The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-08
coMMUYTPA ANCIENT cHURCH.
A Society Formed si4 Year. ARo Celebrating
Its Pastors semi-CeutenninI.


The venerable Rev. B. c. Taylor pastor
emeritus ofthe Bergen Reformed Dutch Church.
and the third regular pastor Of the frat church
built in New Jersey. its records running back
to 1864. took pnrt yesterday in the exerciscs
commemorative Of his accession TO the pastor
ate on the first Sunday in July fifty years aRo.
The Rev. Mr.. Brett. who succeeded him n few
years ngo In the active duties Of the ministry
read the sermon which his predecessor dcliv-
cred on that occasion.
In the year 1863. as appears by records In the
Secretary Of States Office in Albany. when
burgomaster. schout and schcpcn ruled in
New Amsterdam. All guilders were raised by
Tux In Bergen toward the erection " n church.
II WIS then little plantation, surrounded by
stockadc. In 1904 according to the church
records. there were twenty seven communi-
cants Of both sexes. The first named among
them was Nicholas Vcrett one Of Gov. Car
tcrct's prvy counsellors. who bud settled in
Hobuk. now Hobokcn. about 1856. whore some
OF his family were massacrcd 10y the Indians.
There WIS no stated preacher Mt first. but the
| pulpit WAS supplied occasionally. Tho records
show that in 1906 the Rev. Samuel Mcgapolcnss
OF New Amsterdam. dispensed the Lords sup
| per in Bergen. In 1880. an octagonal stone
church was built. the pews Of which were placed
only around tho walls. and held only the men
| OF the congregation. The women sat ON chairs
in the centre
In 1859 the Rev. Henry Sclyns wrote to the
| Chassis in old Amsterdam that at the request of
the people OF Bergen he would preach there
three times year, morning and evening and
administer the Lords supper In 1899 Quail
| thrrus Dubois became the colleague Of DON'T
ME Sclyns IN New York. and In 1901 he ns-
sumcd the light duties OF serving the Bergen
pulpit rs prescribed, which he continued Tor
fifty years
The sermons M we'll ms services were In Hol-
land Dutch. OF course. The voorescr. or clerk.
| had u seat with reading desk beneath the
pulpit, Beside him stood rod with SIT in
| To be read from the pulpit. The collections
were taken NJ IN wampum. which coud
or six white ones for n silver. and every mrm-
| Der oi the congregation was expected to deposit
one in the blnck velvet bugs which the demons
| a little bell llngling AT the bottom TO arouse the
sleepy hnrghcrs nj collection time.
| In l75O the churches OF Bergen and staten
| Island felt themselves strong enough To share
the burden of dominic between them. and
wint. a copy Of the. cali, in tho hondwrit-
ing OF the then venerable Dominic Du-
o2s s pr , N hs rse9rd n, on tae
ing to the understanding between the two
chnrches each was to receive righteous hall
| service and receive righteous half payment.
| The Bergen church was TO furnish him with u
parsonage and ilrcwood: that ut Staten Island.
AN able riding horse with NIL that belongs t. TO-.
De Whit began his laborS In Bergen IN 1851.
but he was never Installed Tor the chassis in
! Amsterdam returned the call unapproyed in
forming the consistory that De- VI mi was n gross
| impostcr. and that the credentials bX which he
had deceived them were forged. He was dis
At tnnt time u youth named William Jackson.
was studying theology under the Rev. John
Frelinghuysen. in Raritan. now Somerset. y. j..
and the two chur hes united in calling him IN
1853. upon condition that he would 40 to Holland
e. comnete his diesthcy agreeing TO pay him
fluO year meanwhile; He accepted. and cm-
barked. bearing with him his call which. the
records say, WIS handed ~ him 10y the cunsis-
tories. pray ng God To- take his heart into his
fenr and us far as the Lord plcase. e. takn him
safely over the Wild element. and return him
safely"
Dominic Jackson was installed in the little
octagonnl ston" church Sept 10. 1851. He WIS
highly esteemed. The vcn"rahi" Prof. Cannon
OF the Theological Seminary IN Now Brunswick.
told the Rev. Mr.. Taylor that rs field preacher
h. .wns esteemed SECOND only TO Whitfield.
When the first plantations were established
ut Bergen. Gornrnepan and Ahasscimus. all
now COMPRISED in jersey tliy. the outlying
lands. called common lunds' were used in
common for wood land and other purposes In
| l7l3 the property owners became drslrous nt
periectng their title To these c,snmon hands
and partition ing them, and Gov. Robert Hunter
granted n pAtrnt Tor tho purnosp. Til"
provincial Legislature Of New Jersey years
altorwnrd passed an at confirming the
patent and appointing rs Comm s-ioncrs 10 st
te the boundary lines. Jacob Spirer. ~ Cnpe
May: Charles Clinton OF Ulster county vii
liam Donaldson and Azarah Durham, Of New
Brunswick John Berrien. " Rocky Hill Sam
". wills. of Long Island. and Abraham Clarke
They st OF a. tho Bergen church and free
school nsdernhe trnf, In On" name ~ the
pastor the li"V. william Jackson. tho elders.
jacob Nnnwag"n"u, G"rrit NEWARK. IlrhHriah
Srkels. and Ahrn hmm Drdericks and OF tie
dcuronS. Johannes Van Wagenen, George Clir-
nus. Abraham Prior. ant Henry kuyprrS.
The Bergen church continued under the Juris-
| dlrulu ut the Amsterdam "las-s town ~ lute
n III. and its temporal affairs wcro conducted
without any art OF Incorporation. In III.
while William Franklin WIS Governor, a char
ter WIS granted to the Rev. William Jackson
| pastor; Abraham D"dricks. Robert Sy'kl,s
George Nreeland. and Abraham Syrklps elders
and Johannes Van Wngcnncr. Hrndrirus kny-
E.r. Johannes Van Houtrn, and Daniel Van
Wink". deucons, The churcn continued under
this charter TIL February, 1899, when it hecanlr
a body corporate under the state Of New Jer-
soy. the only survivors of the original trustees
hrins Dominic Jackson. the pastor. and Will
liam Prior.
In 1913 a more commodious church. also OF
stone. replaced the old orthgonal building. II
was - by 60. The arches over doors md win
dows wrr" ornnmpnted with small bricks
brought from Holland. Over the front door WAS
the inscriptions
kork Gchouwt In ltet laer
i7~i Her Huiwt In llrt
Nacr i75d
In the walls n number Of the stones from thu
| old church were mid because ON them were
carved the names Of nspicuous members who
had sisted IN building It.
After Dominic jackson had Of1lcntpd Tor n