The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-02-01

fifth anniversary of the "Old First"
Time has changed most things and
churches since then, but the only diff
ference in the First Presbyterian is
thai there are now two missions in
stead of one, to the support of which
it is contributing, and that the men,
bership has grown in proportion. But
the pastor is still DR.. Frazer.
To go back again to the old files of
the paper. this was the comment that
was published the Monday after DIR.
Frazer preached his first sermon THE
new pastor is slight in form, thin in
face, with dark hair and side whiskers,
but no BEARD or mustache. His voice
is clear and powerful, and his %enuncia-
ton distinct. In manner he is very
earnest, but INDUCES in very moder-
ate gesticulation. In the favorable
comments of the congregation after
the service it was evidently the gel
eral opinion that the selection had
been a wise one"
The dark hair is no longer dark, and
the side whiskers have disappeared,
but the earnest voice Is just as earnest
as it was twenty-five years ago.
1t is natural that the First Church
should have a pastor of the kind that
remains in one place, for the First
Church has a record in that respect.
If IL is not the oldest church in the
State-and some declare that it is-it
is one of the oldest. and its history
is the history of Newark. Without
..-4..- - l. IL. IL -I-..I- - A..
city.
The First Presbyterian Church was
moved bodily, as far as the congre-
cation is concerned, from Connecticut
when Robert Treat, in 1866: gathered
up his friends and followers from New
Haven, and some of the surrounding
places, and on royal grant prepared to
establish a church and a congregation
in New Jersey. with Abraham Pierson,
ST.. as pastor of the flock. They ar
rived safely, but in spite of the royal
grant. which seemed all that was nee
essary for peaceful occupation when
they left New Haven. they found
troubles confronting them when they
arrived, for the Hackensack Indians,
who lived on the land where Treat and
his band proposed to settle, did not re-
gard that as the only thing needed to
transfer the land from their possession
to the whites. They asked compedsa-
tion on their own account. and that
compensation had TO be given before
they withdrew their objections.
Until laws could be made to govern
the new colony it was decided to rule
the settlers "by tho laws of God" so
it was only natural that when. in the
years following the arrival. a church
became q necessity a town meeting
was called and the congregation was
established under the auspices OF the
town itself.
On the arrival of the ~colonists the
town had beer laid out with two
streets. those hat are now Market and
Broad, and along these streets were
the town lots, six acres each, except
Ing one of eight acres, which was
given to the town surveyor on payment
for his services. These were given to
the settlers, providing they were mem
brs of the church. If they refused to
become members they got no land, and
were not really members of the COM
munity at all, so that the church was
the town, or, rather, the town the
church.
That church, which they finished on
September 10, 1868. was i'm what is
now known as the Old Burying Ground,
and when the Indians became hostile
was surrounded. Another church was
built in 1915. a little larger. on the same
site. and that did very we'll until
shortly before the Revolution. when the
need for a larger building became APP
parent. A call for funds vas issued
and responded to. but before the work
could be gotten unde way the war was
upon the people, and the funds that
had been gathered to defray tho OK
penses were used for other purposes.
AS soon as the trouble ceased. however,
the Newarkers returnd to their idea,
and sometime between 1854 n 17S(
the new edihce. on the present site,
was started, the building being dedi-