CHAPTER XIII.

CHURCH CUSTOMS ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

Pages 112-120

[Page 112]

     The oldest of the Record books of the Claverack church, is bound in parchment, and tied with soft skin cords, and bears on its cover the inscription,

"KIRK EN DORP BOEK,

KLAVERACK

1727-1789.

and on its title page, "Glory to God forever."

     It records among other matters of note, that during the building of the church in Dominie Fryenmoet's time, 1767, payment was made for seats through previous work on, or for, the new building, "breaking stone, riding stone, ditching and foundaments of the church, cutting fire wood, cutting timer," etc.  So much a matter of heart-interest was this building of the church by personal effort, that the record of the first "stick of timer" contributed, has been kept.  As [page 113] in many other instances, the first offering did not come from the nearest members, but over the road several miles away, from what is now Greenport, Joris Decker wheeled his "stick of timber," quite possibly prepared with his own hands from the felling of the tree, to the final delivery on the site of the new church building.  That others followed heartily in Joris Decker's footsteps, was proved by the finished edifice a little later.

     Seats began to be rented for money in a few months.  Dominie Fryenmoet's call was to the three churches of Kinderhook, Claverack and Livingston Manor, each of which had its separate consistory.  Although Dominie Gebhard preached upon occasion at Livingston, and baptized and married many of that congregation in its pastorless seasons, the Livingston Manor Church was not under the charge of the pastor of the Claverack church at this time.

     Ministers' salaries of those days were not large, and the salary of the minister of the Claverack church never exceeded one hundred and fifty pounds a year, but with the aid of a small patrimony and the assistance of a most capable wife, Dominie Gebhard was enabled to give seven sons a classical and professional education. [page 114]  This was no doubt made possible by the purchase of a farm near the Stone Mills.  Upon this place he erected a plant for extracting oil from the castor bean, for which he received a patent.  A little stream running through the grounds was utilized to run the mill, and crops of castor beans were raised here annually, as well as in the parsonage garden.

     Some old papers give points as to the payment of the minister's salary.  The members of the congregation were supposed to contribute pounds or shillings according to their ability for seat rent, and loads of wood or bushels of wheat additional, for the parsonage use.  It is noticeable in the accounts which have been preserved, that the loads of wood were generously given, but the bushels of wheat do not appear, bushels of rye or corn sometimes taking their place.  Since wheat was already called for by the Patroon, as rent, it is hardly probable that a third division of small crops was compatible with home consumption.

     Dominie Gebhard not only preached in Dutch in his Claverack church, but also in German and occasionally in English.  The English sermons, however, were read from a manuscript, while in Dutch and German he [page 115] preached extemporaneously.  The record of the text of the first English sermon has been preserved as taken from Revelation I:7.  Since this was the third language in which he had been called upon to preach since landing in America, it was a noteworthy text and sermon.

     Upon his arrival in Claverack he found the congregation divided over the erection of the new church, and some of the members still worshiped in the little old frame building, which stood near the spot where the Court House was afterward built, but by frequent calls and pacific intervention, he poured oil on the troubled waters, and at last drew the divided congregation together once more.

     Sunday collections were recorded in columns devoted to "paper money," "silver," and "coppers," and in this same connection were headlines portioning space for "Money for the poor of the Kirk."

     In these records names of Philip, Delamater, Harder, Snyder, Smith, Van Deusen, Stupplebeen, Miller, Gaul, Ten Broeck, Skinkle, Storm, Williams, Best, Moul, Ludlow, Van Allen, Van de Kar, Van Rensselear, Bay, Leggett, Kittle, Monel, Milham, Sagendorph, Morris, Van Ness, Rowley, Mesick, Hogeboom, Esselstyn, [page 116] Schumacher, Lant, Hoffman, and Rossman abound, often five, six or more heads of families of the same name, or sons of one family following each other in a line.

     Seats in church were allotted to each family with the number of sittings mentioned:  "John Bay 7 seats; Philip Harder No. 44, 2 seats; No. 42 reserved for Rev. Mr. Gebhard; Stephen Hogeboom 7 seats; Stephen Miller 4 seats."

     Two candidates were always presented in the election of deacons and elders.  Both were placed upon record, and the number of votes received by each, indicated by successive credit marks after their respective names.  When a member of Consistory was absent without a reasonable excuse from Consistory Meeting, he was fined one dollar.

     A touch of brotherly kindness sometimes found its way into the records, as proved by the statement that the Consistory had made a "wood bee" for the Dominie.

     Peter and Etje Hogeboom, twins, were baptized August 30th, 1794 with two sets of sponsors.  They were apparently christened the day they were born.  [page 117]Indeed, from some closely connecting dates, it would seem that infants were often baptized at home, or on the festival days of the church.  It must have been a usual sight to see the Dominie sally forth, prayer-book in hand, almost any morning of the year, to the house of a member of his congregation, where he was met by friends of the family ready to stand as god-father and god-mother for the little stranger.  As these baptisms took place with great regularity when the infant was two weeks old, or a month at the latest, it would be inferred that the failure to present the child in church, did not suggest any negligence on the part of parents, or friends.  However, in the time of Dominie Gebhard's English associate, it was expressly "resolved that infants shall be baptized in church, if both parents are able to come, and the child.  If not, one or more elders shall attend."

     For thirty -three years William Van Ness led the singing of the Claverack church, a commentary on the migratory nature of choirs to-day.  In this same connection it was also "resolved that the Clerk of Consistory take his place immediately by the pulpit, and pitch the tune and take the lead in singing the Psalm, and [page 118] that he ring the bell, keep the Deacon's records, shut the church, and provide the water to be used in baptism," for all of which he received thirty dollars a year. [Van Ness-Livingston House.]

     Divine service was to commence precisely at ten o'clock A. M. and after one hour of intermission the afternoon service began.  The hour's intermission gave opportunity for partaking of a hearty lunch, and replenishing the little foot-stoves at the parsonage fire.  Every wagon driving to church on Sunday morning, contained one or more of these little stoves, with their wooden frames and metal sides pierced with many holes.  The door at one side allowed of the slipping in of a small fire pan, while a wire handle made it possible to carry the tiny furnaces safely.  These little comforters traveled to church not only in the wagons coming from the farm houses, but also in the coaches from the Manor Houses, and women and maidens who walked over the snow-trodden paths on foot, came swinging their little foot-stoves in the icy air.  It was considered a great innovation when, after 1800, a tin plated box-stove stood on its tall legs in the very center of the church, its long pipe going out of the window.  This moderated the freezing atmosphere beyond the radius [page 119] of the foot stoves, but it was still common to see one's breath in the air during the winter months.

     The sands of the hour glass on the pulpit desk ran many races with Jack Frost as he nipped the fingers and toes of both Dominie and congregation.  Preaching and listening both required courage in those days, and our fore-fathers surely did not expect to be "carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease."

     The Dominie added teaching the catechism to the children of the church, to his other duties, though it is probable that this catechetical examination took place on Saturday afternoon, and was not a part of the Sunday service.

      It seems to have been the custom of minister and elders to make a round of calls on every family in the congregation prior to the Communion of the Lord's Supper.  On these visitations delinquents were dealt with, new members gathered into the fold, and occasionally votes were taken as to the sense of the congregation on important matters, members of the church signing their names with a mark distinguishing them from those who were simply supporters.

     It was a custom of the times to add to each [page 120] baptismal record in the family Bible, the name of the officiating clergyman, also the name of the minister performing the marriage ceremonies recorded in the same book.  The Claverack Bibles, both Dutch and English, for many years bore the name of Dominie Gebhard repeated many times down these long lists of vital statistics.

     So the years went by with a hundred aims and occupations, secular and religious, but through them all wove the golden thread of sacramental service, claimed by the people and given freely by the pastor, a drawing of heavenly things into the life of a wide-sweeping territory.

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