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BX 9211 . R62 P52 1880
LIBRARY OF PRINCETON
AUG 15 1997
THEOLOGICAL SEM !! INARY
92 FF
PIA
1880
HISTORICAL MANUAL
OF THE
ROCKAWAY
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
COMPILED BY THE PASTOR,
REV. D. E. PLATTER,
Published with the Approval of the Session.
1880.
TRENTON, N. J. : WM. S. SHARP, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER. 1880.
LIBRARY OF PRINCE
JUN 20 1997
PREFACE.
The compilation of this manual has involved much labor, but it has been a labor of love. The historical sketch is a mere abridg- ment of the complete history by Dr. Tuttle, the delayed publica- tion of which is to be regretted. The catalogue of names and dates is that whereon I have bestowed my labor. I have taken pains to verify dates, but the work was difficult, and there are doubtless inaccuracies. Mr. E. D. Halsey furnished the list of Trustees ; and the narrative from 1862 is an abridgment of a fuller sketch prepared by him as a conclusion to Dr. Tuttle's history.
No manual of the church has been issued since 1832, the year in which the present church edifice was erected. That contained only the names of the membership of that time. Our church has more than a hundred years of history, and a long roll of honor ; and this is a humble effort to put that history and roll of honor in a permanent and convenient shape for distribution and preser- vation among those most deeply interested. It is my offering of love to the people of my first and only charge.
D. E. P.
ROCKAWAY, September 27th, 1880.
PRESENT ORGANIZATION.
Pastor. REV. DAVID E. PLATTER, Ordained and installed July 22d, 1874.
Elders.
JOSEPH H. BEACH, ordained 1861.
SAMUEL S. BEACH, ordained 1861.
CHARLES C. DE HART, ordained 1861. DAVID HAMILTON, ordained 1861.
JAMES H. BRUEN, ordained 1874.
NATHANIEL R. MOTT, ordained 1874.
Deacon. JOSEPH H. BEACH.
JAMES H. . . ] .? 'er.
COLUMBUS BEACH, CHARLES C. DE HART,
EDMUND D. HALSEY, MAHLON HOAGLAND,
MATSON WILLIAMS.
S. S. Superintendent. Chorister.
JAMES H. BRUEN. JOHN G. MOTT.
Cemetery Committee.
CHARLES C. DE HART, HENRY D. TUTTLE, EDMUND D. HALSEY.
Sexton.
JOHN G. MOTT.
STATED MEETINGS.
PREACHING.
Sunday at 10:30 A. M. and 7:30 P. M. Sunday-School at 2:30
P. M. Weekly Prayer-Meeting, Wednesday, 7:30 P. M. Young People's Prayer-Meeting, Fri- day, 7:30 P. M.
COMMUNION SERVICE. On the Second Sundays of March, June, September and Decem- ber. Preparatory Lecture on the Friday preceding Communion Sunday, at 3:00 P. M.
STATED MEETINGS OF SESSION.
Immediately after the Preparatory Lecture, at the Church.
·
INFANT BAPTISM. In connection with Preparatory Lecture.
PARISH MEETING. The Last Wednesday of September. The pews are sold annually at Parish Meeting to the highest bidder, and the pew- rent is payable quarterly in advance.
ROLL OF COMMUNICANTS.
A.
Atno, Miss Evaline
1873
Atno, Miss Isabelle.
1873
Ayers, John.
1857
Ayers, Mary E. (Mrs. Sanders) .. 1867
Ayers, Cornelia M.
1876
Ayers, Henrietta.
1876
Ayers, D. Stewart, M. D
C 1872
Ayers, Mrs. Harriet Stickle,
Fuller
1840
B.
Babcock, Mrs. Isabella H.
1878
Barton, David Edwin
1879
Bassett, Sarah Mott (Saml. S.)
.. 1838
Bassett, Edward.
1874
Bassett, Elizabeth Lavinia.
1875
Beach, Joseph H.
1840
Beach, Elvira Kelsey
1834
Beach, Edward P
1864
Beach, Catherine (Widow of Chilion)
1832
Beach, Columbus
.. 1852
Beach, Susan Electa Halsey § ... 1840
Beach, Frederick Halsey. C 1865
Beach, Samuel S.
1831
Beach, Sarah Colyer
1842
Beach, Sarah Jane 1858
Beach, Edward Webster
1867
Beach, Anna Colyer
1874
Beach, Clarence Leslie :1875
Beach, Jennie D. Addis C 1875
Beach, Jonas
1876
Beach, Julia Ann Rogers
1876
Beam, Edgar W.
1867
Beam, Gustin Mary L. J
1878
Berry, Mary Jane Mott (Benj.) .. 1874
Blanchard, Abner.
1825
Blanchard, James )
1863
Blanchard, Sarah
1863
Blanchard, Caroline K
1874
Blanchard, Martin A
1853
Blanchard, Moses ..
1859
Blanchard, Samuel A
1859
Boyd, Elizabeth Cooper (Wm.) .. 1856
Broad well, Susan Palmer
(Arch'b).
1818
Brower, Mrs. Susan Gustin
C 1876
Bruen, James Harvey
1848
Bruen, Emily T. Kelsey 1840
Bruen, James Wright 1864
Bruen, Emma DeHart 1864
Bulger, Sarah C ... 1870
Bunnell, William Edsell 1867
Bunnell, Phebe M. Shawyer ) ...
1861
Byers, Katie L.
1879
C.
Cook, Charles Youmans
1879
Cook, Sarah L. Merritt,
1858
Cook, Laura Virginia.
1878
Cook, Mary Edith ..
1879
Cooper, Sarah (Widow of
Stephen B.).
1832
D.
Davy, Ann (Richard)
1879
De Hart, Chas. C. )
1858
De Hart, Harriet S
1858
De Hart, Georgietta.
1868
De Hart, Chas. Robinson ..
.1879
Dickerson, Hattie Clark (Chas.) .. 1868
E.
Easton, Catherine Norris
(Joseph).
.1831
Elmer, Thomas
C 1878
F.
Foster, Ellis Ludlow
1875
Foster, Rebecca A.
1875
Fox, Morris
1864
Fox, Elizabeth Smith
1880
Freeman, Jane (Wid. Dayton) ... 1858
Freeman, Margaret (Noah).
1858
Fuller, Frank Edward.
1868
6
G.
Gleason, Sarah Jane .. C 1875
Gregory, Henry Ludlow
1879
Gregory, Catherine
1879
Gustin, Mary S. (Wm.) C 1876
Gustin, William H. 1879
Gustin, Nora A. Waer 1876
H.
Halsey, Edmund Drake. .. C 1865
Halsey, Cornelia Van Wyck
1857
Hamilton, David
1825
Hamilton, Anna Read
1825
Hamilton, Sarah Elizabeth
1870
Hamilton, William
1870
Hamilton, Bertha R.
1874
Hinchman, Mary Frances (John) 1858
Hoagland, Mahlon, Sr.
1
.. 1857
Hoagland, Annie Jane Mnir
.. 1862
Hoagland, Thomas Hudson ) ..
.1868
Hoagland, Eva Lounsbury J .C 1875
Hoagland, Sue Louise Neff.
1875
Hoagland, Mahlon, Jr.
. ..
1874
Hoagland, Laura Dorman . ... C 1880
Hopler, Martha (Caleb)
C 1869
Hough, William ?
1870
Hough, Eliza
1871
Hough, Percy.
1879
J.
Jackson, Mary.
1849
Jackson, Sarah D. 1847
Johnson, Nelson ? 1879
Johnson, Maria
1879
K.
Kelsey, John B.
1822
Kelsey, Delia Conger § 1822
Kitchel, Matthias D. 1863
Kitchel, Maria Davis C 1880
L.
Lee Catherine (widow Samuel) C 1848 Lee, Margaret M. .C 1861
Lee, Cornelia B. :1864
Lindsley, Harriet (widow
Gabriel). 1861
M.
Marsh, Lydia Elizabeth .1867
Mattox, George E. C 1880
Mattox, Sallie Berry }
C 1880
Merritt, Samuel.
1870
Merritt, John C ..
1868
Merritt, Phebe Wiggins (widow
Samuel).
1842
Miller, James Arthur
1876
Miller, Ruth B. Waer
1870
Miller, Charlotte (Ora)
1875
Miller, Abigail Hall (widow Philip). 1842
Miller, John Paul
1875
Miller, Mary Ann Broadwell
1857
Miller, Frank Edward.
1875
Mills, Mary L ..
C 1876
Mott, Parnel (widow John)
Mott, John G.
1855
Mott, Caroline Freeman )
1855
Mott, Mary Emma.
1875
Mott, Hattie Louisa.
1875
Mott, Nathaniel Revo
1867
Mott, Angeline Hopler §
1860
Mott, Esther Ann (widow
Elisha)
C 1855
Mott, Matilda R.
1874
Morgan, Mary Norris (James)
.1825
Morgan, Susan
1855
Munn. Grace Ann
1870
McCarty, Mary Emma.
1868
McGrath, Thomas Barrett
1861
McGrath, Ella M. Cooper
1868
N.
Nix, Lavinia J. (Hiram).
1877
Norris, Alexander
1840·
Norris, John
1860·
Norris, Agnes McGrath
1865
O.
Oram, Benjamin B.
₹ 1875
Oram, Cornelia Adele Stickle § 1875.
P.
Palmer, Mary Baker (Silas S.) ... 1831
Palmer, John Lewis.
1875
Palmer, Jeremiah Baker ?
1878.
Palmer, Mary Scofield
1878
Platter, Susan Hutchings
(Rev.).
C 1878
R.
Reid, Carrie Stickle.
1872
Robinson, William H.
1880
Rogers, John
2
1868
Rogers, Marietta Hamilton S
1861
Rogers, Nellie.
1879
7
S.
Sharp, Phoebe R. C 1878
Sharp, Letitia C .. C 1878
Shawger, Rachel Wiggins (Abram).
1839
Scofield, Thomas }
1858
Scofield, Mary 1858
Smith, John Jay
1
1862
Smith, Mary Jane
1863
Smith, Samuel
2
C 1878
Smith, Frances Nunn
C 1878
Stephens, Frank Dorman 1875
Stephens, Clara Shores .. 1875
Stickle, Hubbard
1808
Stickle, Jane McGrath
C 1864
Stickle, Caroline Tuttle (B. K.) ... 1848
Stickle, Sarah ..
1831
Stickle, Emily Conger
1838
Stickle, Mary Frances 1843
Stiles, Nora ..
1879
Strait, Morford B.
2 .. C 1876
Strait, Annie M. Hoagland §
1874
Struble, Sarah A. (widow). 1861
Struble, Mary Irene
1879
Sturtevant, George
1876
Sturtevant, Mary E. Smith
1876
Sturtevant, Sarah Garrigues (Eliphalet).
1832
Sturtevant, Clara D.
1867
Sturtevant, Thomas Eliphalet.
1867
Sturtevant, Cornelia Halsey.
1874
Sturtevant, Kate Hiler.
1875
Sturtevant, Mary G.
1867
T.
Talmadge, Albert Riggs
1875
Talmadge, Mary E. Lyon §
.. C 1875
Todd, Edward H.
.1867
Todd, Marietta Zeak
.1867
Tomkins, Hila H. (Mrs. Smith) .. 1846
Topping, Julia A. Berry (widow) 1875
Tuttle, Henry D.
1861
Tuttle, Esther Ann Pierson. J
.. 1861
Tuttle, Joseph Farrand
1875
V.
Vanderhoof, Mary Weir
1878
Van Dusen, Hattie.
1879
Van Dusen, George
1879
W.
Ward, George, Wilson.
1875
Waer, Charlotte M. (Britain) ..
... 1872
Waer, Emma Jane (Wm., Jr.) ... 1875
Williams, Matson
C1874
Williams, Louisa Hutchings j C1874
Z.
Zeak, Mary Genung (Joseph).
.. 1831
Zeak, John Clark
1867
Zeak, Josephine
1880
Zindle, Sarah (William).
1878
Zindle, Anna Elizabeth.
1874
1
HISTORICAL SKETCH.
As early as 1730, a small settlement existed in the vicinity of Rockaway. When or by whom the Gospel was first preached in the place does not appear. Some of the people, among them Abner Beach and Job Allen, were members of the Presbyterian Church of Morristown, and probably Rev. Timothy Johnes, pastor of that church, and the Rev. Jacob Green, pastor of the Hanover Church, preached here occasionally, before a church was organ- ized, as they did afterwards.
March the 2d, 1758, was the natal day of the Rockaway Presby- terian Church. On that day two important papers were drawn up, which put in practical shape the desire of the people to secure for themselves the privileges of the Gospel. One of these papers sets forth the " desier to Joyn with pasipaney to call and settle a min- ister ;" the other expresses the willingness of the subscribers to " ablig ourselves to pay toward building a meeting-house the sums to our names affixed." These two important papers will be printed entire in this manual.
The objects aimed at were realized, but not at once. The meet- ing-house was secured first. The subscription amounted to £75, equal to about $188, and was supplemented by a loan of £100 from Col. Jacob Ford, Sr., of Morristown. This loan, in part at least, was afterwards made a gift, through the influence of Moses Tuttle, of Mt. Pleasant, a son-in-law of Mr. Ford. The frame of the church was erected in 1759, and in 1760 it was enclosed and the floors laid. There was no plastering or ceiling, no stoves or fire-place, and only planks laid on blocks for seats. On the 24th of August, 1762, Benjamin Prudden conveyed to Willis Pierson, Job Allen and Obadiah Lum, Trustees of the parish of Rockaway,
for the benefit and use of the Presbyterian Church of Roccaway," " the ten acres and thirty perch" of land which make up the old church lot.
It was not till 1768, that the " desier to Joyn with pasipaney to call and settle a minister " was realized-just ten years after that desire had first found expression. Negotiations begun at a parish
9
meeting, Dec. 23d, 1766, finally resulted in the settlement of the first pastor of this church, the Rev. James Tuttle, Jr. April, 1768, he was ordained and installed at Parsippany over the two churches, and William Winds, Obadiah Lum, Jacob Allerton, David Beman and Benjamin Prudden, were appointed to attend the installation, and receive Mr. Tuttle on behalf of the Rockaway Church.
Mr. Tuttle was a native of Hanover, a son-in-law of Rev. Jacob Green, the pastor of that place, and a brother of Moses Tuttle, of Mt. Pleasant, an influential man in the parish of Rockaway. His pastorate continued for two years and seven months, when his death occurred at Hanover, Dec. 25th, 1770, in the 29th year of his age. His grave may be seen in the old burying ground at Hanover. Mr. Tuttle lived in the parsonage which the parish had built on the "Tom Mann lot"-near the present residence of Mr. Cortright. Lord Stirling had given to the parish of Rockaway, one hundred acres of land within one mile of the church, for parsonage purposes, and this spot had been selected and built on. The £60 salary paid Mr. Tuttle for the one-half of his time was raised by assessing the property of the members of the parish and levying a tax upon it. This assessment was made and the tax levied and collected by men appointed by the parish for that pur- pose. Some of these old assessments or "rate lists" are pre- served ingthe parish records. This method of raising the minister's salary continued till Mr. Carle's time.
From Mr. Tuttle's death, in 1770, the church was without a pas- tor for nearly fourteen years. This period included the trying years of the war for independence. A number of efforts were made to obtain a pastor, but they all proved fruitless. Ministers were scarce, and the field was not a very inviting one. The peo- ple, however, were not left entirely without the preaching of the Gospel through those years of trial and discouragement. Occa- sional supplies were sent by the presbytery, and when these failed, the deacon's meeting was the unfailing substitute. The pulpit was occupied during this period by the following ministers :
Rev. Timothy Johnes, April 15th, 1770.
Mr. Lewis, of Mendham, October, 1770.
Mr. Chapman, of Orange, January, 1771.
Mr. Horton, of Bottle Hill, (Madison,) April 9th, 1771.
Mr. Kennedy, of Basking Ridge, July 11th, 1771.
Mr. Simpson, July 25th, 1771.
Mr. Simpson preached twelve Sabbaths during the year 1772,
10
and with such acceptance that assiduous efforts were made to secure him as pastor, but he finally declined the call. Rev. Mathias Burnet preached three times in 1773, and on the 17th of May, 1774, a call was made out for his pastoral services, which was declined. Thus the second effort ended in failure. During the year 1774, the pulpit was occupied thirteen times by different ministers. In 1775, one sermon by the Rev. Joseph Grover, of Parsippany, is all that is recorded. In 1776, Rev. Thaddeus Dodd preached two Sabbaths, and a Rev. Mr. Ackley, two Sab- baths. In 1777, a Mr. Galany (?) preached six Sabbaths. In May, 1777, an attempt was made to secure the services of Rev. Jno. Joline for three months, but failed, and in April, 1778, the effort was renewed to secure his services, which failed by reason of an offer from the church at Mendham, which he accepted. The parish next secured the services of a young Dutch minister, Mr. Derondy, who supplied the pulpit during the winter of 1778-9. On the 12th of April, 1779, Mr. Noble Everett was engaged to preach six months, and at the end of that time declined to serve the church any longer. During the following years of 1780, 1781 and 1782, the Rev. Lemuel Fordham supplied the pulpits of Succasunna and Rockaway, Rockaway refusing to join with Succasunna to settle him as joint pastor, and finally fail- ing to secure his acceptance of their call to become the pastor of Rockaway, very much to their disappointment.
On the 17th of March, 1783, it was voted at a parish meeting to treat with the Rev. David Baldwin, who was preaching at Black River (Chester,) with reference to his serving the church at Rock- away. He gave the people little encouragement at the time, but in December, 1783, they gave him a call, and in February, 1784, Mr. Baldwin signified his acceptance of the call. He was installed as pastor of the church in April, 1784, by the Morris County Pres- byterial Association-a kind of congregational secession under the leadership of Rev. Jacob Green, of Hanover, which this church had joined. His salary was fixed at £80 a year, the use of the parsonage, and his firewood. He lived in the parsonage near where the depot of the Morris and Essex Railroad now stands. Mr. Baldwin was a good man, but a very ordinary preacher. He took charge of the church at a time when its spiritual life was at a very low ebb. The members were few and mostly women, the congregations were small, and there was a widespread laxity of manners and morals. Society was suffering from the demoraliza-
11
tion of the long war. In addition to the widespread infidelity of the times, and the general indifference to religion, there was in- ternal dissension, which neutralized in a large measure, the efforts of the faithful pastor. The trouble arose out of the singing. The custom had long prevailed of reading the psalm line by line while singing, a custom which arose when there were no books for the people to sing out of. David Beman had long led the singing in the old way. A party, presumably of the young people, who had an ear for good music, attempted a change. Beman and his sup- porters stoutly resisted young Benjamin Jackson, the new candi- date for the honors of chorister, and his party. The matter was compromised at first by allowing Beman to line out the psalm and sing in the first service, and Jackson to sing without lining in the second service. But this was not the end of the matter. The quarrel smouldered for years, occasionally breaking out with fury. In 1789 feeling ran so high that William Ross and David Beman resigned their eldership. But after hindering for a long time the prosperity of the church, the matter was finally settled in 1792, in favor of the new and better way.
During his ministry, Mr. Baldwin purchased a farm on the south side of the Denville road, near Savage Corner, and, moving upon it, supplemented his meagre salary by the pursuit of agri- culture-dividing his time between his crops and his sermons.
The parish was incorporated according to the laws of the State in 1787. On the 6th of March of that year, the parish met and elected a Board of Trustees consisting of the following persons : William Winds, Stephen Jackson, Abraham Kitchel, Benjamin Beach, Job Allen, David Beman and David Baker ; and a certifi- cate of incorporation, under the name of the "First Presbyterian Church of Rockaway, in the County of Morris," was granted March 22d, 1787.
The church was in a very low state during the latter part of Mr. Baldwin's ministry, the attendance on Sabbath morning num- bering scarcely thirty persons, and oftentimes less than that number ; and in January, 1792, he submitted a proposition to be dismissed or retained as the parish might think proper. The parish voted to pay his salary to the 1st of June, and to give him liberty then to make other engagements. The pious and devotedly good old minister left the parish with the best of feeling between himself and the people.
On the 14th of May, 1792, it was voted to extend an invitation
12
to Rev. John J. Carle to supply the pulpit for six months, and on the 18th of June, 1792, a unanimous call was extended to him to become pastor of the church. Mr. Carle accepted the call, and was ordained and installed in January, 1793. The exact date I am unable to find. This was the first ordination ever witnessed in Rockaway. Mr. Carle was popular in his manner and an eloquent preacher, and under his ministry the temporal prosperity of the church was increased, and the congregations became larger. Nothing had been done to render the church more comfortable and attractive since the beginning of Mr. Tuttle's ministry in 1768, when pews were put in, instead of planks, in some portions of the church. Encouraged by Mr. Carle's coming, to renewed effort, the people addressed themselves to the task of improving the church, and in 1794 the building was ceiled and the galleries put in, making it much more comfortable and commodious. The session of the church was also re-organized at this time, and regu- lar records kept of their meetings. Elders existed before this time, but no sessional records are in existence previous to 1793, so far as I am able to discover. The following is the first record :
" Monday, February 25th, 1793. The church met at Mr. David Beaman's. Present, Messrs. Carle, David Beaman, Job Allen, John Clark, James Farris, William Ross and Samuel Beaman. The meeting was opened with prayer. It was unanimously agreed by this meeting to have a regular church session formed, in order to which, Messrs. David Beaman, Job Allen and John Clark were nominated as candidates for the office of Ruling Elder, and directed to be propounded the three ensuing Lord's days. Mr. David Beaman was also nominated as a candidate for the office of Deacon. The meeting agreed to consider all baptized persons belonging to this congregation as subjects of church discipline ; also agreed that all baptized parents who submit to the discipline of the church, are free from scandal, and live moral lives, may have the ordinance of baptism administered to their children."
In 1788 part of the parsonage-lands near the depot were sold to pay arrearages to Mr. Baldwin, and in 1792 the remainder was sold, and a new tract purchased at Franklin and another par- sonage built. This house stood near by where Henry Palmer now lives, and was torn down when his present residence was built. Mr. Carle lived in the new parsonage till he purchased a house of his own in Rockaway. His salary was fixed at £100 when
13
he first came, but was afterwards raised to £180 per year, " and to find himself in firewood." After he removed to Rockaway to live in his own house, the parsonage at Franklin was sold to Dr. Ebenezer H. Pierson, December, 1795, for $1100,
Mr. Carle's history is an unhappy one. While pastor at Rock- away he was given to indulgence in intoxicating drink, a prevalent custom of the times, and as the vice grew upon him it weakened and finally destroyed his influence. He was released from his pastoral relation in the spring of 1801, and went to Connecticut to take charge of a church. He died about 1808, and is buried at Basking Ridge, his native place. He belonged to an excellent and highly respected family, and his downfall was a source of great grief to them.
From the conclusion of Mr. Carle's pastorate to the coming of Rev. Barnabas King, six years elapsed, during which time the church was without a pastor. During this time there were occa- sional supplies, who were paid $5 a Sabbath for their services. Among the preachers of the years 1802, 1803 and 1804 are Rev. Messrs. Lemuel Fordham, Cram, James Richards, Amzi Armstrong, Aaron Condict, Mathias Burnet and Keys. Mr. Lewis Williams, an Englishman, preached six months in 1805, for which he received $180.
There is but one testimony as to the moral condition of the com- munity after Mr. Carle was dismissed and until Dr. King came. It is said there was but a single Christian man within the wide bounds of the congregation who could offer a prayer in public or at the bedside of the dying. This was Deacon John Clark. Pro- faneness, drunkenness, Sabbath desecration and other forms of immorality were general. Dr. King speaks of religion at that time as " at a low ebb-almost as low as it could be, and not become extinct ;" yet the fact remains that the people were determined to keep the church alive so far as they could do it by their contribu- tions and attentions.
The first mention of Dr. Barnabas King in the parish records is this item : "1806, January 26th. Cash paid Mr. King for preaching one Sabbath, $4.50." He supplied the pulpit occasion- ally during that year and the next, but was not permanently em- ployed until in October, 1807. From that time until his death, April 10th, 1862, a period of fifty-five years, the history of the church and his biography would be almost identical. A sketch of his life, written by Dr. Tuttle, was published by the New Jersey
14
Historical Society in the second volume (new series) of its pro- ceedings, and a sermon preached by Dr. King himself, on the fortieth anniversary of his pastorate, and containing a review of the history of the church during those forty years, was published ; but a short sketch of his life before coming to Rockaway would not be out of place here.
He was the son of Amos King and his wife, Lucy Perkins, and was born at New Marlborough, Mass., June 2d, 1780. He received a good elementary education at a public school, where he attracted the favorable attention of his minister, Dr. Jacob Catlin, who, for his services about his place, prepared him for the freshman class of Williams College, to which he was admitted in the fall of 1800. He graduated in 1803, and studied theology with Dr. Catlin, being licensed to preach by the Berkshire Association in the fall of 1805. Having heard of " an open door in New Jersey," he immediately started on horseback to visit this county, and crossing the Hudson at Newburg, reached the house of Robert Ogden, in Sussex county, on Christmas day. Mr. Ogden received him into his family, and he began to preach statedly at Sparta and Berkshire Valley. He was thus engaged when he preached for the first time at Rocka- way, as mentioned in the records. This was on Friday evening, January 24th, 1806, at a private house, and from the text Eccle- siastes iii., 21.
October 5th, 1807, the Trustees met and voted "to offer the Rev. Barnabas King $208, as a sallery for preaching in our meeting- house, for one-half of the time, for one year from and after the sitting of New York Presbytery in this present month." This offer was accepted, and the half of Mr. King's time not taken up by his services at Rockaway that year was given to Sparta and Berkshire Valley. "On careful inquiry it was found that the church con- sisted of thirty-five members, at the time he commenced preach- ing here, twelve of whom were widows." He began at once in the most systematic manner to minister to his new charge, preaching publicly and from house to house. The effect was soon apparent, and in 1808 there was a remarkable revival, which added eighty- four to the church, the larger part of whom were received into the church before Mr. King's ordination by Dr. Richards, of Morris- town.
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