Page 70
History of Orange County
Town of Newburgh
Page 70
THE REFORMED PROTESTANT DUTCH CHURCH
Was organized by a deputation from the classis of Orange, on the 24th day of February, in the year of our Lord 1835. Eighteen persons were received into its communion by certificate at the time of its organization. Of these, the following were ordained, according to the order of the Reformed Dutch churches, as elders and deacons:—Isaac Belknap, Thos. G. Stanbrough, Isaac A. Knevels, John W. Knevels, elders; Cornelius Bogardus, Thomas Jessup, Daniel Corwin, Albert Wells, deacons.
The infant church, upon application to the trustees of the Academy, were kindly permitted to occupy the upper room of their building, as a place of worship until their own edifice could be erected.
On the 13th of April, 1835, the Consistory executed a call upon the Rev. William Cruikshank, to become their pastor. It is but justice to this reverend gentleman to say that the organization is to be ascribed mainly to his enterprise and indefatigable exertions. His call being approved by the classis of Orange, he was accordingly installed as the first pastor of this church, on the 23d of April in the same year.
An eligible site for the erection of an edifice, having been procured, on the corner of Grand and Third street, the building was begun about the 1st of November, 1835. A subscription of $9,000 was obtained and the work commenced on a scale of liberality commensurate with the times. Mr. Warren, of New York, the architect, and Messrs. Gerard & Halsey, and Mr. Alvah Whitemarsh were the contractors. The basement room was opened for worship in August, 1837. On the 7th of December of the same year, the present spacious and beautiful edifice was completed, and dedicated to the service of Almighty God, with suitable solemnities.
On the 28th of the same month, the Rev. Wm. Cruikshank resigned his pastoral charge, in consequence of exhausted strength and impaired constitution—the result of his long and arduous labors, in this new and difficult enterprise.
On the 13th of June, 1838, a call was executed upon the Rev. Isaac M. Fisher, of *Redminster, New Jersey, which, being accepted, he was installed in July following, and remained the pastor of this church until the 5th of October of the same year, when, in consequence of rapidly declining health, he resigned his charge.
The church was again destitute of a pastor for several months, and until the 17th of May, 1839, when the Rev. F. H. Van Der Veer, then of New Hurley, was called. Mr. Van Der Veer continued to be the pastor of this church until the 19th of August, 1842, when he resigned his charge.
On the 13th of September, 1842, a call was executed upon the Rev. A. R Van Zandt, of Matteawan, which being accepted he was installed by a deputation of the classis of Orange on the 14th of December following.
This gentleman is the present pastor and we are indebted to him for the facts relating to this church.
ST. GEORGE'S CHURCH.
The London Society for the propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts was incorporated in 1701, and commenced its operations with a special reference to the American colonies. This was the first society established in the Protestant church and it continued its labors generally in this country up to the commencement of the war of the Revolution, after which the whole order of affairs, as well in Church as State, was so radically changed that the efforts of the society ceased. It cannot be denied however, that this ancient society was largely instrumental in carrying and planting the standard of the cross in very many destitute places in this county, and in the country at large.
The earliest notice which we find of the church in this place is in the year 1728. In an abstract of the proceedings of that year, it is stated that “the Society have received many fresh applications from congregations of people in the Plantations to have missionaries sent to them; particularly from the inhabitants of New Windsor, in Ulster County, in the Government of New York.”
This New Windsor in Ulster County subsequently changed its name to Newburgh in Orange County. In the year 1729 it is stated that “the Society have received a letter from the Rev. Mr. Vesey at New York, enclosing one from Francis Hanson, Esq., one of his Majesty’s council of that Province, wherein he acquaints; that, pursuant to the decree of the Society, he had enquired into the number, condition and circumstances of the inhabitants of New Windsor and parts adjacent, and is informed this district is twenty miles from north to south and sixteen from east to west, and contains about 400 inhabitants: that the chief of them live in good credit and reputation; but that there is no clergyman to officiate among this large body of people within eighty miles distance. This is the largest settlement in the province; it being no more than twelve years since there were but five families in this place. The people are very desirous of having a minister settled among them, and will raise among themselves £40 for the first year towards his support. They are now building a church, and when the charge of that is over, they will advance the subscriptions. Mr. Harrison represents further to the Society that it was of great importance to settle a missionary who, besides the care of this people, might also, at times, be useful in visiting Marbletown to the northward, and Haverstraw and Cakyat to the south, and the Fishkills on the east bank of the Hudson’s River, opposite to New Windsor.”
The Society thereupon resolved to send out a missionary to New Windsor, and appointed the Rev. Mr. Charlton, with the care of the other places, under a salary of £50.
In 1731, Mr. Charlton was removed to New York, and the Rev. Mr. Kilpatrick was appointed, who remained till 1734, when the mission became vacant. In 1744, the station was supplied by the appointment of Mr. Hezekiah Watkins, who was ordained Deacon and Priest for the purpose by the Lord Bishop of London. This individual was appointed to this station, because he had two or three brothers already in this part of the county. From the brothers of this reverend gentlemen have descended all of that name in this county.
In the year 1753 the Society reported that, through the Governor and other worthy persons, the administration, by an act of assembly, had granted five hundred acres for the benefit of the minister of the parish of Newburgh, (heretofore called New Windsor), and for the benefit of a schoolmaster, etc.;—that the inhabitants were repairing and fitting up the church, and in building a house for the minister on the Glebe.
In 1757, Mr. Watkins reported that he continued in the same round of duties, and within a year had baptized sixty three white and two black children, two adults, (one of them a convert from Quakerism) and that the communicants were eighty-two.
The stations were immediately under the care of these early missionaries were, the one at New Windsor, one at Wilemantown, afterwards called St. Andrews; and a third, called St. David’s, on the Otter kill, near the present residence of Mr. Fletcher Brooks. This last went down during the war of the Revolution, and the limited number of its friends in that vicinity prevented the erection of a new building after the war; the church then being old and worn out.
In 1761 Mr. Watkins wrote to the Society, that his constitution was much impaired by sixteen years of services in this cold region, where he rode 2,000 miles per year, and intimated that he could not continue longer; that he had baptized 727 persons in all, and that his members then were ninety. The Society agreed to remove him to a warmer climate as soon as they conveniently could; and in 1765 they sent him to the West Indies, on account of his ill health.—There he soon died, and was brought back to this country, (preserved in spirits) and buried in the old family grave yard of the Bull family at Hamptonburgh.
After the removal of Mr. Watkins, the church declined, till partially revived under the labors of the Rev. John Sayre, who continued from 1769 to 1775.
The church was incorporated in 1770 by a special charter from George III.
__________________________
*Errata--read Bedminster