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VIDEMUS NUNG PER FIDEY
DOMINUS PETRAMEA
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN
NEW JERSEY
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01628 0783 E
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Gc 974.9 F67c Flynn, Joseph M. 1848-1910. The Catholic Church in New Jersey
75
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016
https://archive.org/details/catholicchurchin00flyn_0
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CATHEDRAL OF THE SACRED HEART, NEWARK.
The Catholic Church in Rem Jersey
JOSEPH M. FLYNN, M. R., V. F. Rector of the Church of the Assumption of the B. V. M., Morristown, N. f.
MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY MDCCCCIV
Allen County Public Library Ft. Wayne, Indiana
COPYRIGHT, 1904 By JOSEPH M. FLYNN, M. R., V. F.
PRESS OF THE PUBLISHERS' PRINTING CO. 32 AND 34 LAFAYETTE PLACE NEW YORK
TO OUR FOREFATHERS IN THE FAITH-
"The Dumbly Brave who did their Deed, and Scorned to Blot it with a Name"
-Bishops, Priests, and Laity ; AND TO THEIR
Successors, in Garnering the Harvest and Reaping where they have Sown; and to their Children reflecting all the Virtues of their Forefathers-Guarding well the Sacred Deposit of Faith-Illustrious by Righteousness and Good Works, this volume is
MOST LOVINGLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR.
一
PREFACE.
IN presenting to the Catholics this chronicle of the planting and developing of the seed of Catholic faith in the State of New Jersey by their forefathers, most of whom have long since slept in the Lord and passed to the reward of their sacrifices and their constancy, I would apologize for the imperfections of this volume, which, owing to the short time allotted for its completion, were inevitable. It is lamentable that this work was not undertaken at an earlier date, when the facts might have been gathered from the lips of the actors and witnesses of this mighty and heroic struggle, and entrusted to an abler pen than mine. But the project was a flash which the approaching Golden Jubilee created, and the hope was cherished that this volume might appear on the anniversary of the instalment of our first bishop. There is a limit, however, to human efforts, and to gather all the facts connected with the progress of religion in our State from the close of the seventeenth century to the present, to cull the authentic from the fabulous, to verify apparently conflicting statements, and embody the whole into the present work, has required the constant, unremit- ting efforts and labor of the author for the last three months. Proprio motu he would have shrunk from the task, as he did when asked by the late Archbishop Corrigan to write the history of the Diocese of Newark. Yielding at length to the solicitation of es- teemed brethren in the priesthood, and unaware of the magnitude of the work, which grew on his hands day by day, at last he is able to present it to a kind and, he hopes, an indulgent public, who, in the full light of the above facts, will overlook any remiss- ness or shortcoming in its pages. Not the last in his encourage- ment to take up this work, nor the least in his efforts to assist by every means in his power to make a complete and finished record,
iii
iv
PREFACE.
was our worthy bishop, the Rt. Rev. John J. O'Connor, D.D., who was kind enough to write the following letter:
BISHOP'S HOUSE, 552 SOUTH ORANGE AVENUE, SOUTH ORANGE, N. J. September 12th, 1903.
VERY REV. DEAR DEAN FLYNN :
I most cordially approve of your undertaking to write a his- tory of Catholicity in the State of New Jersey for the Golden Jubilee of the Diocese of Newark which we are preparing to cele- brate, and I beg the rectors of the various churches and the su- periors of the different religious communities to supply you with all the information which you may desire from them, in order that this history may be as complete as possible.
Believe me
Very sincerely yours in Christ, * JOHN J. O'CONNOR.
To this an almost general and immediate response was made, not only by the priests of the diocese of Newark, but by a great number of the priests of the diocese of Trenton. It was deemed only fair to incorporate the history sent by them, as nearly as pos- sible, verbatim, both as a recognition of the labor involved, and at the same time shifting upon them the responsibility of the details. Furthermore, the varied style adds an additional charm to the nar- rative. But to none are we more obligated than to the venerable Bishop of Rochester, nor will the pleasant memory soon pass away of the delightful evenings spent in his rural home, amid his vines, with the forest at our feet, dipping down to the placid crystal waters of Hemlock Lake, and the melody of his voice ringing in our ears, as his marvellous memory recalled events and faces and facts of fifty years agone. Most of the early history is his nar- rative, and for many of the facts of the last score of years does he stand sponsor. To Mr. Stephen H. Horgan are we indebted for the admirable illustrations, many of which would have been unat- tainable without him. With reluctance, where all have been so kind and so painstaking, do I single out as specially deserving of my grateful recognition the Rev. Charles J. Kelly, D.D., who
V
PREFACE.
not only supplied me with valuable sources of information, but assisted me greatly in the onerous and responsible work of proof- reading, and the composition of the index; to the Rev. George W. Corrigan, M.R., who placed at my disposal his collection of memorabilia ; also to the Rev. Joseph C. Dunn, and the Rev. Patrick J. Hayes, the Secretary of the Archdiocese of New York, and the Very Rev. Dean Mulligan, M.R., for important docu- ments and generous aid.
The cover, perhaps, requires some explanation : the seal in the upper left-hand corner is that of Archbishop Bayley; and that on the opposite right-hand corner, of Archbishop Corrigan; the one in the lower left-hand corner is that of Bishop Wigger; and, in the lower right-hand corner, of Bishop O'Connor; all grouped around the seal of Seton Hall, which has been the one institution upon which all have lavished their tenderest care and solicitude. The seal on the reverse cover is that of the State of New Jersey. The cover, as well as the history, has been copyrighted.
Great pains have been taken with the clergy list, which, never- theless, is incomplete; but it is hoped in a second edition to fill the lacuna and correct whatever errors have crept in. The Cath- olics of our State have just reason to be proud of their history ; and, while they are thrilled with the tale of the sufferings, priva- tions, and generosity of those who have gone before them, they may take the assurance that they, too, are deserving of a large measure of praise, for the sacrifices they have made and are mak- ing, and for the splendid example they are giving to the world of virtue, and loyalty to Church and country, helping, on their part, to make the diocese of Newark peerless among all the dioceses of the country. May this volume give to all the same pleasure in reading it as the author found in writing it.
MORRISTOWN, N. J., January 7, 1904.
HEMLOCK LAKE, N. Y.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
The following have been consulted and have proved valuable sources of information :
Narrative and Critical History of America Winsor.
England in the Eighteenth Century. Lecky.
Smith's History of New Jersey, a Reprint .. Sharpe.
Historical Collections of the State of New Jersey
Barber and Howe.
Old Order Book Morristown Headquarters
History of New York. Brodhead.
Laws of the Colony of Nova Caesarea.
History of New Jersey . .
Raum.
New Jersey as a Colony and as a State.
Lee.
Persecutions of Irish Catholics.
Moran.
The Battle of the Faith in Ireland
O'Rourke
The Story of Ireland
Sullivan.
A Child's History of Ireland
Joyce.
Irish Settlers in America.
McGee.
The Catholic Church in the United States
DeCourcy-Shea.
The Catholic Church in the United States. Shea.
The Life and Times of Archbishop Carroll. Shea.
History of the Catholic Church in New York.
Bayley.
Life of Montalembert
Lecanuet.
Principles and Acts of the Revolution
Niles.
Account of Negro Plot.
Horsemanden.
Life and Times of Archbishop Carroll.
Campbell.
History of Wyoming.
Miner.
Field Book of the Revolution.
Lessing.
Life of Mother Margaret Seguier.
Records of American Catholic Historical Society, Phil- adelphia.
Historical Records and Studies, United States Catholic Historical Society, New York
American Catholic Historical Researches. Griffin.
History of Sussex and Warren Counties, N. J.
History of Jersey City
A Century of Catholicity in Trenton, N. J. Fox. History of Mercer County
Story of a Parish. Flynn.
Life of Madame D'Youville Ramsay.
Register of Clergy (2 vols.), Diocese of Newark.
vii
V111
SOURCES OF INFORMATION.
Letter Book of Archbishop Bayley.
Letter Book of Archbishop Corrigan
Diary of Archbishop Corrigan.
Church and State in the United States.
Spalding.
Essays of History and Literature.
Fiske.
Historical Records of Morris County, N. J Green.
Memorial Address, the late Rev. John Rogers. O'Grady.
Historical Address, Sesqui-Centennial of Sussex County Swayze.
Various Parish Chronicles; History of Catholic Church in Paterson, Schreiner; Sketch of St. Joseph's Church, Swedesboro, Leahey; St. Mary's, Perth Amboy, Leahey; Story of Our Parish, Boonton; St. Mary's Catholic Church, Salem; A Half Century of Catholicity in Phillipsburg, McCloskey ; St. Nicholas's, Atlantic City ; Brief History of St. Paul of the Cross. Jersey City; History of Catholic Church in Bloomfield ; History of St. Agnes's, Paterson ; History of St. Patrick's Church, Chatham ; and St. Leo's, Irvington, N. J., Dunn ; Catholicity in Bound Brook; Seton Hall College : A Memoir; St. Mary's Church, Plainfield ; History of Catholicity in Lakewood; and, through the courtesy of Rt. Rev. Monsignor Stafford, the Records of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception from 1868 to the present.
And newspaper files of The Truthteller, Metropolitan Magazine, London Tablet, New York Freeman's Journal, Catholic World, Catholic Mis- cellany, United States Catholic Magazine, Boston Pilot, Catholic Ex- positor, Sussex Register, Newark Advertiser, Newark Evening News, Jersey City Journal, Daily Times, New Brunswick; Catholic Messen- ger, Elizabeth ; Irish Ecclesiastical Record, and Catholic Directory (40 vols.), and various documents in the Newark Library and that of the New Jersey Historical Society, Newark.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
CHURCHES
Cathedral of Sacred Heart. Frontispiece
Atlantic City, St. Nicholas's
331
Avondale, Our Lady of Grace
459
Bayonne, St. Mary's
358
¥
St. Henry's 543
Belleville, St. Peter's. IIO
Bloomfield, Sacred Heart.
465
Boonton, Mt. Carmel
191 461
Camden, Immaculate Conception.
333
Chatham, St. Patrick's
415
Cranford, St. Michael's.
441
East Orange, Help of Christians
514
Elizabeth, Holy Rosary
527
St. Mary's.
14I
¥ Sacred Heart.
414
St. Patrick's.
356
¥
St. Michael's.
257
Gloucester, St. Mary's
195
Greenville, St. Paul's. 366
395
Hackensack, Newman School. 372
Harrison, Holy Cross 373
Hibernia, St. Patrick's 370
532
¥ St. Joseph's
436
Sts. Peter and Paul's
534
Our Lady of Grace (Interior)
I71
" Our Lady of Grace 169
158
Hohokus, St. Luke's 378
Irvington, St. Leo's 456
Jersey City, St. Nicholas's 522 66 St. Lucy's 520
St. Anthony's. 519
ix
Guttenberg, New Church Old Church
393
Hoboken, St. Francis's.
First Catholic Public School.
PAGE
St. Mary's
357
Butler, St. Anthony's
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS X
PAGE
Jersey City, St. John Baptist
517
St. Bridget's
408
¥
St. Peter's.
99
First St. Peter's Church.
96
St. Peter's
96
St. Aloysius's School
547
66
St. Patrick's.
4II
St. Paul of the Cross. 405
St. Boniface 380
St. Mary's
363
St. Michael's (Interior).
345
66
St. Michael's (Exterior).
344
All Saints'
545
66 St. Joseph's
337
Kearney, St. Cecilia's
541
Lakewood, First Church
2 37
Lodi, St. Francis de Sales's
324
Macopin, St. Joseph's Church.
35
Madison, St. Vincent's
115
Mendham, St. Joseph's.
355
Montclair, Tegakwita Hall
310
Morristown, All Souls' Hospital
223
St. Margaret's.
217
Assumption 214
213
New Brunswick, St. Peter's
89
Netcong, St. Michael's.
475
New York, Old St. Peter's Church.
50
Newark, St. Bridgit's
531
St. Mary's Academy
594
Blessed Sacrament.
582 467
St. Aloysius's
473
St. Antoninus's
454
St. John's
73
St. John's First Catholic Church
68
St. Mary's
136
St. James's
305
St. Augustine's
452
St. Columba's
445
St. Philip Neri's.
551
66 Convent of Good Shepherd.
427
St. Joseph's.
398
St. Benedict's
350
St. Peter's ..
329
St. Mary Magdalen's 542
St. Rose of Lima 539
St. Lucy's 538
462
First Church
St. Michael's
X1
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Newark, Mt. Carmel
537
66 St. Stanislaus's.
535
St. Patrick's Pro-cathedral. 199
Newton, Old Church
314
Present Church
317
Orange, Our Lady of the Valley
448
Mt. Carmel
576 323
Passaic, St. Nicholas's
327 326
St. Joseph's
575
Assumption.
474
Paterson, St. George's
St. Bonaventure's.
St. Mary's
435
St. Joseph's 401
St. John's 76 254
23
Plainfield, First Church
249
St. Mary's
250
Princeton, St. Paul's.
182
Rahway, St. Mary's
187
Ridgewood, House of Divine Providence.
596
Rockaway, St. Cecilia's
369
Roselle, St. Joseph's.
444
Salem, First Church.
179
" St. Mary's
180
Shadyside, Sacred Heart.
446
Stony Hill, St. Mary's.
189
South Orange, Our Lady of Sorrows.
Seton Hall College
Summit, St. Teresa's.
Swedesboro, Second Church.
339 387
St. Mary's Cathedral.
384
St. Francis's
234
St. Francis's
173 526 351
Vineland, Sacred Heart
382
West Hoboken, St. Michael's. ¥ St. Joseph's
241
Westfield, Holy Trinity.
438
Weehawken, St. Lawrence's. 524
Whippany, Our Lady of Mercy 325
Wyckoff, St. Elizabeth's 379
370
Trenton, Sacred Heart.
529 599
Union Hill, St. Augustine's
" Holy Family
240
St. John's
First Church
5II 460
St. Boniface's
Philadelphia, Old St. Joseph's
xii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
MISCELLANEOUS
Academy of Madame Chegarry (Old Seton Hall)
278
Academy, Old St. Elizabeth's
285
Bayley, Most Rev. James R.
Brownson, Orestes A 266
I47
Bulger, Father.
37
Carroll, Archbishop
39
Cauvin, Rev. Anthony
15I
Corrigan, Most Rev. M. A
207
Consecration Procession of Bishop O'Connor.
554
D'Arcy, Rev. James
120
Doane, Rt. Rev. George H
198
Dubois, Rt. Rev. John
79
Farmer, Father.
25
Geiger's House.
178
Hogan, Rev. John
III
Howell, Rev. Isaac P
142
Hughes, Most Rev. John. 84
Jubilee, Golden. 201
319
Kelly, Rev. John.
97
Kraus, Rev. D 38 1
591
Mass in the Woods.
I17
Mackin, Rev. John.
61
Madden, Rev. Michael A.
119
Messmer, Most Rev. S. G
497
McFaul, Kt. Rev. J. A 177
McGovern, Rev. P 216
McGorien, Rev. Francis
I74
Mckay, Rev. James 322
McQuaid, Rt. Rev. Bernard
202
O'Connor, Rt. Rev. John J
553
O'Connor, Consecration of Rt. Rev. John.
200
O'Farrell, Rt. Rev. Michael J
95
O'Reilly, Rev. C 360
Pardow, Rev. Gregory Bryan 68
Pitcher, Molly
44
Power, Very Rev. John, D.D 49
Prieth, Rev. Gottfried. 330
Revere, Gen. J. W 232
Rogers, Rev. John. 91
Senez, Rev. Louis D 83
Shea, John Gilmary, LL.D .. 149
Sheppard, Rt. Rev. J. A 346
Sisters of Charity, Mother House 589
Sister Mary Catharine Nevin. 592
Sister Mary Agnes O'Neill 593
PAGE
Kilpatrick, Gen. Judson
Mother Mary Xavier Mehegan.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
X111
PAGE Smith, Rev. Anthony
385
Tighe, Rev. John J.
192
Venuta, Rev. A
338
Von Schilgen, Rev. Albert.
258
Ward, Old Mansion (Newark)
274
Wigger, Rt. Rev. W. M.
87
Wimmer, Arch Abbot
1 38
Women of Elizabeth Defend Church
145
Young, Rev. Alfred, C.S.P
183
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEW JERSEY
Colonial Period.
THE Cross erected by Columbus on one of the Bahamas, in the year of our Lord 1492, was, under the Providence of God, to be the harbinger of blessings to countless generations, driven by the mighty forces-even at that time shaking Continental Europe to its very centre-to seek a refuge and a home, free from tur- moil and conflict, in a virgin land. The fifteenth century wit- nessed kingdoms and the church of the living God tottering to destruction. The spirit of revolt, emboldened in its successful attack by Luther and his colleagues on the sacred deposit of dogma, was soon to assail in its citadel one of the most cherished of Christian traditions-the divine rights of royalty-and the head of a Charles I was to fall under the executioner's axe by the order of the Protector of the Commonwealth. In France, a sect was to feel the mailed hand of power, and after paying with tor- rents of blood, the best testimony of their good faith, was driven forth to seek in foreign lands that freedom denied them in their own. Fire and sword had swept over fair Ierne, and the discov- ery of a new world saw a nation prostrate and a people in chains.
Let us turn again to Columbus and his crew, clustered around the Cross-the wondering natives standing afar-with what fervor from a heart overflowing with gratitude went up to heaven the prayer of the saintly captain, which has come down to us: "O Lord, Eternal and Almighty God, who by Thy sacred word hast created the heavens, the earth, and the seas! May Thy name be blessed and glorified everywhere! May Thy majesty be exalted, who hast deigned to permit that by Thy humble servant Thy sacred name should be known and preached in this other part of the world !"
And forth from their hearts burst the great Ambrose's hymn -"Te Deum Laudamus," i.e., We praise Thee, O God-forget-
I
2
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
ful of their past dangers and perils on the broad and trackless waters of the Atlantic-whose echoes were again to be taken up, like a theme in music-to be borne along the ages in full and fer- vent harmony by the sons of the Cavalier and Roundhead, by the impulsive Celt and sturdy Saxon, by the children of mighty Rome, and by the sons of the fierce Goth, who had spoiled of all its glory the city of the Cæsars.
Was it chance or was it providential that among the crews of Columbus were to be found both a Saxon and a Celt, representa- tives of two races through whose activities the new world by its progress, ingenuity, political complexion, and industrial initiative were later on to startle and amaze the older world? Winsor, Narrative and Critical History of America, says: The list of the companions of Columbus in his first voyage to the new world in 1492 shows among them an Irishman, "Gulliermo Ires, natural de Galwey, en Irlanda " -- that is, William Herries, a native of Galway, Ireland (ii., p. II).
The story of the acquisitions of the different sections of the newly discovered land by exploration or by conquest has been so often told that it does not come within the scope of the present work. Although the voyage of Cabot, in 1497, had established the English claim, yet it was not until Sir Humphrey Gilbert, in 1759, and Sir Walter Raleigh, in 1584, had landed the one as far north as the mouth of the Kennebec, and the other in Virginia, that any serious attempt was made by Raleigh to establish a colony in the new possessions.
Notwithstanding the patent Queen Elizabeth had given Ra- leigh and his heirs, to discover and possess forever, all such coun- tries as were not then possessed by any Christian prince, King James, in 1606, granted a new patent of Virginia, in which was included what is now known as the New England States-New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland-to Sir Thomas Gates, Sir George Somers, Richard Hakluyt, Clerk, Edward Maria Wingfield, Thomas Hanham, Richard Gilbert, Esqs., William Parker, George Popham, Lord Chief Justice of England, and others. The land extended from the thirty-fourth to the forty- fifth degrees of north latitude, with all the islands within one hundred miles of the coast. This patent was divided into two districts, called North and South Virginia, the latter vested in the Company of the London Adventurers; and the former, granted to Thomas Hanham and his associates, was called the Plymouth Colony.
3
IN NEW JERSEY
But the Dutch, although proverbially slow, in that day swept with their fleet the waters of the globe, and one of their vessels, the Half Moon, manned by an English captain and fitted out by the East India Company, entered Delaware Bay, August 28th, 1609. On account of the shoals navigation was difficult, and Hudson set sail again, hugging the eastern shore of our State, and anchored September 3d, 1609, within Sandy Hook. He sent a boat ashore for the purpose of exploration and of taking sound- ings. His men penetrated some distance inland, in the woods of Monmouth, where the Indians they met received them kindly and offered them green tobacco and dried currants.
Heaving anchor, Hudson continued his voyage up the noble river, buttressed by the Palisades, to which was given his name. Claiming to have purchased the chart Hudson had made of the American coast, and having obtained a patent from the States, in 1614, to trade in New England, the Dutch founded a settlement on the island of Manhattan, which they called New Amsterdam. They built many forts in their new possessions, among them one near Gloucester, N. J., which they called Fort Nassau; and made a settlement in Bergen in 1617.
King Charles I, however, regarded this occupation as an inva- sion of his territory and an intrusion on the part of these early Knickerbockers, and determined to dispossess them.
Charles I, in 1632, granted to Sir Edmund Plowden a grant of land embracing New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Mary- land, and this despite the grant of Maryland to Lord Baltimore two years previously. Under this charter, in 1634, Plowden, granted 10,000 acres to Sir Thomas Danby on condition that he would settle one hundred planters on it, but not to suffer "any to live there not believing or professing the three Christian creeds, commonly called the Apostolical, Athanasian, and Nicene."
The Earl Palatinate visited his vast domain personally in 1642, sailing up the Delaware River-which two other adventurers had named the Charles-and found at Salem City, N. J., a settle- ment of seventy persons who had come hither from New Haven to continue their avocation as whalers. Their officers did not hesi- tate to swear allegiance to him as governor.
Owing to his retirement to Virginia, the execution of Charles I, and the advent of Cromwell with his Commonwealth, he lost grip of his possessions which fell into other hands, and although his grandsons, Thomas and George Plowden, came to America to assert their claims to New Albion in 1684, little seems to have
4
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
come of it. One Charles Varlo purchased one-third of the char- ter, and in 1784 came with his family, as he says, "invested with the proper power as governor to the Province," going even so far as to enter suit in chancery, but defeat sent him back to England, and the claim of the Plowdens, and the name New Albion, passed into oblivion.
The region between the Hudson and the Delaware rivers, of which little was known beyond the few hamlets near Manhattan, was called " Albania." It offered the greatest attraction to emi- grants, because it was "the most improveable part of the province, in respect not only to the land, but to the sea-coast and the Dela- ware River, the fertility of the soil, the neighborhood of Hudson's river, and, lastly, the fair hopes of rich mines."
Charles II issued a patent to his brother, the Duke of York, in which were included among other lands the provinces of New York and New Jersey. The Dutch, totally unsuspicious and un- prepared for war, capitulated to Sir Robert Carre, after articles of agreement had been mutually accepted which secured them in the possession of their property and in the practice of their relig- ion. The Duke of York on his part, thus having secured posses- sion of this vast territory, in consideration of a competent sum of money, granted and conveyed unto Lord Berkeley, baron of Stratton, and Sir George Carteret, of Saltrum, "all that tract of land to the west of Manhattan Island and Long Island, and bounded on the east part by the main sea, and part by Hudson's river, and hath upon the west Delaware bay or river, and ex- tendeth southward to the main ocean as far as Cape May, and to the northward as far as the northermost branch of the said bay or river of Delaware, and crosseth over thence in a straight line to Hudson's river, which said tract of land is hereafter to be called Nova Cæsarea, or New Jersey."
This document bears the date of June 23d and 24th, 1664. Berkeley and Carteret, being now sole proprietors of New Jersey, agreed upon a constitution, which by its broad liberality, especially in the matter of religion, was calculated to attract settlers. Article seventh declares: No person qualified, as aforesaid, shall at any time be molested, punished, disquieted, or called in question, for any difference in opinion or practice in matters of religious con- cernment ; but that all and every such person and persons may, from time to time, and at all times, freely and fully have and enjoy his and their judgments and consciences, in matters of religion, throughout the said province, etc., etc.
5
IN NEW JERSEY
While the Dutch were in power in New York, no laws adverse to Catholics were enacted, the bigotry afterward dominant being of English origin.
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