When measures were first taken by the inhabitants along the Neversink and Delaware rivers, for a distance of about 45 or 50 miles down the same, to procure a preacher for the people throughout that distance, there was not a man in its vicinity qualified to preach the Gospel, and, in consequence of this district then being sparsely inhabited, the people united and formed four congregations, to procure the services of one preacher, and agreed with John Casparus Fryenmoet, a young man from Switzerland who had previously studied for the ministry, to furnish him with money to go to Amsterdam in Holland, finish his education and become ordained, after which he was to serve them as their preacher. The sum they gave him for that purpose was 125 L. 12 s. 6 d., equal to $314.06. He went, obtained his education and became authorized to preach the gospel, returned and commenced to preach for the four congregations in June 1741; but no agreement had yet been made in relation to his salary and other matters which were necessary to be agreed on, and before any agreement was made Fryenmoet received a call from Rochester. It appears, however, that he declined that call, and an agreement was entered into between him and the church officers of Minisink and Mahackemeck congregations, the 7th of January, 1742, whereby it was stipulated that each of those congregations should pay Fryenmoet 20 L., equal to $50. A like sum paid by each of the other congregations made the amount of his salary $200; besides this he was to have 100 skipple of oats for horse feed, of which each congregation was to furnish 25 skipple. In February, 1745, the four congregations agreed to pay each 17 L. 10 s. for the purpose of building a house for Fryenmoet.
It appears from the church records that John Casparus Fryenmoet, born in Switzerland, with Eleanor Van Etten, born in Nytsfield, were married with a license from Governor Morris, in New Jersey, by Justice Abraham Van Camp, the 23d of July, 1742. The church records contain the rules and regulations of the church made at different times, which, in some respects, were different from those of the present time, among which were the two following, to wit: Church Wardens before officiating had to bind themselves in writing to remain subject to the Classis of Amsterdam. Persons intending to be married had to make out a certificate of their intended marriage and deliver it to the minister, who for three successive Sundays, at the close of service, read the certificate and at the same time gave notice that if any legal objections to the marriage existed, they should be made in due time and place.
This last continued to be practiced during Van Benschoten's services.
These records are in the Holland Dutch tongue. It appears that Fryenmoet's services ended in 1755 when his services became impracticable in consequence of the French war, whereby this frontier settlement became much exposed to Indian warfare, and he removed to Kinderhook, N. Y., where he preached for 21 years and where he died in 1778. He was represented as a man of short stature, handsome and eloquent.
One hundred and ten communicant members were received into the church whilst Fryenmoet officiated, within the congregations of Minisink and Mahackemeck, about 36 of whom resided in the present town of Deerpark. Of the latter the following from time to time alternately served as members of the Mahackemeck consistory:
| Jacobus Swartwout, | Anthony Van Etten, |
| Thomas Decker, | Johannis Westbrook, |
| Johannis Decker, | Solomon Koykendall, |
| Gerardus Van Inwegen, | Josias Cole, |
| Peter Gumaer, | Benjamin Depuy, |
| William Cole, | Philip Swartwout, |
| Peter Kuykendall. |
In the year 1760 the Rev. Thomas Romeyn commenced his ministerial services for the congregations mentioned, and continued until the year 1772, during which time a general attendance was given to his preaching, and reading meetings were had and attended also on those Sundays when there was no preaching in this congregation. This practice continued during the time of the successive ministers, until preaching was had every Sunday in our church. (Mr. Romeyn on leaving here settled in Canghnawaga, Montgomery County, N. Y., where after 21 years of ministerial labor he died in 1794.)
Within the time of Romeyn's services a schism occurred in the Dutch church, in consequence of the subordinate state of the church to the Classis of Amsterdam, in Holland, in respect to ordaining ministers there, &c., which having become burdensome to many who had to go there to become authorized to preach the gospel, measures were taken to have a Classis established in this country for that purpose. This created two parties, one of which, termed Conferentie, was in favor of continuing according to former practice, and the other, termed Coetus, were advocates of a Classis formed in this country to examine and ordain men to preach the gospel. Of the former, Romeyn was a moderate adherent, probably in consequence of his ordination in Holland, yet the people of his congregations generally attended to his preaching and were not as violent partisans as many people were in some other parts of our country; and it is probable his services would have continued, if a few of the most influential ruling members of his church, who were of the Coetus party, had not projected means to end his services in the year mentioned.
From this time, a term of thirteen years elapsed in which these congregations had no regular preacher, but probably had a few supplies before the Revolutionary War commenced, during its continuance, and after it ended.
In the year 1785 the Rev. Elias Van Benschoten entered on his ministerial services for the three congregations of Mahackemeck, Minisink and Walpack, in each of which he preached every third Sunday, in both the Dutch and English languages and generally performed half in each tongue; and required of the young people as their duty, to commit to memory in the English tongue the Heidelberg catechism, in such portions as he directed to be answered at each time of his preaching in the congregation, either on the same Sunday or on one of the days of the same week, at which time he gave explanations of that portion of the catechism. He retired in 1795, [FN] and removed to a farm or tract of land he had purchased, situated east of the Shawangunk mountain, in the northerly part of New Jersey, on which he made great improvements and granted it to Mr. Cooper, a nephew of his by marriage, subject to payment by installments, and his money he bestowed for educating youths for the ministry, &c. ($17,000 given to the General Synod of Reformed Dutch Church for this purpose in 1814.)