xt7wdb7vqt60 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7wdb7vqt60/data/mets.xml Historical Records Survey (New York, N.Y.) Division of Professional and Service Projects, Work Projects Administration New York Historical Records Survey (New York, N.Y.) Division of Professional and Service Projects, Work Projects Administration 1940 v. 28 cm. UK holds archival copy for ASERL Collaborative Federal Depository Program libraries. Call Number: FW 4.14:N 42yc/4 books  English New York  This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. New York Works Progress Administration Publications Archives--New York (State)--New York Sects--New York (State)--New York New York (N.Y.) -- Churches Church buildings--New York (State)--New York. Inventory of the Church Archives of New York City. Protestant Episcopal Church, Diocese of New York. Prepared by the Historical Records Survey; Division of Professional and Service Projects, Work Projects Administration, 1940 text Inventory of the Church Archives of New York City. Protestant Episcopal Church, Diocese of New York. Prepared by the Historical Records Survey; Division of Professional and Service Projects, Work Projects Administration, 1940 1940 1940 2020 true xt7wdb7vqt60 section xt7wdb7vqt60 USNIVER ITYO

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NEw YORK COUNTY
BRONX COUNTY
RICHMOND COUNTY

THE HISTORICAL RECORDS SURVEY
W'OR-K PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION
NEW YORK CITY
1940

 

 ‘“¢

 

INVENTORY OF THE CHURCH ARCHIVES

OF NEW YORK CITY

PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH
IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DIOCESE OF NEW YORK
Manhattan, Bronx, Richmond.

Vol. 2

****

Prepared by
THE HISTORICAL RECORDS SURVEY
Division of Professional and Service Projects
Work Projects Administration
New York City
December 1940

 

 i 1
l‘ 1
I ‘
ll

1 1
I; ‘
iv ‘

 

The Historical Records Survey

Sargent B. Child, National Director
Charles C. Fisher, State Supervisor for New York City

Division of Professional and Service Projects
Florence Kerr, Assistant Commissioner

Agnes S. Cronin, Chief Regional Supervisor
Joseph L. Ginniff, Director for New York City

WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION
Howard D. Hunter, Acting Commissioner . 5

R.C. Branion, Regional Director
Oliver A. Gottschalk, Acting Administrator for New York City

Sponsor:

Fiorello H. La Guardia
Mayor of the City of New York

 

 iii

iaiiigia

The Historical Records Survey of the Works Progress
Administration is to be congratulated and highly commended
for its compilation of the records of the Diocese of New York.

That this is of fundamental importance to the trained
church historian is at once apparent, and ought to be equally
clear to all who are interested in the record of the past, for
that past in New York City and its vicinity, as contained in
church archives, is rich in its roster of names of persons and
their activities, forming part of the pattern of man‘s social
relationships, and so is of great interest, not only to the
historian of the Episcopal Church, but to everyone having a
concern with history. The past better enables the present to
understand itself.

Since this is a first attempt, involving much painstaking
research, to bring all these archives into a related whole,'
some errors and omissions may possibly be discovered in this
present record, but it is believed that it will furnish an
ample and secure foundation for all future efforts of this kind.

WILLIAM T. MANNING

Bishop of New York

 

 iv
PREFACE

In January 1936, by authority of a Presidential letter, the Historical
Records Survey was established under the national direction of Dr. Luther
H. Evans, to provide useful employment for needy unemployed professional,
technical, and clerical workers. Among the nation-wide objectives of this
project, was the compilation of inventories of all ecclesiastical records
in the United States, denomination by denomination. These records are in-
valuable, though heretofore largely unlocated or unknown, sources of social,
religious, and vital—statistical studies of national and local history. On
March 1, 1940, Mr. Sargent B. Child succeeded Dr. Evans as National Director
of the survey.

Inventories of the records of each denomination will eventually be
published for every state. For the purpose of this survey, New York City
was designated as a forty-ninth state, with Mrs. Crete Hutchinson as State
Director. On April 26, 1957, she was replaced by Howard E. Colgan, who
was succeeded on June 15 of the same year by George J. Miller as State
Director and Jacob George Bragin as Assistant Director. Upon Mr. Miller%
resignation in October 1959, Charles C. Fisher was appointed Acting Direc-
tor; and in September 1940, Isidor Paskoff succeeded Mr. Bragin as Assis—
tant Director. The New York City project ceased to exist as part of
Federal Project #1 on September 1, 1959, from which time it has operated
under the sponsorship of Fiorello H. La Guardia, Mayor of the City of New
York.

The present inventory of the Protestant Episcopal Church archives—-the
fourth of a series which eventually will cover every denomination in New
York City—-appears in two volumes. Volume 1 is devoted to the archives of
the General Convention, the Diocese of New York and the National Council,
with their subsidiary organizations located in the City of New York; while
volume 2 includes every known parish, mission, and purely local institution
within that portion of the diocese which lies within the city. A third
volume, covering the parishes and institutions of the diocese outside the
city, is being published by the New York State Historical Records Survey.
An Inventory of the Church Archives of New York City: Protestant EpiscopZI
Church, Diocese of Long Island has already been published as a companion
volume to the invEntory of the Diocese of Long Island outside the City of
New York being published by the New York State Historical Records Survey.

In the course of preparing this inventory, some records assumed to
have been lost and others long misplaced were located; in some cases,records
found to be in poor condition have been reconditioned. It is hoped that
subsequent inventories will lead to similar discovery, centralization, and
preservation of other records now unknown or believed lost.

The cooperative aid of rectors and other church officials is grate—
fully acknowledged as having been indispensable to the completion of this
inventory. Acknowledgment is made for the kindness of the Right Reverend
William T. Manning, Bishop of the Diocese of New York, in.writing the fore—
w0rd to this publication; also, to the Reverend Thomas A. Sparks, 0f the

 

 Preface v

Cathedral to whom we are greatly indebted for suggestions and revisions,
accompanying his approval of the entry on the Cathedral of Saint John the
Divine; and to the Reverend Floyd Van Keuren, Registrar, who most cante-
ously made available the records in his charge.

The work of collecting, verifying, and editing the inventory has been
done under the direct supervision of Harry E. Greene and his successor, Mrs.
Alice Louise Hayes. The historical sketch is the Work of Dr. James T.
Simpson. Editing, proofreading and indexing was done by Melvin Sachs,
Bernard Kasper, Harry Pollack. The following workers contributed to the
writing of the entries: Melvin Sachs, Wallace W. Hooker, William.FiSher,
Bradley D. Cutler, Milton Hirsh, Lillian Parker, and Mary C. Francis. Other
workers who did research on the inventory are: Lillian Parker, Helen
Marshall, Celia Rogow, Jessie M. Preston, Georgia Gardner, Alfred B.Kuttner,
Lloyd Thomas, Archibald G. Sands, Thelma V. Wiley, Evelyn Revesz, Miguel
Casillas, Edith R. Dodson, Juanita T. Sharpe. The typing was directed and
supervised by Fay Epstein. Final editorial responsibility has been assmned
by Charles E. Baker, Editor-inaChief of the New York City Historimfl_Records
Survey.

This inventory was prepared in accordance with instructions from the
National Office of the Historical Records Survey Projects; detailed edito-
rial comments and criticism were made by Donald A. Thompson, Assistant
Archivist for Church Archives Inventories.

Charles C. Fisher\
Acting Director
Historical Records Survey

New York, New York
July 25, 1940

 

 TABLE OF COWTENTS

Explanatory Notes:
Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Organization Dates .
Form of Entry . . . .
Records System .
Abbreviations
Historical Sketch . . . . . . n . .
Map: Diocesan Divisions within New York State .
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Choir School
Diocesan Auxiliary .
Laymen's Club
Trinity Hospital
Trinity Church Association
Grace Church School . . . . .
Choir School of St. Thomas‘ Church
City Mission SOCiety . . . . . . . . .
Young Men's Auxiliary Education and
Missionary Society .
Christian Social Service .
St. Barnabas' House
God‘s Providence House . . . . . .
Family Service Department
Goodwill Industries . . . . . . .
Seaman's Institute . . . . . . .
Breakwater Hotel for Seamen .
Sisterhood of Holy Communion . . . . . . . .

Church, Chapel, Mission Entries . . . . . . .
Bibliography
Indexes:

Churches . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . a . . .

Clergy . . . . . . . . .

Chronological by Borough .

Street Location by Borough .
Other HRS Publications

Page

vii
viii
viii

ix
Xi

27
28
39
4O

50
51
66
74
78

79
79
79
80
81
81.
90
91
92
36
130

136
140
144
148
153

 

 vii
EXPLANATORY NOTES
Organization

The unit of organization in the Protestant Episcopal Church is the
parish or church. By law, the terms "incorporated church" and "incorporated
parish" are interchangeable.1 Each parish is governed by a Rector, Church
Wardens and Vestrymen, (in a few cases, a trustee system is used): "The
control of the worship and the spiritual jurisdiction of the parish are
vested in the Rector. . . . The Vestry shall be agents and legal represen—
tatives of the Parish in all matters concerning the corporate property and
the relations of the Parish to its Clergy. Unless it conflict with the
law as aforesaid, the Rector, when present, shall preside at all meetings
of the Vestry."2

Chapels or missions are designated as parochial, and are dependent
upon a parish for maintenance; those organized and supported in whole or
part by an Archdeaconry or by the whole diocese. Usually the business of
such dependent bodies is included in the proceedings of the supporting partdn
archdeaconry, or cathedral. Such congregations are served by ministers
appointed by the supporting bodies and designated either as priests-in-
church, vicars, or curates. Chapels or missions may become parishes as
soon as they can assume the financial and other duties and responfibihfifies
of a parish.

Archdeaconries are missionary subdivisions of the diocese. Each is
governed by an annual convocation of the clergy resident with the arch-
deaconry and lay-delegates from each parish or mission having 15 or more
communicants, under an archdeacon appointed by the bishop.

The diocese is the basic administrative unit of the Church. It is
presided over by a bishop and governed by an annual diocesan convention,
composed of the bishop, the bishop coadjutor (if any), the suffragan-
bishops, the officiating ministers of churches within the diocese and in
union with the Convention, and lay—delegates, not to exceed three from
each parish; The Church is also divided into eight provinces, each of
which has an episcopal president, and a provincial synod. The Diocese
of New York is within the Province of New York and New Jersey (Second
Province), now presided over by the Bishop of Newark.

The highest executive body of the Protestant Episcopal Church is the
National Council, composed of four bishops, four presbyters, eight laymen,
one half of whom are elected at each triennial meeting of the General Con—
vention, and four members of the Women's Auxiliary elected at each meethg,
plus one representative from each province. The General Convention also
elects a President of the National Council, who is the chief executive of
the Church, and is termed the Presiding Bishop.

 

1. Religious Corporations Law, sec. 42‘
2. Constitution and Canons of the Protestant Episcopal Church hlfimlknted
States of America, New York, 1934, Canon 21, I; Canon 57, II, III.

 

 Explanatory Notes viii

The General Convention itself is the highest governing body of the
Church. It is composed of a House of Bishops in which all bishops have
seats, although suffragans and those who have resigned for reasons other
than age or disability have no votes; and a House of Clerical and Lay
Deputies, of whom four each are elected from each diocese and one each
from each missionary district. A Presiding Bishop, elected by the General
Convention for a term of six years, is the spiritual head of the Church.
The General Convention, which meets triennially, is the supreme authority
of the Church - over the Ecclesiastical Courts as well as over the Prefid—
ing Bishop and the National Council.

The laity participates in the government of the church by electing their
respective parish vestries, who in turn elect the lay delegates to the
diocesan or district conventions, which finally elect both the clerical and
lay deputies to the provincial synods and to the General Convention.

Organization Dates and Arrangement

 

The church entries are arranged in chronological order of organizathnh
except that for the period during which a congregation was a mission, quwl,
or otherwise a sub-organization of a parish, it is treated as a part ofihat
parish, usually in the form of a sub-entry. Whenever a church had a pre—
parish existence, the entry mentions that fact or makes cross-reference to
the pertinent sub-entry. The entries of national or diocesan organizatnnn
follow in chronological order the entries for the General Convention, the
Diocese of New York, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, immediately
preceding the parish entries.

The date of organization is considered that on which a worshipping
body became an independent Protestant Episcopal parish. The problem of
determining organization dates has sometimes been difficult, owing to
mergers and dissolutions of churches. The dates determined upon have
usually been those claimed by the church, those appearing in the diocesan
records, or those in the certificates of incorporation.

When a church has lost its identity by merger, it is treated in a
separate entry for the period of its independence. Congregations retain-
ing their identity despite mergers, retain also their original organiza-
tion dates.

Form 2: Entry

 

The entries follow a uniform.style and are divided into four parts as
follows:

CAPTION: Includes entry number, popular name, followed by full corpo—
rate title where known, organization date, followed by two hyphens (to
indicate a living church) or by date of demise (if defunct), street address
and borough.

TEXT: Includes a brief sketch of the church, confined chiefly toornnn,
change of names, locations, and mergers. Dedication, consecration, incor-

 

 Explanatory Notes ix

poration dates, and date of admission into Convention are given when~known,
Cross references are given for convenience of the reader, and do not neces—
sarily indicate that further information may be found there. Citations in
brackets, follow original source material. Names of first and present
clergyman, their tenure and educational background are given. Where the
educational background of a clergyman is omitted, it does not necessarily
indicate that such background is lacking, but that the information was
withheld, or was not known to the Survey. Degrees of living clergymen

have been omitted.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Items pertaining to the particular church or instibnfion
Unless otherwise stated, their location is the church. Symbols (see list
of abbreviations) indicate library where item is located.

RECORDS: In those instances in which the records Were not actually
checked by the Survey, the information was given by authorized officials
of the church or institution and may be considered accurate. Unless other-
wise noted,records may be considered to be in good condition.

The rector is the technical custodian of all church records; they are
not open to the general public. Inquiries regarding a specific record mmuld
be directed to the clergyman in charge. When a record is not located in
the church or institution, or in adjoining buildings, the location of the
record, with name and address of the custodian is noted, except when the
Survey was asked not to publish such information. If a record is in a
public depository its location is indicated by the appropriate symb01(see
list of abbreviations).

Records System

Although there is some variation in the titles of Minutes as used in
the different parishes, it is assumed that all refer to the proceedings of
the respective governing bodies of the churches. The usual form is Vestry
Minutes, though in a few instances the form Parish Minutes or Minutes of
the Trustees is used. Ne have retained the exact title used by each entry.
Register in the singular indicates that each volurw of a series contains
all categories of registration — that there is but one type of register.
Re isters in the plural indicates that a separate series of volumes is
kept for each indicated category.

 

The act of April 6, 1784, provided for the incorporation of Protestant
Episcppal churches; act adopted by resolution of General Convention,dune 29,
1787.

 

1. Laws, 1784, ch. 9 as amended by Lawn,1788, ch. 61; amended by Laws,
1800, ch. 4; Laws, 1787, ch. 34 as “amended by Laws, 1790, ch. 48;
amended by Laws, 1798, ch. 49. Laws, 1813, ch_ 60, sec. 1, subd. 7
as amended by Laws, 1868, ch. 805, and subd. 18 as added by Laws,
1868, ch. 98, Laws, 1895, ch, 725 as amended by Laws, 1896, ch.
536; Laws, 1897, ch. 55; Religious Corporations Law “(1909, ch. 55),

 

 

 

 Explanatory Notes x

Since the law does not specify the manner in which certificates of
incorporation shall be recorded, those of Protestant Episcopal bodies in
New York City may be found in the offices of county clerk or register,1xfler
the title of either Religious Incorporations or Incorporations, and record-
ings may vary as to content.

 

The rector is, by law, the president of the parish corporation and'flm
technical custodian of its corporate records.2 Where parish records have
been found in the custody of officers other than the rector and in other
than parish buildings, the entry indicates, if possible, the name and ad-
dress of the officer currently responsible.

The Canons of the Protestant Episcopal Church provide that the bishop
shall keep a record of all his official acts, this record to be tranmmtted
to his successor as diocesan property;5 that he shall appoint an historic-
grapher who shall collect and edit biographical and historical material
pertaining to the diocese and report annually to the diocesan convention;4
that every clergyman shall record in the parish register baptisms, (each
baptismal registry to be signed by the officiating priest), marriages,
burials, and communicants within his cure, and shall maintain and transmit
to his successor a list of all families and adult persons within his cure;
that the custodians of all trust and permanent funds shall report annually
and in detail on such funds to the Diocesan Convention or the District
Convocation; and that all accounts of church organizations shall be mxfited
at the close of each year by a certified public accountant or, if the account
be less than $5,000, or if a certified public accountant is not available,
by an accountant bookkeeper in no way connected with the subject matter of
the account.

An order to the Diocesan Convention, passed October 12, 1791, requires
that a register of all settled clergymen be kept.8 This order apparently
was a means of supplying information required by Canon 16 of General Con—
vention.

 

1. sec. 5 as amended by Laws, 1921, ch.151. Acts affecting only in-
dividual parishes or organizations are specified in the entries.
For provisions governing the corporate acts and practices of the
Protestant Episcopal Church Specifically, sec: Religious Corpora-
tions Law, Art. III, sec. 40-47 as amended by Laws, 1913, ch. 487,
Laws, 1915, ch. 247, and Laws, 1917, ch. 21.

2. Religious Corporations Law:_§ec. 42.

3. Constitution and'Canons for the Government cf the Protestant Episcopal
Church, New York, 1951, Canon 18, II, (3).

4. Ibid., Canon 18, I-VIII.

5. Ibid., Canon 21, III, (l)—(5).

6. Ibid., Canon 51, I, II.

7. Ibid., Canon 51, III.

8. Jon r,na1 Diocese of New York (Republication of 1844), 1791, p. 45.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 xi

Abbreviations

The few abbreviations used in this inventory are Only those in
common usage; for location of records and bibliography in public or
semi-public depositories, symbols approved by the Union Catalog are
used as follows:

NB Brooklyn Public Library
197 Montague Street, Brooklyn; 1 Hanson Place, Bramiyn.
NBLiHi Long Island Historical Society Library
130 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn.
NHi New York Historical Society Library,
Central Park West and 77th St.
NN New York Public Library
5th Avenue and 42d Street, New York City
NNG General Theological Seminary Library
175 Ninth Avenue, New York City
NNNG New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Library
124 East 58th Street, New York City.
NNQ Queens Borough Public Library
89 - l4 Parsons Boulevard, Queens.
col. - college n.d. - no date
comp. . compiler no. - number
ed. - editor, education n.p. - no place
hdw. - handwritten rel. - religious
inc. - incorporated rev. - reverend
loc. - located sem. - seminary
ms. — manuscript tr. - translator

univ. - university

 

 -1-
HISTORICAL SKETCH

The Church of England in the Colony of New York

 

Until the English conquest of New Netherland in 1664, the Dutch.Reflnmnd
Church, under the Classis of Amsterdam, was the established church of the
colony. Indeed, i‘rom 1628, when the first Dutch church was organized, until
the coming of‘ the Presbyterians in 1642, it was the only relip ious body
there.1 In that year, a group of New Englanders undrl ReV‘ Franch3Doughtfi
were granted a patent by Director—General William Bief‘t. pcrritting the:
to settle at Maspeth on Long Island and, as fellow Calvinists to worship
freely.“ Director Peter StuyVes ant similarly authorized settlements at
Middleburg (Newtown) in 1652 and at Rustdorp (Jamaica: in 1356.5 Presby-
terian services were also permitted in NeW'Amsterdama Other sects were
not so favored. When Stuyvesant toog office in 1617, he undertook to en-
force the 1640 ruling of the Dutch West India Company that ”no other
religion shall be publicly admitted in New Amsterdam except thePwflxmedPS
Particularly against the Quakers, Baptists, Lutherans, and Jews, he and
his council, in 1656, enacted laws which, if enforced, would have com-
pletely destroyed their freedonl of worshi p.°

Nevertheless, when the Anglican officials under Col. Richard Nicolls
assumed command of the province in 1664, they found, besides the 13 Dutch
Reformed churches a number of sects, including French Huguenots, Renters,
Sabbatarians, and Congregationalists, as well as those mentioned above.
The Church of England was represented only by the conquering officialsénm
their families. Even as late as 1695, the English chaplain reported less
than 100 Church of England families in the province, as against 1700 for
the Dutch Church and 1300 for English sects dissenting from the Anglican
Church. The Dutch Reformed sect remained predominant throughout the
colony.

 

1. Alexander C.F11cl: (ed..), History of the State oi_ New Yor.k, New York,
1955, II, 5 (hereal‘ter cited as Flickl.

2. James Riker, The Annlls of Newtown, Nev York,1852, pp. 17-66 (here-
after cited as Newtown Annals); Hug.h hasting;s (e:l.), Ecclesiastical
Records of the State of lhev Yorlt, Albany, 1901,I , 157158 ihere-
after cited as Ecclesiastical hecorml ).

3. Newtown Annals, pp. 26, 27; Ecclesiastical Records, I, 165, 46}.

4. Jacob H. Patton, Popular History of the Presbyterian Church in the
United States of America, New Yorl:,1900, pp. 72, 73; Charles L.
Thompson, The Presbyterians, NeW‘York,19OS, p. 39; Ecclesiastical
Records, I:":97; James M. MacDonell, A Sketch of the History of the
Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, L. 1.,1 New York, 18i'7, p. 15.

5. Flick, II, 12, 15. "'

6. Edmund B. O'Callaghan (ed.), LaWS and Ordinances of New Nefirniands 1658-
1674, Albany, 1800, pp-. 211—213; Ecclesiastical Records, I, 31:5, 514.

7. Edward Tanjore Corwin, History of the Reformed Church, Dutch, Amenman
Church History Series, New York:_1895, VII, pp. 28-32. 38, 59, $1, 44,
45: 47, 57, 58 (hereafter cited as Gorwin); , A_Manual of the

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Historical Sketch

Circumstances, therefore, as much as liberality, induced Col. Nicolls,
as Governor of the Province of New York, to fulfill the Articles of Sur-
render, signed by himself and Director Stuyvesant, guaranteeing religious
freedom to the Dutch.8 Although, in theory, wherever the English King
governed, he also headed the Church, so that New York was deemed to be part
of the Diocese of London, dependent on the metropolitan See of Canteruny,9
Governor Nicolls immediately proclaimed "that in all territories of His
Royal Highness'(the Duke of York, to whom the Province was conveyed by
Royal Charter), liberty of conscience is allowed, provided such liberty
is not converted to licentiousness, or the disturbance of others in the
exercise of the Protestant Religion.”10

At a general meeting convened at Hempstead, Long Island, upon the in-
vitation of Governor Nicolls, February 28, 1665, the ”Duke's Laws" were
promulgated in Long Island, Staten Island, and Westchester County. They
became general in the province in 1671 and continued in force for about
20 years.11 These laws provided that:

"Whereas the publique Worship of God is much discredited for want of
painful & able Ministers. . .in the true Religion and for want of Convenient
places Capable to receive any number or Assembly of people in a decent
manner . . . These ensueing Lawes are to be observed in every parish. ..
Each parish was to build a church to accommodate 200 persons; the "house-
holders" were to select 8 "overseers" to raise taxes for the building &
repair of such church and for the provision of the poor and the mainte—
nance of the minister, and to manage all parochial affairs. Of the over-
seers two were annually selected by the overseers and the constable to be
church wardens. "To prevent Scandalous and Ignorant pretenders to the
Ministry from intruding themselves as Teachers" it was ordered that only
such could officiate as had "Received Ordination either from someltotesmmt
Bishop, or Minister within some part of his Majesties Dominions or the
Dominions of any foreign prince of the Reformed Religion . . ." Each
Minister was required to preach every Sunday, "pray for . . . the Reyall

H

 

Reformed Cburrh in America, l628~ 1878, New York 1879, p . 60, 603,
stical Records, 1, 492 ; James Grant 7ilson ed. ), Cafien—
K 1 ‘he Protestanth Jiscopal Church in the Diocese of New
.9, New York, 1886, p. 19 \hexeafter w“cited as Cencannal
Historvj: Jilliam Stevens Perry, The History pf tug.amer1can Epm cqu
Church, 15874881 BostOn, l885,1,pp.l50-1 1H(he1 afterrntedas -Perry7:
8. Thomas J. Wertenbaker, The Founding of Americe.n Civiliz.ation in the
Middle Colonies, New York,1938, pp. 84, 85 (hPTPaILEI cited as
Wertenbaker
9. Edmund B. O‘Callaghan (ed. ), Documents Relative to the Coloniallfistory
of the State of New York, Albany, 1865 II, 250- 255; III, 369- 573
hereafter cited as Colonial Documents .
10. R. Townsend Henshaw, lThe Ministry Act of 1695," Historical Magazine
of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America, New Brunswick, N. J.,
II; 199 (1933), (hereafter cited as Henshaw).
11. Ibid., 200; New York Colony, Colonial Laws 2f New York, Albany,l894,
I, xii §hereafter cited as Colonial Laws).

 
 

 

 

 

 Historical Sketch

Family . . .," administer the Lord's Supper in his parish church at least

once a year, and privately, to persons who "for want of health shallxeane
the same in their houses," and to baptkm:the "Children of Christian pnenta"
It was further ordered "that no Congregation shall be disturbed in their
private meetings in the time of prayer, preaching or other divine Service
Nor shall any person be molested fined or Imprisoned for differing in &Mg-
ment in matters of Religion who profess Christianity."12

The first provincial assembly, convened by Governor Dongan in 1685,
passed a Charter of Privileges, providing that "all the respective Chrnfijan
Churches now in practice within the City of New-Yorke and the other places
of this province . . . shall from henceforth and forever be held and re-
puted as privileged churches and enjoy their former freedomes of their
Religions in Divine Worship and Church Discipline".13 There were then 15
Dutch Reformed, four Huguenot, two Lutheran, and 13 Puritan or Congrega—
tionalist churches in the province. The only Anglican service in the
province was held by the chaplain to the garrison in the fort in New York
City.14 Anglicans were few in number and mainly naval, military, and chdl
officers and their families.15

Although the chaplain of Governor Nicolle had read prayers and preached
in the little log chapel of Fort James, alternating with the Dutchdominie}6
the first Anglican clergyman of whom we have personal record was the Reverend
John Wolley, who came oVer with Governor Andros in 1678 and later published
a quaint sketch of the province. A gentleman of culture, he lived on good
terms with the Dutch and tried to reconcile the mutually disapproving min-
isters of the Dutch and Lutheran churches in the city.17 Two Labadistnfis-
sionaries, Dankers and Sluyter, seeing Wolley officiating in 1679 before a
congregation of twenty or thirty persons, recorded their contempt of his
puny sect in their Journal.18

Other early chaplains were John Gordon, Josias Clarke, Alexander bums,
and John Miller. Innes, driven from the colony as a "Papist" during the
Leisler rebellion, following the deposition of James II in 1689, settled
in Monmouth County, New Jersey, where he ministered to the scattered
Anglicans until his death in 1715. Miller was later unsuccessfully in-
volved in the attempt to force him, as Anglican rector, on the Parish of

 

12. Colonial Laws, 1, 24-26.

13. Ibid., I, 116.

14. Henshaw, pp. 199, 200.

15. Samuel D. McConnell, History of the American Episcopal Church,bfihmn&ee,
1916, p. 42 et. seq. (hereafter cited as McCOnnell); Wertenbaker, pp.
47-50, 66—70, 82, 83; Corwin,.pp. 38, 39, 44, 45.

16. Wertenbaker, pp. 84, 85; Corwin, p. 58; Ecclesiastical Records, I,
570-5 72 . _._____-

17. Centennial History, p. 49; Colonial Documents, III: 220-

18. §gcles1asti331_fiecbrds, I, 711, 720; II, 829; Perry, I. 148: 151, 155,

6.

 

 

 

 

 Historical Sketch

New York, newly-created in 1695. This, however, opens a new phase in the
colonial history of the Church of England. During its first 30 years in
the colony, "the Church's voice was not heard beyond the garrison's drum-
beat."19

The Ministry Act

Church events in New York were often symptoms of causes in England or
closely identified with these causes. Sporadic agitation during these years
for the establishment of the Church in the province was without result.
When the Dutch Stadtholder, William Prince of Orange, became King of Eng-
land in 1690, however, the attitude of the Dutch colonists toward the Church
became more receptive. "If the Prince of Orange found it easy to be a
churchman, why should not they likewise?"2O This tolerance was partimflarky~
noticeable among the Dutch aristocracy, influenced by their dreadof the
democratic trend of Leisler‘s rebellion. The background of this rebellion
involved it in both political and religious issues. In 1685, Governor
Thomas Dongan, apparently acceding, on the Duke of York's order, to popu-
lar demand for representation in the provincial government, had granted a
"charter of liberties" providing for a General Assembly without whose con-
sent no tax could be levied. The newly—crowned King, James II, expressly
forebade the convening of the assembly which, as Duke of York, he had
established. In the same year, the Classis of Amsterdam had warned its
American congregations of a contemplated plan to introduce bishops of the
Church of England by legal establishment. So it was that the rebellion
led by Capt. Jacob Leisler against the constituted gov