In the year 1803 the Baptist church of Hillsdale separated, and thirty-five of its members formed the "West Church."  Their names were Samuel, Elizabeth, and Hannah West, Squire and Olive Sherwood, Nathaniel and Esther Terry, William West, Sr., James B. Roe, Richard, Abigail, and Mary Kinyon, Jacob and Lucretia Van De Boe, John and Sarah Talmadge, James, John Catharine, Jemima, and Christina Van Dusen, John Hatch, Benjamin Twiss, Ezra Brockway, Ruth and Sally Jordan, Ruth Ferris, Sr., Elizabeth Orr, Hannah Sering, Elizabeth Beebe, Jemima Curtis, Prudence Bullis, Sally Thorne, Catharine Simpson and Barsheba Clement.  They were constituted a church on the first Friday in June, by a council composed of Revs. Jeduthan Gray, Samuel Wood, ----- Barnes, ----- Pettit, ----- Smith, ----- Ferris, ----- Lee, ----- Leland, and ----- Hull, associated with lay brethren from their respective churches.

    The first house of worship was erected before the beginning of the present century, by the church as it existed before the division.  The deed of the site on which it stands was dated 1792.  The present church building--dimensions thirty-six by thirty-six feet--is said to have been erected by Refine Latting, and is yet in good condition, though it needs repairing.  The society was incorporated June 1, 1833.

    The ministry of this church has been composed of the following, viz., Revs. John Gano, Calvin Philo, John D. Hart, ----- Orchard, Samuel Pomeroy, Milo Tremaine, Samuel S. Mallory, Peter Prink, John W. Van Horn, J. W. Starkweather, Martin L. Fuller, Daniel Robinson, William Garnett, John E. La Grange, John H. Kent, Solomon Gale, William I. Loomis, James A. Metz, James W. Grant, and Daniel W. Sherwood, the present pastor.

    In 1854 a new church was built at Martindale Depot, and the services of the pastor are now divided between the two places.

    A notable revival occurred in the winter of 1841-42, by which seventy-one persons were added to the church.  A further description of this organization will be found in the history of the town of Claverack.