262 The Story of The Bronx 



died February 25, 1796, at the advanced age of eighty-six, 

 having been the first Bishop of the Church in America, con- 

 secrated for the purpose. 



During the Revolution, St. Peter's was closed so far as 

 religious services were concerned; though like St. Paul's at 

 Eastchester and the Dutch Church at Fordham, it was used 

 either as a hospital or a stable by the British, perhaps both. 

 No services were held for thirteen years, and the church edifice 

 was so dilapidated as to be irreparable. 



On April 6, 1784, the State Legislature passed "An act 

 to enable all religious denominations 1 this State to appoint 

 trustees, who should be a body corpo u^ for the purpose of 

 taking care of the temporalities of their respective congrega- 

 tions, and for other purposes therein mentioned." Under 

 the provisions of this act, St. Peter's was incorporated April 

 19, 1788, with the following persons as trustees: Lewis Graham, 

 Josiah Browne, Thomas Hunt, Israel Underhill, John Bartow, 

 Philip I. Livingston, and Samuel Bayard. 



The first record of their meeting is that of May 12, 1788, 

 when "it was resolved that the old church be sold to Mrs. 

 Sarah Ferris for the sum of ten pounds." A subscription 

 paper for funds to build a new church was circulated among 

 the people, and an appeal was made to the Propagation Society. 

 By 1789, enough funds were in hand or in sight to warrant the 

 making of a contract, January 26th, with John Odell, carpen- 

 ter, of New York for the erection of a church edifice for the 

 sum of £336. The new edifice was built on the site of the old 

 one removed by Mrs. Ferris, and was ready for use at the end 

 of the year. 



The trustees called the Reverend Theodosius Bartow, a 

 grandson of the first rector, for two years from January 2, 

 1792. He was to preach every other Sunday; and his services 



