USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > First church in Newark : historical discourses, relating to the First Presbyterian church in Newark; originally delivered to the congregation of that church during the month of January, 1851 > Part 8
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burying place, for what reasons not now known, though a number of the first dead were buried there. This knoll is not now so much as claimed by the Church, though the swamp or pond, which divides it from the next knoll, eastward, is."
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72
FORTIFIED SANCTUARY.
and there, on any alarm, the brave soldiers of the little community assembled with their arms at beat of drum," to defend their homes and altars, their little ones and their wives. And now we notice two rudely constructed appendages, at two corners of the sacred edifice. They are called, in military phrase, "flankers," made with palisades, or sharpened stakes, driven near together in the ground, and so placed, that the sol- diers sheltered behind them, may command the sides of the house in every direction. They were construct- ed in the year 1675, when Philip's war was raging in New England, and the terror of Indian butcheries, so appalling to the people of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, could hardly fail to have communi- cated an alarm to their friends and relatives, even in this distant settlement. The house itself, as we shall see on entering it, has been fitted for defence ; for at the same period the town gave orders to have it lathed and the walls " filled up with thin stone and mortar as high as the girts"-a work on which all the men of the town above sixteen years of age, in companies of twelve, each day, wrought in their turns, carrying their arms with them as did the Israelites when they re-built their temple, to be ready against sudden sur-
year ensuing. These townsmen are ap- pointed to meet every lecture day in the af- ternoon." (Newark Town Records, p. 63.) Accordingly we find a record commencing thus : " After lecture the 1st of May, 1678, it was thought meet to send two letters to Holland, one to Anthony Colve, and the other to the Court of Admiralty," &c. Do., p. 69.
* Newark Town Records, p. 78. Under
date of March 22, 1679-80, we find the following : "It is agreed that the drum being begun to be beaten at Joseph Riggs's gate, and so all the way up the street as. far as Sergeant Harrison's gate ; and at the ceasing of the beating of the drum, three guns being distinctly fired off; it shall be sufficient warning for all such as are in the military list forthwith to meet at the meet- ing house in their arms."
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SABBATH MORNINGS.
prises .* The House of God was thus the house of re- fuge for the people; and there, had the savage foe burst upon them, would the women and children of the town have assembled for protection, close by God's holy altar. Smile not, if I apply, even to this rude and lowly edifice, words used with reference to a more am- ple and costly sanctuary. “ Walk about Zion, and go round about her; mark ye well her bulwarks; con- sider her palaces, that ye may tell it to the generation following." Though without either towers or palaces, not Zion itself was more sacred.
The holy morning has now dawned. Nearly oppo- site the Church, stands the residence of the late senior pastor, now occupied, we may presume, by his aged widow, with her two younger sons, Theophilust and Isaac, already grown to man's estate, who, having been carefully taught, according to their father's direction, " to read the English tongue and write a legible hand," are employing diligently the sacred hours in studying the "new English Bible," or perusing " the good Eng- lish book out of his library," " such as they by the
* Newark Town Records, p. 57. "Town meeting, Aug. 28, 1675 .- It is agreed that the meeting-house shall be lathed and filled up with thin stone and mortar be- tween the girts, and the charge hereof shall be levied as the town shall agree.
" Item-It is also agreed for the better security of the town, all the men above 16 years of age, shall from day to day as their turns come, attend this work about the meeting-house till it be finished, and bring their arms with them. Twelve men are appointed to appear in a day."
The General Assembly, in the year 1675, ordered fortifications to be provided in eve- ry town, and a house therein for securing
the women, children, provision and ammu- nition, in case of imminent danger by the Indians. Mr. Whitehead observes, p. 78, "It is doubtful if these were generally, if at all, provided." The people of Newark however responded at once by their action, to this as to all other laws of the Prov- ince. The law was passed in November. At a meeting early the next January, "Capt. Swaine, Sergeant Johnson and Ser- geant Harrison, are chosen by vote to join with the commissioned officers to con- sider about and contrive for the fortifica- tions belonging to our town." (Rec. p. 59.) + Theophilus was born March 15, 1659, and of course was now 23 years of age.
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ASSEMBLING FOR WORSHIP.
advice of their mother" were to choose, as a special legacy to them from that same venerable saint .*
All along up and down the street, stand, on either side, at regular intervals, the quiet homes of the plant- ers, and everywhere through the open windows, may be heard the voice of prayer and psalm-singing at the domestic altar, or the low hum of youthful voices studying or reciting the much prized catechism.
The hour of public worship now approaches, and the deep tones of the village drum, beaten along the the broad grassy street by one of the young men, gives the signal to make ready.+ It beats again ; and now, the doors opening, out come in every direction the grave fathers and mothers of the community, the stur- dy sons and comely daughters, with the cheerful and yet sober little ones, all in their best attire, and such as never sees the light except on Sabbath days, and for the sake of decency in God's worship. Down through the cross streets, and some on horseback from the far distant Mountain,¿ where the settlement was already extending itself, they pour along in pleasant family groups, and meet a united community at the house of prayer.
Let us enter with them the sacred enclosure. Di-
* Abraham Pierson, senior's, will.
+ The custom of calling the worship- pers together on the Lord's day with a drum was so common among the early settlers of New England, that there can be little doubt that such was the practice here. The drummer seems to have risen to the dignity of a town officer, for we read, under date of January 2, 1670, that " the town chose Joseph Johnson for drum-
mer as before, upon condition that he beats the first drum at least as far up as the saw pit in the corner of Sergeant Harrison's lot." (Newark Town Records, p. 32.)
# "Town meeting, December 12, 1681. It is voted that there shall be surveyors chosen to lay out highways as far as the mountain if need be," &c. (Newark Town Records, p. 89.)
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CONGREGATION SEATED.
rectly opposite the street door stands the simple pulpit, under the sloping roof of the low "lenter." * There are no pews claimed as private property by families or individuals, but seats ranged through the middle, and along the sides of the house, and every man, woman and child take the seats specially assigned to them by . the town's Committee, appointed for that purpose.+ We can hardly suppose there would be no inward heart-burnings among these staid Puritans in regard to the post of honor or obscurity which each person must occupy. But the Committee are good and true men, and, according to their best judgment, they have per- formed the delicate task set them, and arranged the whole congregation " according to office, age, estate, in- firmity, and descent or parentage."} In a seat below the pulpit, facing the congregation, sit the two worthy officers of the Church, Deacon Michael Tompkins and Deacon Richard Lawrence; for their venerable prede-
* I think there is little doubt that this was the arrangement of the pulpit. The Rev. Mr. Sewall, of Burlington, Mass., in- forms me that he remembers an ancient house of worship in his native town of Marblehead, Mass., corresponding to that above described, and that the pulpit was arranged under the roof of the lean-to.
+ The Town Records contain the fol- lowing notices of the process of preparing this portion of Sabbath conveniences. " Town meeting, Feb. 12, 1678-9. Item. It is agreed that the meeting house shall be seated in convenient time for our con- venience in meeting together for God's worship." "Item .- The townsmen, Thom- as Luddington, Captain Swaine and John Brown, junior, are chosen to con- trive for the most decent and convenient way (as they think) to seat it; also, as near as they can, report what it will cost." pp. 71-2.
"Feb. 19 .- Item .-- The town doth em - power the committee already chosen to carry on the seating the meeting house with as good prudence as they can." (p. 74.) "July, 1680. It is agreed that the middle part of the meeting house, which is yet to be seated, shall have three seats of a side." (p. 80.)
# " Town meeting, Feb. 18, 1679-80. Concerning seating persons in the meeting house, it was agreed that persons should be placed according to office, age, estate, infirmity, and descent or parentage. By estate is meant that estate as persons pur- chased and took up land by, together with the present estate, comparing all these to- gether. Mr. Ward, Mr. Johnson, Deacon Tompkins, Richard Harrison, Stephen Davis, Thomas Huntington and John Brown, jr., are chosen a committee to this work." (Newark Town Records, pp. 77, 78.)
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SUPPRESSION OF DISORDER.
cessor, Deacon Ward, has been sleeping quietly now these ten years in the little church-yard, where his old pastor rests beside him, waiting for the glorious morn- ing of the Resurrection.
The front seats are filled " as far as practicable with men and women ;" for the youth and children must not occupy the preferred places .* The young people of the congregation are ranged behind; and since, being separated from their parents and by their posi- tion somewhat out of the reach of admonishing looks, they are inclined sometimes to forget the sanctity of the place, and "misbehave themselves in the time of worship, by whispering, sleeping and the like," a special officer appointed by the town-Azariah Crane, some time after Deacon Azariah Crane,+ is the man for this half year-has them in charge, with powers extending likewise to any of larger growth who may be disposed to offend, "to see that they do carry themselves rev- erently" both in and about the House of God in the time of worship .¿
* " Town meeting, February the 24th, 1681-2. Item .- It was agreed that the foremost seats in the meeting house shall be occupied with men and women so far forth as conveniency will admit." (Town Records, p. 91.)
+ Azariah Crane, son of Jasper Crane, senior, was probably elected to the office of Deacon, on the decease of Deacon Tompkins or Deacon Lawrence, about the year 1690 or '91. He married Mary, daughter of Robert Treat, and resided on the home-lot of his father-in-law, on the south-east corner of Market and Broad streets. He is supposed to have been the last survivor of the original subscribers of the Fundamental Agreements. He died in 1730, aged 83. In his will, he gave "to
the Church of Christ in Newark aforesaid, my silver bowl, to be used for the service of God forever, in the town of Newark aforesaid." He had sons-Nathaniel, Aza- riah, John and Robert .- S. H. Congar.
For a time he seems to have resided on his out-lands at "the mountain."
# Newark Town Records. Under date of Nov. 24, 1679, we find the following : "Item-There being complaint that many, as are grown persons, as well as boys, do misbehave themselves on the Lord's day, in the time of public service, both in the meeting house and without by the house sides, also by sleeping, whispering and the like ; wherefore the town hath chosen Thomas Pierson, jr., and Samuel Potter to use their best care and endeavor to restrain
77
WORSHIPPERS ARMED.
The men are armed; for the town voted, only a short time before, that a watch should be kept in the night and a ward on Sabbath days; and gave direc- tions, not as on other occasions, that " one-fourth of the town shall carry arms to meeting on the Lord's day," but that "every soldier do bring his arms every day of public worship, well fixed, and also his ammuni- tion." Two warders and one sentry stand to guard against surprises ; and the chief military officers, Cap- tain Samuel Swaine* and Lieutenant John Curtis, have the charge of the whole matter.
In the pulpit stands the reverend divine, with whose name and history hitherto you are already fa- miliar. In his person he is somewhat taller than the middle stature, "a fleshy, well-favored and comely looking man,"+ and now arrived at the mature age of thirty-seven years. You perceive in him one of the best specimens of the first growth of the American Colonies ; born in the country, educated at its own University, and destined to perform an important part in its literary and religious history. What were the words of truth he then uttered, what the psalms they sang, and what the prayers they offered, is now known only to the Omniscient. The sweet odor of their sim- ple worship has gone up as incense to the throne of
like disorder in time of public worship, by rebuking such persons as behave them- selves irreverently, within or without the the house; and if they are such grown persons as will not be restrained by their rebukes, then they are to present them to the authority." p. 76.
* Capt. Swaine must have had vivid impressions of Indian atrocity-his own sister having been seized and carried off by a fierce Pequot chief, at Weathersfield, many years before. (See Trumbull's Hist. Conn., vol. 1, p. 115.)
+ Letter to President Stiles.
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PRCULIAR PRIVILEGES.
Jehovah, and the instructions given left their traces only on the hearts of the listeners.
Highly favored of the Lord seemed this little assem- bly of devout worshippers. In all this region, God had not dealt so with any people. There were a few Christian congregations in the neighboring settlements, indeed in every town occupied by New England emi- grants "there was a meeting-house where they wor- shipped publicly every week," and one or two of these had had ministers, but they were dead; and now, as to their praise it is declared by a contemporary, "the people meet together every Sabbath day, and read, and pray, and sing psalms in their meeting- houses." But more than one contemporary bears wit- ness, that not a settled preacher is to be found in all East Jersey who follows no other employment, save in one town, Newark .* They love the Sabbath, they love the sanctuary, they well appreciate, and regard with honor and affection, their learned, pious, and truly excellent mimister. And though, in coming to this new settlement, and planting here, in a wilderness
* This was said in 1684, but was equally true two years earlier. A joint letter of David Barclay, Arthur Forbes and Gawen Laurie, written to the Proprietors in Scot- land, March, 1684, says: " There be peo- ple of several sorts of religion ; few very zealous. The people being mostly New England men, do mostly incline to their way ; and in every town there is a meeting house where they worship publicly every week. They have no public law in the country for maintaining public teachers, but the towns that have them make way within themselves to maintain them. We know none that hath a settled preacher that follows no other employment, save head, pp. 291, 302.)
one town-Newark." Peter Watson, wri- ting to his brother John, in August of the same year, says: "There are here very good religious people; they go under the name of Independents, but are most like to the Presbyterians, only they will not receive every one to their society. We have great need of good and faithful min- isters, and I wish to God there would come some over here; they can live as well and have as much as in Scotland, and more than many get. We have none within all the Province of East Jersey, except one who is preacher in Newark." ("Model of the Government," see White-
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DEATH OF FIRST SETTLERS.
tenanted hitherto only with savages and wild beasts,* the institutions of religion, they have been required to make many sacrifices, and still, as their garrisoned Church testifies, are subjected to some troubles and fears, their blessings far outweigh all their disadvan- tages, and praise to the Giver of all good, forms a large part, both of their public and their private devotions.
But I must hasten to the close of this bright portion of our early history. The ministry of the two Pier- sons extended over just a quarter of a century, and all the while time was working its gradual changes. A few names of considerable note were early added to the original settlers,+ while some who appeared at first among the number went back soon, or removed to other settlements, Meanwhile, death had been clos- ing up the earthly account of the revered fathers of
* Wolves and bears must have caused no little trouble to the settlers, especially the former, if we may judge from the ef- forts made to destroy them. One of the earliest town acts was the offer of a bounty for the killing of wolves. From fifteen to twenty shillings was the reward for a grown wolf, and five shillings for a bear cub. There were laws to the same effect made by the General Assembly. But as to the town's bounty, the savage beast must be caught and killed within the town's bounds, or else no pay was to be received for either wolf or bear. Sergeant Riggs seems to have exercised his martial prowess in this direction, and had a " wolf pit" somewhere within the bounds of the settlement. (Town Records, pp. 5, 76, 91, 103.) James Johnstone, a Scotchman, writing to his friends at home, says the wolves "are nothing to be feared, neither are the country people afraid to be among them all night, in so much that I ofttimes going wrong and lying out all night, and
hearing their yells about me, and telling that I was afraid of them, the country peo- ple laughed at it." The snakes, too, the worthy Scotchman thought but a mere circumstance ; for, he continues, "nothing can come near them but they give warn- ing with the rattling of their tails, so that people may either kill them or go by them as they please." ("The Model of the Government," see Whitehead, p. 298.)
+ Among the early additions to the set- tlement were Robert Bond, who came from Elizabethtown probably in 1678, John Morris, Bartholomew Goodrich, David Ogden, who came from Elizabethtown about 1677, John Gardner, Richard Fletch- er, Matthew Williams, John Brown, jr., Anthony Oleff or Olive, John Mackleson, John Cockburn, Samuel Potter, Patrick Falconer (merchant), John Wilkins, John Couch, Zophar Beach, (tailor), John Con- dit.
# Among those whose names are men- tioned as if intending to become settlers,
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DEATH OF FIRST SETTLERS.
the community. When Robert Treat returned to Connecticut in the year 1672, Deacon Ward, Sergeant Riggs,* Robert Kitchel, and Hugh Roberts, were al- ready among the dead. Matthew Camfield, and prob- ably Delivered Crane, departed this life during the year following; Stephen Freeman died in 1675; John Harrison, son of Sergeant Richard, in 1676, and Josiah Ward in or before 1677. All these preceded their aged senior pastor, and were, perhaps, attended by him to the grave. Jasper Crane, Sen., Martin Tichenor, George Day, Samuel Swaine, and Obadiah Bruen fin- ished their course, it is supposed, about the year 1681. Sergeant Richard Harrison, John Ward Turner, Thom- as Huntington, and John Rogers, about the years 1683 and '84. Joseph Walters died in 1688, and Jo- seph Riggs in 1689. John Brown, senior, John Bald- win, junior, Stephen Davis, Samuel Kitchel,+ Michael Tompkins, and Richard Lawrence, were among the harvest which death reaped in the years 1690 and '91. Patrick Falconer, a near neighbor and special friend of the second Abraham Pierson, fell in the prime of
but who either never came, or went back very soon, are Mr. Leet, Mr. Thomas Mor- ris, Mr. Webster, Thomas and Aaron Blatchley, John Bostwick, Eleazar Rogers, John Rockwell, Robert Lyman, Azariah Beech, John Gregory, John Brooks, Thomas Harrison, Joseph Horton, and Goodman Cole. John Catlin sold his land to Henry Lyon, about 1682. John Rogers, senior, died in Milford, 1683 or '84. Jere- miah Peck sold his lands to Mr. Wilson in 1674, and removed to Elizabethtown. (Query-Was this the Jeremiah Peck of whom Trumbull speaks, vol. 1, p. 292, as having been selected by the people of New Haven for the teacher of the College which
they at one time had in mind to establish on the basis of the Hopkins fund ?)
* Edward Riggs, Sen., or Sergeant Ed- ward, died previous to January, 1670-71, when his second division of land was laid out to his widow. Town Records, p. 35. Edward and Joseph were his sons.
+ Samuel Kitchel died April 26th, 1690. His children named in the will are, Sam- uel the eldest son, to whom he gave a dou- ble portion, Elizabeth, wife of Seth Tomp- kins, Abigal wife of John Ward, son of Sergeant John; Mary, wife of a Josiah Ward ; Susanna, wife of Jonathan Bald- win, and Abraham, who seems to have been a minor, afterwards Deacon Abraham Kitchel of Whippany.
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DEATH OF FIRST SETTLERS.
life, in the year 1692,* a few months only before the close of this period. John Ward, senior, Thomas John- son,t Ephraim Pennington, Thomas Lyon, Ebenezer Camfield, John Brown, junior, John Crane, and Ste- phen Bond, stayed but a little longer, and were all gathered to their rest, in and about the year 1694. The virgin soil of the old burying ground, unbroken by the hand of the husbandman, was now becoming thick sown with the precious seed of the Resurrection !
And how died they ? It were hardly to be expected we should hear their departing testimony, since the me- moir of none of them has been written, except as they unconsciously chronicled their own. And yet we have a specimen. Sweet is it to learn that so many of these noble men died as they had lived, in the same faith and holy devotion which had been the spring of their worldly prudence and enterprise; leaving to their pos- terity, in the same instruments which conveyed the title to their lands and houses, signed and sealed before witnesses, with their own hands, the precious legacy of their unshaken piety.
* Patrick Falconer is called a merchant. In the old burying-ground there is a stone with this inscription: "Here lyeth the body of Patrick Falconer, who died June 27, 1692, aged 33 years.
"Here lyeth the reliques Of a real saint,
Who suffered much for Christ, And did not faint ;
And when his race was run, Ending his story,
He sweetly past through death To endless glory."
t The tomb-stone of this most active and useful settler is still standing, and bears the following inscription :
"Here lyes the body of Mr. Thomas Johnson, who died November the 5, 1694, aged 64."
That of his wife, who died three days before him, is also standing, and is in- scribed as follows :
"Here lyes the body of Mrs. Ellena Johnson, who died November 2, 1694, aged 61."
The body of their son Joseph, the drum- mer, who died in 1734, at the advanced (See Monumental Inscriptions by Dr. age of 83, lies not far off. John S. Condit.)
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HOLY DYING.
On the 19th of March, 1672-3, old Matthew Cam- field "sick and weak in body," records as his dying act of self-devotion, "I give my body to the dust, and soul to the Lord Jesus Christ." In early June follow- ing, the green turf was already growing over the last resting place of this venerable patriarch .*
Jasper Crane, senior, shrewd, enterprising, ever active old Jasper, on the first day of October, 1678, perceiv- ing that he had made his last earthly settlement, and had but one remove more to be undertaken, thus de- clares his determination to address himself to his dying duties, "I, Jasper Crane, dwelling within the province of New Jersey belonging to the town of Newark- being aged in years and weak in body, yet well in un- derstanding and memory-I do at this time think it my Christian duty to set my house in order, and I do dispose of all my worldly goods as followeth." Some time between this date and the 28th of October, 1681, this veteran pilgrim crossed the river on his way to the land of spirits.+
Samuel Swaine, happening to be in New York, when disease seized him, and death seemed to be not far, thus testified the readiness of his spirit to answer the last summons, "I, Samuel Swaine, being in perfect
* He died between the date given above, and the 6th of June following .- S. H. Con- gar.
+ October 28th, 1681, John Ward and Thomas Pierson apprized the inventory of his estate as presented to them for that purpose by his son, Delivered Crane, and his son-in-law, Thomas Huntington. As his name appears in a list rendered in town meeting, by a com- mittee previously appointed, on the 19th
of October the same year, it is probable that he died not far from the date of the inventory. Jasper Crane, Sen., had four sons Delivered, or Deliverance as it is sometimes written, Azariah, John, and Jasper, Jr., of whom the first three were original subscribers; and thelast became hardly less distinguished than his father in the affairs of the church and town. Delivered Crane died early, and is said to have left no issue.
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