USA > New Jersey > Hudson County > Jersey City > Sketch of the early history of the Reformed Dutch Church of Bergen, in Jersey City : compiled from the ancient church records, and deacon's account books of Bergen, Communipaw, and Hasymus > Part 2
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At a few miles distance from Bergen, near the banks of the Hack- ensack river, stood a Huguenot church of which, very strange, almost every remembrance has been lost, and up to this time, only a few stray entries in some of the old records of neighboring churches, point to its having existed. The church records of Bergen contain some such entries, one of which reads as follows: "1693, February 28th, Daniel De Vouw, widower, and Engeltje Cornelis appeared here with certificate from the French church at Hackinsack, that for three Sun- days they had had their marriage proclamations without hindrance. 'T'hey were accordingly joined in marriage on February 28th, by R. Van Giesen, in presence of the court." A few days later, on March the 5th, 1693, Jan Wette and Annetje Cornelis, likewise from the French church at Hackensack, were also united in marriage at Bergen.
After the English had taken New Netherland, emigration fro'n Holland to North America ceased almost entirely for about 180 years, and what little Holland emigration there was during most of that time, was directed towards South Africa. On August 12th, 1710, Cornelis Cornelisse Doremus, born at Middelburg, was married at Bergen, and eighty-five years elapsed before the name of another native born Hollander was entered upon the marriage record of the village. On December 27th, 1795, Peter Baten and Helena Catharina Coops, both from Holland, and living at English Neighborhood, were married by Rev. J. Cornelison, and five years later, on August 16th, 1800. William Anthony Vander Heyden and Elizabeth Van Holten, both from Holland and living at Bergen, were likewise married by the same.
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Up to October 3d, 1681, all marriages had been performed in the school house, but on the above date Dirck Epkese (Banta) and Hester Hanse ; besides Wiert Epkese (Banta) and Geertje Jelisse Mandeville were the first couples to be married in the church.
It is evident from the entries in the records that nearly all mar- riag - ceremonies were performed publicly in the meeting place, before the congregation, either by some minister of the gospel or the voorlezer. When the latter tied the marriage knot, he nearly always inserted the clause, "and in the presence of the court of Bergen," whilst on February 13th, 1687, Jan Criscel and Nicoli Ager were married by the Jus ice Claas Arentse Toers, in the presence of some members of the congregation.
From an item in the deacon's account book it appears that the usual fee, paid in the early years upon marrying. was f 6 in seewant, which money seems to have been paid over to the church funds. After Rev. Cornelison had become pastor he put down after the names of every couple married by him, the amount of the fees paid by the m, which amounts ranged from $1 to $20.
BURIALS.
The burial customs of the original settlers of New Netherland were identical with those of the fatherland, and somewhat peculiar as compared with the American funerals of the present time. No Dutch burial in the first place was complete, without the servic s of the aanspreker. The latter combined in his offico some of the functions of the undertaker and the sexton of the present time, and the whole responsibility of the affair rested upon him.
As soon as a person had died, some one of the relatives or a kind neighbor went for the aanspreker, and the latter quickly followed up the summons, and appeared at the sterfhuis, or house of the de- ceased, taking with him a few sheets of mourning paper. Upon arriv- ing at the house his first business was to take down the names of the people whom the family of the deceased wanted to acquaint with his demise, at the same time marking the names of those who were to be invited to attend the funeral, either as bearers or as mourners. After the preliminary instructions had been received, and the names put down, the aanspreker read his list before the family for possible cor- rections, and from this moment until after the funeral, he was the directing genius, and everything was executed according to his com- mands. He ordered the grave to be dug, the bell to be rung, if such was the custom in the town, ordered the coffin, the hearse, the carriages, if they were to be used; in short, directed the whole affair.
If the place was very small, or the deceased very prominent, the aanspreker announced from house to house, in which case he went
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with an "open list." If the "list" was too large for one man, he called to his assistance other aansprekers, but the original one, of course, remained the head man, and responsible for the proper carrying out of all necessary operations. The aanspreker's dress on those occasions. was peculiar. Low shoes, black stockings, black knickerbockers, a black cutaway coat, covered by a long, flowing black mantle, a white cravat or bands, and a queer looking three-cornered hat or steek, from one corner of which, to the right, floated a long black crape like a streamer, whilst upon the left corner a rosette had been pinned, show- ing the sex and condition (married or single) of the deceased. If the latter was very rich or prominent, sometimes ten or twenty aansprekers were employed in announcing his death, and one, usually an old ser- vant of the family, went in the middle of the street, dressed like the aansprekers, walking slowly along with head bowed, his face buried in a big mourning handkerchief, and led by two aansprekers, one on each side, whilst the others were doing the wete or announcement at the houses.
When the appointed time for the funeral approached all those in- vited to attend, repaired to the sterfhuis. The nearest relatives and closest friends of the family usually went a little earlier, and waited for the rest, partaking of some refreshments generally consisting of a glass of beer or spirits, before coffee had come into general use, and smoking a long clay pipe or a cigar. After all were present the chief aanspreker sometimes spoke a few words of consolation, or offered up a prayer, and hereupon signalled to the bearers to carry out the bier. After the corpse had been brought out on the street or deposited in the hearse, the ruling genius who had been busy ranging the relatives and friends of the deceased, now said: "The relatives will please follow accord- ing to rank, "and all filed out in the order assigned to them, the young- est members of the family coming first, taking their places in the carriages, or following on foot as the case might be. All the mourners and bearers, and sometimes the driver of the hearse, were either clad in the same garbs as the aansprekers, or else had rosettes pinned upon their sleeve, or upon the lapel of their coat, and the hands of the aansprekers were covered with white or black gloves, according to the sex of the deceased.
After everything was in readiness, one or two of the aansprekers took their places at the head of the procession, the bearers placed themselves alongside the hearse; other aansprekers, if there were any more, went between the hearse and the first carriage, and the cortege slowly wended its way towards the cemetery. Almost everybody, meeting the train, stood still, doffed hat or cap, and waited with bowed head until at least the hearse had passed by. At the gate of the . cemetery the bearers took the coffin out of the hearse, carried it to the
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grave, and here the aanspreker again spoke a few words or offered up a prayer, for which reason in some districts he was known by the name of bidder or prayer.
The corpse now was lowered into the grave, the aanspreker gave the sign to the grave digger to cover the coffin up, and hereupon the procession filed out in the same manner as they had come, and went in a body to the sterfhuis. Here beer or spirits, in later years coffee, and victuals had been prepared for them by the women who as a rule did not go to the cemetery. The long clay pipes with tobacco, or cigars, were on the table, and the mourners ate, drank and smoked some, in honor of the deceased. After the first pipe or cigar bad been finished, all but the nearest relatives of the family departed, and the real mourners now were alone with their grief.
It is plain enough that the small pioneer village could not begin to conduct its burials in the manner just described. Bergen's inhabi- tants had to get along as best they could, and the funerals, at first, like everything else, were very primitive. The burial records commence d on March 4th, 1666, on which date the remains of Michiel Teunissen were laid in the grave. Neither bell nor pall, nor liveried aanspreker hallowed, so to speak, the humble funeral, and not until January 16th, 1678, when Engelbert Steenhuys' remains were interred, had the con- gregation been enabled to procure a pall.
This pall was rather expensive, for according to the accounts o. the deacons the cost of it was as follows:
10 el of black cloth @ f24 per el f 240
A linen cover to protect the pall 14
Total / 254
This first pall lasted till January 17th, 1715, when a new one was bought for the sum of f195, and then the old pall was probably re- fitted to do service at the burials of children.
On January 1st, 1798, a new large pall was bought costing £5-11-8, and a small one at an expense of £2-13-10.
The cost of the bier generally amounted to f17 or f18, and the bier itself lasted 5 or 6 years.
After the church had been erected, several of Bergen's inhabitants wished, in imitation of the fatherland, for a resting place in the san( - tuary, and on August 1st, 1682, the little daughter of Enoch Michiels( Vreeland was the second to be buried within its walls. The third on September 4th of the same year was Peter Marcelis, but it was impossi- ble to find out the first one, because either time or frequent handling had effaced part of the writing of a few entries, one of which musi contain the mention of the first person, buried in the church. Two years had elapsed after the dedication, before the belfry received its
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bell, but on June 21st, 1683, was "buried the corpse of Maeckje Bil- tusen, daughter of Baltus Barentse, the 6th, in church and the 1st, with knell," showing that about this time the village had received its church bell.
It seems that an extra price was paid for the privilege of being buried in church, for comparatively few had their remains interred within its walls. The last one whom the record mentions as having been buried in the church was "Annatje Jackson, aged 49 years, who died on Friday, January 13th, 1758, at about 8 A. M., and was buried on Sunday, January 15th, in the church in the bapistry." To be buried in, or before the bapistry was considered a token of deep ven- eration on the side of the members of a congregation, and this honor was usually only conferred upon preachers or other men, prominent in church affairs. The keeper of the burial record mentions one more case like the foregoing, though this funeral took not place at Bergen but at New York, viz: "1701 July 19th, died in the Lord the Rev. Sel ns, on Saturday afternoon, and was buried on Tuesday afternoon, July 22d, in the church before the bapistry at New York."
Many people dying at other places like New York, Pemmerepock, Ahasymus, Gemoenepa, Acquackenonck, Hackensack etc., were brought to Bergen for the purpose of there being interred, and like- wise several corpses were conveyed from Bergen to New York, Con- stables Hook, Tappan, Acquackenonck and others. The first time a corpse from Bergen was buried at New York was on December 28th, 1683, at which date "Ide Corneliszen Van Voorst was buried at New York, with the pall of Bergen."
Though the Bergen cemetery or church were the customary bury- ing places, it was not compulsory that the burial should take place there; and the records contain several instances of interments of the remains of the dead upon bouwerijen, or farms.
Occasional entries in the record show that Bergen's citizens, no more than those of other settlements, were exempt from visitations and calamities : "On October 25th was buried the corpse of Dirck Fransz, who had been shipwrecked with his boat." "On February 18th, 1701, were interred the remains of Moses Suxbery, who was killed in the cedar swamp, on February 17th, by a falling tree." "On April 17th, 1704, was buried the body of Jacob van Giesen, who was drowned on April 13th, and found on the 15th." Again: "1752, died October 18th, with the smallpox, a little boy of Pieter Van Bent- huyzen, aged 13 years." In 1753 three members of Nicholas Van Dam's family died within three weeks, and in 1775 three members of Daniel Solders' family were buried in five days. There are, besides these, several cases where two or more members of one family died within a few months, showing that sometimes the place was visited
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by dangerous and deadly diseases. Yet the village and its surround- ings did not seem to be very unhealthy either, for people generally reached the allotted span, and a few even surpassed it by many years. The records cite three instances of people who reached a ripe old age, viz. : Edward Farle, who died in his 84th year, and was buried on December 15th, 1711, on the island Sijckacus ; Marcelis Pieterse, who died on October 23d, 1747, 91 years old, and Cornelis Blinkerhof, who died on September 1st, 1770, at the age of 97 years and 4 months, lacking 6 days. Mr. Cornelis Blinkerhof was probably, at the moment of his death, the last one of those above whom the banner of the Dutch Republic had yet floated, before the final surrender of New Netherland to England in 1674, and therefore, at that time, was the last link, connecting the past with the present.
We are indebted to the register of the dead for the name of one elder at least of Bergen's early church, viz .: "1732, August 13th, died and the 15th buried, Wander Diederix, elder at Bergen.'
After the cemetery had been used for over 70 years, the need was being felt for a new one, and in 1738 Bergen's second burying ground was opened. The first one to be interred here was Joseph, son of Hendrik van Winkel, on November 22d, 1738, though the other cemetery was not yet entirely abandoned, for on April 11th, 1744, Geesje, daughter of Mathys De Mott was still buried upon the old one. This second cemetery, after having been used for just half a century, also became crowded, and the congregation was obliged to look around for a third burial ground, which was made ready for use and surrounded by a fence in the year 1789.
From an account, dated 1690, of the expenses incurred for the burial of a pensioner of the Bergen Church, something like an esti- mate can be formed of the cost of funerals :
Coffin and spirits, f25.10st.
Aanspreker, - f 19.10st.
¿ keg of beer, - 15.16
Matheus Cornelisse, for cart-
Flour and milk,
6.05
Sundries,
15.05
Total, -
f 85.06st.
ing the goods, 3.00
RELIGIOUS SERVICES AND THE LORD'S SUPPER.
People from far and near came to Bergen to worship, because the little village, for several years, possessed the only organized Re. formed Church community on this side of the North River. Near Hackensack a settlement had been begun in 1641, but no church was organized until 1686. Hasymus had been settled at about 1630; but though a hamlet had been formed there, the colonists, in church mat- ters, resorted to Bergen, and the same was the case with Communi-
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paw, where a stockaded enclosure against the Indians had been erected as early as 1655 or '56.
Before a minister had been permanently settled at Bergen, the voorlezer conducted religious services in the dorp, or village, during the morning on Sundays, and in the afternoon went to Ahasymus or Gemoenepa, where the inhabitants probably met in some farm-house, to listen to the reading of a sermon, published by some one of the leading divines in the United Provinces. At Bergen, therefore, ser- vices were held once a week in the morning, and at Ahasymus and Gemoenepa once in every two weeks during the afternoon. Besides those Sunday services there were meetings on the ecclesiastical holy days, and often also during the week days, as on days of prayer and thanksgiving, or in preparation for the coming celebration of the communion.
Several times "sermon books " were bought by the voorlezer, who was not allowed to deliver a sermon of his own construction, but had to read one by some leading orthodox Reformed divine. In 1679, f12 were expended in the purchase of printed sermons, and again, on De- cember 31, 1682, the consistory laid out f75 for four large theological works, the titles of which were as follows :
1. The Secret of Happiness in God.
2. On the Epistle to the Philippians.
3. Explanation of the Catechism.
4. The True Repentance.
An hour-glass, or " sand-runner," stood on the reader's desk, and when the sand had run from the upper hollow into the lower, he was to suspend services, and to dismiss the congregation. Several times the accounts contain entries about the purchase of hour-glasses, the prices of which ranged from f4 10st. to f6. A large Staten Bible, costing f60, had been bought in 1680, and probably lasted till the in- troduction of English dispensed with its usefulness.
Three or four times per year a minister crossed over from New York, or some other place, to administer the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and at this time all those, belonging to the congregation, came from far and near to take part in the celebration. From an entry in the account book, it seems that the sacrament was administered for the first time on September 10th, 1672, though it may also mean by a certain individual minister. It reads thus: "When the dominie ad- ministered the Lord's Supper here for the first time, coll. f 16.1st."
On May 26th, 1678, Bergen's first communion set was bought at an expense of f 74 10st., and consisted of the following articles : " 8 1bs. of pewter, being 3 plates and a pitcher of f6 the lb., and 2 pewter beakers at f12 apiece, and 1 el of Ossenburger linen." At the same
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time 11-el linen was bought for a tablecloth, costing f5 10st. per el, or f60 10st. for the whole. On January 26th, 1731, the pewter cups were changed for two silver ones, bought of Hendrikus Boele, and costing f 519 10st. in seewan. These latter cups are still in possession of the Bergen Reformed Church, and do service at every communion. The other communion expenses usually were about f 20 for bread and wine, and f 6 for cleaning, which was always done by the wife of the voorlezer.
The members, living at a distance, undoubtedly encountered many hardships in coming to church from a distance of twelve miles or more, and Prof. Demarest's pleasant fancy sketch on pages 12 and 13 in "The Huguenots on the Hackensack" applies to the Dutch as well as to the French communicants of Bergen's congregation, when lie says : "I would that I were able to give an authentic account of the church-going habits of these people during their connection with the church of Bergen. Doubtless, they were all in attendance on every Communion Day, whether it were the Lord's day or Monday. They would make all their preparations on Saturday, so that they might start early in the morning, for the distance was nearly twenty miles, and the roads were not macadamized, and the wagons were spring- less, and the farm horses not very fleet. Besides, it was desirable to have, after so long a journey, a half-hour's rest before service, for the good of body, mind and soul. The proximity of the inn to the church, customary in those days, was not an unmixed evil. Perhaps, after the services, some Van Horn, or Van Winkle, or Van Riper, or Van Wagenen, or Vreeland, would insist on taking the company home to dinner, for nothing pleased the Dutchman of that day so well as to have his table crowded on a Sunday by people whom he respected. Sometimes very little of the day, especially in the winter, would be left after the close of public worship, for the communion service occu- pied hours, and then they would tarry till morning, and on the Mon - day wend their way homeward. They were not so driven and hurried in their worldly business as men now are. Perhaps they often brought their lunch with them, and, having been refreshed by it, started on their tedious journey for home, which they would not reach until after nightfall. We may well believe, too, that the forests. through which they passed in going to and returning from the house of God, were made to ring with the psalms of Marot and Beza " (and Datheen).
RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES.
The greatest part of the books, containing the accounts of the deacons, have been preserved almost from the beginning, but those of the church masters seem to have been lost. Many expenditures, there- fore, outside of those for the poor, would have remained unknown if
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the deaconry had not advanced money for the church funds, either in payment of salaries or for other purposes.
The principal sources of revenue for the poor funds were the weekly collections at Bergen, and the bi-weekly ones at Ahasymus and Gemoenepa, which latter were deposited in the treasury at Bergen whenever, after an election, the new deacons at those hamlets suc- ceeded the old ones. The co lections at Ahasymus and Gemoenepa generally averaged from f2 to f3 per service, and those at Bergen during the first few years amounted to f3 or f 4 per week, later on to f 8 and / 10, but after the treasury contained about f 20,000 in seewan and the number of poor, to be provided for, decreased each year, the usual weekly offerings there, during the first quarter of the former century, only averaged about f5. In 1760 the collections, taken up during a few services, ranged from 4s. to 14s. 9d., but at that time there was a minister, and all the people, resorting under Bergen's church, probably went thither to attend service. Whenever, before that time, a minister preached at Bergen, either during the week or on Sunday, the amount of the collections taken, was often five or six times higher than when the Voorlezer led the services, and the offer- ings, taken up during a minister's sermon, were sometimes entered as " a dominie's collection." But the communion collections surpassed all others. They ranged from f7.14st. in 1673 up to f 106.14st. in 1683, but the average amount was about f50.
After the receipts surpassed the expenditures, the deacons com- menced to look around for means of investing the surplus, and began to buy cows, which received names either according to color or dispo- sition, like "Brown," " Wildman," etc. Those cows were given in the care of responsible members of the congregation. on a yearly " butter- rent " of 12 lbs., i. e., those accepting a cow from the deaconry, had to pay an annual rent of 12 lbs. of butter, or its value in money. The price of butter amounted, in the winter of 1679, to 22st. per lb, so that the deacons then received f13.4st. rent for one cow. Half of the risk, and half of the natural increase fell to the share of each one of the contracting parties. If the cow died while in the charge of a cer- tain individual he had to bear half of the loss, but also received half of the market value of its calves. When a cow did no longer give enough milk it was fattened, and sold in the market. Bergen, like other neighboring settlements, probab y had one or more local cow- boys into whose care the animal was intrusted, while being fattened upon the products of the forest. At one time the deacons paid f 37 "pasturage money " for a cow, probably to the Bergen cow-herder.
After 1715 the deacons qnit the "butter rent " business and con- fined themselves solely to money lending as a means of increasing the revenue. Sums ranging from f 10 to f 4,000 were put out upon inter-
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est, the rate of which was 6 per cent., though in a few cases borrow- ers, or their heirs and securities, were exempt from paying interest. For miles around people came to Bergen for money, which seems to have been readily granted upon the bond of the borrower and h s. securities, or upon giving in custody personal property to the value of the sum loaned. Once in a while, also, testators bespoke legacies to the deaconry, cne of which was paid in the following manner: "1707, Sept. 29, per cassa of Maritje f 900, which she owed to Hans Har- mese, deceased, which sum he had ordered upon his sick bed to be paid to the deaconry of Bergen."
People who were privately married, besides paying their fee to the Voorlezer, sometimes took up a collec ion for the poor among their friends or relatives, as is shown by the following entry in the deacon's account book: "On Wednesday, November 6, 1678, when Siebe Ep- kese (Banta) and Maritje Aryanse Sip were united in marriage in the village of Bergen by the Voorlezer, collection f2.19st." Several times, a'so, living persons, who had reasons to feel grateful for some bless- ing or other, handed larger or smaller amounts to the deacons, to be expended for the poor. But the poor of Bergen were not in need of much, for though, during the first few years. many needy persons, even as far off as Raritan, received support, later on, several years passed by without hardly any expense for the sustenance of poor members, though it often happened that strangers, "who had been burnt out," or "without legs," and the like, received more or less liberal gifts.
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