USA > New York > Putnam County > Garrison > History of St. Philip's church in the Highlands, Garrison, New York, including, up to 1840, St. Peter's church on the manor of Cortlandt > Part 3
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St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 27
offices to which he or they shall be elected and chosen, from the time of such elections until the Tuesday in Easter week next ensuing, and until other or others be lawfully chosen in his or their place and stead, as fully and amply as the person or persons in whose place he or they shall be chosen, might or could have done by virtue of these presents. And we do hereby will and direct that this method shall forever here- after be used for the filling up all vacancies that shall happen in either the said offices between the annual elections above directed.
And our royal will and pleasure further is, and we do hereby for us, our heirs and successors, give and grant, that as well the church-wardens and vestrymen to these presents nominated and appointed as such, as shall from time to time be hereafter elected and chosen as is herein directed, shall have and they are hereby invested with full power and authority to execute their several and respective offices in as full and ample manner as any church-wardens or vestry- men in that part of our kingdom of Great Britain called England, or in this our Province of New York can or lawfully may execute their said respective offices.
And further our royal will and pleasure is, and we do, by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, give, grant, ordain and appoint, that the rector and the said church-wardens of the said church, for the time being, or any two of them, shall and may from time to time, as occasion may require, summon and call together at such day and place as they shall think proper, the said rector, church-wardens and vestry- men for the time being, to meet in Vestry, giving them at least one day's notice thereon; and we do hereby require them to meet accordingly: And we do hereby give, grant and ordain that the said rector and one of the said church-wardens, for the time
28 The History of St. Philip's Church
being at least, together with the majority of the said vestrymen of the said church for the time being, being met in vestry as above directed, shall forever hereafter have, and are hereby invested with full power and authority by the majority of their voices, to do and execute in the name of the rector and mem- bers of S. Peter's Church, in the Manor of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, all and singular the powers and au- thorities herein before given and granted to the said rector and members of S. Peter's Church, in the Man- or of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, any wise touching or relating to such lands, messuages and tenements, real and personal estate whatsoever, as they the said rec- tor and members of the said church in the Manor of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, shall or may require for the use of the said church, and also in like manner to order, direct, manage and transact the general in- terest, business and affairs of our said corporation, and also shall have full power and authority in like manner to make and ordain such rules, orders and ordinances as they shall judge convenient for the good government and discipline of the members of the said church; provided, such rules, orders and or- dinances be not repugnant to the laws of that part of our kingdom of Great Britain called England, or of this our Province of New York, but as or may be agree- able thereto, and that the same be fairly entered in a book or books to be kept for that purpose, and also in like manner to appoint the form of the common seal herein before granted, and the same to alter, break and remake at their discretion, and also in like manner to appoint such office or officers as they shall stand in need of, always provided that the rector of the said church for the time being, shall have the sole power of nominating and appointing the clerk to assist him in performing divine service, as also the sexton; anything herein before contained to the contrary
St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 29
notwithstanding, which clerk and sexton shall hold and enjoy their respective offices during the will and pleasure of the rector of the said Church for the time being.
And whereas there hath not yet been any minister presented or inducted into the said church, our royal will and pleasure therefore is, that until the said church shall be supplied with a minister of the Church of England as by law established, as is herein after mentioned, and also in case of every avoidance of the said church thereafter, either by the death of the rector thereof or otherwise, that the powers and au- thorities vested in the rector, church-wardens and vestrymen in vestry met as above mentioned, shall until the said church be legally supplied with another incumbent, vest in and be executed by the church- wardens of the said church for the time being, togeth- er with the vestrymen of S. Peter's Church, in the Manor of Cortlandt, near Peekskill; provided always, the concurrence and consent of the major number of the whole vestrymen of the said church for the time being to be had in every thing that shall in such cases be done by virtue thereof.
And we do by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, give and grant that the patronage and advowson of the said church, and the right of pre- sentation thereto, shall forever thereafter belong to and appertain, and is hereby vested in the church- wardens and vestrymen of the said church for the time being, or the majority of them forever, whereof one church-warden shall always be one.
And further we do by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, give and grant unto the rector and members of S. Peter's Church, in the Manor of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, and their successors for ever, that this our present grant shall be deemed, adjudged and construed in all cases most favorably,
30
The History of St. Philip's Church
and for the best benefit and advantage of the said rector and members of S. Peter's Church, in the Man- or of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, and that this our present grant being entered on record, as is herein- after particularly expressed, shall be good and effec- tual in the law to all intents, constructions and pur- poses whatsoever, against us, our heirs and success- ors, according to the true intent and meaning herein before declared, notwithstanding the non-reciting, or mis-recital, not naming, or mis-naming any of the aforesaid franchises, privileges, immunities, offices, or other the premises, or any of them; and although no writ of ad quod damnum or other writs, inquisitors or penalties hath or have been, upon this account, had made, issued or prosecuted. To have and to hold, all and singular, the privileges, liberties, advan- tages and immunities hereby granted or meant, mentioned or intended so to be, unto them the said rector and members of S. Peter's Church, in the Manor of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, and to their successors for ever. In testimony whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent, and the great seal of our said province to be hereunto affixed, and the same to be entered upon record in our Sec- retary's office in our city of New York, in one of the book of patents there remaining.
Witness our said trusty and well beloved Cad- wallader Colden, Esq., our said Lieutenant Governor, and Commander-in-Chief of our said province of New York, and the territories depending thereon in America, at our Fort in our City of New York, by and with the advice and consent of our Council for our said province, the 18th day of August in the year of our Lord, 1770, and of our reign the 10th.A
A Book of Patents, Albany.
St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 31
The first Vestry of the Parish, constituted by the Charter, was:
CHURCH WARDENS,
Beverly Robinson Charles Moore.
VESTRYMEN,
Jeremiah Drake, Caleb Ward, John Johnson, Joshua Nelson, Thomas Davenport and Henry Purdy.
The parish is in the singularly fortunate position of having a complete record of the minutes of the Vestry from Colonial times down to the present day. The only break is from 1775 to 1790, when, owing to the Revolu- tion and its aftermath, no Vestry meetings were held. Into an old oblong brown book the minutes from 1770 until 1795 were copied by Caleb Morgan with this en- dorsement:
The before mentioned record is copied from the original by me
Caleb Morgan February 13th, 1795.
and from that time onward the minutes are in the hand- writing of the different Clerks of the Vestry.
It will be interesting to reproduce exactly the first minutes of the Vestry :
S. Peters Church in the Manor of Cortlandt Near Peeks Kill.1
Sept 1st, 1770 at a meeting of the Church Wardens
1 In quotations from the minutes and other documents the exact spelling, etc., has been copied.
32
The History of St. Philip's Church and Vestry of St Peters Church in the Manor of Cortlandt near Peeks Kill
Present Mr Robinson Mr Charles Moore
Wardens
Mr Davenport
.Mr Jn Johnson
Mr Caleb Ward
Vestr
Mr J Nelson men
Mr Jeremb Drake
The Charter being read they Proceeded to Chuse Mr John Johnson Clark for the present year.
Resolved to Sett a Subscription of foot in favour of Mr John Doty and endeavour to settle him as our Minester.
Resolved that altho the Subscriptions mentioned to be paid yearly, yet all those who shall Subscribe to ye Support of a minester upon their moving out of the place Shall be Discharged from their Subscrip- tion.
Resolved that in order to encorage ye Inhabitants on the Lower part of Philips Patten1 to Subscribe to the yearly maintenance of a Minester that he shall officiate, one half of his time in the Neighbourhood of Jacob Mandeve2 on every other Sunday.
Resolved that the transactions of this present meet- ing shall be read over at our next meeting, and at every meeting the transactions and Proceedings of the Vestry shall be read over.
The Coppy of ye Charter to be kept with the Clark, then adjourned to Monday 17th instant at 10 o'clock in the four noon.
Mr. Doty, chosen as the "Minester," had served the
1 Now Putnam County.
2 Mandeville.
H. Delcky Church in the Manor of Cort
770 atameeting of the Church wardens & vestry of the seri Church in the manor of Cortinanot clear. Buko Hill Present M. Robinson Stations ma- Charles . More 1 im? Devenport m ? f." forsen m. Callah'ail Visti. min I .. ferenti. Erahe
the Charter being Read They Procesved to Chase M." Jeflm . Johnson Clashyor the present year.
lieselvee tofetta
, Indiscription on foot infavour of It" John Lotof ane ? endevour tost
himas out Hineste: - Resolve that altho the Julesery
tion mentions to be paid yearly, yo tal those who shall Subscribe to of ultron) fachinister upon their moving outof the place Shall be Discharge from their . Subcription
Resolver that in order" to Erico - rage y Inhabitants on the Lower part of Philips Patten to Subscribe to the nearly maintainance of allinesteither he shall officiate one half of his time in the high bour hood of Hard narices on Every other Sunday
Resolved that that the transactions of this prese Meeting Shall be Read over at our" next meeting, and at every meeting the transactions and Proceedings of the resty Shall be read duits The company of y Charter tolu left with the Gfaith, then again? To monday I'M instal nt at 10 ccloth in the your noone
MINUTES OF FIRST VESTRY MEETING
1770
St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 33
Church as a lay-reader during the summer of 1770, and, as he was a candidate for the Ministry, the thoughts of the Vestry naturally turned to him as the first Rector. The Vestry drew up a letter and a petition addressed to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, of which the following are copies:
The Church Wardens and Vestry of St. Peter's Church to the Secretary :
Peekskill, in the Province of New York, in America
October 15th, 1770.
Rev Sir,
Permit us, as wardens and vestrymen for S. Peter's Church, to address you, and acquaint you with the steps we have taken for settling a Church, according to the established Church of England, and to solicit your assistance and interest with the Venerable So- ciety, that we may be so happy, as to be patronized by them, and obtain their charitable assistance to- wards maintaining a minister.
It is about four years since a few of us first attempt- ed to begin the building of a Church in the manor of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, in the county of West- chester, and on the 9th day of August, 1767, had got it so far finished, as to get the favor of the worthy and Rev. Dr. Ogilvie of New York, to open and conse- crate it, which he did, calling it S. Peter's Church; and have since (tho' not yet completely finished) made it a decent and comfortable building for per- forming divine worship in.
The next step we took, to enable us further to pro- secute our design, was to apply to his honor Lieut. Governor Colden for a Charter, which he was pleased to grant us. Being so far advanced in our undertak- ing, Mr John Doty, a gentleman educated at King's
34 The History of St. Philip's Church
College in New York, offered himself as a candidate for our Church, and has performed divine service for us most part of last summer; and has given such general satisfaction, that we have unanimously agreed to give him a call as soon as he is properly ordained, and authorized to perform the office of a minister. And as we are well acquainted with his moral life and con- versation, we beg leave to recommend him to the Venerable Society as a person worthy of that sacred function, and don't doubt but he will have ample testimonials from the worthy clergy of New York, of his education and abilities. We send, by Mr. Doty, our petition to the Venerable Society, a copy of our Charter and of our subscription paper for his mainte- nance, which amounts to £61-15s New York cur- rency annually; but as many of the subscribers are very poor, and some of them we apprehend will be necessarily obliged to leave the neighbourhood, we fear it will be difficult to collect some of the subscrip- tions, but that Mr. Doty may be sure of receiving something, we have given our bond to the Rev. Dr. Auchmuty, t as trustee for the Society, obliging us to pay annually to Mr Doty the sum of £40 currency during his continuance amongst us, as our minister, and if the whole subscriptions are received it is all to be paid to him. The Church is in a thickly settled country, (tho' no kind of public worship is established in the neighbourhood) yet at present there are but very few that profess to be of the Church of England, which makes it fall very heavy upon those few, so heavy, that we could not have gone thro' with our un- dertaking but by entering into an agreement with the people on the lower end of Philipse's upper patent,* in the county of Dutchess, that if they would join in the
1 Rector of Trinity Church, New York.
* Now known as Garrison.
St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 35
building of St. Peter's Church, and in the subscription for the support of the minister, that when we ob- tained a missionary he should be settled for both plac- es, so as to make one congregation of the whole (we wish we could say parish for the number) to preach every other Sunday at the house of Jacob Mandeville, till such time as we could build a Church in that neighbourhood, so that we humbly request, if we are so happy as to gain the Venerable Society's assistance and protection, that Mr Doty may be settled by them as their missionary for both the above mentioned places. The Churches will be not more than eight miles asunder. It would give us great pleasure if we could inform the Venerable Society of our having a glebe and parsonage house provided, but that we are sorry to say is not yet accomplished. The people that make up our congregation are so very poor, that we have been discouraged from attempting to pur- chase a piece of land for that use. But we can never- theless assure the Venerable Society, that from the gracious offer of Mr Beverly Robinson, we have not the least doubt of having a very good glebe provided within the year. For a more particular account of the manner in which we expect to obtain the glebe, we must beg leave to refer you to Mr. Doty, who is well acquainted with every circumstance relating thereto.
We are with the greatest esteem and respect, Rev. Sir,
your most obedient humble servants,
Beverly Robinson, } Churchwardens. Charles Moore
For themselves and the rest of the vestry of St. Peter's Church.1
1 New York MSS. Fulham Archives, Vol. II, p. 524-6 (Hawks).
36
The History of St. Philip's Church
The petition ran thus:
To the Venerable Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.
The Petition of the Wardens and Vestry of St. Peter's Church, in the Manor of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, in the County of Westchester and Province of New York in America.
Humbly sheweth,
That your petitioners, in conjunction with the rest of the people who form the congregations of the Churches aforesaid, having for some time labored under the lamentable circumstance of not enjoying an opportunity of publickly worshipping God in the decent and solemn order of the established Church of England, whose evangelical doctrine and discipline they profess and admire; and being convinced of how great utility such a sacred establishment would be, the County being thickly inhabited and almost en- tirely destitute of every kind of public worship, to- wards promoting the salvation of many souls and the prosperity of the Church of Christ have (tho' at pres- ent but few in number) been at the expense of build- ing a neat and convenient Church, for which they have received a charter from his Honour Lieut. Gov- ernor Colden. That being well satisfied of the char- acter and abilities of Mr John Doty, a gentleman ed- ucated at King's College, they have unanimously giv- en him a call and agreed, when he shall be properly ordained by his Lordship the Bishop of London, or any other English Bishop appointed for that purpose, to receive him as their minister for the said St. Peter's Church, and also for the neighbourhood of Jacob Mandeville, in the lower end of Philipse's patent, in Dutchess County, where it is intended to build another Church to be united as one congregation, and that they have cheerfully subscribed to the amount of £61-15s New York currency, towards sup-
St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 37
porting him as such. But sensible that such a sum is not sufficient for that purpose, and being well assured of the benevolence and generosity of the Venerable Society, whose readiness on all occasions, as far as pos- sible to favor attempts of this nature has ever been deservedly admired, they take the liberty humbly to pray that they will appoint Mr Doty their missionary to the aforesaid places, and to grant him such part of their bounty as they shall think proper.
Your petitioners humbly beg leave to recommend to your favorable notice the infant state of St. Peter's Church, and to assure you that we shall ever esteem it a singular honour and happiness to be in any degree patronized by the Society. May heaven ever smile upon and bless your laudible endeavours to promote the glory of God; and at the great day of accounts crown all your labours here with everlasting happiness.
Sealed by order of the Vestry, this 15th day of October, 1770.
John Johnson, Clerk.1
Lest the language of the letter and petition to the Ven- erable Society should seem almost servile it might be well to recall that this Society provided for the spiritual needs of the American Colonies for more than seventy years. Those Colonies were under the ecclesiastical direction of the Bishop of London, and in 1696 the Rev. Dr. Bray was sent out from England to examine and report on the state of the Church. He found widespread spiritual destitution, and on his return to London he organized the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, known as the S. P. G. In 1702 that Society sent its first two missionaries, George Keith and Patrick
1 New York MSS. Fulham Archives, Vol. II, p. 526-7 (Hawks).
38 The History of St. Philip's Church
Gordon, to America, and from that year until 1785 her gifts of men and means were almost the sole hope of the Colonial Church.
At one of the earliest meetings of the Vestry it was agreed that "the Common Seal of ye Corporation be a Dove with an Olive Branch in his mouth." The in- scription around the Seal is "Seal of St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel, New York."
When the Rev. John Doty returned in 1771 from his ordination in England the parsonage was not yet built, and he was hospitably entertained by Beverly Robinson. On March 23rd, 1772, the Vestry met and passed this laconic resolution: "Unanimously agreed to go and build Mr. Doty a house." An agreement was entered into with Jerediah Frost "to git the timber, draw the same, the boards and other materials which he may want for the said house. To do all the Carpenters and Joyners work, and paint and glaze the same for Seventy five pounds." That the house was built by special subscription is evident from the fact that in July Daniel Birdsall was instructed "to call on those Persons for the money they have Promª to give towards Building Mr Doty's house and to account to the Vestry when required thereto." In September it "was unanimously agreed to Build a kitchen and Piazar adjoin- ing to Mr Doty's house on the North side, and the follow- ing persons say Dan Birdsall, John Johnson, Joshua Nel- son, David Penoyer and Caleb Morgan have agreed with Jerediah Frost and David Penoyer to do the carpenter work and have each of them promised there payment." Such was the first rectory of the parish which stood on the glebe farm, in the Southeast corner of what is now Philipstown in Putnam County.
St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 39
Hardly had the parish been established when the War of the Revolution broke out with most disastrous results to the United Churches. The material damage to the property was the least evil. The Rector was a Tory, and "a little previous to the War gave up his charge;" the senior Warden fought on the British side and lost alike his estates and his citizenship; the parish was politically divided; the churches were closed and the flock of God left unshepherded. There is no recorded meeting of the Vestry for fifteen years.
In this extremity the few faithful Churchmen were sorely tempted to renounce their allegiance. In a peti- tion adopted by the Vestry in 1795 to the Corporation of Trinity Church the conditions during the War are set forth in simple but graphic language:
This being the seat of the late War1 they were nearly destroyed between the British and American armies. In consequence of the injuries we suffered both pub- lic and private, we were rendered incapable, for many years, of doing anything towards repairing them; during which time we were repeatedly urged by dif- erent Denominations to embrace their respective modes of worship and reconcile ourselves to their ministrations. But firmly attached to the Episco- pal Church, we could never be led to conceive it our duty to forsake its interest.2
Nor were the "Denominations" content with moral suasion, for a determined effort was made to secure
1 St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel.
2 Archives of Trinity Corporation, 1795. For full text of this Petition see Appendix.
40 The History of St. Philip's Church
possession of both the church building and the glebe farm. Writing in 1793, the Rev. Andrew Fowler details an attempt of the Presbyterians to gain possession of St. Peter's Church. He states:
Three or four years ago the Presbyterians made an attempt to take the Church and glebe by force; they called the Church by a new name "Union Church," and in order to carry out their schemes they chose one half of the trustees, as they said, out of the Church. The truth is they had once professed them- selves Episcopalians; but most of them have since proved themselves to be rank Dissenters, which the Presbyterians no doubt knew.
It was not until 1790 that the parish had sufficiently recovered to reorganize by the election of a new Vestry, when the name of William Denning appears as senior Warden. Mr. Denning had purchased the house and part of the forfeited estate of Beverly Robinson. Steps were immediately taken to secure incorporation under the laws of the State of New York, and at the Vestry meeting of November, 1791, they "Did then and there According to our Proceedings, sine a Certificate according to Law, and appointed Jarvis Dusenbury to appear before one of the Judges and git it acknowledged and to have it re- corded in the Clark's office as the Law directs."
On the 28th of December, the record runs:
It was then agreed to enter on this Book that they was acnoleged, and recorded as a Legal Body on the Westchester County Record, in lib. A of Religious Society's Page 26: the 22nd Day of Dec", 1791.
The outlook was gloomy indeed. Beverly Robinson,
St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 41
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