Catskill
Reformed Dutch
Church
History of the Church
Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Catskill
in the Town of Catskill, Greene County, New York
Transcribed by the New York Genealogical and Biographical
Society
Edited by Royden Woodward Vosburg
December 1919
Records were prepared for electronic media by Karol Hughes using microfilm belonging to the LDS. Her notes are in italics.
Introduction
I have not the time, or the means, to make
the necessary investigations in the field, that are required to prepare the
history of this church. An article on the church has already appeared in the
history of Greene County, published by J. B. Beers & Co. In the early part
of 1882, articles were published in the Catskill Examiner and the Catskill
Recorder, concerning the exercises at the celebration of the one hundred and
fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the old church. The articles were
contributed by Rev. John B. Thompson, D. D., Rev. Cornelius P. Ditmars, Rev.
George J. Van Weste, Elder William H. Van Orden, and others. The newspaper
articles have been photostated by the New York State Library; and a copy of them
is deposited in the library of the New York Genealogical and Biographical
Society.
The Reformed Low Dutch Congregation of
Catskill and Coxsackie was affiliated with the old Classis of Albany, from the
date of the organization of the Classis until its dissolution, in June 1800; the
minutes of the Classis are lost. In June 1800, the Reformed Dutch Church of
Catskill became a member of the newly organized Classis of Ulster; the minutes
of this Classis are not available. In the spring of 1823, the church transferred
to the Classis of Rensselaer; these minutes not examined. In June 1834, the
church became a member of the newly organized Classis of Greene; these minutes
not examined.
The Catskill and Coxsackie churches were
united and ruled by one Consistory, (its members being chosen from both branches
of the congregation), until after the death of Dominie Johannes Schuneman, on
May 16, 1794. Temporally, the two congregations were separate before this, if
not from 1732, the date of their organization. The Trustees of the Reformed
Dutch Church of Catskill were incorporated before Oct. 30, 1787, on which date
the Trustees were grantees in a deed of land from William Van Bergen; see page
iv. Before September 1797, the ecclesiastical union was dissolved, because at
about that time the Rev. Jacob Sickles accepted a call from the united
congregation of Coxsackie and Coeymans. My history of the First Reformed Church
of Coxsackie contains more or less information concerning the Catskill branch of
the united congregations. Nevertheless the only primary sources of documentary
evidence at present at my command, are the two volumes of the original church
records, which are herewith fully transcribed or translated. With these records
entirely available to the reader, I can offer very little additional in the way
of authentic information.
Other
notes
In former years, there appears to have been
some friendly spirit of rivalry as to which is the oldest organization in the
Classis of Greene. The facts are too definite to admit any discussion. To
Coxsackie belongs the honor of having the first church dedicated; and to that
congregation seniority devolves, as an integral part of the united congregation
of Catskill and Coxsackie. The first church organization at Catskill came to an
end on March 17, 1833. Two new organizations came into being on that day: The
First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Catskill, inheriting the name and the
church records of the parent congregation at Catskill; and the Reformed
Protestant Dutch Church of Leeds and Kiskatom, inheriting the then existing
church edifice of the old congregation, the old parsonage lots and the debt
incurred in building the Kiskatom church. The church of Leeds and Kiskatom was a
single congregation at first. In May 1839, the Consistory resolved to keep the
accounts of the temporal affairs of the two branches separately. In October
1840, it was resolved to make application to the Classis of Greene for a
separation. The application was not brought before the Classis until Feb. 11,
1842, when it was unanimously granted
. It is worthy of note that three church
edifices were built by the parent congregation, within a space of fifteen years.
George Michael Weis, Feb. 25, 1732 July 6, 1735
Cornelius van Schy (Van Schie), Supply Jan. 18, 1736 Feb 26, 1738
George Wilhelmus Mancius, Supply Oct. 17, 1738 Oct. 8, 1742
George Michael Weiss, Supply May 27, 1744 Nov. 23, 1744
Casper Ludwig Schnoor (Snorr), Supply Feb. 8, 1747 Aug. 21, 1748
Theodorus Frelinghuysen, Supply Sept. 12, 1749 Aug. 21, 1752
Johannes
Schuneman, Aug. 26, 1753 May 16, 1794
(Vacancy 1794 1798, Supplies
were Stephen Ostrander, Isaac Labagh, Petrus Van Vlierden, John Demarest,
George G. Brinkerhoff, Moses Froeligh, Hermanus Van Huyson and Peter Labagh.)
Peter
Labagh, May 13, 1798 June 24, 1809
(Vacancy 1809 1810, Supplies were
Hermanus Van Huysen, Henry Ostrander and Petrus Van Vlierden.)
Henry
Ostrander, June 24, 1810 May 11, 1812
(Vacancy 1812 1814, Supplies
were Petrus Van Vlierden, Peter A. Overbagh, John Duryee, Henry Ostrander and Stephen Goetschius.)
Peter
Sylvester Wynkoop, May 1, 1814 abt May 1, 1817
(Vacancy 1817, Supplies
were Gilbert R. Livingston, Henry Ostrander and Peter A. Overbagh.)
Isaac Newton Wyckoff, June 10, 1818 March 17, 1833.