Page 68
History of Orange County
Town of Newburgh
Page 68
The following is an extract from a little pamphlet published by the church, and placed in our hands by the Rev. Mr. Johnston, and comprises all of the history of the church of a documentary character, with which ye have been favored.
“There are no documents to be found from which it can be ascertained when this church was organized. Those who were in communion with it belonged to the church in New Windsor, and it is probable it was constituted a separate church between 1796 and 1798, as it was incorporated about that time.
“The Rev. John Close divided his labors between the two from 1785 to 1796. It does not appear that he was ever installed as pastor of the church.
“1798. The Rev. Isaac Lewis was appointed stated supply and so continued till 1800.
“1801 May 6. The Rev. Jonathan Freeman was installed pastor over he church in connection with New Windsor, and resigned April, 1804.
“1805. November 20. The Rev. Eleazer Burnet was ordained pastor in connection with the church in New Windsor. He died 1806.
“1807 August 5. The Rev. John Johnston was ordained and installed pastor in connection with New Windsor. This connection was dissolved in 1810, and Mr. Johnston’s labors were confined to this church.”
Ordination—On Wednesday, the fifth of August, 1807, Mr. John Johnston was ordained to the work of the Gospel ministry, and installed over the united Presbyterian congregations of Newburgh and New Windsor. The exercises were as follows: Rev. Isaac Van Doren made the prayer, the Rev. Isaac Lewis delivered the sermon from Col. 3:11, “But Christ is all in all.” The Rev. Andrew King presided and made the ordination prayer; Rev. Methuselah Baldwin gave the charge to the ordained minister, and the Rev. Ebenezer Grant gave the charge to the people. The several exercises were appropriate and great solemnity accompanied the performances.”
Mr. Johnston has continued his services in this congregation to the present time, making the period of 39 years. We question if there is a pastor in this county now preaching under so old a settlement.
We regret our inability to place before the reader a more extensive notice of this church and congregation, but the materials to do it were not in our possession. We should have been gratified to name in our paper the individuals who composed the first or subsequent Church Sessions, with the trustees who managed its temporalities. The chief honor is due to those who originated and took an active part in founding this church establishment, and to those who subsequently conducted it to a state of enlarged prosperity. This congregation doubtless was born during the storm of war--its infancy rocked in the very cradle of the Revolution, and has, perhaps, some interesting reminiscences worth recording.— The first church edifice was the old public store house put up by Gen. Washington, while the army was encamped in this vicinity. In this connection we refer the reader to our remarks made on that subject in a previous part of our paper, as a portion of the history of this church edifice.
In some instances, when in our power, we have given extended notices of these establishments, under the impression that they constituted a valuable and interesting department of the history of the county. Each one embraces many facts connected with individuals and early settlement, and all make up the grand total of that department of our historical paper. We tender our thanks to the several gentlemen who have kindly taken the trouble to furnish us with the facts relating to their respective churches, that we might be better enabled to spread them before the public in honor of the church at large. Our aim has been to gather up the histories of as many of the old churches as we conveniently could, that all facts of a personal and interesting character connected with them might be preserved before lose or forgotten. In some instances we have succeeded—in others, not. Generally speaking, the profession have responded to our requests with great pleasure and promptitude, for which we honor them, and wherever the materials have been furnished, we have placed them in our paper; in other instances our requests have been treated with cold indifference. The histories of the churches, as a general rule, run back to the early settlements of the various localities of the county; for we find the log churches planted beside the log cabins of the settlers; and to the honor and Christian character of our ancestors they were planted and grew up together upon the same clearings. In this we find our present physical and moral greatness, in a national point of view, and look for the future glory of the country. From this time to the end of the world, a truly great nation must be a Christian people.
ASSOCIATE REFORMED CHURCH.
The Associate Reformed Church of Newburgh was commenced in 1798. The first members of the church were Mr. Hugh Walsh and his wife, Mrs. Catharine Walsh, Mr. Daniel Niven and his wife, Mrs. Jane Niven, Mr. Robert Boyd and his wife Mrs. Eleanor Boyd and their daughter, Janet Boyd, Mr. Robert Gourley and his wife, Mrs. Margaret Gourley, Capt. Derick Amerman, Mr. Robert W. Jones, Elizabeth, wife of Isaac Belknap, jun., Mr. Samuel Belknap, Mr. Hugh Speir, Mr. Alexander Tilford and Mr. George Tilford.
Rev. Robert Kerr was the first minister of the church. He was with them about three years when he removed to the south and died there.
The congregation became incorporated February 7, 1803, when the following persons were elected as trustees: Derick Amerman, Hugh Walsh, Daniel Niven Esq., Robert Gourley, Robert Boyd, Esq., John Brown, Isaac Belknap, jr., John Coulter and Robert W. Jones. The riding elders were, at this period, Daniel Niven, Samuel Belknap, Hugh Spier, John Shaw and Derick Arnerman. After a period in which they were vacant, receiving supplies from Presbytery, the congregation made out a call for Rev. James Scrimgeor on the 30th of May, 1803, which was accepted August 4th, and he was installed in his ministerial charge on the 11th of August following; on which occasion Rev. John M. Mason preached from Heb. 13:17, and installed the candidate.
Mr. Scrimgeor was born a few miles from Edinburgh, Scotland—in the year 1757. He resigned his charge in Newburgh in 1812, after having held it for about nine years; removed to Little Britain, taking the pastoral charge of the Associate Reformed Church in that place, where he continued till he finished his labors and his life in the faith and hope of the gospel, February 4,1825. The next pastor to the church was Rev. Arthur J. Stansbury, who was installed over the congregation December 1, 1816. His stay was short; for he removed to another church in Albany in the April following. Rev. James Chrystie, of the Reformed Dutch church at Unionville, was next installed as pastor of the congregation on the 20th of September, 1818.
On the 15th of October, 1821, Mr. Chrystie announced to the congregation his intention of *dismissing his charge at the next meeting of Presbytery on account of a change in his views. He then connected himself with the Reformed Presbyterian church, became settled in Albany and afterwards in New York, where he continues to labor in the ministry of reconciliation.
The church edifice was first erected on a lot granted by James Renwick on the 1st of December, 1797, on what is now called Capt. Robinson’s farm—on the hill directly west of Noyes’ brick yard, now an oil cloth manufactory. It was rebuilt on the present site, (corner of Grand and First streets) granted by Mr. Hugh Walsh, and was re-opened with a sermon by Rev. James Scrimgeor, January 4, 1822, from Isaiah, 8:17.
The present pastor, Joseph McCarrell, commenced his labors on the 4th of December, 1822, and was ordained and installed over the congregation on the 14th of March, 1823.— The ordination sermon was preached by Rev. John McJimsey, from Acts, 20: 27—” For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God; “ the ordination prayer by Rev. James Scrimgeor, and the charges to the pastor and the congregation by Rev. James Mairs.
The above facts were kindly furnished to us by the Rev. Dr. McCarrell, the present pastor, who gleaned them from the records of the church.
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*Errata--read demitting