[THE VOORLEEZER.]
The Voorleezer was a very important official in the Reformed Church and combined the duties of several offices. 1st, as Voorleezer or clerk, upon Sundays, before the minister entered the pulpit, the Voorleezer took his place at the desk in front of the high pulpit or "preaching chair," as it was called, and opened the services by announcing and reading a verse from the Psalms. He then led the congregation in the singing of it, which gave him the title of foresinger. After the verse had been sung he first read the ten commandments or the creed, and then a portion of the Scriptures. In the meantime the preacher had ascended the pulpit, a verse was again sung and the Voorleezer went to his seat in the pew set apart for the consistory. When the sermon, which usually lasted an hour and a half, was half finished the minister announced a Psalm verse, the foresinger returned to his desk and led the singing, while the deacons went around with the "bell" to gather in the collections. At the close of the services the Voorleezer again led in singing and the minister dismissed the congregation with the benediction. 2d, during the week days, the Voorleezer taught the village school, and was at the same time catechiser, using in early days of Bergen a question book written by Domine Johannis Megapolensis of Nieu Amsterdam. If there was no minister the Voorleezer took the place of a local pastor in all respects except baptizing children and administering the Lord's Supper. Not being allowed to ascend the pulpit he read sermons from his desk. (Among items charged in the Deacons Accounts were several books of sermons.) On Sunday mornings he held a service at Bergen and on alternate Sunday afternoons at some farm-house in Ahasimus and Communipaw. An hour-glass stood on the reader's desk and when the sand had run from the upper into the lower hollow he was to suspend services and dismiss the congregation.
He officiated as bell-ringer, kept the church records, took care of the Communion set, which his wife kept clean, the bier, and the pall, acted as bookkeeper for the Deacons and also served as Aanspreker or funeral director, in which capacity he kept the records of the dead. For services as Voorleezer and schoolmaster the salary exceeded ƒ600., and as bookkeeper and Aanspreker he charged for his services, and probably received extra fees for baptismal and marriage records. The first Voorleezer mentioned in the church records was Regnier Bastianse Van Giesen who served in that capacity from 1665 to May 12, 1707, when he died. He probably came from Utrecht in the Netherlands, lived awhile at Midwout, L. I., then came to Bergen. He was an educated man who wrote the language correctly and was evidently versed in the history of his country. These Voorleezers were men of great influence in the early days of Bergen, especially before there was a settled pastor. The office continued until 1789 when Mr. John Collard received the title of Clerk with the salary of £2, 15s. per annum.
After the receipts of the church began to exceed the expenditures the Deacons invested the surplus funds in cows which were rented out to responsible members of the congregation for 12 lbs. of butter per annum or its value in money. In 1679 butter sold at 22 stivers per lb. and the rent for one cow was 13 guilders, 4 stivers. After 1715 the Deacons gave up the "butter rent" business and loaned the church funds at 6% on the bond of the borrower and his securities, or upon personal property to the value of the sum loaned given as collateral security. In the early days for more than a century, accounts were reckoned in "guilders seewan" and wampum often accumulated in quite large amounts in both loose and braided. In 1691 ƒ4,000 in wampum was taken to Stephen Van Courtlandt to be exchanged for silver money. The Church Treasury has a package of $1,214 in Continental bills and $700 in worthless State and communal paper of still earlier date.
[MARRIAGES—TOWN POOR.]
Until October 3, 1681, all marriages in Bergen were performed in the school-house, thenceforth in the church, it was the custom to be married in the presence of the congregation either by the minister or the Voorleezer, if by the latter, the record bore the clause "in the presence of the Court of Bergen." In the early days the usual fee was ƒ6 in wampum, paid over to the church funds. Often a collection was taken up among the wedding guests for the poor. There are several instances of the kind on record. There was no almshouse until recent years, and in the early days the town paid for the board of the poor, but the method of arranging the matter sounds very strange nowadays. It seems from the records that the poor dependent upon the town were sold to the lowest bidder. Winfield quotes the following: "At Bergen Town meeting Dec. 15th, 1784, at a public Outcry is sold Enoch Earle to the lowest bidder for the sum of seven pounds, ten shillings, the conditions are as follows, the byer is to find the said Enoch Earle a Good Bed, Washing, Lodging and Victuals, and mending his close; the Overseers of the Poor are to find all the New Close and then the said Enoch Earle is to work for the Byer as much as he is able to do until the year's End."