History of Queens County
                    The Reformed  (Dutch) Church of Jamaica

The organization of this church at Jamaica is veiled in obscurity.  It seem 
to have Occurred before 1702, for the first record of baptism is dated June 
1st of that year.
But long before this time the Dutch had gradually been emigrating from Kings 
county into the western part of Queens, for we find twenty-one Dutch names 
among the contributors of a free gift (January 21st 1694) to Rev. Mr. 
Phillips, the Presbyterian minister at Jamaica.  As there was a church built 
at the common expense of the town in 1600 it is probably that the Dutch 
ministers from New York and Kings county whenever they visited Jamacia 
officiated in it for the Dutch congregation, as one of the (Antonides) 
certainly did on Sunday September 20th 1709.  In 1774  the congregation paid 
L40 New York money for their share of the services of the ministers of Kings 
county.
    April 29th 1715 the elders and deacons of the Dutch congregation 
throughout all Queens county resolved unanimously to build a church at 
Jamaica.  The sum of L361.18.6 was raised by subscription.  The surnames of 
the subscriptioners were Adriance, Ammerman,Antony, Atten,Barid, 
Barentse,bas, Beekman,Bergan, Berrien,Blaw, Blom, Boerum, Boog, 
Bras,Brinkerhoff,Burtis, Carpenter,Cockefer, Cornell, Covert, 
Crankheid,Demott, Ditmarse, Doesenburg, Dortlandt, Dreck, Dowe, Elderse, 
Edsall, Forest, Fortheisen,Fyn, Gennon, Gerritse, Glean, Goetbloet, Haff, 
Hardenburg, Hagewout, Haviland,Hendrickson, Hegeman,Hoogelandt,Jansen, 
Kip,Kolyer,Loosie, Lott,Lammerse,Lucasen, Luyster,Masten,Monfort, 
Montante,Norstrandt,Onderdonk,Polhemus, Probasco, Rapelye, Remsen,Reicke, 
Robertsen, Ryder, Schenck, Smith, Snedeker, Springsteen, Stevense,Teller, Van 
Cleef, Vanderbuilt, Van Hock, Van Leuwen, Van Lettingen, Van Nostrand, Van 
Wicklen, Van Wyck, Wiltse and Willemsen.

The surnames of purchasers of seats from 1716 to 1753 were Bennet, Clowes, 
Coerrten, Cornelisse,Durye,Ecker,Freest,Gris, Humphreys, Lanen, Laton or 
Letten, Lefferts, Lent, Lupardus, Molenarr, Read, Ryerse, Simonson, Sherlock, 
Stillwell,Stockholm, Van Arsdalen, Van Duyne, Van Soligen,Van Soolen, and 
Wycoff.
    May 13th 1715 a lot of 25 square roods next to henry Filkin’s was bought 
for the site of the new church, from Rev. Benjamin and Abigail Woolsey (of 
Dosoris), for the nominal price of five shillings. The church having been 
erected the congregation met in it for the first time on June 15th 1716, and 
chose persons to allot the men’s and women’s seats. The building was an 
octagon, with a steep roof, in the center of which was a cupola with a bell 
cast at Amsterdam, at a cost of L8.  In 1720 the church was Painted at a cost 
of l 15.10.
June 7th 1727 the consistory of the church wished to withdraw from their 
combination with the Kings county churches and have a pastor to themselves, 
because they were surrounded by Quakers and Anabaptists, and their children 
were apt to intermarry with strangers and go off to other religious bodies.  
The project failed for the time, but in three or four years afterward 
churches were started at Newtown, Success and Wolver Hollow,all in connection 
with the mother church at Jamaica. A call was made out August 20th 1730 for a 
minister from Holland, at a salary of L80 New York currency; but no minister 
would leave Holland for so small a sum.  It was increased to L100,but still 
no minister could be found there who would accept it.
The floor of the church was sanded.  In 1737 15 pence was paid for 
sweeping  the church, and 4 pence for half a bushel of sand.
    In 1741, after waiting nine years and having made several unsuccessful 
efforts to procure a minister from Holland, a call was made on Rev. Johannes 
Henricus Goetschius, of Pennsylvania, who was installed April 19th in the 
church at Jamaica, by Dominie Freeman, who preached from these words: “Lo I 
am with you alway,even to the end of the world.”  In September a parsonage 
was bought (where Aaron A. Degraw now lives) of Thomas Smith, at a cost of 
L185. Mr. Goetschius was an able preacher and a learned man, but of a warm 
tempermenant.  He preached a sermon August 22nd 1742 on the unknown God, 
wherein he rebuked the lukewarmness of his congregations.  This aroused a 
spirit of resentment, which caused a division among the people and ended in 
his removal in 1748.
    November 21st 1752 Thomas Romeyn preached a trial sermon, which proving 
satisfactory he received a call on condition of his going to Holland for 
ordination.  April 10th 1753 he gave his departing sermon and then took ship 
for Holland.  On April  10th 1754 he had returned, and he was inducted 
November 10th by Dominie Ver Beyck according to the order of classis.  In 
March 1755 he made a pastoral visitation from house to house throughout the 
whole congregation of Jamaica, and met with rough handling from the friends 
of Goetschuis. On April 6th he celebrated the Lord’s Supper and admitted 16 
members.  The divisions continuing in the congregation caused Mr.. Romeyn to 
leave.  he preached his last sermon November 30th 1760, from Ephesians vi. 
24, “Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.

First Reformed Dutch Church -Seating
Date:	3/27/00 8:30:12 PM Eastern Standard Time
From:	SHELDY1@aol.com
To:	NYBROOKLYN-L@rootsweb.com

            FIRST REFORMED (DUTCH) CHURCH

PLAN OF PEWS AND NAMES OF PEW HOLDERS IN FIRST CHURCH 1785 THE CHURCH IS IN A 
OCTAGON SHAPE.


UP IN FRONT BY THE PULPIT (WHICH IS CENTERED)

LEFT SIDE OF PULIT              RIGHT SIDE OF PULPIT

GARRET VAN NOSTRAND         DOWE, JOHN &ROELEF DURYEA
LUKE BERGAN                     GARRET DURLAND
JOHANNES SNEDEKER               ELBERT SNEDEKER
ISSAC LEFFERTS                  DANIEL REMSEN AND DANIEL LENT
                                    MARTIN JOHNSON

******************************************************************************

LEFT SIDE OF CHURCH 

CENTER ISLE  SEATS  
SEAT 1.  MINISTERS PEW-       ( ROW 1)
SEAT 2. JOHN SUYDAM            (ROW 2)
SEAT 3. HENDRICK ELDERT     (ROW 3)
SEAT 4. ISAAC LEFFERTS          (ROW 4)
SEAT 5.  ABRAHAM POLHEMUS(ROW 5)
SEAT 6. BENJAMIN HEGEMAN   (ROW  6)
SEAT 7. ISAAC HENDRICKSON  (ROW 7)
SEAT 8.  STEPHEN LOTT               (ROW 8)

CENTER SEATS

SEAT 16.  (ROW 1) TUNIS COVERT
SEAT 15. (ROW 2 ) HENDRICK EMMONS
SEAT 14. (ROW 3) GARRET VAN WICKLEN
SEAT 13. (ROW 4) JOHANNIS WYCKOFF
SEAT 12. (ROW 5) MARTIN JOHNSON
SEAT 11. (ROW 6) JOHN AMBERMAN
SEAT 10  (ROW 7) ELBERT ADRIANCE
SEAT    9. (ROW 8) ABRAHAM LOTT

FAR LEFT SIDE OF CHURCH

SEAT 17. (ROW 1) CASPERUS SPRINGSTEIN
SEAT 18. (ROW 2) WILLIAM MONFORT
SEAT 19. (ROW 3) JOHN DURYEA
SEAT 20. (ROW 4) JOHN SUYDAM
SEAT 21. (ROW 5)  ABRAHAM SUYDAM
SEAT 22. (ROW 6) WILLIAM HENDRICKSON
SEAT 23. (ROW 7) ARES REMSEN
SEAT 24. (ROW 8)  STEPHEN LOTT

NOW THE SEATS RAN AS SUCH: 
 IN FRONT CENTER OF CHURCH WAS THE PULPIT
TO THE LEFT SAT THE FIRST SET OF NAMES, TO THE RIGHT THE SECOND SET
AND THEN THE  REST OF THE SEATS SEAT RAN LIKE THIS
LEFT SIDE
FIRST ROW
17, 16, 1 (1 BEING CENTER ISLE)  TO THE RIGHT  1, 16 17 ( 1 BEING CENTER ISLE)
SECOND ROW
18, 15, 2 # 2 SEAT BEING  CENTER ISLE IN BACK OF #1 SEAT .
THERE WERE ONLY EIGHT ROWS IN THE CHURCH.

RIGHT SIDE OF CHURCH (CENTER ISLE)

SEAT 1 JOST VAN BRUNT
SEAT 2 BARNETT BENNETT
SEAT 3 HENDRICK BRINKERHOFF
SEAT 4 ISAAC AMBERMAN
SEAT 5 ABRAHAM GOLDER
SEAT 6. DOW DURYEA
SEAT 7 MARETLE DITMARS
SEAT 8 ISAAC BRINKERHOFF

RIGHT SIDE OF CHURCH( MIDDLE SEATS)

SEAT 16.  ELBERT HOOGLAND
SEAT 15. ABRAHAM DITMARS
SEAT 14. MARIA DIRMARS
SEAT 13.  JOHANNIS REMSEN
SEAT 12. CORNELIUS MONFORT
SEAT 11. JACOB ADRIANCE
SEAT 10. WILLIAM GOLDER
SEAT 09.  JACOBUS  RYDER

RIGHT SIDE OF CHURC (FAR LEFT SEATS)

SEAT 17. ARES REMSEN
SEAT 18. MARTIN SCHENCK
SEAT 19. JOHANNIS H. LOTT
SEAT 20. HENDRICK S. LOTT
SEAT 21. ABRAHAM VAN ARSDALEN
SEAT 22.  (NO NAME)
SEAT 23.  CORNELIUS BENNETT
SEAT 24.  JOHN WILLIAMSON

FIRST (DUTCH ) CHURCH, FRONTING ON THE MAIN STREET, JAMAICA: INTENDED FOR THE 
CONGREGATION SPREAD THROUGH ALL QUEENS COUNTY.  ERECTED 1716; TAKEN DOWN 
1838. IT WAS OF OCTAGON SHAPE. IN FRONT ARE POPLAR TREES. AND ON THE WEST AN 
OLD-FASHIONED HAY SCALE.

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