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History of Orange County
Town of Newburgh
Page 20
THE GLEBE.

     The grant for the glebe was renewed (after the Palatines left the patent) in 1752 to Alexander Colden and Richard Albertson, as Trustees, who, in execution of the trust, divided the 500 acres, and assigned one acre for a church lot, one acre for a burying ground, 100 acres for a minister’s lot, 100 acres for a schoolmaster’s lot, and the remainder of the 500 acres to be rented out and rents appropriated under the provisions of the charter.  This division was subsequently disregarded, and the whole 500 acres leased out and the rents appropriated in pursuance of the act of the Legislature of 1803, which broke up and remodeled the charter, and gave another direction to the rents—to the Glebe School and Academy.
     The Glebe was subject to an annual rent for the support of the minister and schoolmaster; and in 1794 was resurveyed and leases issued to tenants under the charter, according to this last survey.
     The yearly rent on the lands west of a certain street called King—street was to be not less than five shillings sterling per acre, and east of that street nor less than six shillings per acre.  These rates the Trustees had power to fix by the charter.
      The north suburb of the village is now on the Glebe, and the rents are growing more valuable every year under the present mode of renting lots.  The rent is not estimated and charged by the acre, but by the lot, where it is cut up in lot, less than an acre, and is $1 annually on every lot.  The whole amount now realized is rising $500.
      One of the conditions of the charter was the establishment and support of a Lutheran Church; but this was rendered  unnecessary after they left, and was assigned by the petitioners as the reason for its renewal in 1752, in favor of the Episcopal or established church of England, which was then substituted for the Lutheran, subject to the same benefits and obligations.  The Episcopal Church centered into the possession of the Glebe lands, and for years executed the conditions of the charter renewed in its favor; that is the inhabitants or such of them as acre of the established church supported an Episcopal minister as far as their limited means enabled them and elected trustees.  They also kept a school on the Glebe in the old Glebe school house, and held an annual fair, which has been discontinued for more than half a century.
      The management of the Glebe lands and rents, with the appropriation of the tents, were by the charter to be under the direction and management of two trustees, elected by all the inhabitants of the German Patent.  In the course of time and settlement of the village after the war of the Revolution, the established church having lost its power and influence among the people fell into disrepute, and other denominations became the most numerous.  The effect of this was, the Presbyterians became the strongest in numbers, and elected trustees, who refused to appropriate yearly any of the Glebe rents towards supporting an Episcopal minister.  They, however, kept up the free school as directed by the charter.
     But to explain and be more particular.  The Episcopalians remained in possession of so much of the Glebe as was set apart by the Trustees tinder the charter to the minister, 100 acres, from 1753 down to the Revolution, and until 1785 or 6, as appears from the case made by the proofs in their law suit hereafter mentioned.  They had built a Parsonage house before 1775, and Mr. Spering was employed as the minister till as late as 1785 or 6.  We are not well advised of the exact state of the case, and who exercised authority over the Glebe from this time down till about 1800, whether it was trustees elected by the Episcopalians or trustees elected by other denominations.  In 1803 the Legislature, upon petition of the inhabitants of the Patent, passed an act which among other things directed the trustees of the Glebe to pay $200 of the rents to the trustees of the Academy, and the residue to the trustees of the Glebe school, and that 3 trustees he elected.
      In 1804 Selah Reeve, John D. Lawson, and Isaac Belknap, jr. were trustees, and they issued the following notice:

      NOTICE—The time of payments for rents due on Glebe Lands, in the village of Newburgh, has laid over for as much as five months by reason of the Map and Charter being lost.  The Trustees of said Glebe have been under the necessity of taking a survey of said lands, for the purpose of making a map, and sending to secretary’s office for an exemplified copy of the charter.  The above being completed, we now Give Notice, to all those who are in arrears, for glebe rents in said village, to make payment to Isaac Belknap jun. who has the books for collecting, within 30 days from the date of this advertisement, or they will be dealt with agreeable to charter.  It is presumed and expected as there is no one paid for collecting said monies, that the people will come forward themselves and make payment without any further demand.                                                
                                                                                          Selah Reeve               Trustee
                                                                                          John D. Lawson        Trustee
                                                                                          Isaac Belknap, jun.   Trustee