Three Rivers
Hudson~Mohawk~Schoharie
History From America's Most Famous Valleys

The History of Montgomery Classis, R.C.A.
by W.N.P. Dailey,
Recorder Press, Amsterdam, NY 1916
To which is added sketches of Mohawk Valley men and events of early days, the Iroquois, Palatines, Indian Missions, Tryon County, committee of Safety, Sir Wm. Johnson, Joseph Brant, Arendt Van Curler, Gen. Herkimer, Reformed Church in America, Doctrine and Progress, Revolutionary Residences, Etc.

MOHAWK REFORMED CHURCH

The Reformed Protestant Dutch church at Mohawk was organized in 1838 by the Classis, and the following year incorporated. At the time or organization Christopher Bellinger and Samuel Meeker were elders, and Samuel Bellinger and Henry Harke, deacons. The lot for the church was given by Frederick Bellinger. The church records were lost in a hotel fire during Mr. Meeker's pastorate. The first supply of the church was the Rev. James Murphey, who at the time was the pastor of the Herkimer church (cf). Rev. Jedediah L. Stark followed in 1842 and died in 1862 and was buried at Utica, N.Y. Corwin says that Mr. Stark preached at German Flatts, Mohawk, and Frankfort at the same time thro the years 1843 and 1844, and from 1844 thro 1846 he preached at Mohawk and Frankfort, and from 1846 thro 1852 he was pastor at Mohawk, from which place he went in 1852 to Fort Herkimer (German Flatts) and continued there until 1857, when he ceased the active work of the ministry. Mr. Stark preached for several years at Mohawk, Frankfort and Fort Herkimer on every Sunday, covering the eleven miles with horse and wagon. His first pastorate of twenty years was at West Brattleboro, Vt. (l820-1840). Rev. Elbert Slingerland came to Mohawk in 1865 and after a couple years work became a pastor emeritus, and died in 1875 at the age of seventy-five. This was his second pastorate, the first occurring during 1855 and 1856. He also preached at Hagaman (cf) and Chittenango in this Classis. Rev. John W. Hammond followed Slingerland in 1856 and stayed thro 1859. He had several other pastorates in the Dutch church, and died in 1876, soon after the close of his pastorate at Roxbury, N Y. Rev. Charles D. K. Nott succeeded Mr. Hammond in 1859 and preached for five years, when he entered the Presbyterian church ministry. Then came the second pastorate of Mr. Slingerland, of which we have spoken above. Rev. G. D. W. Consaul (later pastor at Herkimer(cf) supplied the pulpit at Mohawk during 1867-1869, at which time he was ordained by the Classis of Montgomery. Rev. Frederick F. Wilson became pastor in 1870, coming from the Scotia church, thro a part of 1872. After a few other short pastorates he became inactive, about 1890, and twenty years later died at Asbury Park, N. J., in 1910.

Rev. Francis M. Bogardus was called to Mohawk in 1872 and resigned in 1876. He continued in the active pastorate for twenty years more, and has for some years been living retired at Asbury Park, N. J. Rev. John G. Lansing (son of Dr. Julian Lansing, a missionary at Damascus) was born in Syria at Damascus in the street called "Straight." He was licensed and ordained by the Montgomery Classis in 1887 and installed over the Mohawk church, which pulpit he occupied for three years. After a second pastorate of five years at West Troy (1879-1884) he was made Professor of Hebrew in New Brunswick Seminary, which chair he occupied for fifteen years when he resigned to take up editorial work at Denver, Co., where he died in 1906. He was the author of several volumes on Old Testament exegesis, and the founder in the Reformed church of the Arabian Mission. Rev. James Edmondson was licensed by the Montgomery Classis in 1868; the next record of him is as supply at Cicero (1879-1881), from which field he was called in 1881 to the Mohawk church which he served until some time in 1886, when he went to Sedalia, Mo., where he died. In 1882 Rutgers gave him the degree of Ph. D. Rev. John H. Brandow succeeded to the pastorate in 1886 and resigned in 1888. He was ordained by the Montgomery Classis. He went from Mohawk to the Oneonta Presbyterian church, from which field he came back into the Reformed ministry in 1895, and settled at Schuylerville. In 1905 he was called to Schoharie, and was there until 1908 when he became the Albany Synodical Missionary which position he still fills, with residence at Albany, N. Y. The next pastor was Rev. Albert Dod Minor who was licensed in 1879 by the Classis of Montgomery, and ordained and installed over the church at St. Johnsville (cf). In 1888 Mr. Minor came to the Mohawk field, at the same time, and for a few years following his resignation from Mohawk (1891) supplying the pulpit at Fort Herkimer. Mr. Minor died in 1910. Following Mr. Minor was the Rev. Ira Van Allen (previously pastor at Owasco), who was installed pastor in 1892 and remained thro 1898, to be succeeded by the Rev. Edward J. Meeker, who was ordained in 1899 by the Montgomery Classis and installed over this church. Mr. Meeker also supplied Fort Herkimer. He resigned in 1903, going to Highland Park church, New Brunswick, N. J. He returned to the Classis in 1909 and took up the work at Glen, now in the Lodi church. Rev. Charles W. Kinney who followed had already had a pastorate at St. Johnsville (1893-1899), having gone from that field (cf) to the Presbyterian church of Hobart, N. Y. In 1906 he returned to the Classis and was installed over the Mohawk church (also supplying Fort Herkimer) which church he continued to serve until 1911 when he went to the Schoharie church. Since 1913 he has been in the Schuylerville Reformed church. The present pastor of the church, Rev. Oscar E. Beckes, was called from the Manlius Presbyterian church in 1912.