284 The Story of The Bronx 



has already been suggested in describing the treatment of the 

 Acadians. The only Catholics likely to come to the colony 

 would be the English-speaking Irish; and they seem to have 

 been employed only by the Quakers, whose doctrines taught 

 more liberality of thought than did those of the Established 

 Church. It is also stated that some of the wealthier inhabi- 

 tants had for household servants slaves brought from Louis- 

 iana, and, perhaps, from Martinique. This was for the 

 purpose of having their children learn the French language, 

 as after our own Revolution and the growth of free ideas 

 in France, there grew up an admiration of everything 

 French. 



In 1784, the first Roman Catholic Church in New York, 

 St. Peter's in Barclay Street, was established, and, later, in 

 1 81 7, St. Patrick's in Mulberry Street. It is known that the 

 Catholics living at the upper end of Manhattan made trips, 

 frequently on foot, to attend services at one of these churches ; 

 and it is more than likely that the few and scattered Catholics 

 living within what is now the Borough did likewise, as late as 

 1833. In 1834, tne church of St. Paul was established in 

 Harlem, and the Catholics of the vicinity looked upon it as a 

 great convenience and blessing, as saving a long journey to get 

 the comforts of their religion. In 1839, the priests of St. 

 Paul's were making monthly trips to the section above the 

 Harlem River, which was considered as an out-mission of 

 their church. 



As mentioned elsewhere, the first authenticated performance 

 of the services of the Church was at Clason's Point, where the 

 last rites were administered to Dominick Lynch by Bishop 

 Connolly in 1825. In many cases, the desire of a Catholic 

 to lie in consecrated ground has led to the establishment of 

 graveyards, in which, or near which, a church would afterwards 



