The First Presbyterian

Church of

Stockport,

Columbia County,

New York

Capt. Franklin Ellis³⁹⁸

1878        

          This body was first legally organized as the "Second Presbyterian Church of Hudson," Feb. 7, 1831, with trustees George Coventry, Abel P. Williams, Seth Tobey, Andrew N. Stickles, Ezekiel Butler, George W. Cook, Elias Hotchkiss, Sebastian Duncan, and Wm. S. Shaw.  The meetings were at that time held in a school-house in what was then the northern part of the city of Hudson, but which is now near the centre of the town of Stockport, and there were but nine members.  The ruling elders were McIntire and Duncan, and the deacon was a Mr. Duncan.  In 1832 a very attractive meeting-house was erected on a most beautiful spot near where the building now stands, having a spacious gallery, tower, and bell.  Rev. Alden Scovel was installed the first pastor, and for a number of years the church was very prosperous.  Owing to the change in the civil condition of the town, the society was reorganized Feb. 21, 1844, when the name was changed to that which heads this section.  The trustees selected at that time were Joseph Wild, Robert Hicks, George Duckworth, Ezekiel Butler, John Russell, Wm. F. Butler, Casparus C. Hoes, Philip Van Valkenburgh, and W. Pilkington.  The pastoral relation of the Rev. Scovel had been terminated the year before, and he was succeeded by the Rev. Brunson.  After this followed a short pastorate by the Rev. Buck, who was the last to serve the church regularly; and soon after, services were held only at occasional intervals, and finally altogether discontinued.  This course was necessitated by the removal of the members, most of whom had been connected with the "Hudson Print-Works," which had ceased to work a few years before.  The aggregate membership of the church was one hundred and eighty-three, and the elders were composed of those first name,--Wm. Welch, Wm. F. Butler, and Wm. McCune.

     The meeting-house stood unoccupied a few years, but in 1873 was removed to its present site,, and fitted up for the use of the public schools of the village of Stockport.