Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations, Part 236

Author: Howell, George Rogers, 1833-1899; Tenney, Jonathan, 1817-1888
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1452

USA > New York > Albany County > Albany > Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations > Part 236

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HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF SCHENECTADY.

cows and a horse. The result of this negotiation was the arrival of Dominie Thomas Brouwer, in July, 1714. He died on the 15th of January, 1728. In his will 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 Banker, and his books, best clothing, linen, etc., to his two brothers. He speaks of neither wife nor children.

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 Holland, and before his call to Schenectady had ministered three years to the churches of Hackensack, Paramus and Schraalen- berg, New Jersey. The consistory agreed to give him a salary of {100 ($250), a parsonage house in good repair, a garden kept in a fence, pasture for a horse and two cows and firewood at the door. Dominie Erichzon left Schenectady in Oc- tober, 1736, having received a call to the church of Freehold and Middletown, N. J.

Dutch Church

Schenectady ( 1734 - 1814 ) Brawn for J.WM ~ Murray V.S.A.

A. Wild-Photo-

The matter of erecting a larger church began to be agitated soon after Do. Erichzon became pastor, and the congregation was able not only to build a house which for the time was both substantial and spacious, but also to furnish it with a bell and clock.

As a preliminary step in this new enterprise, a subscription paper was circulated through the town in 1730, by which {322 was obtained, and extending the appeal up the valley a still further sum of {33-15 was subscribed in money and wheat. The entire sum did not amount to quite one-third the cost of the church, which was {1, 167 -17-10 ($2,919.73) ; the remainder was probably

derived from the accumulations of former years and from sales of lands and leases-the gift of the trustees of the common lands.

The following is the heading of the subscription, and is interesting as showing the forfeiture for non- payment of the pledges made for the building of this edifice :

" We, or I, the underwritten, promise to pay to Arent Bratt, Jacobus Van Dyck, Dirck Groot and Cornelis Van der Volgen, and Robert Yates, Jacob Swits, Wouter Vrooman and Jan Barentse Wemp, Elders and Deacons, or to their successors, the sum which we, or I, subscribe with our hands, so soon as the foundation of said church is laid ; and

CITY OF SCHENECTADY .- ECCLESIASTICAL SOCIETIES.

failing of the same, we, or I, promise to pay ten pounds current money if we, or I, are negligent in the payment of the sum of money which I with my hand subscribe. As witness our hands or my hand."

After thorough preparation, the work was begun in the spring of 1732. Hendrick Vrooman was

Baas (Boss) of the men, of whom seventeen were carpenters, besides masons, glaziers, etc. His wages was seven shillings a day ; the others were paid from five to six shillings. The Preeck-stoel [pulpit] was built by Pieter Cornu for {20, and Gysbert W. Vandenbergh, of Albany, contracted to do the mason work for £80.

Durch Church of

1734 at.

Intersection of Niskayuna and Cross (Union And Church Sts.)

Pearson's Contributions~

Schenectady N.y. A.WiLa photo.Eng.

S.W.M. M. 1883.

This house was dedicated January 13, 1734, on which occasion Do. Erichzon preached in the morning, and Do. Van Driessen, of Albany, in the afternoon. The following Sabbaths, January 20 and 27, the pastor continued the subject of his first sermon.

This third house was situated in Church street, at its junction with Union street, and was eighty feet in length north and south, and fifty-six feet wide. The trustees of the town conveyed to the church not only this site, but also the land around the same ten feet in width, except on the west side, where, by reason of the narrowness of the street, it was limited to five feet. The building material was blue sandstone or graywacke from the quarries east of the village. It had two entrances, one on the south end, the other on the east side, over which was built a porch with a staircase leading to galleries. The roof was in the gambrel style, a few specimens of which still remain in the city. The belfry and clock tower stood on the north end. As seen from the east end of Union street, it pre- sented a pleasing and imposing appearance. The tub-shaped pulpit, fixed upon a narrow pedestal, and surmounted by a conical sounding board, was built against the west wall, in front of which an open space was railed in called the Doophuisje.

Here the Dominie stood while administering the rite of baptism.

There was a gallery upon all sides save the west, whether built with the church or at a later day is not known, as no mention is made of it before the year 1788, when it began to be occupied by adult males who could not obtain seats below. In this, as in other Dutch congregations, the males and fe- males sat apart, the former upon raised seats, called gestoelte, placed against the walls of the church, and the latter in slips or bancken upon the floor of the house.

In the first allotments of seats little regard was had to family relations, nor was there any ex- change of sittings, and so long as the yearly rent was paid they were the property of the occupants, but in case of removal or death passed to the near- est relative of the same sex. Only in case of non- payment of the customary rent was a seat forfeited. It was then allotted anew at the discretion of the consistory. Every transfer of a sitting cost the new occupant twelve shillings, besides the yearly rent of five shillings for males and four shillings for fe- males. The same sitting was in some cases re- tained in the same family for three or four genera- tions. The slips were numbered from one upward. The deacons and elders sat in the four benches on

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF SCHENECTADY.

each side of the pulpit, and the magistrates and other men of note upon the long benches on the west side of the church, extending from the pulpit around to the south door.

During the eighty years that this church stood, but few and trifling changes were made in the slips or bancken first erected, and these chiefly by addi- tions to accommodate the increasing congregation. The number of places (plaatsen) occupied by adults at different periods were as follows:

In 1734, men's seats, 86; men in gallery, o; women's seats, 218; total, 304.

In 1754, men's seats, 104; men in gallery, o; women's seats, 328; total, 432.

In 1788, men's seats, 125; men in gallery, 35; women's seats, 346; total, 506.

From 1788 to 1814, when the old church was removed, newcomers could not rent seats without great difficulty, except in the gallery, which being chiefly occupied by boys and negroes, was not considered quite respectable.

The people worshiped on the Sabbath almost to the beginning of this century even in the coldest winter, without any other artificial heat than that

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derived from foot-stoves. The first stoves used in this church were bought in December, 1792, and set up that winter. They were placed upon two platforms elevated to the height of the gallery, and reached by climbing over the balustrade. It is said that the Klokluyer was accustomed to replenish them at the beginning of the dominie's sermon; and, to notify the congregation of the importance of his vocation, was particularly noisy in opening and in shutting the stove-doors. By this arrange- ment " the top of the church was comfortable, but the people below had to carry foot-stoves to keep themselves warm." So unsatisfactory was this ex- periment in warming the church that the matter was discussed by the consistory, and the result was that the elevated platforms were removed and the stoves placed upon the floor of the church.

The bell for the church was procured in Amster- dam and did faithful service for more than a cen- tury, until it was cracked in 1848. It bore the following inscription :

" De Klok van de Neder-duidsch gemeente van Sconechiade door Haar self bezorght anno 1732. Me fecerunt De Grave et muller Amsterdam."

It was the custom to ring it three times before commencing religious service down to January, 1810, when the consistory

" Resolved, that in future the bell shall be rung twice, as usual, previous to the commencement of public worship, and that tolling shall be substi- tuted for the third ringing." It is said the bell was also rung at the close of service, that the servants at home might have the dinner ready on their masters' return.

In 1740 the church had a public or town clock, purchased probably at the same time with the bell.

Although the church had owned considerable real estate more than fifty years, it had no corpo- rate existence in law and could neither hold nor alienate property, save through individuals acting as its trustees. Feeling the precarious nature of such a tenure, when the church edifice was finished, the consistory petitioned the Governor and Council for a charter. This application was favorably considered, and on the third day of August, 1734, a charter was granted under the great seal of the province.

6.2 41 60

CITY OF SCHENECTADY .- ECCLESIASTICAL SOCIETIES.

PARSONAGE. - The old parsonage on the site of the present church had now stood fifty years or more and was falling to decay. It was doubtless the house mentioned in the deed of 1715 to Do. Brouwer and the consistory, and was probably of wood, as were all other houses of this date. It was therefore removed in 1753, and a new build- ing of brick erected on the same lot. It was one story and a half high, with the usual pointed Dutch gable ends. There were two rooms in front on the Union street side. The door was in the middle, over which was a gable. This house stood about sixty years, when it gave place to the church of 1814.

As early as 1805 the subject of repairing the old church was agitated. The church which had stood for so long in mid-street in Albany had gone before the march of improvement, and there was a feeling that Schenectady should follow in its wake. In 1810 the consistory appointed a committee to draw a plan and to report as to the possibility of a new church building, and still another committee to meet the wishes of those who desired to see the old church put in repair. The result of this was a decision to build anew on the parsonage lot. There was much opposition to this on the part of those whose affections clung to the old church, and many thought that the church should be built further east, as the population was extending in that direction. The two sites of the former churches were finally sold to the city to be thrown open to the streets, and the contracts for the new house of worship signed in 1812. In the autumn of 1814 it was so near completion that it could be used for public worship, and on the 20th November the last services were held in the old building. In the treasurer's book is the following entry under date 5th July, 1814 : "To paid for liquor when the old spire was taken down, 373 cents." Nov. 30, 1814, Charles Kane and Henry Yates bought the old church for $442.50. The new church was built but little larger than the old one, and it is a singular fact that for a period of 128 years, from 1734 to 1862, the church accommodations of this congregation remained substantially the same. In the meantime the little hamlet grew into a village, and the village into a city of respectable dimen- sions. The church had but few competitors in the field, and though it became the mother church of this region, with one exception all her colonies were sent out some years subsequent to 1814. It is proper to make special mention of Nicolas Van der Volgen and his wife, who were large benefactors to this church. By them were given the high brass chandeliers in 1792, and the pleasant organ in 1797, which some now living remember to have heard. The great chandelier (groote kroon) had eighteen lights, besides which there were seven lesser ones (kleyndere kroonan) of six lights each, costing altogether £67-10 New York currency. The gift for the organ was allowed to accumulate until probably 1826, when it was obtained from Henry Erben, of New York, at the probable cost of $1,000. It was consumed by fire with the church in 1861.

VOORLEZER AND VOORSANGER. - The duties of these officers were usually united in the same person and defined by resolution of the Consistory:

January 8, 1810, " Resolved, that in future the Clerk of the Church shall commence public service

in the morning with the reading of the ten com- mandments, a chapter of the Bible, and Psalm or Hymn at discretion; and in the afternoon with the reading of the articles of the Creed, together with a Chapter, and Psalm or Hymn." In addition to the above he had " the right and emoluments of bury- ing the dead of the congregation." Next to the minister he was the most inportant officer of the church.

To improve the psalmody of the congregation, on the 13th of February, 1794, the consistory took the following action: "The consistory take into consideration the defective condition of the Dutch Pslamody in the public worship of this church. Resolved, that Cornelis De Graff, the chorister, shall use his endeavors, in each family of this vil- lage and elsewere, to obtain pupils in singing, on condition that each shall pay one shilling and six- pence a month, the consistory also adding thereto for each scholar for the term of six months one shilling and six-pence a month; provided a certifi- cate be shown to the consistory signed by Mr. De Graff that each scholar has diligently spent his time as he ought.

" Also, Mr. De Graff, in singing, shall try to ob- serve the measure of the half notes and soften his voice as much as possible." Mr. De Graff was voorzenger for twenty-nine years, and tradition says that the advice given him by the consistory was by no means inappropriate. It is said that while sit- ting on the "back stoop" of his house, which stood where the late Mrs. Abel Smith's house now stands, on State street, he beguiled the evening hours in summer by psalm singing, and that his voice could be clearly heard two miles up the river in a straight line.

KLOKLUYER .- The sexton of the church was called the Klokluyer, or bell-ringer, and his duties seem to have been not only to ring the bell, but to keep the benches and seats in proper order and to dig and fill the graves. The earliest mention of this officer in the church records is the following:

" At a consistory held this Ist July, 1696, it was resolved that Simon Groot, Sr., for ringing the bell and arranging the benches and stools in the church, shall receive annually, out of the income of the church or of the deacons' money, the sum of 60 guilders seawant [$7.50], to begin on this Ist of July."

This Simon Groot was the first of the name that settled here, and the ancestor of all the Groots found in this vicinity. He and liis five sons were carried captives into Canada by the French and In- dians in 1690.

The salary of the sexton was the same down to 1735, when it was increased to the yearly stipend of $15.

Margaret Veeder, widow of Symon Volkertse Veeder, held the office during the years 1748-9 for $8.25 per annum.

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF SCHENECTADY.

From 1750 to 1758 Sara Marselis was bell-ringer, the duties being performed for £4, or $10.

In 1759 Isaac Quackenbos' "neger" rang the bell, and "Peeter Seesar " (Cæsar), from 1760 to 1766, for {6 per annum.

Jacob Van Cise was sexton from 1771 to 1791, at a salary of {10, and was succeeded by his son Gysbert, who was dismissed from the office in 1799 " for delivering the skull of a corpse to the house of Dr. Anderson, and which he was compelled to return in the presence of one of the members of the consistory, and deposit in the place whence it was taken.'

The sexton was required to keep order in the church during public worship, and was indemnified against any legal process "that might arise for correcting or turning out of church the unruly and refractory; provided he do not essentially injure or scandalously abuse any person."

Mr. Janus Lighthall was appointed sexton in 1799.

BAPTISMS .- The baptismal register of this church from 1694 to this time is entire, with the exception of ten years during Dominie Vrooman's ministry; and as all children were baptized, both colored and Indian as well as white, legitimate and illegitimate, it is the only authoritative source, if rightly inter- preted, whence the descendants of most of the old Dutch families of this region can derive their pedi- grees. In early times baptism was always per- formed in the church, unless unavoidably prevented, and within a few days after birth; sometimes on the birthday. And it was the duty of the dominie to register each baptized child, with the parents and witnesses' names.

The number of registered baptisms from 1694 to 1852 is 11,396.

MARRIAGES .- The marriage register of this church contains the names of 2,543 couples married be- tween 1694 and 1852.

Under the Dutch Government of New Nether- lands, marriage was considered a civil contract, and might be confirmed either by a magistrate or a minister of the gospel. Preliminary to such con- firmation, however, the bans were published three Sundays or market days by the minister of the church where the parties resided, or by a magis- trate in the conrt, after which the marriage could be confirmed by any minister or magistrate on pres- entation of a certificate of such publication. No particular place was required for the marriage cere- mony. Sometimes it was performed in the church and sometimes in private houses. As it was im- possible or inconvenient to comply with the law in all cases, a dispensation and license was granted by the Governor, on the presentation of a "penal bond of {500 that there was no lawful let or im- pediment " to such marriage. The practice of issuing licenses ceased with the British rule in this State in 1783.

When a widow or widower with infant children married again, it was customary for the parties to contract with the Orphans' Court guardians to pro- tect and preserve the property of said children un- til they arrived at lawful age.

COURTSHIP .- Comparatively little can be learned about the courtship customs in the early days of the frontier settlements. However, "old maids" were unknown, and widows seldom died in widowhood, unless at very advanced age. They easily and soon secured another husband, a very necessary protection in the sparse settlements of the border lands. The girls were needed at home, and were in great demand as housewives, and needed no fortune save health and strength as their marriage portion. If marriages of convenience were made, the wealth brought to the husband was in the bride's strength and housewifely skill, and the fam- ily influence gained by the match. The custom of "bundling " was probably practiced to some ex- tent in all the early settlements along the Hudson and in this vicinity. The records of Albany County show some early cases in this locality. At the time of the Revolution it was generally preva- lent among the Dutch, insomuch that anything wrong in it did not prevail.

Speaking of Van Corlear, Washington Irving says: "Van Corlear stopped occasionally in the villages to eat pumpkin pies, dance at country frolics and bundle with the Yankee lasses."

Tradition says that within this century sermons were preached against it in the Dutch church here, and that it was earnestly defended.

FUNERALS .-- At funerals no women attended the body to the grave, but after the body was borne out, remained to eat cakes and drink spiced wine. They retired quietly before the men returned, who then, in their turn, participated in the funeral feast, and finished with pipes and tobacco. The best room in the house was specially appropriated as the "dead room," and was rarely opened but to be aired and cleaned. Wealthy citizens, in an- ticipation of a death in their families, were accus- tomed to procure a cask of wine during their life- time, and preserve it for this purpose. The prep- arations for the funeral included setting tables through the house, and placing thereon plates of cake, plates of tobacco, and sometimes hundreds of pipes. At the side of each plate of tobacco was a small roll of paper for lighting the pipe, also candles lit, and wine put up in bottles, and set on the table with wine glasses. The spiced wine was placed on the tables in silver tankards. The occa- sion was more like a wedding than a funeral.

The coffins were black, made with a regular taper from head to foot, the top like the pitched roof of a house. A large silver plate, the name and date of death and age carved on it, was the only ornament. When removed from the house it was placed upon a bier at the door, a black pall, owned by the church, thrown over it, and it was borne by six or eight pall-bearers, who had four yards of linen given them for scarfs, and the minis- ter had the same. They bore it upon their shoul- ders to the grave, followed by the relations, even to remote cousins, two by two, and likewise in- vited guests. No one attended funerals in olden time without an invitation. A list was made out by the friends of the deceased, and the sexton would go around and invite those whose names

CITY OF SCHENECTADY .- ECCLESIASTICAL SOCIETIES.

were thereon. The charges for attending funerals were regulated by the consistory of the church. The following is a list of prices established in 1771 :

"Rules for Cornelis De Graff, appointed sexton the 18th of November, 1771, in regard to what he is at liberty to take for inviting (the friends) and burying (the dead).

" For a person of twenty years old and upward, 16s. to 20S.

" For a person of 15 to 19 years, 15s. to 19S.

" For a person of 10 to 14 years, 14s. to 18s.

" For a person of 5 to 9 years, 13s. to 17S.

" For a person of 1 to 4 years, 8s. to 12S.

" For an unbaptized child, when the bell shall be rung once, 6s. to IOS.

" For ditto when the bell shall not be rung, 3s. to 7s.

" For the Great Pall, 3S.

" For the Little Pall, 9d.

" All thus when he is obliged to invite (the friends) within the village; but when he likewise is obliged to extend the invitations without, he may ask 4 shillings (altered to 6 shillings) more each; this is to be understood, as far as Claas Viele's (upper end of Maalwyck), or this side; but when he is obliged to extend invitations further-to Syme Vedder's (Hoffman's Ferry) or this side- then he may ask 3 shillings (altered to six shillings) more.

"The prices in the above rules are increased by reason of the hard times."

The grave-digger and bell-ringer was allowed to charge as follows:

"For a person of 7 up to and above 20, for a grave, 3s., and for the bell, 3s.

" For a child I to 6 years, for the grave, 2s., for the bell, 3s.

" For an unbaptized child, when the bell shall be rung once, for the grave, 2s., and for the bell, 2s.

"For tolling the bell he may likewise ask one shilling more."

He was required at his own expense to keep proper tools for making and filling graves, likewise proper cords, etc.

Prior to the year 1800 there had probably been no hearse in the village. In all funeral processions the bier and pall were used ; hence it was not con- venient to carry the dead a great distance in this manner, and the people in the country buried their dead on their own lands.

The consistory of the church procured the first hearse in December, 1800, for the use of the con- gregation and the public for an established fee.

ENDOWMENTS .- Probably no church in the State outside the City of New York was so munificently endowed as that of Schenectady. In 1740 she owned fully twelve square miles of land in this county, which, had it been conveyed by long leases and not in fee, would have been worth to her now from 300,000 to 500,000 dollars. All this mag- nificent estate has passed away ; at this time she possesses barely a fine house of worship and the lot upon which it stands.

FINANCES. - In early times the Dutch churches often acted as guardians of widows and orphans ;

they provided for the poor and kindly looked after the aged and infirm who had no natural protectors; and it was not unusual for the latter to place their property in the hands of the consistory, from whom they received, from time to time, such sup- port as their wants required. The consistory were the almoners of the church. Every Lord's day a collection was taken of the free-will offerings of the people for this, and certain other purposes, and this duty was not omitted even though there were no present objects upon whom their bounty might be bestowed.

In the outset, the little community of Schenec- tady seems to have had few or no poor people; with the exception of a "shirt for a captive French- man," it does not appear from the accounts that the deacons gave a stiver to any person during the years 1687-9. As the funds accumulated they were loaned on bond at 6 per cent. interest to citi- zens. Thus, in the audit of 1689, obligations to the amount of nearly 3,000 guilders were included in the assets of the church. Moreover the consis- tory traded with another portion of these funds, buying and selling brass kettles, nails, linen, thread, baize, coverlets, etc.

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Bi-centennial history of Albany. History of the county of Albany, N. Y., from 1609 to 1886. With portraits, biographies and illustrations, Part 236

Author: Howell, George Rogers, 1833-1899; Tenney, Jonathan, 1817-1888 Publication date: 1886 Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1452

Author: Howell, George Rogers, 1833-1899; Tenney, Jonathan, 1817-1888
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1452