Pastors of the
Reformed Dutch Church
Town of Schodack
Rensselaer County, New York
Try our genealogy search engine
Pastors who served the Dutch Reformed Church of Schodack at Muitzeskill in the Town of Schodack, Rensselaer County, Nre York.
The dates that follow the pastors' names cover the periods that they served the church. The original church records themselves, are the only authority available to determine the duration of the pastorates, or periods of supply. The Minutes of the Classis of Rensselaer have not been examined. The Dutch Minutes of the Consistory of Kinderhook (which are fragmentary), might throw some light on the date of the organization of the Congregation of Schodac, as separate and distinct from Kinderhook, but they have not been consulted.
1. JOHANNES CASPARUS FRYENMOET (?), Feb. 18, 1770 to 1777. Called Apr. 24, 1770; salary to commence under new call, Aug. 23, 1770. The pastoral relation continued, until terminated by his death, probably in the yr. 1777; see note on p. 164.
THOMAS ROMEYN, supplied in the Fall of 1781. See his entries: Sept. 15, 1781, page 163, and Oct. 21, 1781, page 115; and he installed a Consistory, see p. 148.
JOHANNES SCHUNEMAN, supply, from 1785 or 1786, until Sept. 17, 1787. See p. 165 for his salary receipts. On June 27, 1786, he signed a receipt for £9: 4: 9, which, at the rate of two pounds per visit, must have carried his labors at Schodack as far back as the yr. 1785.
2. JACOBUS VAN CAMPEN ROMEYN, June 15, 1788 to June, 1794. He accepted the call from Schodack and Greenbush, on May 1, 1788; ordained and installed at Greenbush, June 15, 1788; resided at Schodack. His last entry in the Schodack record was dated July 13, 1794. Pastoral relation dissolved at the June, 1794 meeting of the Classis of Albany.
ISAAC LABAGH, supply, Oct. 26, 1794 to Feb. 8, 1795.
HERMANUS VAN HUYSEN, supply, Jan. 31, 1796.
CHRISTIAN BORK, Mar. 11, 1798 to the Spring of 1808. He left the records in such poor shape that the time his pastorate ceased cannot be determined within a mo. or 2. While still pastor at New Rhinebeck, he supplied Schodack, commencing on Jan. 15, 1797. He accepted the call from Schodack and Bethlehem, Feb. 14, 1798; left New Rhinebeck, Feb. 27; arrived at Schodack, Feb. 28 and moved into the parsonage there. He preached his first sermon at Bethlehem, on Mar. 4 and his introductory sermon at Schodack, Mar. 11; installed at Schodack, Aug. 12, 1798. His first wife, Tabitha Chissom, died during his pastorate at Schodack. On July 2, 1803, he married, second, Gertrude Vrooman, of Albany.3 The union between Schodack and Bethlehem was dissolved in 1804; then, a union between Schodack and Nassau was formed. The Nassau records indicate that the Rev. Mr. Bork's pastoral connection there extended from June 24, 1804 to Feb. 14, 1808. The last records that he left at Schodack were the minutes of a meeting of the Consistory, dated Mar. 22, 1808; they give no indication that a dissolution of the pastoral relation was even contemplated. On May 23, 1808, the Minutes of the Classis of New York show that a call on the Rev. Christian Bork from the North West Church (Franklin Street, New York City) was approved. On Aug. 9, 1808, the Rev. Christian Bork appeared at a meeting of Classis and produced certificates of dismission from the churches of Schodack and Union Village (Nassau) and from the Classis of Rensselaer; he was received as a member of Classis and his installation was set for the last Sabbath in Aug. At the next meeting of Classis, his installation was reported as accomplished. He died in New York City, Sept. 29, 1823, while still in this pastoral charge.
SUPPLIES, 1808 to 1809, as indicated by the record of baptisms, pages 46 and 47: Thomas Holiday (Presbyterian), Conrad Ten Eyck, Cornelius D. Schermerhorn4 and John L. Zabriskie.
4. JESSE FONDA, Aug. 1, 1809 to Nov. 28, 1813. Dates taken from the Nassau record, which is more conclusive.
5. PETER VAN BUREN, June 13, 1814 to Jan. 12, 1821. Called, May 12, 1814; Installed, July 3, 1814. Consistories acted to dissolve the union between Schodack and Nassau, Dec. 16, 1820. On Jan. 12, 1821, Rev. Peter Van Buren signed a receipt in full to date, for services at Schodack. The Nassau record shows that his labors there extended from June 15, 1814 to Jan. 21, 1821. He resided at Nassau.
6. ISAIAH Y. JOHNSTON, May 6, 1821 to Sept. 23, 1823. Called by Schodack, alone, May 10, 1821; died, Sept. 23, 1823.5
7. ASA BENNET, ----, 1824 to Nov. 2, 1828. Called, July 16, 1824. Ordained and installed at Schodack, before Nov., 1824; date not ascertained.
SUPPLIES, 1828 to 1829, as indicated by the record of baptisms, page 88: Abraham J. Swits, Jacob Sickles, Asa Bennet, Staats Van Santvoord.
8. STAATS VAN SANTVOORD, Sept. 13, 1829 to Apr. 21, 1834. His pastorate was marred by friction brought about by the inability of the Consistory to pay him a salary large enough for the whole of his services: of. Vol. 2, pages 57 and 58. He resided in the parsonage at Schodack; he supplied Coeymans, 1829 to 1830; and New Baltimore from 1834 to 1839.
9. JOHN GRAY, Oct. 18, 1834 to Dec. 8, 1846. His first baptism was recorded Sept. 15, 1834; called, Sept. 29, 1834; call approved by Classis, Oct. 28, 1834. His wife died at Schodack, Oct. 3, 1846.6 Consistory acted to dissolve the pastoral relation, on Nov. 30, 1846, to enable Mr. Gray to accept a call to Cohoes. On Jan. 19, 1847, Mr. Gray wrote the Consistory and requested to return as pastor of the Schodack church. A call was made out and sent to him, but it was not unanimous; on Jan. 29, 1847, the call was sent, but he returned it. Ill feeling was thus engendered, which lasted for four or five yrs.
This closes the list of pastors for the yrs. covered by the records that have been transcribed.
3 His second marriage is recorded on p. 105 of the records of the First Presbyterian Church of Albany; there, the residence of the contracting parties is given as "Bot of this city". Mrs. Bork was mentally afflicted before the close of Mr. Bork's Schodack pastorate.
4 Rev. Cornelius D. Schermerhorn supplied Schodack again, in the Spring of 1814; of. p. 58 and 59. He was the son of Capt. Daniel C. Schermerhorn, of Schodack.
5 Of. Vol. 2, p. 17.
6 Of. Vol. 2, p. 54.