USA > New Jersey > Passaic County > Preakness and the Preakness Reformed Church : a history 1695-1902 : with genealogical notes, the records of the church and tombstone inscriptions > Part 19
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The pastoral relation of Mr. Cole with this Church ceased Oct. 6, 1872, with much sorrow on the part of his many friends. The brother was rather strict along temperance lines, too much so for some of his parishioners; but there were those among his officers and in the congregation who upheld him. Hence dis- agreement and disaffection. For a year or more a divided state among the people had been developing, which made it imperative, for the good of the Church, that a change in the pastorate take place. Sept. 27, 1872, Rev. A. Van de Water, of Ponds, was present by request, and moderated the meeting of Consistory called for the purpose of making application to Classis for a dissolution of the pastoral relation.
The following at that time were passed :
"Resolved, That it is with feelings of reluctance and sorrow for the circumstances that render it necessary. We would have been glad to have retained him as our pastor. We will remember with gratitude his faith- ful services, and our prayers shall follow him to his new field of labor."
"Resolved, That we make application to Classis for a dissolution of the pastoral relation between Rev. S. T. Cole and this Church, the same to take effect Oct. 6."
The Rev. S. T. Cole united with the Consistory in making this request.
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We quote from the Minutes of Classis, which met in the First Reformed Church of Totowa, at Paterson, Oct. 1, 1872 :
"Settlement and Removal of Ministers."
"The Rev. A. Van de water presented the following certificate and re- port, to wit:
'This certifies that the undersigned was present by request, at a meeting of the Consistory of the Church of Preakness, Sept. 27, 1872, and superintended the proceedings thereof; when it was resolved that an ap- plication be made to the Classis of Passaic for a dissolution of the Pas- toral relation existing between Rev. S. T. Cole and said Church, the same to take effect on the 6th day of October next. The Rev. S. T. Cole declared his concurrence in said application.
Signed
A. VAN DEWATER.'
"The undersigned respectfully reports to the Classis of Passaic that there were present at that meeting two Elders and one Deacon, and ad- visory one Elder and one Deacon,-all of whom expressed their regard and esteem for their beloved Pastor, and their sorrow and regret for any neces- sity of his leaving; that they would have been glad to have had him re- main with them; that they would hold his faithful services in grateful remembrance, and with their prayers follow him to his new field of labor, to which he felt it his duty to go; but under the circumstances gave their reluctant consent, hoping that the Lord would make it all for the best for him and for them; and that the Rev. S. T. Cole, in uniting with the Con- sistory in this application, expressed also his sorrow at parting, in review- ing the past, found many places where memory could dwell with pleasure -would hold the Church of Preakness in heartfelt and prayerful remem- brance, and hoped that the Good Shepherd would send them another Pas- tor who would do much better for them than he had done; but felt it his duty to leave them, and go where the Lord in His Providence had called him; that the Consistory made a full settlement with the Pastor as to the temporal contract to the 1st of October next; and that the meeting was per- fectly harmonious. All of which is respectfully submitted.
Signed, A. VAN DE WATER.' "
"The above Certificate and Report were received, when it was moved that the pastoral relation between the Rev. S. T. Cole and the Church of Preakness be and is hereby dissolved to take effect on the 6th day of Octo- ber next."
It was also Resolved, that in accordance with the request of Brother Cole, he be dismissed to the Classis of Saratoga within whose bounds he has accepted a call, and that the Stated Clerk give him the usual certifi- cate."
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CHAPTER XII.
THE PASTORATE OF REV. A. A. ZABRISKIE.
The following year, March 20, 1873, Rev. J. N. Jansen mod- erating the meeting, it was resolved in Consistory to call Rev. A. A. Zabriskie, of Keyport, N. J., on a salary of $800, the largest ever offered here. Mr. Zabriskie accepted the call, and was in- stalled by committee of Classis, Sunday afternoon, July 6. On this occasion, Rev. S. T. Searle presided, read the form, and pro- posed the Constitutional Questions. The sermon, by special invi- tation of Classis, was preached by Rev. W. W. Newell, of New York City; Rev. J. H. Whitehead charged the pastor ; and Rev. J. N. Jansen, the people.
Mr. Zabriskie was born at Bergen Point, N. J., Apr. 11,
THE REV. A. A. ZABRISKIE.
1843; was graduated at Rutgers College, in 1865; and at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, in 1868. He was licensed by the Classis of Bergen the same year. His first charge was at Farmer Village, N. Y., 1868-9. From there he went to Keyport, N. J., where he remained until he came to Preakness; and here his pastorate lasted until July 30, 1878, a little over five years, when he removed to Franklin .Furnace. The brother has had other charges since, both in and out of the Reformed Church, East and West. He recently labored at the Highlands of the Navesink.
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At present (1902) he is at Brown's Station, in the Classis of Ulster.
During the pastorate of Brother Zabriskie over this Church, there were proportionally large accessions to the membership,- 41 in all,-37 of them on confession, and 4 by letter. As the result of extra meetings in Upper Preakness Schoolhouse, in the Spring of 1876,-meetings which were attractive and largely attended,-14 united on confession at the June communion, Rev. E. N. Sebring preaching the sermon at the preparatory service, and being present when the converts were examined. But there were other occasions besides this one, when several persons, from three to five, united with the Church, at different communion seasons.
The congregation, of course, in the meantime had grown some, or it may be that there was only a change again in the method of making out the report to Classis. In the spring that Mr. Zabriskie came to Preakness, no report was sent in to Classis. But in 1874, the number of families had jumped from 46, in 1872, to 65, and the membership from 52 to 61, notwithstanding there had been 6 deaths. The highest number of families reported during the five years or so Mr. Zabriskie was here was 79,-more nearly to what it had been under Mr. Staats at his best, and Mr. Durand. How- ever, a return was made the year he left to the method pursued hy Mr. Cole, that is, of counting only those who took a more or less active part in Church support, or were more or less regular in their attendance upon the Church services, which brought the figures back again to 50; while the membership that year had risen to 93. Feb. 16, 1874, a Ladies' Sewing and Mite Society was formed which continued in existence for some time as an aid to Church support. In the fall of that year, the ladies of the congregation, through this Society, made considerable improve- ment in the church edifice, in the way of painting and otherwise, all of which improvements they paid for. The bracket lamps that we have now were put in at that time, and also coal stoves.
On Dec. 13, of this year, (1874), occurred, in Upper Preak- ness, one of the saddest accidents ever known in Passaic county,- "five children out of one family finding a watery grave within sight of their home, and under the very eyes of their horror stricken parents." The family was that of John Dotterweich, then living on what was known at that time as the Allen place, about a half a mile up in the mountain by a private road leading to the right
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from the old Paterson and Hamburg Turnpike, and West of what is called the Green Brook Farm. Mr. Dotterweich's family con- sisted of himself, wife, and nine children. About two hundred yards from the house is an old brickyard pond, covering an acre and a half, which, when full of water, as it usually is in winter, is quite deep. There had been a cold snap, and ice had formed on the pond ; but it was not strong enough to bear a very heavy weight, particularly as a thaw had set in. The accident was on a Sunday. The oldest daughter of the family, Caroline, aged 16, had that morning come home from Paterson, where she was employed, and after dinner started out with five of the other children to have a slide on the ice. The names of the children who went with her were Au- gusta, aged 14 years and 8 months; Maggie, 13 years; John, 11; Philip, 9 years and 10 months; and Barbara, 6 years and 5 months. John did not go on the ice, or beyond the edge of the pond, and was saved, he giving the alarm. The rest moved out towards the middle of the pond. Philip was riding on a sled, which Augusta pushed, while the other three immediately brought up the rear. The weight of this number of persons, so close together, caused the ice at last to break, and all consequently were very unexpectedly precipitated into the water, much beyond their depth ; which made them helpless. John ran for his parents; but the strugglers being fifty feet or more out from the shore, the water deep, and the ice breaking every step that Mr. and Mrs. Dotter- weich took as they waded up to their necks toward their children, with no proper means at hand but a rope which was too short, rescue was futile. Among those who came early upon the scene, was Peter C. Post, the Sexton of the church, who, getting into a boat which Henry Sauers procured from what is now Barbour's Pond, below the mountain, in an hour or so after the accident, by raking the pond, with the help of Henry T. Loundes and Charles H. Tintle, took the bodies from the water. It was a heartrending spectacle to see the five lifeless forms, later in the day, as they lay side by side on the floor of an upper room in the house just as they were brought in.
The funeral was in this church, on Wednesday, the 16th, and was the occasion of the largest gathering ever seen in Preakness,- from 800 to 1,000 people, it is said, being in and around the build- ing; while, by actual count, 188 conveyances, of various kinds, which had brought the crowd, were here collected together.
The Rev. Mr. Wahrenberger, of the Elm Street German
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Presbyterian Church of Paterson, which Church the family some- times attended, conducted a preliminary service at the house in German. After this, the five coffins having been placed in two wagons, the family occupying three coaches, the long and solemn procession moved toward God's house. At the corner of the road opposite the Upper Preakness district schoolhouse, the moving cortege was joined by the Sunday School, of which the deceased children were pupils. Twenty of the older boys, appointed to act as bearers, formed on either side of the wagons containing the remains, the rest of the school following the coaches in which the family rode. This throughout was an exceedingly touching and most interesting incident among the experiences of the day.
Arriving at the church, the bodies were taken by the bearers with each coffin, the youngest first, and the others in order according to their ages, and, preceded by the clergy of different denominations present, the unusually sad procession marched up the aisle, while the bodies were placed in two rows in front of the pulpit, the bearers taking their places on one side, the relatives on the other, and the Sunday School behind the latter. The church was densely packed, the aisles were crowded, and hundreds thronged about the doorway, unable to gain admission.
The music for the service was rendered by the Broadway Paterson Reformed Church choir, under the leadership of I. F. Boice. Rev. C. S. Coit, of Grace M. E. Church, Paterson, offered the invocation. Rev. J. N. Jansen, of Pompton, read the Scripture selections. Prayer followed by Rev. John Steele, D.D., of the First Reformed Church of Totowa, at Paterson. The pastor of the Church, Rev. A. A. Zabriskie, preached an eloquent and deeply impressive sermon from 2 Cor. 1: 3, after which came a prayer by Rev. E. N. Sebring, of Fairfield. The benediction was pronounced by Rev. A. A. King, of Campgaw. The bodies were laid away in a single large grave in the new cemetery south of the church. People yet talk of that day as one of the most memorable in their experience.
Some of the Dotterweich family still remain in Preakness. August and his family, with whom his mother makes her home, are yet here. Also Annie, who married Ernest Hausaman. The Hausamans live on what was the William D. Doremus place.
In 1875, the Lower Preakness Sunday School was organized, which, with the exception of four years (1892-5 inclusive) during the present pastorate, has been in operation ever since, and, if we
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mistake not, for the whole time, or about the whole time, both winter and summer. This Sunday School was organized as the result of a meeting of some of the people in the neighborhood called by Mrs. Jacob Stagg. Isaac W. Blain was the first Superin- tendent, and Peter J. Doremus, the first Secretary and Treasurer, both of them for many years. Other Superintendents have been Peter J. Doremus, Miss Rachel A. Berry, Archibald Lindsey, and Rev. Geo. W. Labaw. The present Secretary and Treasurer who has had her position since the reorganization of the School in 1895 is Miss Minnie L. Bensen. The School has always been held in the district schoolhouse, and as a rule has been very prosperous.
Other things attaching to the pastorate of Mr. Zabriskie were: All the collections for benevolence established under Mr. Cole were continued. Also, the custom, since, adhered to, of the con- gregation, through their Consistory, furnishing all the hay required for the pastor's horse, is mentioned in the early records of this settlement, if indeed it was not begun under Mr. Zabriskie. And then in 1876, a resolution was offered by Elder Peter G. Merselis, and passed in Consistory, in favor of a collection being taken up at every regular Church service, the application being particularly to the Sunday evening service, which has likewise been the custom most of the time since.
Mr. Zabriskie's pastorate in Preakness was an important one, and in some respects has been the main one in his career. He felt much at home here among friends, and bought, and, for a number of years, owned what is at present the Charles H. Tintle farm across the road from the church. But the time came at last when the brother felt it his duty to leave this charge, and on May 20, 1878, he offered his resignation, to take effect, August 1st, follow- ing, and it was accepted. At a meeting of Consistory, May 28, Rev. J. N. Jansen, of Pompton, by invitation, being in the chair, a formal application to Classis for a dissolution of the pastoral relation was made out, and the next day, at a special meeting of Classis, at Wyckoff, was presented to Classis, when it was resolved "that the application be granted, and that the pastoral connection between Rev. Albert A. Zabriskie and the Church at Preakness be and hereby is dissolved, to take effect on the first of August next." Brother Jansen, at the same time, in addition to the read- ing of the customary certificate, stated for the benefit of the brethren that four deacons and one elder were present at the meeting of Consistory when the action referred to was taken, and
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that one elder came after the meeting had adjourned; but who, so far as was known, acquiesced in the proceedings. We thus see that it so happened that Mr. Jansen presided at both meetings of the Consistory,-when Mr. Zabriskie was called here, as well as when he was dismissed.
Perhaps we should note in this connection that a daughter, Jennie, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Zabriskie in Preakness, who at the age of 24, in. May, 1900, received an appointment to the Chair of Domestic Art, in the Missouri State University, an insti- tution which at that time had 1,200 students, and is endowed in the sum of three and one-half millions of dollars. Miss Jennie Zabriskie gained this appointment over a number of competitors from various institutions. She herself is a graduate of Pratt Institute.
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CHAPTER XIII.
PASTORATE OF REV. B. V. D. WYCKOFF.
Nov. 15, 1878, Consistory met in the church, for the purpose of drawing up a call to be presented to Mr. B. V. D. Wyckoff, a recent graduate of the Theological Seminary, at New Brunswick, and a licentiate of the Classis of New Brunswick. The Rev. A. V. V. Raymond, of Paterson, was moderator of the meeting, and Mr. Wyckoff himself being present, signified his willingness to accept the call, as soon as it might be ratified by Classis. Classis, for this purpose, and, if the way be clear for the ordination and installation of the candidate, met in this church, Dec. 10, 1878;
THE REV. B. V. D. WYCKOFF.
when, Brother Wyckoff accepting the call placed in his hands, pre- sented his Certificate of Licensure, but had omitted to secure a Certificate of Dismission from the Classis of New Brunswick. Classis not being able to proceed regularly without this Certificate, two of the members of that Classis, Revs. James Le Fevre and J. P. Searle, being present, gave assurance that they would see that the Certificate was furnished later; when the Classis received the candidate provisionally, on his signing the formula, and his examination was conducted and sustained. The necessary formali- ties being then gone through with, the ordination and installation services were rendered in the afternoon, as follows: The Rev. A. V. V. Raymond made the invocation. The Scripture lesson was
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read by Rev. J. P. Searle. Prayer was offered by Rev. J. N. Jansen. Rev. I. P. Brokaw, from the Classis of Bergen, by invita- tion of Classis, preached the sermon. After which Brother Wyckoff was ordained by the laying on of hands, this being the second service of the kind in this church, and the installation services immediately followed, Rev. James Le Fevre charging the pastor, and Rev. S. T. Searle, the people. The Rev. S. T. Searle also presided, read the form, and declared the relation of pastor and people duly constituted. The newly installed pastor pronounced the benediction. Naturally there was rejoicing again in Preak- ness on the completion of this day's work.
Mr. Wyckoff was born in Middlebush, N. J., June 1, 1856; was graduated from Rutgers College, in 1875 ; and from the Theo- logical Seminary, at New Brunswick, in 1878. The brother entered upon his ministerial duties as soon as ordained and installed, and continued the successful pastor of this Church until the last of March, 1884, when he went to Readington, N. J., where he still serves. On May 8, 1879, at Middlebush, he married Fannie H. Drew.
During the interim between Mr. Zabriskie and Mr. Wyckoff, services were not held here regularly, and few candidates were heard. The people, however, were at once taken with Mr. Wyckoff, when he preached for them in September. Preparatory Service was held and the Lord's Supper administered in December of that year by Rev. J. C. Cruikshank.
At the beginning of the year 1879, it was resolved in Consistory "to copy up and revise the Church record books." The pastor offered to do the work with Elder Uriah J. Van Riper's help, and it was afterwards thoroughly done; although we are not sure that Elder Van Riper was able to afford the assistance counted on, as in a little over a month after this he died. Following the record of the Elder's death, Feb. 23, 1879, are the words, in Mr. Wyckoff's handwriting : "A prince in Israel." Elder Van Riper's death was a great loss to the Church. Consistory at its meeting Feb. 28, decided, but did not adhere to the resolution very long, to meet monthly. Steps at the same time were taken to secure the services ct Miss Della (Delphine) Tintle, daughter of Thomas Tintle, as Church organist. She had served before, and now served again for several years. The spring report to Classis spoke hopefully of the new condition of things, and the progress generally of re- organization under the new pastorate. Some outside repairs on the
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church and parsonage lots, mostly in connection with the fences, were made during the summer and fall of that year, and also in the spring of 1880. On June 17, 1779, a great shock came to the community in the sudden death of Albert Smith, who, just after returning home from church that day, while adjusting the tin leader on his house, during a heavy thunder shower, was struck by lightning and killed. On March 5, 1880, it was resolved in Consistory that
"All monies paid for pew rent to private parties letting the pews should be paid to the Consistory for salary instead."
The report to Classis in 1880 showed a very great improve- ment over the previous year. The number of families was the same, 57. The membership had increased to 92. Monies raised and expended for Congregational purposes amounted to $1,060.31. In the accompanying remarks, we find: "The year past has been for our Church one of prosperity and blessing. Although there has been no unusual manifestation of the Divine favor in our midst, yet the ordinary work of the Church has advanced in interest and power." The Ladies' Sewing and Mite Society, still in operation, we see paid bills this year to the amount of $312.50. The two Sunday Schools too were open all the year for the first time in the Church's history. Later in the year (November), a floating debt of about $100 was provided for largely by personal contribu- tions of the members of Consistory. During this year also, as reported to Classis in the spring of 1881, a Ladies' Tract Society was organized, which distributed tracts among the families of the congregation not only, but among 50 other families besides, who were not church-going. The Sunday School work likewise had advanced, and promised rich fruitage for the future. Nov. 10, 1881, the pastor having received a call from the Reformed Church of Flatbush, Ulster County, N. Y., Consistory, after a canvass of the congregation, resolved to raise his salary, from $525, on which he had been called, to $675, and, as soon as possible, to a full $700, if he would stay, which he promised to, and a paper to this effect was drawn up and properly signed.
The spring report to Classis, in 1882, had a ringing tone. The membership, for the first time in the history of the Church, passed the 100 mark,-5 accessions on confession, and 7 by letter, after deducting losses, bringing it up to 102. Nearly $100 also was contributed to Foreign Missions, showing a growing interest in that work. While $400 had been raised, over and above the
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ordinary expenditures of support, for an extension of the church in the alcove back of the pulpit, and other repairs made during the following spring and summer. After being closed for several weeks, the church was reopened for service June 25. The com- munion set or service the Church has was procured at this time by the ladies of the congregation led by Mrs. John Campbell, Miss Dorcas Berdan, and Mrs. Peter J. Doremus. The monthly services at Mountain View, so far as the pastor of this Church was con- cerned were discontinued in the early part of 1883, on the com- pletion of the Union, afterwards the Methodist, Chapel there, and after this time service began to be held every Sabbath evening in the church.
Mr. Wyckoff, in the late winter or early spring of 1884, having received a call from the Reformed Church of Readington, N. J., decided it was his duty to accept, and arrangements were conse- quently made to effect a dissolution of the pastoral relation. March 4, Rev. J. H. Owens, of Fairfield, on invitation of the pastor, was present, and presided at a meeting of the Consistory called for this purpose, when a formal application was made and signed. Regrets were expressed by all who were present at this meeting; vet inasmuch as Providence was evidently guiding in the matter, none could withhold his consent to the action taken. Fitting resolutions were drawn up and unanimously adopted as follows:
"Whereas, God has in His Providence called our pastor, Rev. B. V. D). Wyckoff, from us to labor in a new and larger field of usefulness: be it
"Resolved, That we do hereby record that he has been to us all that we could desire, both as pastor and friend.
"Also we wish to express our sincere sorrow that we must part with him, and assure him that our earnest prayers will go with him to his new field, to the end that the most abundant success may attend his labors there.
"Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be placed upon the minutes of Consistory and also presented to Classis."
Mr. Wyckoff stated at this time that he expected to remain in the place and fill the pulpit until Sunday, March 23; but as the quarter would end on March 10, he wished to serve the last two weeks gratuitously.
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