USA > New York > Schenectady County > Schenectady > A history of the Schenectady patent in the Dutch and English times : being contributions toward a history of the lower Mohawk Valley > Part 33
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I shall do my utmost with the rest. So wishing your Excell"" a happy new year and a continuation of your health, recommending myself to your favour,
I remain, Your Excellcies most obedient Servant,
B. FREERMAN. * "
As Albany was the headquarters of Indian trade as well as of the yearly Council held with the Five Nations, Do. Lydius was also appointed to in- struct the natives in the Christian faith, and " ye bettar to enable him to serve them in ye work of the Gospell ye Interpretesse [Hillitie]t was appointed to be his assistant in that affair as formerly."} *
In the five years spent at Schenectady, Do. Freeman became well versed in the Indian tongue so as not only to preach, but to write in it. In this he was assisted by the Provincial interpreter, Lawrens Claese (Van der Volgen), a member of his church. And so attached were the natives to him that five years after he left Schenectady they petitioned Governor Hunter for his re- appointment, " and that he live [with us] at our Castle and not at Schin- nectady nor Albany."§
Probably his was the first attempt made to translate the church service, or portions of the Holy Seriptures into the language of the Mohawks. In addition to the morning and evening prayers, Do. Freeman translated " the whole of the Gospel of St. Matthew, the three first chapters of Genesis, several chapters of Exodus, a few of the Psalms, many portions of the scriptures relating to the birth, passion, resurrection and ascension of our Lord, and several chapters of the first Epistle of the Corinthians, par- ticularly the fifteenth chapter, proving the resurrection of the dead. But his work was not printed."||
A copy having been presented to the "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign parts," was given to their missionary, Rev. William Andrews, who was sent out in 1712, and by him printed in New York two years afterwards.
* Col. Doc., IV, 835.
+ Hillitie was a half-breed, - sister of Jacques Cornelise Van Slyck. She married Pieter Danielse Van Olinda .- See Van Styck.
# Lord Cornbury to the Five Nations, 1702; Col. Doc., IV, 983.
§ Col. Doc., v, 227.
| Col. Doc., VIII, 815.
.
343
The Reformed Nether Dutch Church.
The salary of the early ministers of this church was one hundred pounds of New York currency ($250), house and garden rent free, pasturage for two cows and a horse, and sixty cords of wood delivered at the parsonage. The salary commenced from the day the Domine sailed from Holland and the expenses of the voyage until he arrived in Schenectady were paid by the church. The following is Do. Freeman's first bill, rendered August 25, 1700:
" 16 mar. 1700 to 25 aug. the Consistory is indebted to Domine Freeman:
For current salary from the 16 march to the 25th of august,-is five months and nine days and amounts to a sum of fifty pounds and something more,-is in sewant, gl. 2.000
Also expenses incurred on the voyage, in fresh provisions, wine, brandy, vegetables and hens, besides about three weeks expenses on the Isle of Wight,-is the sum of
gl. 374
gl. 2.374
"Schenectady.
BARNHARDUS FREERMAN."*
The above bill shows that the expenses of the voyage were 374 gl. ($46.75), and that the whole amount of salary and expenses was 2374 gl. or $296.75.1
Trifling as this amount may seem, the little community were unable to raise it, and on the 3d of September, 1700, applied to the Common Council of Albany for permission to solicit contributions in Albany. In reply the Commonality advise "that they first goe and Visite there own Congrega- tion, and if they do not obtaine said Sallary by them, then to make their application to the Commonality at ye next Court day."
* Ano 1700 den 16 martius tot 25 Augustus is de kerkenraat Debet an Do. freeman Voor de Verlopene tractement van den 16 maert tot 25 august is 5 maenden en 9 dagen en bedraegt een somme van fyftig pont en wat meer - is an sewant. 2.000 Noch ankostinge op Reise gehad so an Versche waren, wyn, Brandewyn, Creuderye en hoenden neffens omtrent dry weeke expences op het Eylant wigt is een som tot 374
gl. 2.374
Sceonegtade
BARNHARDUS FREERMAN.
-See Church Papers.
t This sum is exclusive of 800 gl. paid by the Albany church as part of the expenses of Do. Freeman's passage .- Munsell's Collections, 1, 53, 54.
344
History of the Schenectady Patent.
On the 21st of September the application was renewed, " Whereupon ye Commonalty have concluded and doe allow and admitt two or more of said Church wardens of Shinnechtady to goe once Round for contribution to use as aforesaid from ye inhabitants of this Citty and no more, in ye time of the Sessions, which will be first and second of October next ensuing."*
When Do. Freeman was appointed missionary to the Indians by Governor Bellomont, he was promised a salary of £60; for expenses £15, and for the interpreter, Laurens Claese Van der Volgen, who was his assistant £25.
The Governor expected to obtain this salary from the corporation for the propagation of the gospel at Boston, but in case he failed there, promised to secure it for him out of the revenue of the Province.t
It is presumed that said corporation declined to assume this burden, and as a consequence, the General Assembly passed an act in his favor. In a petition which Do. Freeman addressed to Governor Cornbury, in 1703, he affirms that " he has taken great pains in going to their [Mohawks] Castles and translating Divine things into their language for ye easier bringing ym over, and as he hopes with very good success ; for wh reason a con- tinuance of ye said salary was promised him by ye late Lieften't Governour, Capt. Nanfan, and confirmed to yr Petitioner by an act of Generall Assem- bly of this Province, wh said sallaries (tho' tis now two years since they were first settled) are unpaid, and no Warrants have yet passed for any part thereof."}
On the death of Do. Lupardus of Kings county, in 1702, the consistory of the churches there applied to Governor Cornbury for permission to call Do. Freerman,§ who at the same time gave encouragement of his acceptance. The Governor answered :
"I have duly Considered the Within petition and having been well In- formed that Mr. Bar. ffreeman has misbehaved himself, by promoting and
* Albany City Records.
+ Mr. Freerman yck veresoeck dat gyu de voor aen went om de heydens tot het Kristen geloof over te brengen en tot gerhoorsaemheyt van bekonning gy sult geensins on beetaalt blyve. yck sal nu boston schryve die dispositse hebben van het corperasi gelt en yck Verspreeckne 60 pons in 't year en so die van boston het wygeren yck Verse- kerene het yt de revenue van dese provinci. etc .- Gov. Bellomont's Letter, Col. MSS., XLIV.
# Col. MSS., XLIV, XLV, 134, 179; LIII, 7, 70.
§ Doc. Hist., III, 89.
345
The Reformed Nether Dutch Church.
Encouraging the unhappy division among the people of this province, do not think it consistent with her Majesties Service that the sd ffreeman should be admitted to be called as is prayed by sd petition. And the petitioners are hereby required not to call or receive the sd ffreeman."*
Fearing their minister might be enticed away from them, the Consistory of the church in Schenectady the next year presented to Lord Cornbury the following petition:
" The humble Petition of the Church Wardins of the Nether Dutch Church of the Town of Schoneghtede, sheweth:
That the four severall towns to witt : Midwout or Flatbush, the Bay, New Utreght and Brockland, by their Certain writing doth Indeavour to Draw Mr. Barnardus Freeman, Present Minister of Schoneghtende, from his Congregation, who are not able of themselves Without your Excellecy's assistance to gett another, and since we, your petitioners, have been att a great Charge and trouble with assistants thereunto from this County for De- fraying the Considerable Charge of Mr. Barnardus Freeman's Passage and other Charges that doth amount to the Valiable summe of near upon Eighty Pounds, so that if the sd Mr. Barnardus Freeman should be Drawn from us, as they Indeavor to Doe, we could not Preted that such a small Congrega- tion as we are can be able to Send for another, and they Who are of a greater Congregation could had another before this If they had not Endeavoured to Deprive us their neighbors ; therefore we, your Lordship's and Councill's Petitioners humbly Pray that y' Lordships and Councill be Pleased to take this our Great Case In Your Great Wisdom and Serious Consideration to give Such Incouragements to the Instructing of the Indians, that we may be more Enabeled to the Paying of his Salary and your Petitioners as In Duty Bound Shall ever Pray.
Schoneghtende the 29th of May, 1703.
Claes Wirbessen [Lawrense. Johannes Glenn, deacon.
Vander Volgen] Elder. Isack Swits, elder.
Daniel Jansen [Van.
Jan Vrooman, elder.
Antwerpen] deacon. Claes Van Patten, deacon."
Read in Council 24th June, 1703, and rejected."+
Notwithstanding the above remonstrance and the fact that many persons in the congregation in Kings county were disaffected towards him, he visited the island and on the second of August, 1703, accepted the call under certain conditions.t It was not, however, until the summer of 1705
* Doc. Hist., III, 89.
+ Council Minutes, Doc. Hist., III, 93.
44
346
History of the Schenectady Patent.
that he finally left Schenectady for Flatbush. The license thus to change his pastoral relations was granted by Governor Cornbury on the 26th of December, of the same year.
1703-28. BUILDING OF THE SECOND CHURCH. DOMINE THOMAS BROWER THE THIRD MINISTER.
Soon after Do. Freeman came to Schenectady, the house of worship* then used was found to be unfit for the accommodation of the inhabitants and
*[In an ancient deed dated 1692, the phrase occurs " 't blok huys (te weten de kerche)" that is to say " the block house known as the church."
This deed is supposed to apply toa lot on corner of Church and State street. Miller in 1695 indicates a blockhouse at the north-west corner as " the blockhouse designed for a church." The Dutch deeds were so blind and crude in their descriptions that they con- vey little information without collateral evidence. They usually refer to something somewhere near, and are not usually very clear as to what direction or how far.
There were but five or six houses spared in the town and the last building one might suppose would be left by French and Indians led by Jesuit propagandists of their faith would be the heretical church, more particularly if that church was capable of being used as a military defence.
To add to the probability that in 1695, (three years after the deed of 1692), and even later, the statement in the petition to Governor Nanfan in 1701, for aid in erecting a new place of worship " the place where itt is now Exercised in Nott bein Large Enough to contain the whole assemply oft ye Inhabitants & Indian Proselytes," &c. " The Town of Schonegtade hath been wholly destroyed by ye French in ye late War & Sins the re- sattling oft ye same being verry low & oft mean Estates have not bein able to Erect a place convenient for ye Public Worchip of God" ... ... .they want assistance in " ye buylding a convenient Place for ye Public Worship of God."
Any sized church large enough before 1690 was large enough surely for the depleted almost depopulated town of 1692 to 1701, when there were not exceeding 250 souls in the township.
Gov. Nanfan grants the petition because "nothing conduces more to the peace and well being of this Province than that the public worship of Almighty God be punctually ob- served and celebrated . especially on the frontiers in a public and acknow- ledged place thereto dedicated." He authorizes contributions to be collected " to be em- ployed solely for the erection and building a necessary and becoming place for public wor- ship."
In view of the phraseology of the petition and permit and the known circumstances, may not the church that was too small have been either Blockhouse No. 8 of Miller's map or possibly an improvised house of worship on the walls or site of the destroyed church ?
1
347
The Reformed Nether Dutch Church.
Indian proselytes, but as the little community had not yet fully recovered from the effects of the late incursion of the French and their savage allies, the funds necessary for a new house could not be raised without aid from abroad. A petition therefore was presented to Governor Nanfan in 1701, asking permission to circulate a subscription throughout the Province for this purpose .*
This petition being favorably received by the Governor and Council, on the 27 Oct., 1701, he issued his license to the inhabitants of Schenectady *
If the French and Indians did not destroy the church, they were remarkable lenient for their time ; for this was one of the wars Louis XIV. waged against Holland and Eng- land mainly on religious grounds. They would certainly have been remiss in their duty as soldiers . The sack of an heretical town in which it was wholly destroyed by infuriated half frozen Canadian French and Indians who were avenging their losses and disgrace at the sack of Montreal the previous year, could scarce have been complete without the destruc- tion of the heretical church which owned the civil authority and religious faith of Wil- liam of Orange .- M'M.]
(Translation).
* " To the Honble John Nanfan, Esq., Lt. Gouv" and Commander in Cheif oft ye Province oft New Yorke in America and ye Honble Councell oft ye same.
" The humble Peticion oft Barnardus Freerman minister oft ye Gospell att Schanegtade & Ryer Schermerhoorn, Esq' in ye behalf oft the Inhabitants oft said Town. Showeth,
" That whereas The Town oft Schonegtade hath been wholy destroyed by ye french in ye late Warr & sins the resattling oft ye same The Inhabitants oft ye same being verry low & oft mean Estates have not bein able to Erect a Place convenient for ye Publick Worship oft God, the Place where itt is now Exercised in nott being Large Enough to con- taine [the] whole Assembly of ye Inhabitants & Indian Proselytes.
" They Therefore humbly pray yor houn" Lycense for the collecting a free will offering oft ye Inhabitants oft this Province for ye buylding a convenient Place for ye Public Worship oft God in ye town aforesaid and yor Peticre shall ever Pray, &c.
" RYER SCHERMERHOOREN "
" B. freerman, Ecll. Skagnagt."
-Col. MSS., XLV.
t " By the Honorable John Nanfan, Esq., Governor and Commander-in-Chief over the Province of New York and territories dependent thereon in America, &c.
" Whereas the Village of Schenectady in the County of Albany, has been wholly destroyed through the incursion of the French in the late war, and after the rebuilding thereof the inhabitants have been and still are in a poor and low condition, so that they have not been able to erect a proper place for the public worship of God :- and whereas
-
348
History of the Schenectady Patent. .
to receive contributions from the people of the Province for the space of six months from that date, and directed all justices of the peace, schouts and other officers of his Majesty as well as ministers of the Gospel to use their utmost endeavors to aid this laudable object.
This appeal to the liberality of their neighbors was successful and the church was probably finished in the year 1703. The site was that of the first house of worship at the junction of Church, Water and State streets, and the dimensions, fifty-six feet north and south by forty-six feet east and west Amsterdam measure. The burying ground adjoined the church upon
nothing conduces more to the peace and well being of this Province than that the public worship of Almighty God be punctually observed & celebrated in all parts & places and especially on the frontiers, in a public and acknowledgod place thereto dedicated, that the in- habitants and sojourners of this province may through their good example of piety and religious reverence be brought over & persuaded there to dwell to the great strengthening of said frontiers, which thereby become a defence for the other parts of this province if a war should again occur between his most Sacred Majesty and the King of France :- Therefore I by and with the advice of His majesty's council for this province and in his majesty's name hereby give and grant full & free liberty and licence to the Inhabitants of said Village of Schenectady in said county of Albany, or to such person or persons as by them or the majority of them shall be employed to gather, collect and receive the the free and voluntary offerings and contributions of all and every of his majesty's faith- ful subjects,-inhabitants of this Province at any time after this date and during the time of six months ;- the said contributions to be employed solely for the erection and building a necessary and becoming place for the public worship of God by the Inhabitants of said village. And I hereby in his majesty's name require all his majesty's justices, schouts, and all other his majesty's officers within this Province, together with all Pro- testant ministers in their sundry & respective Counties, Cities, Colonies, Churches, districts & jurisdictions to use their utmost endeavors and diligence to arouse the liberality of the inhabitants on this occasion, which conduces to the honor and service of Almighty God, the welfare of this province in general & for the peace & security of all the inhabi- tants thereof.
" Given under my hand and seal in Fort William Henry in New York, this seven and twentieth day of October, Aº 1701, and in the 13th year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord William the third by the grace of God of England, Scotland, France & Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c.
" Was signed,
JOHN NANFAN."
" Pr order of the Council,
B. Cozens, Sec. Coun." *
* B. Cozzens Secretary of the Council in a letter to Reyer Schermerhorn, of date 30 Jan., 1701, says " The Govr and Councill have given £10 towards the church at Schonectady."-Schermerhorn Papers.
349
The Reformed Nether Dutch Church.
the west side and was fifteen feet wide by fifty-six feet long .* Speaking of Schenectady in 1710 the Rev. Thomas Barclay says: "There is a convenient and well built church which they freely give me the use of."t
Probably it was substantially built of stone, for after its abandonment in 1734, as a place of worship it was used for some years as a fort .¿ A wooden building would hardly have been devoted to such a purpose. By the year 1754, it had been either removed or used as a barracks, watch- house and market, § by 1768 the site was clear and designated the Market . Place. In 1792 the spot being vacant the consistory proposed to erect there- on a house at a cost of £170,| but it is believed this project was never carried out, for in 1794 they resolve to lease it to Arent S. Vedder for building pur- poses upon condition that it should never be dug up, save so far as was neces- sary to lay the foundations or to set the fence posts,-that the foundation should not be laid farther west than where the old church's west wall stood and that the house built thereon should never be used for " Tap-drink-of- Vrolyk-huys (so als men deselve gewoonlyk noent." ** To account for these singular conditions in a deed of conveyance, it is only necessary to remember that this was then looked upon as sacred ground and that here for sixty years, to 1720, the dead of the village were buried .tt
The building above mentioned was never erected. The next year, 1795, the trustees of the common lands resolved to make an offer of this lot, tt but if made, nothing came of it, for in 1800, the consistory directed that it " be properly ascertained and marked out," and in 1805 agreed to lease it to Anne McFarlane for $10 per annum but she was not allowed to dig upon it.
The removal of Do. Freeman was a disheartening event to the church. He had gained the confidence of the people and considerable influence over the neighboring Indians. To obtain another minister from Holland in their present circumstances was impossible. They were not only a small but a poor people and without aid not in a condition to support a minister.
* [Mary Ann Roque's map, 1750, indicates its greatest dimension as east and west. The site certainly indicates that .- M'M.]
+ Doc. Hist., III, 540. # Act of the Assembly (1734 ?)
§ Jno. Myndertse's will in Court of Appeal's office .... and Deeds, XII; Collins to Van Eps.
Il Consistory Minutes. ** Consistory Minutes.
tt When the public cistern was built here in 1848, the ancient burial ground was en- croached upon and many bones were thrown out ..
## Minutes of the Board.
350
History of the Schenectady Patent.
For the following ten years they were destitute of the stated ministry, being only occasionally visited by the ministers of Albany and other more distant settlements.
Between the years 1705 and 1715, Domines Johannes Lydius and Petrus Van Driessen of Albany, Petrus Vas of Kingston and Gualterus Du Bois of New York made 24 visits to Schenectady, baptizing 152 children of whom 19 were Indians. In all this time the records show but one member added to the church.
Rev. Thomas Barclay, chaplain to the fort in Albany preached occasion- ally in Schenectady. In a letter* dated Sept. 26, 1710, he says : " At Schenectady I preach once a month, where there is a garrison of forty soldiers, besides about sixteen English and about one hundred Dutch fami- lies. They are all of them my constant hearers.
I have this summer got an English school erected amongst them, and in a short time, I hope their children will be fit for catechising. Schenectady is a village situated upon a pleasant river, twenty English miles above Albany, and the first castle of the Indians is twenty four miles above Schen- ectady. In this village there has been no Dutch minister these five years and there is no probability of any being settled among them. There is a convenient and well built church, which they freely give me the use of.
" I have taken the pains to show them the agreement of the articles of our church, with theirs. I hope in sometime to bring them not only to be constant hearers, but communicants."
As early as 1713, the church applied to Governor Hunter for permission to call a new minister and received his license dated July 27 that year. On the 17th day of May the following year, the consistory addressed a letter to Willem Bancker, merchant of Amsterdam and Rev. Matthias Winterwyck of Alphen (Dalphin ?) Holland, authorizing them to procure a minister for the church and promising him a salary of £90 to commence on his arrival, a dwelling free of rentt, fire wood at the door, a large garden, and free
* Letter to the secretary of the society for the propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts ; Doc. Hist., III, 540.
t [Shortly after the arrival of Do. Brouwer the larger portion of the present church lot was acquired by deed from Daniel Janse Van Antwerp. (See fac simile.) It was for "'te Dominie's huys." The original deed was found by the Ed. in a bundle of ancient papers in the Deacons' chest stored in the tower of the present church. This old pack- age was wrapped in a piece of leather tied hard with a leathern string and from appear- ance may have been unopened for many years-its existence seems to have been for- gotten. Early in this century strong efforts were made to remove the church to a locality more central for the majority of the church people, but the terms of this deed seem to have barred the sale of this lot and the new church [1814] was built on it .- M'M.]
351
The Reformed Nether Dutch Church.
pasture for two cows and a horse. The result of this negotiation was the arrival of Dominic Thomas Brouwer in July, 1714.
He probably came from the province of Overyssell, where he had two brothers living in 1728, the one Gerardus, at Zwoll and the other Theo- dorus, minister at Dalphin:
He made his will * on the 24th Nov., 1727, and died on 15th of Jan., 1728.t He left £25 - one half to the church and the other for the poor ; his gun, pistols, horse, table linen, etc., to various members of the families of Gerrit Symonse Veeder and Johannes Bancker, and his books, best clothing, linen, etc., to his two brothers above mentioned. He speaks of neither wife nor children.
1728-36. DOMINE REINHARDUS ERICHZON THE FOURTH MINISTER. THE THIRD CHURCH
The fourth minister of the church was Do. Reinhardus Erichzon. His call or Beroep brief was dated 30th March, 1728, two and a half months after the death of his predecessor.
He was probably a native or at least a resident of Groningen, North Hol land and before his call to Schenectady had ministered three years to the churches of Hackensack, Paramus and Schraalenbergh, New Jersey.
The consistory of Schenectady agreed to give him a salary of £100 ($250), a parsonage house in good repair, a garden kept in fence, pasture for a horse and two cows and fire wood # at the door.
* On file in the office of the clerk of the Court of Appeals.
+ He had been disabled by sickness however, since the month of August, 1723, and unable all that time to perform the active duties of his calling. An assistant was em- ployed to do his work but the records do not give his name.
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