THE TOWN OF CORTLANDT. Iig 



ers and professors of the Church among them, who doth not hear the 

 liturgy in several years." 



It appears from the following indenture that as early as 1750, Andrew 

 Johnson, Esq., of Perth Amboy, East Jersey, the son-in-law of De Heer 

 Stephanus Van Cortlandt, conveyed in trust to Caleb Hall, Joseph 

 Travis and Palatiah Hawes, six acres of land to promote the erection of 

 a Church edifice. The conveyance bears date 23d of March, 1750, and 

 is as follows : — 



DEED FOR CHURCH LOT. 

 (extkaot.) 



' ' Andrew Johnson of Perth Amboy, East Jersey, party of the first part, for 

 the value of five pounds, conveys to Caleb Hall, Joseph Travis and Palatiah 

 Haws, parties of the second part, a parcel of land lying at a place called Peek- 

 skill, being a part of lot No. 8, beginning at the north-east corner of the second par- 

 cel of land lately purchased by Joseph Taylor, by the north side of Crumpond 

 road, containing six acres, &c. , to have and to hold in trust for a school and 

 burying place, and also for their executors and successors in trust, to the only 

 proper use, benefit and behoof and exercise of the public worship of God ; and 

 that it be for that purpose in the erecting and building of a meeting house or 

 houses for the religious, (under the pi-otection of our most gracious Majesty,) 

 either the Church of England, Presbyterian, Independents, Baptists or Congre- 

 gational, &c, to erect and build a house for the religious exercise of public wor- 

 ship of God, with a convenient yard thereto, for each or either of the above 

 written denominations, to them the said Caleb Hall, &c , their heirs and suc- 

 cessors, in trust for the neighbourhood and inhabitants round about from gener- 

 ation to generation for ever , and for no other use, purpose or intent whatso- 

 ever. "« 



Yet no building appears to have been begun until 1766, when Beverly 

 Robinson, Jeremiah Drake, Caleb Ward, Isaac Hatfield and Charles 

 Moore were appointed trustees (by certain subscribers, both in Cortlaridt's 

 manor and the lower end of Philipse's upper patent, towards the erect- 

 ing of a church,) for directing and carrying on a building, and for secur- 

 ing it to the inhabitants as a place of public worship, according to the 

 establishment of the Church of England. This edifice, which was sub- 

 sequently dedicated to the service of Almighty God, by the Rev. John 

 Ogilvie, D.D., on the 9th of August, 1767, is the present parish church 

 of St. Peter's, which stands upon the summit of a high knoll directly east 

 of the late General Pierre Van Cortlandt's residence. 



Upon the 18th of August, 1770, the members of St. Peter's church, 

 in the manor of Cortlandt, and the lower part of Philipse's patent, re- 

 ceived (in answer to their petition presented on the 21st of March,) the 



a County Rec. Lib. H. 339. The original document was in the possession of the late James 

 Brown of Peekskill. • 



