USA > New York > Rockland County > The history of Rockland County > Part 25
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On Wednesday, September 28th, 1774, a meeting of believers in the creed of the Dutch Reformed Church was held at the house of James Christie, in Kakiat, and a society of that denomination organized by the selection of Cornelius Smith, Abraham De Baun, Rynier A. Quackenbos, and Johannes Smith as elders; Jacob Servant, Petrus Demarest, Gerret Smith, and Abraham Onderdonk, deacons, and Garrett Van Houten and Johannes W. Cogg were chosen a committee to accomplish full ecclesi- astical organization. On the Sunday following this meeting, October 2d, 1774, the congregation assembled at the house of James Christie, and John W. Cogg read a sermon to those present.
Garrett Van Houten being ill, his place on the committee was supplied by Cornelius Smith, and on October 8th, 1774, the committee called on Dominie Benjamin Van der Lind, pastor at Paramus, and, having obtained his approval, wrote to Rev. J. H. Goetschius, at Schraalenburg, requesting an extra session of Synod at Hackensack, on November 15th, 1774. The
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Synod met and established the " Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in the upper part of Kakeath," and, on Sunday, December 4th, 1774, Dom- inie Van der Lind formally ordained the elders and deacons, previously elected, and ecclesiastically organized the church.
The first church edifice was erected in 1788 and remained till 1856, when the present house was built. Previous to 1824 the name of the society was changed from that of " Kakiat " to " West New Hempstead." Dissentions and schism entered the congregation, and as a result the True Reformed Church of Monsey was formed.
The pastors of the " Brick Church " have been : David Marinus, 1774 to 1778; Peter Leydt, 1789 to 1793; George G. Brinkerhoff, 1793 to 1806; James D. Demarest, 1808 to 1824; Jefferson Wynkoop, 1824 to 1836; Peter Allen, 1837 to 1862; John R. Brock, 1862 to 1865; George J. Van Nest, 1865 to 1869; Henry Mattice (supply), 1869 to 1871 ; Ben- jamin T. Statesir, 1872 to 1881.
The Sabbath-school belonging to this church was established during the pastorate of Rev. Jefferson Wynkoop. Its superintendents have been, beside the clergymen just mentioned : Rev. Peter Allen, Henry Seaman, C. E. Blauvelt, Rev. Henry Mattice, Rev. B. T. Statesir and C. E. Blau- velt.
THE REFORMED DUTCH CHURCH OF NYACK.
The long journey to and from the Clarkstown church had already caused one different denomination to succeed at Nyack, and in 1830, Ny- ack constantly increasing in population, the members of the Dutch Re -. formed belief living there began to grow clamorous for accommodation at home. In 1830, members of this church, resident in Nyack, began to hold meetings on Sunday afternoons; at first in the Presbyterian church, later at private residences, and very frequently in the parlors of the Mansion House. At length, in 1836, the church was completed, being dedicated in June of that year by the Rev. John Knox, D. D.
Until 1838, the pastor of the Clarkstown church supplied the pulpit at Nyack, preaching at the former place in the morning, at the latter in the afternoon ; then, the congregation feeling sufficiently strong, Rev. Philip M. Brett was called to the pastorate. Mr. Brett remained in charge of the church till 1842, when failing health compelled his resignation. Since that time the pulpit has been supplied by : Rev. Charles S. Hage- man, now D. D., from 1842 to 1852 ; Rev. Benjamin Van Zandt, 1853 to 1856; Rev. Daniel Lord, 1857 to 1860; Rev. Uriah Marvin, 1860 to 1870; Rev. Henry V. Voorhees, 1870 to 1878; Rev. W. A. McCorkle, 1878 to 1881 ; Rev. William H. Clark, D. D., 1881 to the present writing.
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In 1850, the congregation had so largely increased in the Nyack Church that greater seating capacity became a necessity. Accordingly, the house was rebuilt, a new front being added, and the edifice enlarged laterally, affording two additional rows of pews. The new building was dedicated January 7th, 1851. In 1870, the church was again repaired and enlarged, by an addition of eighteen feet in the rear, the work being completed in 1871. A prosperous Sunday School is connected with the church.
REFORMED PROTESTANT DUTCH CHURCH OF PIERMONT.
The society of this church was organized January 27th, 1839, and, Rev. Cornelius C. Vermiule having accepted an invitation to supply the society, began his labors May 19th, 1839, and continued till September, 1842, when Rev. Cornelius E. Crispell was ordained and installed pastor of the church at a salary of $400 a year. Since that time, the church has had the following pastors : Daniel Lord, 1847 to 1850; J. Romeyn Berry, 1850; Jacob West, 1852; A. D. Laurence Jewett, 1855; Henry E. Decker, 1860: Augustus F. Todd, 1865 ; William C. Stitt, 1872 till the present time.
The first house of worship was erected in 1840, on the hill-side near the hill railroad station. In 1850, a new church edifice was built, on the site of the present structure, and remained unchanged till 1873, when it was greatly enlarged and improved. In 1879, the building was again en- larged by the addition of a lecture room in the rear. The first members of the Dutch Church at Piermont came by letter from the Tappan church. A prosperous Sabbath School exists.
THE REFORMED PROTESTANT DUTCH CHURCH OF SPRING VALLEY.
By 1850, a number of families, members of the " Brick Church," resi- dent at Spring Valley, made efforts to have preaching held at that village. To accomplish this object, the necessary committees were appointed to obtain a site, raise the required funds, etc. At length in 1853, a building was erected on the spot occupied by the present church edifice, and at this place divine service was regularly held by the pastor of the " Brick Church " on Sunday afternoons.
In 1863, the first house of worship became too small for the increased membership, and preparation was made to erect a larger edifice. A building committee was appointed, and the old building was sold to Alfred Tallman for $400, and by him moved to a lot owned by himself. This building was afterward sold to the Baptist Society, as we shall see, and is now known as Van Houten Hall. On January 5th, 1865, the new church
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structure was completed, and, it having been amicably decided by the congregations of both churches that it was better to have separate organ- izations, on April 17th, 1865, the organization at Spring Valley was legally incorporated.
The pastors of the Spring Valley Church have been : Rev. John R. Brock, May 7th, 1865 to April 10th, 1869; Rev. Marshall B. Smith, July 7th, 1869 to November Ist, 1870; Rev. Richard De Witt, October 8th, 1871 to April Ist, 1876; Rev. Peter E. Kipp, (stated supply) July 1876 to April 1877 ; Rev. Daniel Van Pell, July 16th, 1877 to September 23d, 1878; Rev Cornelius E. Crispell, D. D., September 9th, 1879 to present time.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN ROCKLAND COUNTY-TIIE "ENGLISII CHURCH," OR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF NEW HEMPSTEAD).
In the Magazine of American History, Vol. XIII., p. 39, in an article entitled " Puritanism in New York," an account of the carly Presbyterian churches in New York State is given. As early as 1640 the first Presby- terian Society was formed on Long Island at Southold. 1641 saw one at Southampton ; 1642, one at Mespat, and in 1644 Richard Denton, a pastor of the Presbyterian Church, formed a society at Hempstead, with which he remained till 1658. During Dutch rule this sect was left undis- turbed, but, on the final surrender of New York to the English, a de- termined effort was made by the Governors, especially Lord Cornbury, to crush out Presbyterianism, and make the Church of England dominant. In this attempt, which continued till 1716, the Presbyterian Society in Hempstead came in for its full share of annoyance, and great bitterness of feeling was the result.
Persecution has ever ended in a more vigorous and rapid spread of the ideas attacked, and, in thus harassing the believers in Presbyterianism, the adherents of the Church of England not only failed, most signally, in the attempt to proselyte them, but also increased to greater fervor and zcal the believers in that creed. Fresh from the conflict of church doc- trines, and filled with anger at the injustice of the English rulers, the Colonists in Kakiat, emigrants from Hempstead, Long Island, arrived in our County. But time enough to get settled and started elapsed, when thesc new comers organized a Presbyterian Church Society, and at their earliest convenience erected a house of worship.
Already had the English language become the common dialect on Long Island, east of Brooklyn, ere the immigration to Kakiat took place, and at, or shortly after, that time the Scots, who gave its name to Scot-
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land, settled in the County. A heterogenous congregation, consisting of French Huguenots, of Englishmen, Scots and Dutchmen, would naturally agree upon a tongue common to a majority of the community, and that language was the English. While, therefore, the service of the first Pres- byterian Church, and its records were at first in Dutch, the will of the majority at length obtained, and English was substituted; and, in a com- munity already settled by Dutch and sustaining two churches in which the exercises were carried on in that speech, this innovation could but excite interest and lead the worthy Dutchmen to speak of the church as the Eng- lish Church.
But little record of the carly days of this church can be found. A deed dated December 12th, 1754, " Between Samuch Coe, of New Hempstead, of the precinct of Harvuerstraw in the County of orange and province of New York, yoemen of the one part, and Jacob Hallsted, Jonah Hallsted Guysbert Cuyper, Samuel Coe, John Coe, Alexander Mc(N)nought, (A) alexander (M) montgomery, Francis Garnee, John Secar and (W) william (C) coe, Elders and Deacons in the Presbyterian Church or Con- gregation of said New Hempstead on the other part, for and in considera- tion of twenty-six pounds, two shillings and six pence, Currant Lawfull money of New York," sets aside a portion of land to this church society for a parsonage farm, and speaks of: "Forty and eight square rods whereon the meeting house stands, which is my free gift to the Presbyterian Church and Congregation for their use and benefit forever."
The first building of this society, a frame edifice, stood a few feet north of the present structure, and remained in use till 1827. On the military road through the County during the period of the Revolution, it is report- ed to have been used for military purposes, and it is supposed that during that period its records were mislaid or destroyed. Be that as it may, it is now certain that the early records are wanting, and but fragmentary data touching its history can be given.
Rev. E. B. Cobb has found an account between the Board of Trustees of the church and the Rev. John Lindsley, the pastor, extending from November 25th, 1785, to September 23d, 1786, by which it appears that during that time the pastor received goods and money to the value of $43 195, 3d. The date of Mr. Lindsley's departure is not known. In a call to Rev. John Townley, issued October 27th, 1788, is found the statement : " The said church and congregation having been long destitute of a Settled Gospel Ministry for Divine Worship and the regular Dispensation of Gos- pel Ordinances amongst them, etc." On April 24th, 1797, Rev Allen Blair was called to the pulpit of the English Church, it being his duty to
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preach alternately in the Presbyterian church at Haverstraw-now Gar- nerville-and New Hempstead. On the departure of Mr. Blair, cvil days fell upon the " English Church " congregation. It is recorded that the rite of communion was administered December 4th, 1808, by Rev. Mr. Hill- yer ; in June, 1809, by Rev. Mr. Thompson, on November 19th, 1809, by Rev. Mr. King ; on July 8th, 1810, by Rev. Mr. Riggs; and on De- cember 22d 1811, by Rev. Mr. Williams.
From this time to December 26th, 1816, when Rev. Samuel Pelton was called to the pastoral care of the Society, occurs a hiatus in the work of the church. Rev. Samuel Pelton was installed pastor of the " English Church " February 20th, 1817, and began his labors with fifty-nine com- municants. Ile prospered greatly in his efforts, and in 1821, one hundred and ten people united with the church at one time. In 1839, Mr. Pelton was stricken with apoplexy and left partly paralyzed, a condition which led him to resign his charge in 1840. He was followed by Rev. John N. Boyd, from November 11th, 1840 till 1852 ; Rev. Abijah Green, November Ist, 1852 ; Rev. Samuel Kellogg, December 18th, 1853, and Rev. Thomas Mack, July 26th, 1866, till the present time. The church was incorpo- rated May Ist, 1792 ; but on May 13th, 1822, it was found necessary to re-incorporate it.
On May 31st, 1879, the church edifice was struck by lightning, and in the course of the electric fluid to the earth, part of an iron bracket fastened to the pillar in the back of the church, down which the lightning passed, was hurled across the entire length of building and buried several inches deep in the wall over the pulpit.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF HAVERSTRAW.
Previous to 1781, the few residents of the Haverstraw Valley attended either the Dutch Reformed church near Kakiat, or Clarksville, or the Presbyterian Church at Kakiat. In that year an effort was made to estab- lish a church society at Haverstraw, and seventy-one residents subscribed toward paying a pastor's salary. On April 8th, 1789, the English Pro- testant Society of Haverstraw had been organized by the election of Jacob Waldron, Amos Hutchings and Peter Allison, Trustees. On August 17th, 1789, Thomas Smith sold to the Trustees of this first Presbyterian church in Haverstraw, for the sum of ten shillings, a lot of land situated on the northeast corner of the land at present belonging to the heirs of Elisha Peck, on the south side of the road to Thiells Corners, and next east of the Calico Factory. On this the congregation proceeded to erect a wooden building, about forty feet square, for a house of worship.
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Until 1839, the pulpit of this church was supplied by the ministers from the " English Church " at Kakiat. Among others, the Rev. Robert Burns, a resident of Haverstraw, is mentioned as one of the pastors. In 1816, Rev. Samuel Pelton was called to the charge of this in conjunction with the " English Church," and continued at labor till failing health com- pelled his resignation in 1839. Since Mr. Pelton's time the pastors have been : Rev. James Hildreth, June 23d, 1839 till May 4th, 1848; Rev. Livingston Willard, 1849 to 1850; Rev James H. Trowbridge, till No- vember, 1853; Rev. Peter J. H. Myers, from September 7th, 1854 to December 30th, 1859 ; Rev. Spencer Marsh, from November 26th, 1861 to 1868, and Rev. J. J. McMahon, who took charge as a stated supply in September, 1868, dividing his time between this church and the one at Stony Point till 1875, when he resigned the latter charge. He was installed pastor of the church at Haverstraw, May 9th, 1876, and remains in charge at the present time.
The last service held in the first church building was on Sunday, No- vember 21st, 1847. The building was then sold to Elisha Peck, who moved it away and turned it into a barn, which was later destroyed by fire. The second cdifice of the First Presbyterian Church Society, of Haver- straw, was built in 1848-49, and dedicated February 8th of the latter year. This structure was built of brick, and is still standing.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, RAMAPO.
This church building was erected in 1810, by Jeremiah H. Pierson, for the accommodation of the employees at the Ramapo Works, there being, at that time, no church nearer than the " Island Church" at Mahwah, which was built in 1791. From the beginning, services were held in this church on alternate Sundays, the pulpit being supplied by pastors from other churches. One of the first to fill this pulpit, and the one whose visits were most frequent, till he assumed charge of the congregation in 1834, was Rev. Samuel Fisher, D. D. Beside him, between 1815 and and 1824, the pulpit was supplied by Rev. Messrs. Ford, Spaulding, Con- det, Wilder, Milis, Gildersleeve, Armstrong, Crane, Babbitt, Chandler, Polhman, Barton, Hendricks, Tuttle, Osborne, Harris, and Pierson ; and between 1824 and 1834, by Stebbins, Chansen, Olds, Romeyn, Wynkoop, Judson, and Smith.
On May Ist, 1834, Dr. Samuel Fisher assumed charge of the Ramapo Church, and remained till 1840; he was followed by: Rev. J. C. Day, 1841 to 1844; Rev. S. J. Harker, 1845 to 1846; Rev. William A. West- cott, 1846 to 1848 ; Rev. William H. Kirk, 1848 to 1853; Rev. Williamn
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T. Van Doren, 1853 to 1857. At this time, owing to the decline of the industries at Ramapo, and the withdrawal from that village of employees, services in the church stopped. In September, 1867, the church was reorganized, and later, April 21st, 1868, was formally taken under the care of the Presbytery of Hudson. Since 1867, the pastors have been : Rev. Goodloe B. Bell, until May, 1871; Rev. Peres B. Bonney, November 1871 to November 1875 ; Rev. George A. Ford, April 16th, 1876 to April 29th, 1880; Rev. Eben B. Cobb, April 29th, 1880 till the present.
This church edifice is probably the oldest one which has been kept free from the touch of those iconoclasts, who desire to destroy everything old, and replace with modern improvements. A brief description of the in- terior, as furnished by a newspaper article published in 1878, and by the present pastor, Rev. E. B. Cobb, seems wise.
The box pulpit, pentagonal in shape and canopicd, is raised some fect from the floor, and reached by a narrow stairway. Large enough to hold but one person, the occupant may still further shut himself from all worldly distractions by closing a door, which bars ingress to the pulpit. The box pews, entered through high doors swung upon wrought-iron hinges, still remain, the only change from their original construction being a slight slant of their backs. This innovation was accomplished when the church was reorganized in 1867, and perhaps better suits the easier methods of worship which obtain now, as compared with those of three-quarters of a century ago. About 1876 a grand pipe organ was introduced into the church, and added its sweet tones to the hosannas of the worshippers. But let no one think this was the first instrumental music in the old church. Early in its history, it is recorded that six and thirty people subscribed £11 for a bass viol.
At present, the church has three Sunday Schools under its charge.
GREENBUSII PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
In the autumn of 1812, application was made to the Presbytery of Hudson to organize a church at Greenbush, and on October 18th, 1812, Rev. Eliphalet Price, by appointment of the Presbytery, preached to the congregation at Greenbush, and gave notice that in the evening of the same day, he would proceed to the forming of a church society. In accor- dance with this request, ten people came together and formed an organi- zation.
About the year 1813, (no record appears of the exact date) Rev. An- drew Thompson was installed pastor of the church, and continued in that position for about twenty years. For several years the Presbyterian
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Church Society of Greenbush held their services in the upper room of the Greenbush Academy. The first church edifice, built of stone on the site of the present building, was erected in 1823, and dedicated January 14th, 1824. The lot for the structure was given by Abraham G. Blauvelt by deed bearing date May 21st, 1823.
The second pastor of this church was Rev. Jared Dewing, who held that position from April 24th, 1834, to October 8th, 1855. He was fol- lowed by Rev. Thomas Evans, called as a stated supply. November 12th, 1855, installed June 17th, 1856, resigned 1877; Rev. Henry E. Decker followed, remaining with the church till December 1883. Since Decem- ber 2d, 1883, Rev. Charles H. Lester has been the stated supply.
On September 18th, 1835, the Presbyterian church building at Green- bush was destroyed by fire and the congregation left without a homc. Preparations were made to rebuild it and the new edifice, which was erect- ed in 1836, was dedicated April 5th, 1837. On October 24th, 1882, the second church building together with the parsonage was burned. This last fire was believed to be of incendiary origin, and charges against the sus- pected party were made before the Grand Jury. The evidence was in- sufficient, and that body failed to find an indictment. In 1883, the pres- ent structure was built and dedicated November 27th of that year.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT NYACK.
I have been credibly informed, by people conversant with the facts, that the split from the Dutch Church at Clarkstown, which gave origin to the Presbyterian congregation at Nyack, grew out of disputes regarding the location and construction of a proposed country road. A lawsuit be- tween some of the church members was begun, and the bitter feeling en- gendered by this litigation prevented further peaceful communion in the same church organization.
By deed, bearing date, March 18th, 1816, Peter De Pew gave to the society the lot of land on which the present church stands, and on this the first church edifice, a sandstone building, was erected. The first pastor of the Nyack Church was the Rev. Andrew Thompson, of the Greenbush Church, who gave one-quarter of his time to Nyack. On March 27th, 1834, Rev. Jared Dewing was called to the pastorate of the two church societies, installed April 24th, and retained those relations till June 14th, 1841, when, the Nyack Church society, having been granted a separate autonomy by the Presbytery of New York on May 10th, 1841, his con- nections with that church were severed. Following Mr. Dewing, and the first pastor of the separate Nyack church, came Rev. Charles M. Oakley,
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from October 25th, 1841, to September 11, 1843; Rev. Joseph Penny, D. D., from November 30th, 1843, to April, 1847; Rev. J. S. Davison, from October 26th, 1847, to October 19th, 1852; Rev. Joseph Cory, from May 31st, 1853, to 1867; Rev. Francis L. Patton, from November 25th, 1867, to May 25th, 1871 ; Rev. A. McElroy Wylie, from May, 1872, to September 19th, 1876; Rev. George H. Wallace, from October 3d, 1877, to 1880; Rev. J. Elwy Lloyd, from June 14th, 1881, to the present time.
The first church edifice stood till 1839, when it was torn down and a wooden building erected in its place. This second church has since been enlarged and improved at different times until little vestige of the original frame building remains. Up to October 22d, 1834, the Nyack and Green- bush societies belonged to the Presbytery of Hudson, but at that time the ecclesiastical relation with Hudson was severed, at their request, and transferred to the Presbytery of New York. The causes that led to the creation of the Nyack Church, as a separate organization, grew out of financial difficulties regarding the rent of the parsonage and the pastor's salary.
THE " POND," "YELLOW " OR WALDBERG PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
This church society was formed by a split from the Clarkstown church, which occurred in 1830. As originally composed, the society was neutral, Presbyterians and members of the Dutch Reformed church being alike subscribers, and it was agreed that the ultimate connection of the church should be determined by a majority of those who supported, as well as contributed to the building of the edifice. The present structure was crected in 1831 and opened for service the same year.
Rockland Lake was still almost universally known by the residents as the "Pond," and this church took its name from the common appellation of the original patent on which it was built, an appellation which had become applied to the neighborhood. As the name of Rockland lake became localized by the growth of the present village, that of "Pond " in connection with this church became incongruous, and the edifice having been painted yellow, a striking color at all times, but probably more so among the dull brown stone houses and unpainted barns of those times than at present, the building naturally took the name of the " Yellow " church and retained it till 1860, when it received the present name of Waldberg from the name of the school district.
In the early years of its existence the pulpit of this church was supplied in connection with those of other churches, and service was held in the afternoon. When Hon. A. B. Conger built and moved into this neighbor-
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hood valuable assistance was given to the church, and stationed pastors were obtained, who took charge of the district for some years. At length, owing to the removal from the neighborhood of some of the richest mem- bers, the church society dwindled, and during recent years the edifice has been used by members of the Methodist faith.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AT STONY POINT.
This church society was formed from the Haverstraw Presbyterian Church, organized in 1789. It is necessary to remember that until 1865, the present township of Stony Point was part of Haverstraw township, and that the first Presbyterian church edifice in Stony Point was erected upon land then belonging to Haverstraw. In 1844, the members of this church, resident in the present Stony Point, built a house of worship on land donated for that purpose by Richard Brewster.
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