USA > New York > Orange County > Warwick > The Record of a century of church life of the Reformed Church, Warwick, N.Y., 1804-1904 > Part 3
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The first minister ordained as THE FIRST PASTOR CALLED. pastor of the church after its Re- formed organization was the Rev. Charles Hardenbergh, a licentiate of the Classis, who was ordained to the ministry and installed pastor Sunday, November 11, 1804. Mr. Hardenbergh was the great grandson of Johannes and Catherine (Rutsen) Har- denbergh of Rosendale, Ulster County, N. Y. To this Johannes Hardenbergh, with six others, Queen Anne of England gave a royal grant in 1708 for the large tract in the State of New York, which has been known as the Great or Hardenbergh Patent. Charles Hardenbergh's parents were Johannes and Rachel (DuBois) Harden- bergh of the Wallkill Valley. His father was a cousin of the Rev. Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh, D. D., the first President of Queen's, now Rutger's College, of which institution he was elected a trustee in 1812. The Rev. Charles Hardenbergh studied under the Rev. Solomon Froeligh, D. D. Mr. Hardenbergh served the Church until the close of 1807. He was greatly beloved by the people, was a man of unusual ability and earnestly devoted to his work. He resigned the Warwick charge to become pastor of the Reformed Church at Bedminster, Somerset County, N. J., where he remained twelve years. In 1820 he accepted the call to the Greenwich Reformed Church, corner of Bleecker and Amos (West 10th) streets, New York City, and died in the following year.
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THE RECORD OF A CENTURY.
More than four years elapsed be- CHURCH EDIFICE OF 1812. fore a successor to Mr. Hardenbergh was selected. A call was presented to Mr. Eltinge of Paramus, the Elder John Pelton riding in a two-wheeled gig over the mountain to take it to him; but Mr. Eltinge did not accept. Dur- ing this interval the congregation was ministered to by supplies, but the leaders of the church were by no means devoid of the liveliest interest in its welfare. The erection by the Baptist Church in 1811 of a new house of worship inspired the people to a like effort. The sum of three thous- and dollars, considered sufficient to build the new church, was easily raised and the work un- dertaken. The contract was given to William Culver. Mr. Thomas DeKay, who was about to clear off a piece of land near Vernon, offered to LEEEEEI furnish all the principal HE sticks of timber, if the congregation would draw them; an offer promptly and appreciatively ac- cepted. The work was CHURCH EDIFICE OF 1812. commenced in the follow- ing spring and completed in a year. During the time the church was building, the congregation worshipped in "the long room" of the hotel then owned by Isaac Dol-
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THE RECORD OF THE HUNDRED YEARS.
son (now the Hotel Welling). The Rev. Mr. Eltinge, of Paramus, conducted the dedicatory service of the new church upon its completion. For twenty-five years this building was the home of the congregation, its ecclesias- tical exterior a happy contrast to the utterly unattrac- tive building which gave place to it. The building orig- inally had a high steeple which, however, in 1832, had to be removed, because found to be in an unsafe condition. It was taken down to the foot of the octagonal section, and a low open belfry was substituted for the comely steeple.
The dedication of the new church THE SECOND PASTOR CALLED. was shortly followed by the call- ing of the Rev. John I. Christie to the pastorate. Though originally a licentiate of the
THE OLD CHRISTIE HOUSE.
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THE RECORD OF A CENTURY.
Classis of Bergen of the Reformed Church, he had for ten years served in the pastorate of Presbyterian churches at Amsterdam and Galway. He was the son of James and Martha (Banta) Christie, and was born at Schraalenburgh, N. J., Oct. 17, 1780; was graduated from ColumbiaCol- lege in 1799, and was licensed to preach the gos- pel in 1802. His wife was Sally Welles, of Heb- ron, Conn. Mr. Christie re- mained pastor of the Church for twenty-three years. On the first of October, 1835, the pastor- al connection was severed, owing to the limitations set upon his la- bors by the con- dition of his health, which MRS. JOHN I. CHRISTIE. had been im-
paired for some years. A faithful minister and a care- ful sermonizer, a man of godly life, of strong force of character and deep sincerity, winsome of heart, always the friend of the children, he was most affectionately knit to the hearts of his people. The congregation
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THE RECORD OF THE HUNDRED YEARS.
rallied under his leadership and prospered abundantly so long as he was able to give to its work the re- quisite strength. When this was no longer possible and its absence manifest in the life of the church, Mr. Christie resigned and the congregation reluctantly united with him in applying for a severance of the pas- toral relation. It was during this pastorate that the Bible School was organized. Mr. Christie continued a resident of the village, living, as he had previously done, in his own house, on the property where now stands the residence of the Hon. John J. Beattie, the dwelling then standing near the well curb, so familiar a landmark to us all to-day. To the end he was held in the most affectionate regard by the people he had served, and was always to the church a valued counsellor, and a frequent occupant of the pulpit. His son, James Rus- sell Christie, a long time served the church in the elder- ship, whose daughter, Mrs. Morris Rutherfurd, though not in the church of her ancestors, lives their worthy representative in the community.
Mr. Christie's death occurred in March, 1845, his funeral being held in the church March 17, on which occasion the sermon was preached by Dr. Van Derveer from the words occurring in Acts 20:37-38. Mrs. Chris- tie continued to reside in the village in the Christie residence until her death in 1881.
The Rev. Benjamin Van Keu- THE THIRD PASTOR CALLED. ren became pastor in May, 1836. He was a graduate of the semi- nary at New Brunswick, Class of 1824. Before coming to Warwick he was pastor at Esopus from 1825 to 1836, during part of which period he was also pastor of the churches of Hurley and Bloomingdale, N. Y. Mr.
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Van Keuren was installed May 31, Mr. Christie and Dr. Cummins of the Presbyterian Church at Florida conduct- ing the services. Mr. Van Keuren's pastorate covered only a period of a year and a half, closing in the fall of 1837. His later pastorates were in connection with the Presbyterian Church. He died in 1865.
Though the church was PURCHASE OF THE PARSON- SONACE PROPERTY. not in a flourishing con- dition at the time, some- thing of the heroic spirit was manifested in the decision in February, 1838, to purchase property for parsonage uses. The property selected was the farm of Mr. Henry Johnson, which consisted of a tract of fifty-one and a half acres, including the present manse property, and also a wood lot of twenty-two acres on the mountain. The purchase price was $5,200. The officials at the time, as since, were evidently good financiers, and at once began selling off sections of the estate, until the final indebtedness was very small and was paid at once by sub- scription. Eventually enough was sold to more than pay the original cost. The property had upon it what was deemed a suitable residence for the minister, and served as such for twenty years; this old building stood a hun- dred feet or more to the rear of the present dwelling. The original farm as purchased included the properties now owned by (1) Frank Dunning (sold originally to Mary Herrick); (2) J. A. Wisner (sold orginally to J. and S. Welling, afterwards successively the property of J. M. McJimsey and W. R. Welling); (3) J. A. Chamberlain (sold originally to J. R. Christie); (4) George W. Sanford estate, lying between the present manse property and the residence of F. V. Sanford (originally sold to the trus- tees of the Baptist Church); (5) T. P. Fowler (sold orig- inally to Hannah Burt).
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THE RECORD OF THE HUNDRED YEARS.
After securing a parsonage the THE FOURTH PASTOR CALLED. Church sought a permanent pas- tor, the choice falling upon the Rev. James W. Stewart, who had previously held pastor- ates in Salem and Jackson. He was installed May 15, 1838. Mr. Stewart was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, himself a native of the north of Ireland, whose prejudices and ideas were not wholly in harmony with the people of the Church; a serious difference of opinion arose regarding the propriety of inviting the newly organized Methodist congregation, which until cold weather had held services in a tent, to worship in the church building, while their own was being finished (the building that was afterwards sold to St. Stephen's Roman Catholic Church, when the brick church on Main street was erected). The lack of harmony that resulted from this discussion made a separation desirable, as both the pastor and the Church well knew; accordingly in the spring or summer of 1842 the pastoral relation was dissolved.
During the summer following the THE FIFTH PASTOR CALLED. Rev. Ferdinand H. Van Derveer preached a number of times with particular acceptance; having signified his willingness to become the pastor, he commenced to preach regularly on December 4, 1842, and was formally called Decem- ber 16, and installed February 14, 1843. His long and successful ministry covered a period of almost forty years. Dr. Van Derveer was the revered and beloved father of the Warwick Church of to-day. He gradua- ted from Union College in 1821, and from the seminary at New Brunswick in 1823. Prior to coming to Warwick, his pastorates had been at Hyde Park, New Hurley and Newburgh. He was a man of commanding presence,
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THE RECORD OF A CENTURY.
tall and dignified in bearing, scholarly and refined, an independent thinker, an earnest speaker, clear and logi- cal in statement, and personally illustrated the truths he proclaimed by his holy and consistent behavior. Though a man of strong decision of character, he was peculiarly social in disposition. Dr. Van Derveer's ministry was blessed in the conversion of souls and in the sowing of seed that has borne its fruitage all the years since. The impress of his personality is distinctly seen in the congregation of to-day. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Rutgers College in 1858.
In the early years of Dr. Van Der- THE CHURCH OF 1848. veer's ministry the church building of 1812 proved inadequate for the purposes of the congregation. Accordingly a new edifice was erected on the old site, which was completed and dedicated in 1848. The contract for building was given to Walter Brooks. At the dedication service, con- ducted by Dr. Van Derveer, the sermon was preached by the Rev. Dr. Ten Eyck, of Montgomery, from Ps. 27:4. The church, proving too small, was enlarged a few years later, and additional doors on either side of the central front door were made in the fall of 1865. Its final cost, exclusive of material taken from the old church, was $2,200. In 1870 a pipe organ was purchased, Elder Van Saun acting as the purchasing agent, after the money necessary had for the most part been raised by subscription, through Miss Mary Cooper (Mrs. L. H. Sanford). The beautiful old Church, set among the an- cient trees, with its overreaching roof supported by the four massive Doric columns, forming the spacious portico where for so many years the congregation were wont to
FERDINAND HENRY VANDERVEER, D. D.
.
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THE RECORD OF THE HUNDRED YEARS.
gather for the interchange of greetings, before and after the services within,-has a large place in the hearts of the congregation of to-day, and is sacred because of their many years of worship within its walls, as the church of their childhood, the pride of their fathers, and hallowed by the association with it of kindred long
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THE CHURCH OF 184S.
since passed away. When the new church was entered the system of renting pews was practically inaugurated. Previously the pews had been owned by the families occu- pying them, and in many cases the owners had died or moved from the community, and the pews brought no revenue to the treasury.
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THE RECORD OF A CENTURY.
The next material evidence of progress THE NEW PARSONAGE. was the building of a new parsonage, which was done shortly after the enlarge- ment of the church building, and which continues to be the comfortable residence of the minister. One of the features of the house then constructed was its large and sunny parlor on the south side, built with special regard to the holding of the donation parties, so essen- tial a feature of the social life of a Church a generation ago; and many still recall the old days when the genial domine received his parishioners on their annual visit of gift-bringing, in the spacious rooms. Dr. Van Derveer's pastorate closed only when the limitations of age dis-
THE NEW PARSONAGE.
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THE RECORD OF THE HUNDRED YEARS.
qualified him for the arduous duties of the pastorate, on the eleventh of September, 1876. He died in the home of his son-in-law, the Rev. Thomas S. Dusinberre, at Liv- ingstone, N. Y., July 10, 1881. Dr. Van Derveer had one daughter, who is the wife of the Rev. Thomas S. Dusinberre. Mrs. Van Derveer, (nee Mary V. Gilder- sleeve) was a woman of rare excellence of character, and was greatly endeared to the people of the Church. She died August 2, 1868.
Dr. Van Derveer's gifted son, SONS OF THE CHURCH IN THE MINISTRY. Cyrus Gildersleeve Van Der- veer, following the example of his father, chose the vocation of the gospel ministry; he was ordained by the Classis of Paramus, at a meeting held in the Warwick Church, No- vember 9th, 1859. On that occasion the Rev. W. H. Campbell, D. D., preached the sermon from II. Cor., 4: 1-2, and the charge to the can- didate was given by his father. He married Sarah McCarrell, the daughter of the Rev. Joseph McCarrell, D. D., of Newburgh. Mr. Van Derveer was pastor of the Reformed Church at Davenport, Iowa; and CYRUS G. VAN DERVEER. during his pastorate there also served as chaplain in the Civil War; at the time of his death he was secretary of
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THE RECORD OF A CENTURY.
the Board of Domestic Missions of the Reformed Church. He died in Warwick in April, 1868, and was buried in the Warwick Cemetery, on the dedication of which he had made the address of the occasion.
Another son of the Church to give himself to the ministry about the same time was Thomas S. Dusinberre, a son of the Elder Peter Dusin- berre. He married Ella Van Derveer, the daughter of Dr. Van Derveer. Mr. Dusinberre graduated from Rutgers College in 1861, and from the Theolog- ical Seminary at New Bruns- wick in 1864, and the same year was licensed to preach the gos- pel by the Classis of Paramus. For some months he supplied the Presbyterian Church at THOMAS S. DUSINBERRE. Amity, N. Y. In 1865-66, he was engaged in teaching the classics, and during a por- tion of the latter year he served as missionary at Park Chapel, Albany. His first regular pastoral charge was at Prattsville, N. Y., where he remained four years. Then for nineteen years he labored with much success in the Church of Linlithgo, until, in 1889, he was called to West New Hemstead, N. Y., which pastorate was con- cluded in 1900, on account of impaired health. His present residence is Pine Plains, N. Y.
The third son of the Church to enter the ministry, and like the others, doing so during the pastorate of Dr. Van Derveer, was James Henry Bertholf, the son of James Holly Bertholf. He was ordained to the gospel ministry by the Classis of Westchester, and installed pastor of the Church at Unionville, Westchester County,
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THE RECORD OF THE HUNDRED YEARS.
N. Y. He afterwards served as pastor of the DeWitt Chapel, in connection with the Collegiate Reformed Church of New York City; later of the Re- formed Church at Nassau, N. Y., and of the First Freehold, Marl- boro, N. J. Mr. Bertholf mar- ried the daughter of the late revered pastor of the Yonkers Reformed Church, the Rev. David Cole, D. D. Mr. Ber- tholf's present home is Yonkers, N. Y., his condition of health making continuance in the pas- JAMES H. BERTHOLF. torate no longer possible.
None of the sons of the Church have since entered the ministry, but Mr. George A. Sanford has devoted himself to Christian work among young men. From the Secretaryship of the War- wick Young Men's Christian As- sociation, he has served as Sec- retary at Newburgh, Washing- ton and Philadelphia. At the close of his first three years of service at Newburgh, the records showed that one hundred young men and boys had united with churches of that city, and that a troublesome indebtedness of $13,500 had been paid. Later, GEORGE A. SANFORD. when that association became financially involved, Mr. Sanford was again appealed to and again brought relief, securing also an endow- ment of over $5,000. He organized the association at
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THE RECORD OF A CENTURY.
Catskill, N. Y., which was recently presented with a $25,000 building in recognition of its usefulness; also the Prospect Park Branch of the Brooklyn Association. For two seasons he conducted the association work at the National Guard Encampment at Peekskill, creating new standards. With fifteen assistants, he also had charge of the Army work at Camp Wikoff, Montauk Point, L. I., in 1898. Mr. Sanford was the Lay Assist- ant Minister of the West End Collegiate Church of New York City, from which office he was relieved to conduct the work of the Army Branch of the New York City Association, which he was instrumental in organ- izing at the close of the Spanish-American War, and of which he is still in charge. His work is now carried on at Forts Wadsworth, Wood, Jay and Schuyler, New York Harbor.
On December 7, 1876, the Church THE SIXTH PASTOR CALLED. called to the vacant pastorate the Rev. Vernon B. Carroll. The ser- vice of installation took place on December 28, on which occasion the sermon was preached by the Rev. James M. Ludlow, D. D., of the Collegiate Church, New York City, the Rev. Drs. John H. Duryea and W. H. Clark, of Pat- erson, participating in the services. Mr. Carroll re- mained at the head of the Church for ten years, or until January 1, 1887. Mr. Carroll was born in Baltimore, in 1846; was graduated from Rutgers College in 1868, with the honor of salutatorian, and from the Seminary at New Brunswick in 1871. His previous pastorates had been in Pottersville, N. J., and in New York City, in connection with the Seventh Avenue Chapel of the Collegiate Church. His later pastorates were in connection with the Presbyterian Church at Tenafly, N. J., and at Ame- nia, N. Y. His death occured as the result of accident,
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THE RECORD OF THE HUNDRED YEARS.
Dec. 21, 1899, the funeral services being held in the Warwick Church, his teacher and devoted friend, the late Rev. Jacob Cooper, D. D., of New Brunswick, pronounc- ing a most beautiful and appropriate eulogy; Dr. Lea- vins of Passaic, and Rev. Mr. Knox, Pastor of this Church, participating in the service. The interment was in Warwick Cemetery. Mr. Carroll had married Miss Mary Emerson, of Bridgeport, Conn., whose death occur- red during his Warwick pastorate. In 1883 he married Miss Cordelia Burt, the daughter of Thomas Burt, Esq. Mr. Carroll was a man of profound conscientiousness, of scholarly attainments and of large capacity for work; as a preacher he was able and spiritual. He brought into the Church a thoroughly modern spirit. Progressive in his ideas and alive to the pressing needs of the day, the Church under his preaching and leadership made marked progress along all lines of development and activity; its membership was largely augmented; its benevolences, systematized and greatly increased, the fraternal spirit toward other churches in the community to a marked degree extended. During Mr. Carroll's pastorate the Womens' Missionary Society (auxiliary to both the boards) was organized. The need of the organization of the young people was recognized, and was met by organizing conjointly with the representatives of the other churches of the village, the Young Men's Christian Association, which for a number of years was practically the union young people's society of the village. That there might be better facilities for Bible School and prayer meeting than the church building afforded, a room was leased in the G. A. Miller building, of which Mr. John L. Servin was lessee. Largely through Mr. Carroll's efforts union monthly Sunday evening services with the Methodist and the Calvary Baptist Churches
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THE RECORD OF A CENTURY.
were inaugurated, beginning February, 1879, making our centennial year the twenty-fifth anniversary of this outward manifestation of christian fellowship and comity among the churches of the community.
OFFICERS AND LONG TERM MEMBERS OF CONSISTORY.
Early in 1877 the church met with a conspicuous loss
in the death of its faithful and competent clerk of con- sistory, the Elder Maurice Hoyt. Mr. Hoyt's last en- trance in the record book was January 8, 1877; the first record signed by his name bears date of Octo- ber 18, 1837. His serv- ice, therefore, covered a period of almost forty years, during all of which time his records were kept with peculiar neat- ness and care. His serv- ice in the Consistory covered almost a half century, (four years as deacon and forty-one as elder), during which period "with conscien- tious, consistent, un- wearied and uncomplain- MAURICE HOYT. ing faithfulness, great wisdom, courage, gladness and hope, he had performed his duties." The office of clerk was next held by the Elder Cornelius H. Demarest, a man of earnest piety and force of character, whose service to the Church was for long years of inestimable value, and whose faithful-
VERNON BOND CARROLL.
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THE RECORD OF THE HUNDRED YEARS.
ness and consistent character has left an impress on the Church markedly felt in its life to-day. His last entry as clerk was of a meeting held on November 9, 1889, shortly before his death, completing a term in the office of Clerk of Consis- tory of nearly thir- teen years. He was followed by Mr. John McWill- iams, who was in turn followed, in 1891, by the com- petent and pains- taking clerk of to- day, the Elder Fer- dinand V. Sanford, whose versatile ability has made CORNELIUS H. DEMAREST. him of invaluable helpfulness in all the work of the Church.
The second consistorial office, that of treasurer, was first held by David C. Demarest, who was elected Janu- ary 5, 1806. For a time Thomas Sproull, who was in Consistory, 1827-1837, served as treasurer; the record, however, is very incomplete, until the office was held by Mr. Thomas Welling, who has been succeeded in order by Messrs. Cornelius H. Demarest, Charles M. Demarest, Sylvester Case, and Deacon Ira A. Hawkins, the treas- urer of to-day, worthy of his predecessors and alive to every spiritural interest of the Church.
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THE RECORD OF A CENTURY.
In making record of the long service in the Consis- tory of the Elders Hoyt and C. H. Demarest, the fact is thrown into prominence that the Church has had the devoted service for unusually long periods of many others of its venerated members. In addition to Mr. Hoyt and the Demarests and Peltons already referred to, the following have served in the Consistory for periods of twenty years or longer: John G. Ackerson, twenty, three as deacon and seventeen as elder; Aaron Taylor, twenty-eight, nine as deacon and nineteen as elder; Peter Dusinberre, thirty-eight, fourteen as dea- con and twenty-four as elder; Alexander H. Galla- way, ("Deacon Galloway,") thirty-eight, all in the dia- conate; Thomas Welling, thirty-seven, sixteen as deacon and twenty-one as elder; Nathaniel R. Bradner, twenty- one, all as deacon; and of the living our honored elder, James Wisner, who is serving his twenty-third year in the eldership; and H. C. Dusinberre, who gave faithful ser- vice in the Consistory for twenty years, fourteen as dea- con and six as elder.
May 28, 1887, Consistory voted THE SEVENTH PASTOR CALLED. unanimously to call the Rev. Peter Crispell to the vacant pas- torate. The call was formally made June 4, and the new pastor was ordained and installed August 3. The sermon was preached by his brother, the Rev. C. E. Cris- pell, D. D., of Spring Valley; the charge to the Pastor was made by the Rev. J. C. Van Deventer of Nyack, and the charge to the people by the Rev. John A. Van Neste of Ridgewood, N. J. Mr. Crispell is a native of Hurley, Ulster county, New York, where he was born in 1862. the son of Dr. Peter Crispell, and the half-brother of the Rev. C. E. Crispell, D. D., formerly president of Hope College, and now for many years pastor of the Church
PETER CRISPELL.
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THE RECORD OF THE HUNDRED YEARS.
of Spring Valley, N. Y. The family is of Huguenot ancestry, descended from Antoine Crispell, who came to America in 1660 from the province of Artois, France, and settled in Ulster county, N. Y. Mr. Crispell gradua- ted from Rutgers College in 1884, and from New Bruns- wick Seminary in 1887, in which year he married Miss Marie Dupuy Schoonmaker, the daughter of L. E. Schoon- maker, Esq., of New York City. In 1894 he resigned the pastorate of the Church to accept the charge of the Reformed Church at Utica, N. Y., which he served until the summer of 1902, resigning to accept the pastorate of his present charge, the Reformed Church of Montgom- ery, in this county. During the seven years of Mr. Cris- pell's ministerial care of the Church, it continued to make marked progress. His social character, so manifest in all his relations with his people and especially expressed in his regular and untiring visitation in their homes, coupled with his incessant efforts in behalf of the Church's growth, bound him, as well as Mrs. Crispell, very closely to the hearts of the congregation.
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