher. The field of his labors still bears fruit. He contended for a spiritual religion. " His motto was, ' Laudem non quaero, Culpam non timeo.'* He died in 1747, and his descendants, humbly sharing in his faith, have erected to his memory this monument."
Following the elder Frelinghuysen came his son John, whose
*" I seek not praise. I fear not blame."
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pastorate was brief, reaching from 1750 to 1754. He was of a milder spirit than his father, and yet he was by no means lacking in either depth of conviction or firmness of character. During his pastorate the entire church was rent well nigh asunder by a furious. struggle between the two parties that had been gradually forming in it, viz .: those desirous of forming an American Church, and those who were content to remain under the guidance of the mother Church in Holland. In this struggle John Frelinghuy -. sen gave promise of being a principal leader and pacificator.
As it was he did much to bring peace to his beloved Zion, but ere he could accomplish all that it was his desire to do, he was un- expectedly removed by death. With his decease our connection with the Three-Mile Run Church ceased, that church deciding thenceforth to call a pastor of its own. Several years elapsed be- fore Mr. Frelinghuysen's successor was found.
It was 1758 before the next pastor was settled. This was Jacob Rutzen Hardenberg, one of John Frelinghuysen's theological pu- pils, who also soon after married his widow and later occupied his house at Raritan, and so became in the fullest sense his successor. His pastorate covered the period of the War of Independence, which was a most trying time for religious effort.
Many churches in different parts of the land were compelled to cease their work altogether during these years. Dr. Harden- berg's field fared better than that, and yet evidences are not lack- ing that prove how greatly his work was hindered. One such evi- dence is the fact that this church possesses no records whatever of this pastorate. Our historians, when seeking light on the events of this period, have been compelled to resort to the records of the mother church in Somerville. One event of this time that is worthy of note was the removal of Queen's College for several years from the town of New Brunswick to the forks of the Rari- tan, byreason of the exigencies of war. For some time the college
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was sheltered here, continuing its work in the house formerly oc- cupying the site of the present abode of John Vosseller. Another item of interest was the separation from the churches of Millstone and Neshanic in 1761, and from Raritan in 1781, the latter being the date of Mr. Hardenberg's removal to another field of labor. Two years after his departure Simeon Van Artsdaelen, a young man, became pastor here. His service, like that of John Freling- huysen, was very brief, being terminated also like his by death, in 1786, after having wrought among this people only three years.
We can conceive that his death was viewed by his people as little less than a calamity, for he was a peculiarly lovable and elo- quent man, devotedly attached to his work and people. During his short pastorate he received numerous and very flattering calls from other churches, but could not be induced to resign his work here. His grave is in our church-yard, with his wife's beside it, the first of the many that have since been occupied by ministers of the gospel who have had to do with this church.
The next pastorate was an epochal one. The Rev. Peter Stud- diford came here in 1786, and remained forty years. For fourteen years he served Bedminster in connection with this church. Then, in 1800, that church withdrew. Thus Readington was left at last alone, and from this date commences her independent organiza- tion. But though alone, her field was by no means narrow. Dr. Studdiford lived near South Branch, on the farm now owned by his kinsman of the same name, Peter Studdiford, and his parish extended from Roysfield to the head of the Round Valley, and from the North Branch and Rockaway to Rowland's Mill and Mettler's Mill, on the South Branch. It was a wide field, requir- ing a vast amount of pastoral labor. Dr. Studdiford was lame, having had his knee injured by a musket in the hands of a British soldier, when he was a boy in New York, yet he faithfully served this people for forty years. When I came here, ten years ago, I
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heard some of our older people tell how clearly they could recol- lect the Doctor's horse and gig, with which he travelled every- where, over rough and half-broken roads, and in and out of the almost unending lanes with their innumerable bars.
But besides being a thorough pastor, Dr. Studdiford was dis- tinguished as a man of remarkable pulpit power, especially when called to speak impromptu. One who knew him well said that he was " one of the most efficient ministers of his day." It is pleas- ant to think that his work descended to his son, and then to his son's sons, one of whom, the Rev. Dr. Samuel M. Studdiford, still remains, proclaiming Christ most acceptably in the city of Tren- ton. During this pastorate two churches were organized from this one in some part, that of Rockaway being established in 1792, and that of North Branch in 1825, only one year before Dr. Stud- diford's death.
And now we come to the pastorate which, all things being con- sidered, may be called the most remarkable of all those that our church has enjoyed. It was that of the Rev. John Van Liew, who occupied this pulpit from 1827, to 1869, a period of more than forty-two years. Long as was the preceding pastorate, this exceeded it by more than two years. Moreover, it was remark- able in other respects. During Dr. Van Liew's time of service the church grew greatly. Population increased rapidly, and the resources of the people were greatly multiplied. Readington became widely known as a prosperous farming community, and in this prosperity the church shared. Two church edifices were erected under Dr. Van Liew's ministry. The first of these was built in 1833, only a few years after the commencement of his labors. The old church had stood through ninety-five years, hav- ing been repaired but once, about forty years before.
Besides it is probable that the growth of the congregation neces- sitated an enlarged building for their accommodation. The church
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which was erected at that time was placed on the spot occupied by the present building, the change of location adding somewhat to the stateliness of the structure, and also enlarging somewhat the church grounds. That church was destroyed by fire March 22, 1864,* after which the present edifice was erected. This building was dedicated July 20, 1865. A full account of the dedicatory services may be found in the "History of Readington Church," pp. 20-25. But in other than material things Dr. Van Liew's long pastorate was remarkable. As a preacher he was plain, practical and instructive. Were I to be compelled to char- acterize his pulpit work by a single word, I do not know that I could select a better one than this last-instructive.
He strove with all his power to mould into the very image of Christ this large household that God had entrusted to his care. But while he recognized faithful preaching as the first requisite to this end, he at the same time realized the tremendous influence of a godly life. And such a life he lived in the midst of this people year after year. Of him it may most truly be said :
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